The Body

Red Fang!

As dedicated readers to Garage-Girls you should all know about Rally TV, The production company that brings you all the killer vids from the major motorcycle rallies.  I swear there is a reason why I’m selflessly promoting Rally TV in a full throttle rock article…..  Yeah, so we are all in Vegas for Las Vegas Bike Fest covering the event for Rally TV and it was literally non-stop work, out early shooting and up late editing. The editing room for some reason always ends up being where people come and hang out and ‘bs about fun, stupid stuff.  So in line with Fun stupid stuff, in walks in Paul from Bare knuckle Choppers, he sits down and pulls up a video for this band Red Fang. At first I was like what’s the name of them “Red Tang??” He was like “No, just check these guys out!” so we watched the video for the song Wires. Not sure if it was a combination of working so late out in Sin City and the tiredness had set in, but we all busted a gut rolling on the floor laughing at these guys. The video was hilarious, the band of dudes hanging out drinking, they land a check in the mail for $5,000  to make a music video.   Watching dudes spend 5 grand to make a video can be rather entertaining if your the guys in Red Fang.  It’s a stellar vid complete with a beater car smashing stuff on an active airport runway. Yeah we were hooked, Oh I’m sure the fact that these guys ROCK had us hooked as well.  After listening to a few tracks, it was on.  I had to track these guys down for Full Throttle Rock. After a few emails I was in touch with Bryan Giles guitar and lead vox. He spent some time on the phone with me filling me in on the Portland Oregon based band made up of Bryan, Aaron Beam on bass, David Sullivan on guitar and John Sherman laying down the drums.   Bryan informed me these guys are all transplants to the Portland area and it’s all music that got them playing together. Having all played in previous bands and some hailing from the same bands, it was just a good fit to wind up all jamming together.   The writing process is a communal effort with everyone pitching in with riffs, hooks or lyrics. Ego’s get left at the door and everyone keeps an open mind to what one of the guys will bring to the table. Working this way gives them a better brand practice and something that was initially introduced which may not have been so great, can easily turn into something killer once they all have a chance to contribute.  Bryan told me.

From band practice to playing live shows Red Fang manages to have fun always. “We are older dudes, so it’s not that insane, like you won’t find pools of jello or anything too wild, but we manage to have our fun”.  Playing live is a big part of this band and they are getting ready to embark on 5 weeks of touring in the US.   I asked Bryan if he could share any crazy stories from the road, “oh yeah, well we just got done a show, packed up the van and were about 40 miles out of town when a deer ran out into the road, the van swerved and flipped twice. None of us had seat belts on and we were all just rolling around in the van with equipment everywhere. We all walked away and John our drummer had to get 1 stitch, just 1. It was pretty crazy, we didn’t hit the deer and we didn’t get messed up after flipping twice. Our girlfriends picked us up and the next day, we loaded the equipment back up and played that night.”   Yes, these dudes are hardcore!

Bryan told me doing shows in Europe are pretty crazy. “The crowds are intense, 40,000 people, all enthusiastic to you. they sure do make you feel welcome over there. The Hospitality is the best, make sure you have enough to eat and a place to crash, we love it over there”

We talked about how the guys in the band are all pretty much self taught musicians that credit their experience to playing in bands and learning from other band mates.

Red Fang debuted in 2009 with the self titled album “Red Fang” and Followed that with “Murder the Mountains” in 2011. Both albums are filled with heavy bassy, driven riffs with killer guitars and heavy drums. These guys play it heavy and hard and deliver a sound any picky heavy metal enthusiast will dig.  Self described as “Beer Soaked, Ass kicking Heavy Rock.”, yeah I’d say that about sums ’em up.

In General Red Fang is made up of dudes living normal lives, they work, they have fun and they like music.  You got to check them out and catch the video for Wires.

redfang.net

redfang Facebook

The Machine

Windshield Wipers in Winter!

As a self proclaimed Garage-Girl who loves to perform maintenance on my vehicles there is one task I take so seriously, my windshield wipers. There is nothing I can’t stand more than not being able to see clearly while driving, especially in bad weather. For that reason I change my windshield wipers twice a year. I use a winter blade that I usually install around October, it has a rubber boot over the metal arm to prevent ice and snow build up, and then I switch to the rain-X windshield wiper for spring.  I never got around to installing my new winter set of blades this fall and planned on doing so just before leaving for a road trip for the Holidays. Well you know how crazy the Holidays are, running around trying to get everything done and ready. I just simply ran out of time. Not too worried though since the weather for my day of travel looked clear. While I was out of town the weather was great, actually a little warm, so the thought of the wiper blades was not even in my mind. That is until the ride home. Traveling across interstate 80 of the state of PA I ended up encountering lake effect snow bands that were reminiscent of “light speed” travel capable by the Millennium falcon in Star Wars. As I turned my wiper blades on I was frustrated to find out they were not up to my standards, I couldn’t see a dam thing…. Traveling along, the traffic started to get tighter and the big trucks were closer, can’t stand the spray from big trucks. I decided I better pull off the exit and see if I could do anything to help my visibility.  I had some hand sanitizer which is mostly alcohol and I used that to clean the wiper blades of any debris. This was a huge help and got me back home safe. While I was tending to my wiper blades, I heard numerous fire trucks and police cars zooming past. I later found out there was a 20 car pile up on the exact road I was traveling on…. The hi-way was now shut down. Used my maps app and found back roads to take me home. Ok, so maybe my bad wiper blades saved my life, but I decided this experience was a good time to bring the issue up and remind you all how important good wiper blades are. If you haven’t changed them in a while here is a video showing you just how easy it us. Here is a step by step of how to care for your wiper blades.  Stay Safe this winter!
1. Wipe the windshield wiper blades each time you fill up with gas. Dampen a paper towel with the window washing solution. Lift each wiper blade away from the window and rub the moist towel along the blade from one end to the other.
2. Wash the car windows to remove accumulated debris, bird droppings and insect splatters. Removing the larger debris protects the windshield blades from catching and tearing.
3. Run windshield wipers only when there is moisture present on the windows. In dry weather, use the windshield washer to spray fluid on the glass.
4. Remove snow and scrape ice off of windows before running the windshield wipers. Allow the car to run and defrost the windows long enough to melt ice before moving the wipers.
5. Park your vehicle in the shade or in a garage whenever possible to avoid sun damage, which can make the rubber blades brittle.
6. Inspect the windshield wiper arms and the blades once a month. Replace damaged, bent or broken wiper arms immediately. Replace the blades at least once a year, before the cold weather season, or sooner if the blades have become warped or ripped.

The Body

Kick off the New Year with Healthier Recipes!

New Year always means eating better, lighter. lets face it everyone indulges over the Holidays and wants to get “back on track” eating wise in the New Year.  Here is a great lighter recipe that might help you stick to your plan!

Asian-Style Chicken and Pasta
ingredients
•2  cups dried Chinese egg noodles or fine egg noodles (4 ounces)
•1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
•1/3 cup bottled stir-fry sauce
•1  cup snow pea pods or fresh sugar snap peas, tips and stems removed, and cut up
•1  medium red sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips
•2  teaspoons peanut oil or cooking oil
•5  ounces cooked chicken breast, cut into strips (about 1 cup)
•2  tablespoons coarsely chopped cashews or peanuts or toasted sliced almonds
directions
1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; set aside. Stir ginger into the bottled stir-fry sauce; set aside.
2. In a large skillet cook and stir peas and sweet pepper in hot oil over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add cooked noodles, chicken, stir-fry sauce, and cashews; heat through.
nutrition facts
Servings Per Recipe 4, Calories 235, Protein (gm) 18, Carbohydrate (gm) 24, Fat, total (gm) 7, Cholesterol (mg) 49, Saturated fat (gm) 1, Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 3, Sodium (mg) 540, Vegetables () 1, Starch () 1, Other Carb () 1, Very Lean Meat () 2, Fat () 1, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
The Body

Christmas Brunch Ideas

Looking for a recipe to serve on Christmas morning? This is a favorite!
Spicy Brunch Lasagna
Makes: 16 servings
Prep: 40 mins
Chill: 8 hrs to 24 hrs
Bake: 350°F 1 hr
Stand: 30 mins
Cool: 5 mins
ingredients
•1 1/2 pounds bulk Italian sausage
•1  24 ounce carton cottage cheese
•1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
•1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
•1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
•18 eggs
•1/3 cup milk
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon pepper
•2  tablespoons butter
•1 14 ounce jar purchased alfredo sauce
•1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
•8 oven-ready lasagna noodles
•4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
•2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
directions
1. In a large skillet, cook sausage until browned. Drain off fat; set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, chives, green onions and carrots; set aside.
2. In a very large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; pour in egg mixture. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until mixture begins to set on the bottom and around the edges. With a spatula or a large spoon, lift and fold the partially cooked egg mixture so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until egg mixture is cooked through, but is still glossy and moist. Immediately remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine the alfredo sauce and Italian seasoning. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture over the bottom of a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the lasagna noodles in the dish, overlapping as necessary. Top with half of the remaining sauce, half of the cottage cheese mixture, half the hash browns, half of the scrambled egg mixture and half of the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layers.
4. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Remove plastic wrap and cover dish with foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into portions. Makes 16 servings.
The Body

Ready to Bake some Christmas Cookies?

Peppermint Pinwheels
Makes: 72 servings
Prep: 40 mins
Chill: 2 hrs to 3 hrs
Bake: 375°F 6 mins to 8 minsper batch
ingredients
• 1  cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled*
• 1 cup layered chocolate-mint candy baking pieces**
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• White edible glitter, coarse sugar, or granulated sugar (optional)
directions
1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.
2. Divide dough in half. Stir melted chocolate into one dough portion. Stir chocolate mint baking pieces and peppermint extract into remaining dough portion. Divide each dough portion in half. Cover dough and chill for at least 1 hour or until easy to handle.
3. Roll each peppermint dough portion into a 9-1/2×6-inch rectangle on a piece of waxed paper. Roll each chocolate dough portion into a 9-1/2×6-inch rectangle on waxed paper. Use waxed paper to invert one chocolate dough rectangle on top of one peppermint dough rectangle; remove top layer of waxed paper. Roll up dough, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side and using bottom layer of waxed paper to help lift and roll dough. Discard waxed paper. Pinch edges to seal. Wrap dough roll in plastic wrap. Repeat to make a dough roll with remaining chocolate and peppermint dough rectangles. Chill dough rolls in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or until very firm.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. Unwrap dough rolls; reshape, if necessary. Cut dough rolls crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. If desired, sprinkle with edible glitter.
5. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm and just starting to brown. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. Stack cookies in canister; cover.***
The Machine

More Last Minute Gift Ideas!

Running out of Ideas on what to get the “Garage-Fanatic” in your life?  How about some Wizards! Killer cleaning products that will be a hit! They have cool gifts besides the usual awesome cleaning products!
Order now on the site and save 20% with their 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 20% OFF SALE!
Just use coupon code 12DAYS in the shopping cart at the beginning of your order to receive 20% off your entire purchase!*.
December 12th through Friday, December 23rd
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Wizards Products!
The Body, The Machine

Last Minute Gift Ideas for your Beloved Biker

It’s December 16th and you still have to do some shopping???  Geeze, talk about being a slacker!, No just kidding, you are not alone. Good thing is online shopping can save you from the rush of people at the mall and the traffic! Blech…  so for the Biker on your shopping list head over to Mustang’s Biker Essentials site. They have everything you need from Christmas cards, ornaments, to cold weather riding gear and cute items like mailboxes or wind-chimes, You will no doubt find something very unique and cute for the biker on your list.

Now, go visit the site, grab some eggnog, crank up the christmas tunes and do your last minute shopping online, HURRY go order now!