Every week I'll give out a tip. Take it or leave it.
This week's Tip Jar is a story of redemption. Reeling from the previous night's blondie debacle, I knew Sunday's lunch for the in-laws was my chance to get back on track. I thought a little outside the box and decided to combine two recipes into one dish. Here's what I did:
I took the avocado salsa recipe from a few weeks ago and used it as a topping for a grilled pork loin. Turned out to be a great combination. For the pork loin, I sprinkled a common dry rub seasoning and threw it on the grill for ten minutes on each side. For the salsa, I cut the red wine vinegar in half and left out the bell pepper (because I didn't have one).
When you're not sure what to cook. sometimes it can be a good idea to combine two recipes that you know well to make one great dish!
Sounds good doesn't it? This is a dessert crock pot recipe...supposed to be mistake proof.
Description: Imagine blondies slowly simmering in a pot of molten goo. Now erase that from your memory because yours truly made it. As you can see, the end product is visually scarring.
Recipe Difficulty (Scale of 1-10): 2 I still f-ed this one up. Why you ask? Because when I decide to bake (this technically was baking) my borderline IQ drops another 40 points. That makes me barely functional in society. Don't do what I did...which was to assume you just dump all the ingredients into the pot. It helps to actually read the entire recipe rundown.
How it turned out: Utter Disaster These were suppose to be blondies. Turned out to be a sauce...and not a good one at that. I took several pictures of the finished product. This is the best one. I know...sad. You'd think Bluebell Homemade Vanilla could make anything taste great...think again. From start to finish, this was a disaster. Ingredients weren't properly mixed at the beginning and I left the mixture in the crock pot a few hours too long (we went out to dinner, and got home late).
Would I make again: Yes This one has some potential...just don't let me handle it. I am an above average cook...and an awful baker. I apologize to Meredith and the advances she has made in the world of blondies.
In regards to the link below...I love octopus...and would be willing to give this a shot. A reader sent this to me and I thought others might be amused.
*Note...I know this picture has nothing to do with the article...just further proof I visited the pawn shop.
I learned how to make good mashed potatoes from my mother. I have probably seen her make them a few thousand times growing up. Thought it would be the perfect thing to highlight in the first edition of Back to Basics. I'll go step-by-step in this fairly simple process:
1. Peel several Yukon Goldpotatoes (the number is up to you). This is very important. Yukon Gold has a natural buttery flavor.
2. Cut potatoes into one-inch cubes (doesn't have to be perfect). Throw in large pot of water. Add about a 1/2 TBSP of salt to the water.
3. Bring to boil...turn stove down a bit to a nice rolling boil. Let boil for 10-11 minutes.
4. Test softness with fork. Once the fork can easily slide through potato, remove, and drain water.
5. Add potatoes back to pot. Take out some milk, butter, and salt...along with a mixer.
6. It's important to remember that mashing potatoes is not an exact science. The key is never adding too much too early. Add a little at a time, taste, and continue to add ingredients if needed.
7. Add the butter, and a good pour of milk. How much milk really depends on the number of potatoes. Remember, hold back. Start out with just a little milk.
8. Mix on Low at first so the potatoes don't fly out everywhere. Add a good shake of salt. Not too much. Taste.
9. Turn the mixer on High, add some more milk if needed. The potatoes should have a nice fluffy consistency. They get gummy if too much milk is added. Add salt to taste.
10. The salt is key. Most mashed potatoes are bland because the salt is added to them at the table. By mixing in a moderate amount of salt, it gives the potatoes a consistent taste.
11. Keep potatoes in pot, add a pat of butter and drop on top of mixture. Close pot and wait to serve. The butter gives it a nice presentation when the pot top is lifted. Enjoy!
Get ready for the weekend with a great drink idea. Don't worry, I'll get around to just about everything. And no, I don't usually take pictures of liquor bottles around my house.
Key Lime Pie Martini
1 shot of Vanilla Stoli (any vodka will do, I just like this one the best) 3/4 shot Licor 43 (pictured...not cheap, well worth it!) 1/2 shot Rose's Lime Juice 1/2 shot half and half graham cracker crumbs
Directions:Chill a martini glass in the freezer for a few minutes. Take all of the ingredients, pour in shaker, and well...shake. Take some fresh lime and rim glass. Dip glass in a plate of graham cracker crumbs. Pour in drink mixture. Enjoy. This is a really good one!
*Note...make it easy on yourself and buy the box of pre-crumbled graham crackers.
Today marks the 15th anniversary of a very embarrassing moment in my life. Senior year, Scarborough HS…Cinco de Mayo was a big deal, celebrated with a lengthy lunch and various activities. One of those activities being “pet the horsey”. My experience with equine was limited…I was intrigued. So intrigued that I paid absolutely no attention to the enormous pile of horse shizzle I stepped in. Bell rings to go back to class…I walk about 40 yards down a white-floored hallway before a friend gives me the bad news. I make a run for it, slip, and get more excrement on my jeans. That was good enough for me to call it a day and go home. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
My daughter wants to go to an Astros’ game this weekend. No child should be subjected to such horror. Although, you gotta figure a decent shot at seeing a no-hitter.
Ever eaten a burger from Five Guys? “Wow”…as in a good “Wow” (sorry, had to include some food).
Ernie Harwell will be missed. Don’t know him?…google this classy man.
Went to the pawn shop in Las Vegas a few weeks back…the one from Pawn Stars. Probably would have taken me an hour just to get through the door. Too hot, I left. I wanted to meet Chum. Maybe next time.
Natalie (my oldest daughter) accidentally wacked me in the groin the other day. In terms of pain, is that the male version of giving birth? (I'm guessing the answer is still no)
Bet you didn’t expect to see a pic of M&M mascots on the blog.
It's Tuesday...time for a Mighty Good Recipe. I think it hit 90 degrees in Houston yesterday. Summer is here. How do I know? Started sweating on my ten-foot walk from the back door to the car door. Ahhh, wonderful humidity. All right, enough being cute. Here's an awesome cole slaw recipe that I thought would go good for this time of year. This can keep for a few days and it goes with a lot of things...especially BBQ. Cut back on the vinegar just a bit if you are not a big fan of tangy. Also, let marinate for several hours. Go in the fridge and turn a few times. Enjoy!
My good friend Rich has a unique sense of humor. He's fooled me once or twice through the years. He emailed me this the other day...it was too good not to post. It's not real, but don't you wish it was?
If you are ever in the Washington D.C. area and feel like a good slice of authentic local flavor, we went to a wonderful little spot where the pizza was piping hot and delicious. It's located in the Kingstowne/Alexandria, Virginia area. There is usually a large crowd, but we sat in the bar area, which is wonderfully decorated with local sports flair. There are several t.v.'s that display sporting events for the patrons to enjoy. They even at happy hour, have 24 oz. domestic drafts, of which we enjoyed two Coors Lights.
The service is friendly, prompt and pays attention to detail, as we ordered the meat pizza for dinner, which is advertised as having a thick, chunky lusty tomato sauce, the specialty of the house. It was also loaded with fat steaming Italian sausage, peppery pepperoni, zesty Romano cheese and other delicious meats. Of course there are other options on the menu including perfectly crafted sliders (with a tangy mustard pickle sauce), fried mozzarella sticks (whoever heard of such a thing), various leafy salads, they even advertise a Jack Daniels flatiron steak....wow!
Our server, Tyler, quickly took the order and within 10 minutes voila, our piping hot pizza pie arrived in a thick deep dish pan, I thought we were in Chicago!!!!
The pizza was great, the crust was heavenly, sweet and salty, crunchy and it held the smoky flavor of all the meats. As we were finishing our wonderful pie, we thought about ordering one of the wonderful desserts.....oh yeah, another great thing the menus are colorful and actually show a picture of each of the appetizers, entrees and desserts. We couldn't decide between the scrumptious looking bread pudding or the intriguing brownie bottom sundae and we were stuffed to the tits with pizza pie.
Anyways if you are ever in D.C., but wish you were in Chicago for some grandiose Chicago style pizza, visit Uno's Chicago Grille #722 for a truly unique dining experience that you probably can only get in 721 other locations. It was a life changer.
Each week I'll give out a tip. Take it or leave it.
Ever roasted an eggplant? It's easy. And eggplant is high in fiber, as well as many vitamins. I am not the biggest fan of hiding veggies from kids, but eggplant is not the most visually appealing vegetable for a child. Here's a good tip for hiding it.
1. Take a medium-sized eggplant and lightly coat with olive oil and some salt.
2. Put the eggplant on a baking sheet and place in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes.
3. Open oven and give eggplant a little tap...should be soft. If not, cook a little longer.
4. Remove from oven with some tongs, and immediately place eggplant in a ziplock bag. Seal.
5. Wait five minutes. Carefully take out eggplant. It will be very hot.
6. The skin should peel away easily. Separate skin from eggplant meat using a knife and fork.
7. Take a large knife and chop up the eggplant...it should be quite mushy.
8. Take a large pot, pour in a jar of your favorite tomato sauce and stir in the soft eggplant.
9. Warm through and serve with ground beef over a pasta of your choice.
I gave the PB, mayo and lettuce sandwich a try...not bad. Honestly, the peanut butter overwhelmed everything else. Thought I'd class-up the sandwich a bit by toasting the bread. If you do give it a try, don't be afraid of the mayo. The sandwich looks a lot grosser than it tastes. Now that's a glowing endorsement! Thanks for sending me the recipe. I'll give it three stars though, not 4.5.
