Vege Goat Cheese Baguette

Toast some slices of Baguette spread it with Goat Cheese, top with Vege. makes a nice appetizer...

Greek Style Steaks with misc. Grilled Veggies and Herbed Goat Cheese

Slice assorted summer veg into 1/4 inch thick slabs for the grill.

Baste with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and minced garlic using a sprig of fresh Rosemary as your brush, topping with a sprinkle of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper as they cook.

Remove from grill and allow to cool.

Rub steaks with a mix of 1/3 cup Oregano, 2 tbsp Dill, 1/3 cup Salt, 1/3 cup cracked Pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil. this makes enough for 8-10 lbs meat. save what you dont use in a jar in the fridge.

Grill.

Allow meat to rest.

Slice Baguette.

Spread Goat Cheeseinside Baguette.

Stuff Baguette with misc. grilled summer veg.

Allow veg juices to soak into bread.

Squeeze fresh lemon on top.

Serve with Greek style steak

Goat Cheese and Lemon wedges.

Italian Roast Beef Sandwich

Whole wheat bread (Toasted), white aged Cheddar, 4 oz. Italian Roast Beef, home grown Silver Fir Tree Tomatoes, Butter Lettuce, Mayo and a zesty dill on the side.

Tacos de Lengua

So I went to Jr's Tacos with my Dad yesterday. While I was there in the barrio, I had an uncommon and foodborne flash of lucidity brought on by the eating of my tacos.

I do enjoy the barrio... I enjoy the culture... I enjoy the people...

but...

Why am I not making this on my own?

So after we were done eating, off we went to the Mexican Market. Heads of cabbage were 25¢, so I got one to make some coleslaw. Figured I'd need it to top my taco's too. I love the Mexican Market. The fresh tortilla's, the flan, the bags of mesquite, my Dad asking the ladies about the cheese... (He wanted to know if it was "goat" cheese, and they couldn't understand his english... and he's hard of hearing enough that he couldn't hear them when they responded back... so yeah, everybody smiles and acts polite, even tho nobody knows what's going on. But regardless, he's happy, they're happy, so I'm happy.)

Anyway, I bought myself a beef tongue. And since I didn't really know what I was doing, I kept it small. About 2.5 lbs of tongue.

Once home I googled all the Lengua recipes I could so I had something to work with. Here's what I came up with. :)

I washed the tongue and placed it in a large enough pot that water could cover. I added half a sliced onion, five pressed cloves of garlic, salt to taste, and a bay leaf.

I figured we might as well help flavor the meat a little. Any boiled meat that I've ever had was usually pretty tasteless.

The Tongue.

At this point I simmered the meat one hour for every pound. So, two and a half hours.

So what are you supposed to do for two and a half hours? This is just like smoking meat when you've got hours to spend while something slow cooks. I ended up going to the grocery and bought the other ingredients I figured I'd need that I couldn't dig out of the garden. Then I hit up Starbucks, and since I still had a lot of time... I made a couple loaves of zucchini bread.

Zucchini Makin's

Fresh Bread
(smells a little weird with the bread smells mixing with the tongue smells...)

After the tongue was done, I set it aside until I could handle it. Here's a few shots to gross people out.

Almost looks like dough rolled in Sesame Seeds.

Have you ever had the pleasure of being licked by a cow? I have. That's a story for a different time, I can't explain now... but anyway, their tongues feel like cat tongues. They're raspy. The shot above shows why.

Just try to get THAT image out of your mind.

K. So the tongue is cooled. I picked it up and peeled the skin leather off of it and trimmed off the gristle.

In the beginning, Chris peeled a tongue.

It may seem weird, but really... underneath... we're all just meat.

Once the tongue was peeled and trimmed I cut it up into chunks for eating. I've had several pieces at this point... it's good!

Next we have to turn our meat into Tacos! I'm not sure if I'd do this vege stuff again, but I'll tell you what I did, just so you know.

First, I went ahead and roasted a couple of Poblano Peppers.

Roasting

Peeled and Chopped.

While the peppers were roasting I went and dug some tomatoes and tomatillas out of the garden.

I chopped them up too.

Feeling whimsical I went ahead and started sautéing the other half of the onion I'd used earlier...
to that I added some garlic, several green onions, and a couple serranos for heat. Then I threw in the tomato and tomatillo...

Then I dropped in the meat.

While that sizzled away, I got my toppings ready. Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Lime, Fresh Onion, and the Fresh, Sliced, Cabbage.

This is starting to look up!

Looking pretty good. Spooned the mixture over white corn tortillas, topped it with fresh stuff, squeezed a lime over...
Oh WAIT!!!!

Can't have a taco without salsa!

Fried Summer Squash

I've heard it said that food you grow yourself just tastes better. I'd have to agree.

The garden's producing.

Tonight I'm focusing on the squash. Usually I just eat it raw and/or as a dipping veggie.

But tonight I chopped it, and fried it in butter.

To finish it off, I tossed in some Italian Herbage, and topped it with Parmesan.
Can't beat it. :)

Hamburgers

The Makings of a Burger.

The Way It's Done.

The "Earned" Moscow Mule

"Danger Danger High Voltage"

Remember what Chris says, if it is before noon it is "Medicinal" and if it is in the evening, well "You earned it". It is evening and I definitly earned it. So here it is. The "Moscow Mule"

Pour yourself a "little" vodka

Top it off with some home made Ginger Beer (see three posts below)and a sqeeze of fresh lime.

Stir, drink, feel refreshed, repeat.

for those interested here is the actual unmodified recipe

2 oz. Vodka

1 tbsp. Lime Juice

Ginger Beer

Add Vodka and lime juice to a chilled beer mug with ice. Fill with Ginger Beer. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Mustard Lime Steaks - Part Deux

Perfectly Done.

Black & Blue Berry Pie

My favorite type of pie is Black & Blue Berry Pie. And the blackberries are ripe now; you should all try it!

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups fresh blackberries
3 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Stir in berries to coat. Turn filling into pastry lined pie plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice, dot with butter. Cover with top crust; cut slits. Seal and Flute. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Cover edges with foil to prevent burning before baking, and remove them for the last 12 minutes of baking.



First you make up your pie crust.



Then you make up your filling.


Then you assemble and cook it.

Then you eat! (with or without ice cream)

Beer Soaked Brats

Grilled is better.

Corn, with a pat of butter, squeeze of lime juice, and pepper. It'll get wrapped up and thrown on the grill with everything else.

The best performing "smoker" we've used.

The Kingsford's got Grill Envy.

We smoked the brats for about 40 minutes or so...

Then they went into a butter/beer bath to cook through. About a half an hour more.

Matt...

The full grill.

Towards the end we threw the brats back over the coals to crisp up the skin.
They'll crack when you bite them. :)

Matt's Basil Wrapped Seasoned Meatballs

Take 1 lb very lean ground beef (93/7) 10 tsp fish sauce (or more to taste) 4 large cloves minced Garlic, 2 tbsp sugar and a bunch of fresh cracked Pepper

Knead this mixture to a smooth paste. For this you really have to use your hands. Pinch off a small portion of meat and fry in a non stick skillet. Taste for seasoning and adjust (sugar/salt). Mixture should be rich and highly seasoned.

Cucumber salad.
peanuts, smashed with the side of a cleaver. 1 english cucumber, ran thru a fine mandolin. 1/4 large Vidalia sliced super thin. 3 tablespoons or so rice vinegar. 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar. 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a serving bowl and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Vinegar, Sugar and Salt are to taste so...

Taste for seasoning, adding sugar or salt as you see fit, deem nescessary or whatever.

Stir in the cucumber and onion.

Sprinkle the salad with the peanuts and serve.

Bean Sprout Salad
Dig up some garlic, salt, sugar, rice vinegar, Toasted sesame oil, red pepper flakes, bean sprouts

then

1. Mash the garlic with 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon sugar,

3 tablespoons vinegar

the sesame oil

and hot pepper flakes

Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Stir in the bean sprouts and let stand for 5 minutes.

Just before serving, taste for seasoning, adding salt, sugar, crushed red or vinegar as you see fit.

So I show up and Matt is wrapping up petite little seasoned meatballs... how cute.

Wrap small balls of meat mixture in large Basil leaves. Thread 5 wrapped balls on each Bamboo Skewer. Grill. Top with chopped dry roasted Peanuts.

Actually, these meatballs were really rich since they were seasoned so well.

I was working most of the day with Cameron, and when Matt called and asked for me to pick up some peanuts... well, Cameron and I had a pretty decent laugh.
Anyway, Cameron HAD some peanuts, and sent me on my way.

A special shout out must go out to Cameron,"Hey Cameron, thank you for the Peanuts!"

Now, throw all this stuff on a plate and consume with wild abandon.