Red Chuck

Red Chuck's Huevos Rancheros

In a medium sized skillet, make bacon. Remove bacon from pan and turn heat to medium low. Chop four small tomatoes (preferably Nufer organic from the Farmer's Market). Add chopped tomatoes to pan. Accidentally pour 1/4 a cup of Old El Paso Pickled Jalapeno Slices juice into the pan. Shrug. Add 4 to 5 pickled Jalapeno Slices to pan. Wait for some of the liquid to evaporate. Crack 4 eggs directly into the pan. Scramble with tomatoes and pickled jalapeno slices. Remove from heat. Top with grated cheddar cheese. Enjoy.

Shrimp Burger

Yesterday during "nap time" Katherine looked up from her book to ask me what I was thinking. She said I had a serious expression on my face. I looked pensive. Her query snapped me to attention. I had been tettering on a horizon of thought, balanced precariously at the edge of this world and my considerations for the near future. In particular, what our afternoon plans should be, on this, our fourth day of vacation. Should we go for a swim or visit the lighthouse on Hunting Island? Maybe we could do both? Would that be too ambitious? But the real question in my mind was how to get back to the Shrimp Shack in Frogmore, SC, so our conversation went something like this:

Katherine: "What are you thinking?"

Me: (after a long, thoughtful pause) "Shrimp Burger."

There's plenty to say about our vacation this week, but right now I'll leave it at that. Two words, short and sweet, to sum up a terrific week. Our summer vacation is shrimp burger.

Free Shrimp?

I don't know anything about this event other than what is stated in the PDF pictured above. This was forwarded to me today from the Little Rock Free Press. Here's what the flyer says in case you're having trouble reading it:

"The Voyage of Food Independence" will deliver thousands of pounds of wild shrimp to the public in this massive giveaway to highlight the plight of the Gulf Fishermen. Millions of pounds of cheap food goes unharvested in our oceans because of the loss of boats and of the infrastructure needed to process it. Come join us to meet and greet these fishermen as they begin their voyage to DC to plead for help to preserve America's food independence. 5,000 lbs. will be given away in Little Rock.

This giveaway is sponsored by Public Eyes TV, Survival of the Seas Society, United Commercial Fisherman's Association, Louisiana Shrimp Association and the Green Model Project.

Googling "Voyage of Food Independence" didn't bring up any info about this group's trip to DC. Also, most of the listed sponsors don't have web pages. I did discover that Public Eyes TV is run by the same people that established the "Survival of the Seas Society" and the "Green Model Project."

But I ain't gonna let undocumented sources scare me away from some free shrimp. Even if it's rotten bait they are handing out, it should be an interesting event.

Download PDF

Links:

Tijuana Ceasar

Rim a tall glass w/ fresh lime juice and cajun seasoning. Fill the glass w/ ice and add 1 1/2oz gold tequila, 1 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp chipotle chili sauce(such as (tabasco), the juice of 1/4 fresh lime and 4 to 5 spicy clamato. Stir to mix. Garnish w/ a marinated chili.

via Drexel.

Poached Scrambled Eggs

I made these eggs this morning from a recipe in the New York Times Magazine. The eggs are fluffy and light. I put them on biscuits with Boar's Head ham - sauceless eggs Benedict - it was mad delicious!

4 large eggs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper.

1. Crack each egg into a medium-mesh sieve (or narrow-slotted spoon), letting the thin white drain away. Transfer the remaining yolk and white to a small bowl. Beat the eggs vigorously with a fork for 20 seconds.

2. Set a medium saucepan filled with 4 inches of water over moderate heat. Put a strainer in the sink. When the water is at a low boil, add a few large pinches of salt, then stir in a clockwise direction to create a whirlpool. Pour the eggs into the moving water, cover the pot and count to 20.

3. Turn off the heat and uncover the pot. The eggs should be floating on the surface in ribbons. While holding back the eggs with a spoon, pour off most of the water over the strainer. Gently slide the eggs into the strainer and press them lightly to expel any excess liquid.

4. Scoop the eggs into bowls, drizzle with olive oil if desired and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Variations: Serve with butter; smoked paprika; piment d'Espelette; or a spoonful of crème fraîche and a dollop of caviar.) Serves 2. Adapted from Daniel Patterson.

Cubanos Discovered in Dogtown

Though not as good as David's cubanos, the cuban sandwich at Reno's Argenta Cafe is pretty damn good. Ask Spinsouth if you don't believe me. Spinsouth? Spinsouth? Any comments on the cubano?

How You Celebrate Thanksgiving

My Grandfather gets the turkey at the grocery store and brings it to his house. He washes some grease off of it and then he puts it on a tray and puts it in the oven to bake. It has to bake for 20 hours, so me and my sister have to help my Grandmother bake the rest of the dinner. We make rolls and soup and pumpkin pie. Like we pour the baking powder in and we get to add a little bit of water - that's how we help. Then my Grandfather gets the turkey out of the oven and puts it on the table. Then I get to bang the spoon on the side of the pan and that tells everybody that it is done and it's time to eat. So they all come!

A Recipe for Frog Stew

Of course, this illustrated recipe for frog stew goes under "Food & Drink."

Egg Review

Link

George is my brother's best friend from high school. Egg is his restaurant. I'd say the reviewer was pleased.

Velveeta Bouquet

On the ride home from the grocery store this weekend, a block of Velveeta singles slipped out of our shopping bag. We discovered our lost processed food 8 hot hours later under the backseat. Hey. These things happen. Anyway, we thought the exploded Velveeta kinda looked like a bouquet of flowers. Smile and say "CHEESE!" (rollover images)

PS. Since I only have 1 picture of Helen holding the velveeta bouquet, I thought I'd drop a picture of her posing with her puzzles. She put these together all by herself. She's really gotten into puzzles recently.

Lunch Haiku

Summer lunch today.
Lima bean, mayonnaise, and
tomato sandwich.

Happy Birthday, Eric!

Happy Birthday, Bro!

New Food Pyramid Induces Bout of Nausea

I have to admit, I was kind of excited when I heard there was a new food pyramid. So excited that I went to the website to check it out. OK. So here's a little suggestion. How about get rid of that bloody drumstick beside the cold cuts. That looks really gross. Especialy since it appears to have been drawn by a 4th grader. So, what did I learn at the new food pyramid website? Well, if you want to feel weird about eating meat, just go Inside the Pyramid and click on the purple stripe. Then you might want to consider this.

FYI, here's the old food pryramid, R.I.P.