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I am in the process of moving, so I apologize for the slowness. I should have regular updates coming starting tomorrow or Wednesday. I don’t even have a kitchen, damnit!
Not exactly food related, but I did a post on Vince, the ShamWow and Slap Chop guy a few weeks ago and felt that I should update you on what he’s up to these days — punching prostitutes.
ShamWow pitchman Vince Shlomi (i had his last name wrong, oops) was arrested last month on felony battery charges for allegedly punching a stripper, according to the Web site TheSmokingGun.com.
Police reports obtained by the site claim that Shlomi met 26-year-old prostitute Lenea Harris at a Miami nightclub, and subsequently brought her back to his room at Setai Hotel. Shlomi allegedly paid Harris $1,000 for “straight sex.”
That’s went things took a turn.
Shlomi told police “that he kissed [Harris] when all of a sudden [Harris] bit his tongue and would not let go,” according to the report.
Shlomi then punched Harris several times until she released his tongue, and then ran to the lobby to call police. Harris suffered several cuts and fractures to her face.
I knew it was starting to feel like Summer. Oberon’s official release is this Monday, however Sidetracks will begin serving it at 12:00 AM on Sunday (well, kinda Monday). 22oz glasses are $2.95 on Sunday, and pints are $3.00. Summer is here!
I believe that currenly I have 3-4 opened jars of salsa in my refrigerator. My A.D.D. often leads me to having multiple jars open at the same time because one would just require way too much focus. I found this list of things to do with all of this left over salsa, and thought it was just plain genius. This came from Chili Pepper Magazine.
1. Mix with mayo or ketchup; use as a dip for french fries.
2. Combine with softened butter and refrigerate for a salsa compound butter; add thin slices to a grilled steak.
3. Stir into scrambled eggs or add to omelets and frittatas.
4. Spoon into cooked grits; add bacon and cheese.
5. Add to burger meat mixtures or slather on top of burgers (or both!).
6. Add lime juice and canola oil to a thin, puréed salsa like Rosa Mexicano Chile Pasilla de Oaxaca Salsa and marinate meat.
7. Replace tomato sauce for a chunky tomato salsa on a homemade pizza.
8. Make a béchamel sauce, add salsa and toss with pasta.
9. Stir into cooked rice; add olives and cheddar cheese.
10. Layer onto a grilled cheese sandwich.
11. Use a puréed, chile-intense salsa, such as Herdez Salsa Chile de Árbol, as an enchilada sauce.
12. Add salsa as your secret ingredient to soups, stews or chilis.
13. Take a fruit salsa, like Santa Barbara Tangy-Apple Salsa, and use as a chutney substitute with roasted pork loin.
14. Kick up some mac and cheese with a dollop of salsa.
15. Use in place of cocktail sauce for shrimp.
16. Add to deviled eggs for a pop of fire.
17. Combine with cheese for jalapeño popper filling.
18. Top off tacos, burritos, or huevos rancheros.
19. Remember Mario Batali’s famous green sauce? Take a shortcut and use a spicy tomatillo salsa, like Vern’s Salsa Verde.
20. Glaze a sweet, fruit-filled salsa over pound cake or drizzle over ice cream.
21. Add breadcrumbs and feta cheese to salsa; stuff into eggplant halves.
22. Use a chunky salsa, like Sassy Senoritas Habanero Salsa, as an easy start to bruschetta.
23. Mix with goat cheese and use as a dip for veggies or serve with crackers.
24. For a quick Mediterranean spin, top fish or chicken with an olive-filled salsa, like José Goldstein Roasted Garlic and Olive Salsa, and bake.
25. Add cucumbers, jalapeños, tomatoes and vegetable stock to salsa. Purée into gazpacho.
26. Mix equal parts with yogurt or sour cream; slather on a baked potato or combine with mashed potatoes.
27. Add to meatloaf to give it a Mexican flair.
28. Stir into chicken salad, tuna salad or potato salad.
29. Mix with lemon or lime juice and use as a ceviche marinade.
30. Use a thin salsa, like Sabores Aztecas, as a base for salad dressing.
On April 7, 2009 it will go down. John requested a rematch and the Bomber Breakfast accepted. Contracts have been signed, and the date has been set.
This time, the hashbrowns will be finished.
Summer is almost here, and I am excited to get the grill out. One of my favorite things to grill are Brats that have been sitting in a beer marinade for a few hours. Also, the greatest summer side dish has to be potato salad. Here is how I do brats and potato salad:
If you’re just buying grocery store Brats, stick with Johnsonville. I always buy the spicy version, but the original works just fine. You want to open them up and poke several holes in each brat with a fork. This is going to allow the marinade to get through the casing. Put the brats in the brats in a large bowl, and add the following ingredients(this is assuming you are making one package of brats):
- 2 bottles of dark beer
- 1 half onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- A palm full of brown sugar
- Red pepper flakes (add as much as you like)
- A dash of Tabasco
- This is optional, but I always add a bit of Sriracha chili sauce. If you use a lot it gives brats more of an Asian flavor, which is odd to some people, but if you get the perfect amount in it creates a delicious flavor. I would add about a tablespoon, if i had to guess.
Let the brats sit in the marinade for about 2 hours, then throw on the grill. Trust me on this. These are amazing.
As for the potato salad, I like the mustard variety without a lot of crunch from peppers and other ingredients. I like the potatoes and the sauce to create the flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 5 pounds potatoes, cooked
- 3 or 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 1 small jar pimento
- 3/4 cup sweet pickle relish
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp. celery seed
- Paprika
- Mayonnaise
- Yellow mustard
Cook the potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover while boiling. Don’t overcook them or they will fall apart. Place potatoes into a strainer. Peel and dice the them while they are still warm!
Add chopped eggs, and onions. Add pimento pickle relish, and celery seed. Add mayonnaise and yellow mustard to taste (approximately ½ cup mayonnaise and ¼ cup mustard). If potatoes are too watery at this point add less mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I usually do the taste test and add more of any of the ingredients if I feel the salad is lacking something
Place in serving bowl and sprinkle top with paprika. I always boil a few eggs, chop them up and place on top.
Cover and place in refrigerator until cold. Do not cover with aluminum foil; use plastic or glass instead. Foil will discolor eggs and possibly interact with mayonnaise.
There you have it, perfect potato salad.
Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef’s Hardees commercial…
I was eating Wendy’s chili for lunch today and was thinking to myself, “You know, this chili is quite delicious.” It was then that I noticed a giant chunk of beef which resembled the corner of a beef patty. It was also then that I remembered someone telling me that Wendy’s chili is made from unused beef patties from the day before. I decided to find out for myself.
According to employees who are quicker to throw their employer under the bus than Mike Vanderjagt, here is how chili is made at Wendy’s:
- All burger patties that were not sold, are broken, or burnt are collected and deposited into a bag. The bag is dated and put into a cooler.
- The next morning employees collect the oldest bag, rinse the meat in hot water, put meat in large pot of water and boil until it becomes granules.
- Meat is then drained and cooled.
- Employees then add a can of pre-made chili sauce from the warehouse, cans of beans, pre-made spice packets, and frozen veggies
- Scary part. According to most of the employees, that mixture is combined with yesterday’s chili. Most call it the “Eternal Chili Pot.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of fast food.. I know most if it is nasty, but I guess I just held Wendy’s chili to higher standards. Damnit.
I came across this website the other day and thought it was one of the dumbest concepts I had ever heard of, but the result are some delicious looking sandwiches in extremely high resolution. After reading through a few pages of sandwiches, I found myself entertained and craving a sandwich. If you enjoy very close up pictures of sandwiches, then this site is for you. Actually, just check it out. It’s good times.
Scanwiches – Scans of sandwiches for education and delight.
A few examples…
That rueben looks absolutely delicious if you ask me.
Huevos Rancheros.
If you are unfamiliar with huevos rancheros, you are seriously missing out. Huevos rancheros is a traditional Mexican dish that is usually eaten as breakfast, but can be eaten for any meal. The basic components of the dish consists of a tortillas, fried eggs, with a tomato-chili sauce on top. The great thing about this dish is you can add pretty much anything you like. Here’s my version:
- Cook up some chorizo or regular breakfast sausage. Chorizo is a smokier sausage that typically has red pepper added to it.
- Coat the bottom of a large pan LIGHTLY with oil. Drop a tortilla in flat and let it sit until slightly crisp. I’m talking SLIGHTLY browned.
- Fry two eggs. I usually cook them over easy, but it’s up to you.
- Put tortilla on a plate, add chorizo on top of tortilla, and eggs on top of the chorizo.
- Add as much tomato-chili sauce as you want. Canned enchilada sauce works great for this.
- Sprinkle cheese on top of that.
- I always put the dish in my toaster oven for a minute or so just to melt the cheese on top.
There you have it. You can serve this with beans and rice, or just eat it by itself.
