Who is this Ed Hardy anyways?

Trendsetters started carrying licensed Ed Hardy merchandise a little under a year ago, and this brand has proven to be a huge success. Indeed, Ed Hardy imagery has become a phenomenon over the last decade, first appearing on the clothing of celebrities and later appearing on everything from cell phones to glassware to clocks and more. This week, we’re doing a neat little sale on all of our Ed Hardy merchandise at www.trendsettersthestore.com.

For those of you not familiar with the man dubbed the “godfather of modern tattoo”, read on…

A Southern California native born in 1945, Hardy revived a childhood determination to become a tattoo artist and underwent a tattoo apprenticeship while simultaneously receiving a B.F.A. degree in printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1967. Tattooing professionally since then, he developed the fine art potential of the medium with emphasis on its Asian heritage. In 1973 he lived in Japan, studying with a traditional tattoo master – the first non-Asian to gain access to that world. He resumed these studies in Japan throughout the 1980s. Since 1974 he pioneered the emphasis on unique tattoo commissions at his San Francisco studio.

In 1982 he and his wife, Francesca Passalacqua, formed Hardy Marks Publications and have written, edited and published over twenty-five books on alternative art. They moved their primary household to Honolulu in 1986, where Hardy resumed painting, drawing, and printmaking. He maintains the studio Tattoo City in San Francisco, with younger artists continuing to evolve and carry on his unique work format. Hardy’s primarily focus is on creating and exhibiting works in more traditional mediums, including porcelain painting. He began developing this body of work in 2006 in a traditional Japanese setting.

In addition to showing his own works, Hardy has curated a number of exhibitions for both galleries and nonprofit spaces and frequently lectures at museums and universities. His work has appeared in numerous periodicals, books, and films internationally. In 2000, he was appointed by Oakland mayor Jerry Brown to that city’s Cultural Arts Commission, and awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the San Francisco Art Institute. In 2004 “Ed Hardy”, a major fashion line featuring his artwork, was launched internationally. Hardy and his wife now divide their time between Honolulu and the San Francisco Bay area.

For more information on Don Ed Hardy and his art, we recommend http://www.hardymarks.com

Summer is here... and it’s time for barbeque & BEER!

Bread and butter, Joanie and Chachi, peas and carrots… and barbeque and beer. Some things just go well together, especially when one of those things is beer. Well… unless the other thing is a firearm… or a bad breakup… or a massive inferiority complex…

Anyways, let’s move on. Beer goes well with barbeques, and that’s indisputable. Have you ever tried barbequing WITH beer? Our latest party tip gives you ideas on how to do just that. So here’s a few beer-induced barbequing recipes to get you started. And if you’ve already created some of your own beer-barbeque-deliciousness, please feel free to share YOUR recipes.

P.S. In honor of beer – that summer staple – Trendsetters is doing a week-long special on beer brand products. 15% OFF selected items from Brooklyn Brewery, Coors light, Corona, Guinness, Lone Star, Miller, Old Milwaukee, Old Style, Olympia, Pearl, Piels, Rainier, Red Stripe, Schaefer, Schlitz, Schmidt, and Stroh’s! Sale ends Tuesday. www.trendsettersthestore.com

BBQ Beer Can Chicken

-from Cajun Chef Ryan http://cajunchefryan.rymocs.com/blog2/recipes/bbq-beer-chicken/

Why? Because the beer adds moisture in addition to flavor during the slow grill roasting process. The larger 18 to 24 ounce tall beer cans work better for standing up the bird in all its glory!

Ingredients

1 large whole chicken (4 to 5 pounds)

3 tablespoons Finger Lickin Rub¹

1 can (18-24 ounces) beer

1. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body cavities of the chicken. Remove the package of giblets, and set aside for another use. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the body and neck cavities, the rub another 1 tablespoon all over the skin of the bird. If you wish, rub another 1/2 tablespoon of the mixture between the flesh and the skin. Cover and refrigerate the chicken while you preheat the grill.

2. Set the drip pan in the center of the grill, between the mounds of coals. Place the food on the grate over the drip pan, and cover the grill. You’ll need to add about 10 to 12 fresh briquettes to each side after an hour of cooking. If you want to add a smoke flavor, add 1 to 2 cups of presoaked wood chips, or 2 to 4 chunks, to the coals just before you start to cook, and again whenever you replenish the coals. Set up the grill for indirect grilling* placing a drip pan in the center. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high; then, when smoke appears, lower the heat to medium.

3. Pop the tab on the beer can and take a good sip or until it is within an inch of the top. Using a “church key” –style can opener, make 6 or 7 holes in the top of the can. Then spoon the remaining dry rub through the holes into the beer. Holding the chicken upright, with the opening of the body cavity down, insert the beer can into the cavity.

4. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss half the wood chips on the coals. Oil the grill grate. Stand the chicken up in the center of the hot grate, over the drip pan. Spread out the legs to form a sort of tripod, to support the bird.

5. Cover the grill and cook the chicken until fall-off-the-bone tender, 2 hours. If using charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals per side and the remaining wood chips after 1 hour.

6. Using tongs lift the bird to a cutting board or platter, holding the metal spatula underneath the beer can for support. (Have the board or platter right next to the bird to make the move shorter. Be careful not to spill hot beer on yourself.) Let stand for 5 minutes before carving the meat off the upright carcass. (Toss the beer can out along with the carcass.)

Beer BBQ Ribs -from beerbbq.com

BEER BBQ COOKING BROTH
3 Pounds boneless Country Style Pork Ribs
3 oz. Hickory Smoke Flavoring
2 Cups Beer

BEER BBQ SAUCE
8 Cups BBQ sauce
8 Cups Honey Dijon Dressing
6 oz. Beer

Place several layers of aluminum foil or a wire pie rack at the bottom of a large pot.

Layer ribs into pot. Add hickory smoke flavoring and beer. Fill with water to one inch above ribs. Bring to a full rolling boil. Cover. Reduce heat to a simmer, cook 35 to 45 minutes until ribs are fully cooked.

While ribs are simmering, mix together BBQ sauce ingredients. Fully drain water off the ribs. Place ribs in foil lined baking pan. Fully cover ribs with BBQ sauce.

Cover pan with foil. Bake in a pre-heated 275º oven for 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours.

Jalapeno Beer BBQ Sauce -from beerbbq.com

2 green Jalapenos, pith removed, stemmed, seeded and diced
2 Tablespoons Garlic, peeled, mashed and chopped
2/3 cup yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
3 large canned green Chile Peppers, drained
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Dark Beer
1 Cup Tomatoes, peeled, stemmed, cored and seeded, crushed
1 teaspoon dried Oregano, powdered
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
Salt to taste

Sauté jalapenos, garlic, onion and Chile peppers in a medium skillet with the vegetable oil until onions are translucent. pour into blender, add, beer, tomatoes, oregano and cayenne.

Blend until smooth. Use Jalapeno Beer BBQ sauce as a BBQ sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking.