I told you my blog wasn't going to be just about the boat and camper any more! First off, sold the boat. Went to a nice, older couple from Payson who can now enjoy it like we did. Second, which is a first, here's a couple of killer recipes for you on CINCO DE MAYO… Otherwise known as National Maargrita Day, here in the USA. Enjoy, and let me know what you think if you try any of the recipes out! Have fun!
Finally said goodbye to the Little Beast!
KICK ASS GUACAMOLE
I’ve been making guacamole
for so many years now it’s ridiculous! Growing up in Southern California, my
family had Mexican food at least once a week. I seriously consider myself an
expert in the field. And, one of the greatest pleasures of Mexican cuisine, is the
delicious, creamy goodness known as guacamole.
After trying many different
concoctions, varieties, and trials and tribulations making GUAC, I found the
best ands most tasty “GUAC” ever, and now I’m going to share it with you.
Truth be told, I all but
stole the recipe. A buddy of mine, Rob, worked at a joint called Roscoe’s
Downright Dogs, a hot dog joint on Lake Street in Pasadena, California. After
eating a hot dog smothered in guacamole, I said,
“I think that was the best
GUAC I’ve ever had!”
He told me how it was made, because I asked,
and he used to have to make it every shift he worked there. (Place is still in
business, now it’s Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles, 830 N. Lake St.,
Pasadena, California). He gave me the recipe, and the rest is history. I made 2
minor changes to the original recipe, so I can now call it my own!
There are 2 things you have
to know in order to make the perfect guacamole.
1.
You can’t make
good guacamole with bad or hard avocados.
2.
You have to make
it and serve it: No making it beforehand, sticking it in the fridge, and
serving it later.
Avocados
should be squishy, soft to the touch. Not brown and semi-rotten or too squishy,
but just soft when you squeeze them. You
are going to want to use HAAS AVOCADOS, not Choquette, or Hall varieties. HAAS
AVOCADOS are dark, almost black on the outside. They are primarily grown out
west & in Mexico, and peak season for them is late January to early May.
Other varieties are shiny, glossy, and do not have the same texture, oils, or
flavor. Avoid those, always.
INGREDIENTS
4
large, ripe HASS AVOCADOS
2
small, vine-ripened tomatoes
½
medium to large red onion
1
heaping tablespoon of miracle whip
1
teaspoon of Worchester sauce
½
teaspoon of cumin
If
you don’t keep Miracle Whip in your home, or you consider it a Ghetto Product,
as many do… Substitute a teaspoon of sugar or Splenda with a heaping tablespoon
of MAYONAISSE.
INSTRUCTIONS
Take
avocados, remove seed from top, slice in half, length-wise, remove pit by
slamming large, sharp knife into seed, pull out seed.
Finely
chop ½ red onion.
Cut
off stem of tomatoes, remove top, and de-seed tomatoes. Dice them into very
small pieces.
Add
all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Smoosh and mix with large serving fork,
or better, with (mashed potato-type) masher, until creamy-smooth.
The Smoosher!
Serves
about 6 people.
As
far as chips, you can serve the GUAC with your favorite chips, or on warm quesadillas,
etc. I prefer On The Border tortilla chips, if you have them in your area.
They’re great! Blue Corn Tortilla Chips are also on my top-ten list, plus, they
are different and colorful.
(MILD) JALAPENO POPPERS-
STUFFED BBQ PEPPERS
I tried making stuffed, BBQ’d
Jalapeno (Poppers) peppers a few times, and they were mouth-burning and painful
to eat each time I made them. After some handy Internet research, and trial
& error attempts, I finally mastered this fun recipe.
There are 2 essential tools
you’ll need before attempting to make this recipe:
1. Jalapeno Popper Grill Rack
2. Jalapeño Corer
INGREDIENTS
10-12 plump Jalapeno peppers
1- 8 oz. package of Cream
Cheese
1 cup sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Bacon Bits
½ teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning
Salt
1- 2 liter bottle of 7-UP, or
similar soda
Pull CREAM CHEESE out of the ‘fridge,
set on counter for ½ hour, until it’s almost room temperature. (You can
microwave Cream Cheese if you are an impatient individual, but do not over cook
it. Remove foil from Cream Cheese before nuking it to avoid Fourth of July
scenarios).
Core and prepare the
Jalapenos: Near top of peppers, slice off the top. Take your corer, and core
out all seeds and membranes. (NOTE: The
membranes are the hottest part of the pepper, so make sure you get all of that
white flesh out of there when coring, without puncturing the sides of the
pepper).
Place Jalapenos in large,
preferably metal bowl. Soak peppers in soda for 30 minutes. (NOTE; The soda
takes the “sting” out of the pepper, and peppers will emit gasses when soaking.
I place the bowl outside during this process. NEVER stick your head over the
soda-soaking peppers, as they will fry your eyes. Ouch).
Prepare the filling: Take (soft)
Cream Cheese with Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Seasoning Salt, and Bacon Bits, and
mush all together, using large serving fork.
Stuff the Peppers: Take a
small spoon, and stuff the hollowed peppers with the Cream Cheese filling. Make
sure you stuff all the way down to the bottom, but do not over-fill! If filled
to the top, Cream Cheese will rise a bit during cooking, and it’ll make a mess
leaking out over the top. Place the stuffed Jalapenos in the rack.
Fire up BBQ 10 minutes before
placing Jalapeno rack on grill. After 10 minutes, place Jalapeno Rack on grill,
OFFSET FROM FLAMES. In other words, light one side of the grill, and put the
rack on the other, non-flame side. DO NOT PLACE RACK OVER FLAMES! You are
essentially baking the peppers with the heat of the grill, not cooking them
over flames.
Leave in (covered) BBQ for about
10-12 minutes on low heat, or until Cream Cheese looks brown on top. Let rack
sit out for 5 minutes to cool before consuming.
Serves about 4 people.
Any brand of Cream Cheese
will do, but I prefer either Challenge, or Land of Lakes. Neufatel (Cream
Cheese) has a lower fat content than regular Cream Cheese, and tastes about the
same. Hell… Even the Walmart brand does just fine! This is a super lo-carb
recipe as well, so eat in abundance and feel no guilt. Serve with copious
amounts of ice cold, frothy, craft beer.
HAVE A GREAT (NON) HOLIDAY, don't drink and drive, and see you next time. (Who knows what's coming next)?
-The Phoenix Rover
