Tip Jar

Sundays are dedicated to throwing out a tip...take it or leave it.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Everyone has their own method when it comes to doing even the most mundane kitchen activities. For years, when I made spaghetti I would take the pasta out of the package and snap it in half before throwing in the water. This caused pasta shards to fly around the kitchen. The solution? I slowly break the pasta while it's inside the package....then I open and dump in the water. No mess!

Test Kitchen

Every Saturday I'll try out a new, found recipe...you'll see the good and the bad of it.

Carolina Wings
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/carolina-wings-recipe2/index.html

Description: These Carolina-style hot wings are a Guy Fieri (that’s pronounced do*chebag) special. These are fairly healthy as far as chicken wings go…they’re baked, then grilled. The wing sauce was perfect…a little sweet from the sugar, a little smoky from the adobo sauce, and a little hot from the pepper.

Recipe Difficulty (Scale of 1-10): 2
Very easy. Just clean the wings, pop them in the oven for 45 minutes. While that’s happening, prepare the sauce. Take wings out, throw on the grill for 10 minutes, then toss in the sauce. Can’t get any easier than that.

How it turned out: AWESOME!
I love chicken wings…and I’ve tried a million recipes. This might be my favorite. I love the chipotle flavor, so these were right up my alley.

Would I make again: H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Yes
I’ll definitely be making these again…probably for Superbowl when the Texans are playing!

The Road Ahead

The Mighty Rib has some great things coming later this month:

--Dinner Club takes a field trip in July...to one of Houston's best restaurants...Mark's.

--Veggie View is right around the corner.

--Natalie the Nomad heads to Georgia for a restaurant review.

--Two new monthly columns: The Junkies and Calorie Worthy.

--He Said, She Said goes to Little Bigs in Houston.

--I'm heading to Dallas for some of the best BBQ in the nation (supposedly) at North Main BarBQ.

Back to Basics

Fridays are dedicated to the beginner cook.

Roasted Broccoli

This simple and different method to preparing broccoli was relayed to me by my friend Mickey. We make it about once a week in our household. Why? It tastes awesome and…it’s easy! See those blackened areas? That’s charred goodness! Anytime you’re making a big meal, it’s great to have an easy side dish recipe like this one. It keeps you from going insane.

1. Fill an entire baking sheet with broccoli florets.
2. Pour olive oil all over the broccoli.
3. Salt, pepper, and add minced garlic. Add some cayenne pepper for spice.
4. Give a good shake to make sure all parts are covered.
5. Throw sheet into a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
6. For the final minute of baking…switch to broil. This gives it a nice char.

Happy Hour

Every Thursday is dedicated to passing along a found drink recipe. Enjoy!

Black Cherry Fizz Bomb
http://www.drinksmixer.com/drinkp15q072.html

How did I find this one? I did a google search on black cherry vodka (had a bottle of it sitting in the liquor cabinet for quite some time). I stumbled upon this Black Cherry Fizz Bomb. I'll give this recipe credit...it made me purchase Red Bull for the first time. I was very happy with the results. It's a perfect summer drink...cool, refreshing, sweet but not too sweet. And don't laugh at my maraschino cherry. I bought a bottle for blog presentation.

**Note**The recipe link mentions watermelon vodka...just disregard that...they meant cherry.

Unique Randomness

My random thoughts...brought to you once a week.

• Quick…better invention: The Internet or Golden Oreos? Before you rush to judgment…take a moment and really give it some thought.

• I love chips. I’ve got a great idea for a new chip. It’s called a “Completely Full Bag of Chips”. Here’s the key…I don’t care what they taste like, but the bag is guaranteed full…right up to the seal. Charge me more, I don’t care! Think about the great advertising campaign. It’s revolutionary. But alas, I’m guessing there’s some legal reason why bags of chips can now only be 35% full.

• Sticking with the chip subject…kudos to Sun Chips. The deafening, biodegradable bag is sure to be mimicked by all. The clock is ticking on me for sneaking chips. On second thought, f-you Sun Chips!

• Got to thinking the other day…with all the rain in Seattle, does anyone there subscribe to DirecTV? Someone spits five feet from my dish and I can’t watch television for the night.

Facebook Folly of the Week: Gotta love the purposeful vague status updater. You know the guy I’m talking about. He’s got absolutely nothing going on in his life, so he posts these random, usually depressing statements to illicit some responses. Does this sound familiar?
“It’s all going downhill.” (on a skiing trip)
“Just can’t take the pain of losing you.” (just wrapped up watching LOST)
“Will you ever come back?” (still referring to LOST)
“Just had the most special weekend of my life.” (still referring to LOST)

Mighty Good Recipe

It's Tuesday...time for a Mighty Good Recipe!

French Dip Sandwiches
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Dip-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx

I'm a sandwich whore. If you're a follower of this blog, you've probably realized this for some time now. I found this French Dip recipe a few months back. Added bonus...it's a crockpot-er...although I would cut down the cooking time in half (around 6-7 hours). This sandwich goes great with some sweet potato fries (buy the giant bag from Costco's).

Restaurant Review

Each week, Mondays are dedicated to providing you with a restaurant review from a place in Houston or from around the country. This week, let's keep it local.

Seoul Garden
9446 Long Point Road
Houston, TX 77055

The Rundown: My buddy Lim introduced me to Korean food several years ago. At least twice a year we dine at Seoul Garden in the Spring Branch District of Houston. Recently, the Houston Press did a "Top 10 Places to Eat on Long Point" feature. Somehow Seoul Garden did not make the list. Maybe there was some crack passed around the office that day. ***Correction***Just got a great plug from the peeps at Houston Press. I looked back at the "Long Point" feature. I made an error. Turns out I was the one smoking crack...Seoul Garden did sneak onto the list at #9. How about I still cry foul that it wasn't higher? My apologies.

The Food: I love Korean food, and although my experience with it is fairly limited, I can say Seoul Garden definitely brings it. Korean eating is a social experience. If you have a party of six+, count on the good people of Seoul Garden giving you one of those private dining areas. These private areas give you the freedom to get a little loud. And once the sake starts flowing, the volume goes up a few decibels. You start off with complimentary plates of food. Various items such as pickled seaweed, kimchi, roasted potatoes, and sprouts adorn the table. For me, all of these tasty treats are excellent...well, except the kimchi. That's an acquired taste. We usually eat family style, and with Lim ordering... the food comes out in droves. Everything from zucchini pancakes to marinated beef, to spicy octopus, to hotpots. You just go from one thing to another (with shots of sake in between).

The Price: For some reason I never look at the prices and I really can't remember the amount of cash I hand over to Lim. Seoul Garden is not cheap, but it is well worth it. The quality of food is excellent, the place is very clean, and the social experience is not to be beat.

The Overall Opinion: This is one of my favorite places to eat in Houston. I consider myself very lucky to have a friend like Lim. He has shown me the finer things in Korean cuisine.

Helpful Hints: Very casual place. They also serve sushi. The parking lot is a dump, but the inside is nice.

Test Kitchen

Every Saturday I'll try out a new, found recipe...you'll see the good and the bad of it.

Deviled Eggs with Apple Compote
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robert-irvine/deviled-eggs-with-apple-compote-recipe/index.html

Description: Deviled egg recipes are a dime a dozen. I took a chance on this one because it seemed to be a little bit different. The egg mixture filling was pretty standard, but the apple compote added a nice texture and a little sweetness.

Recipe Difficulty (Scale of 1-10): 7
Don't let deviled eggs fool you. I know when you look down at a cookout and see them, you figure it was pretty simple to put together. They're not. The eggs have to be boiled just right, and if you care about presentation...you better not destroy the rest of the egg when removing the cooked yolk. Quite frankly, it's a lot of effort for a finger food.

How it turned out: Good
I really liked them...I've had better, but I've never had apple compote in my deviled eggs.

Would I make again: Probably so
I don't make deviled eggs very often. One, my wife is allergic to eggs...and it's not like you can down 12 of these babies. Two, like I said before, it's just a lot of effort for a few tasty bites.

Happy Hour

Every Thursday is dedicated to passing along a found drink recipe. Enjoy!

The Perfect Peartini
http://www.yumsugar.com/Happy-Hour-Perfect-Peartini-920266

I mentioned this drink recipe in our last Dinner Club, but felt it needed to be highlighted again. It turned out really good. My wife's favorite new drink. That thing floating around that looks like a little seahorse is actually a candied pear. I tried my hand at them...more trouble than they are worth. A nice pear slice is a great substitute for a garnish.