"At noon, the wife joined me at the incomparable Spiced Right Barbeque in Lilburn, GA, known in John G. lingo as "the world's tastiest meat". It's a buffet of smoked bbq chicken and pulled pork (I go for strictly pork) and classic southern sides of corn, black-eyed peas, turnip greens and cornbread. It makes my mouth water just to write about it. I've worked in this area on three different jobs over the years and have been to this restaurant every other week since maybe 1991. It's awesome - maybe my favorite lunch ever.
"Dinner was all my gals and me at Provino's Italian. It's wonderful basic Italian fare. I go for the combo spaghetti with mushrooms, italian sausage, and chicken. My wife loves that fresh-baked white rolls that they bring out in a bowl of garlic butter. Mmmm. I promised (and delivered) our waiter a big tip if he would bring me the special birthday dessert without the singing waiters."
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| "My new tradition:
I will be making Carne Asada for New Year's day from now on. Ever
had really good Carne Asada? Ever get that grill of yours fired up?
You'll need to to make this wonderful meal. "On Thursday I stopped by a Mexican grocery not far from the store I work at and picked up 5 pounds of Carne (thin sliced beef from a skirt steak.) At the butcher counter, they will pour a special marinade in with the beef and seal it in a plastic bag. While I was there I picked out some really good looking, plump jalapenos, some tomatoes, an onion, some avocado and of course some really fresh pico de gallo. Add to that some beautiful flour tortillas, fresh and hot from the griddle, and I had the makins' for a great dinner. I let the carne soak up the marinade for a couple of days, and then today I lit my charcoal grill and added a few small logs of seasoned mesquite to the fire. While all of that got hot, I diced up my tomatoes and onions and wrapped up the tortillas in some tin foil and though them on my gas grill, (located conveniently next to my charcoal grill.) As soon as the coals were nice and ready, I threw on the first big piece of carne, and grilled it on both sides for about 2 minutes each side. Once they were done, I cut them up into bite sized pieces of tasty beef, and placed them on a hot steak plate on the gas grill to keep them warm, and then threw another piece of carne on the charcoal grill. Meanwhile, I had about 6 fresh jalapenos roasting on the gas grill, until lightly blistered on all sides. I took those caliente delights off of the grill and placed them in a plastic bag, with just about 2 tablspoons of water in there to help them steam the rest of the way done. "Once all of the meat was cooked and the tortillas were done, I put everything out, buffet style, and invited all to make their own burritos, tostadas, etc. I had some refried beans heating on the side for extra flavor, and some corn tortilla chips for flourish. Every one ate heartily. My burrito consisted of a layer of refried beans, sprinkled with a little Mexican goat cheese, topped with the Carne Asada. Then I added some pico de gallo, a few of the jalapeno slices from the roasted peppers and a squeeze of fresh lime. Delicioso! "Hope you all had an equally great culinary New Year. I think Chef Rusty will be back for more next year." BACK TO FOODPAGE |
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"El Guero Canelo, Bien Agradable!" says chef rusty:
"Another sapphire-skied Sonoran afternoon enveloped me as I drove to meet friends at El Güero Canelo, a well-known taquería in South Tucson. The wind through the windows radiated relaxing heat and carried the bright, flinty smell of desert plants. It was a balmy 102o at 5:30, a perfect afternoon to try a Sonoran Hot Dog, a dish recommended by a cuisine maven in tucson [that'd be chef cousin janet] and friend in San Francisco [chef cb]. Ten minutes from downtown, the streets took on a definite down-home, right-on-the-border flavor. I motored past “Maria’s Gold Joyería,” and a small building painted in a riot of colors with the words “Raspados de fruta tropical” right next to “Yeseni’s Flores.” Just south of Irvington on 12th Avenue, about a block from Nebraska Street I spied El Güero’s red, white, and green stucco building. Cars ringed the building and filled the parking lot behind El Guero’s covered patio.
"I parked in front of the hot dog stand beside the main building, and waited, watching as families, couples, and youths enjoyed their meals and one another. Various ranchera, norteña, and cumbia songs played on El Güero’s public address system, interrupted at irregular intervals with calls for people to pick up their orders: “Treinta y seis, please. Treinta y seis,” and then, after a pause, if the announcer saw no response from customers, “Tirty seex.” Misters blew light clouds of moisture down to cool patrons, who seemed to take no notice of the heat. My friends arrived a few minutes after the appointed hour, and I interpreted the all-Spanish written menu board. El Güero Canelo offered many variations on the traditional Borderlands themes. My friends opted for the more prosaic “Burrito: asado con repollo” (large burrito of roasted beef chunks with cabbage) while I sampled a taco (roasted beef on a flat, warm corn tortilla topped with cabbage and cheese) and the highly-recommended hot dog. We sat on the red, white, and green benches of small, metal-topped picnic tables to wait for our order numbers to be called.
"Inside the covered, misting patio sat two condiment stands. One, used chiefly by customers who ordered burritos or tacos, contained lightly roasted red onion slices, jalapeños, and other traditional taco toppings. The second stand contained two warming bins. One bin had roasted whole scallions, larger than the scallions seen in most grocery stores, smaller than leeks. People used tongs to dish liberal servings of these scallions onto their plates. The other bin was not used. We retrieved our orders, beef dishes at one window, hot dogs at the stand, and were quite pleased with our food - economical, pleasant and tasty. The hot dog was not quite the exotic experience I had anticipated: regular beef dog on standard-issue bun. Toppings set El Güero’s dog apart from the traditional American hot dog. Beans, guacamole, relish and a drizzling of sour cream surrounded the dog and overflowed the bun. I believe I also detected a hint of relish and mustard. While I’m not a fan of hot dogs, I thoroughly enjoyed this one for its hearty, sweet flavor, and for its reasonable price. The verdict: for good comida casera at un buen precio, fuímonos todos al Güero Canelo.
"Just reread your friend’s El Güero posting. Looks like I ordered the wrong dog. Must get the Sammy Dog when I head back there." [oh noooo just in the interest of science of course!!]
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spicy peanut sauce
(the name doesn't quite say it all)
2/3 c chicken broth
1/3 c peanut butter
3 T soy sauce
3 T fresh lime juice
1 T honey
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
4 green onions, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 T grated or minced fresh ginger
1 large jalapeno, seeded (or not) and minced
1/4 - 1/2 c chopped cilantro
put everything into a small saucepan over med-high heat. reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or til thick and creamy.
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Young New Potatoes With Sour Cream, Yellow Squash & Fresh Dill
This is an Israeli dish of fresh vegetables and fragrant dill tossed in a rich, buttery sour cream sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
14 ounces mixed squash, such as yellow and green zucchini and pale green patty pan
14 ounces tiny new potatoes
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons butter
2 bunches scallions, thinly sliced
1 large bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups sour cream
Freshly ground pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut the squash into pieces about the same size as the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a pan and add water to cover. Add the sugar and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes, until almost tender. Add the squash and continue to cook until the vegetables are just tender, then drain.
Melt the butter in a large pan; fry the scallions in it until just wilted, then gently stir in the dill and vegetables. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Return to the heat and heat gently until warm. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4
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greens soup
(used to be spinach soup, but this was good, just a touch bitter with the butter.)
about 8 cups (4 decent servings)
soup base:
simmer in a soup pot for about 10 - 15 minutes:
about 4 c chicken broth
a medium onion, minced
a carrot, peeled and grated
1 t salt
1 t pepper - a mix of whatever kinds you have
1/4 - 1/2 t nutmeg
make the white sauce: in a little saucepan, melt 6 T butter and stir in 6 T flour. cook and stir over med heat for several minutes to cook the flour. don't brown. stir in 1 c milk til blended (2% is fine).
stir white sauce into simmering soup base.
add to the soup:
16-oz package of mixed greens or your choice. use the "clean" kind that are washed, chopped and ready to use. don't be a wimp about the stem pieces. put it in by the handful and stir in. cook the soup for several minutes to cook the greens - 10 minutes or so. if you use tender home-grown stuff, you won't have to cook as long.
now, off the heat, stir in:
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel (meyer lemon is wonderful)
2 c half and half (recipe calls for heavy cream - let your conscience be your guide, the half and half worked fine.)
garnish with toasted sliced almonds, or croutons, or parmesan. works well to eat with chopsticks AND a spoon.
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Candy Wrap Cookies
From Southern Living, JUNE 2004
Cut 1 (18-ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough into 1/4-inch slices. Wrap each slice around 1 miniature chocolate-coated caramel-and-creamy nougat bar. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 minute; remove to a wire rack. Dust with unsweetened cocoa, if desired.
Note: For testing purposes only, we used 1 (8-ounce) package Milky Way Miniatures.
Yield: Makes about 2 dozen
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Mount St. Sundae
Scoops of vanilla, dulce de leche, chocolate and strawberry Haagen-Dazs
covered with
wedges of Eli's apple tart and two kinds of cheesecake
smothered in
chocolate and raspberry sauce, fresh berries, whipped cream
and a cherry on top.
what - no nuts?
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| chocolate
casserole this is total comfort food. you should make it right away. it's adapted pretty closely from a recipe that I think came from a bh&g promo recipe booklet. it's very much like an old-style hot fudge pudding cake - the thing that bakes up with tender cake on the top of gooey hot fudge sauce in the same dish. this one, however, pushes the limits with peanut butter and chocolate chips in the cake part. it's stunning. you could serve more than 4 with it, but why risk a reputation for being stingy with the good stuff? |
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3/4 cup sugar, divided 1/2 cup flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/3 cup milk 1 T oil 1 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup chocolate chips 1/3 cup white chocolate chips (or some other kind, even more chocolate ones, gasp!) 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup boiling water ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' 1. in a medium bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the sugar, the flour and baking powder. add milk, oil, vanilla, stir til smooth with whisk. stir in chocochips and peanut butter. pour batter into a 1-quart casserole dish. set aside. 2. in the same bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cocoa. gradually stir in boiling water. pour mixture over batter in casserole dish. 3. bake at 350˚ for 35 - 40 minutes or til a wooden toothpick stuck in the cake part comes out clean. spoon up while warm and enjoy. BACK TO FOODPAGE |