Snack on this!

So really, what’s better than a snack? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love to snack on something and our snacks are as diverse as the UN. For me, I tend to stick to my favorites, there is little variation in my preference. One of my loyal favorites is Cheeze-Its and Schlotzsky’s sauce! If you have never eaten at a Schlotzsky’s Deli… what’s wrong with you? Find the location nearest you on their website and go there, it’s worth the trip.


Everyone knows and loves Cheese-Its but you may never have tried Schlotzsky’s sauce. More or less it is just another hot sauce but when it comes to flavor by far this is my favorite. It has just the right about of heat and tons of pepper flavor. If I eat enough of it I will sweat a little but the heat is not overpowering at all. I like to spread Cheeze-Its out on a large plate, plate size is key because your Cheeze-Its must be in a single layer to ensure proper coverage with Schlotsky’s sauce. From there I just grab the bottle and shake it until my arm gets tired.


Whenever I fix this snack I think about my friend Mike King. Growing up, he and I consumed more bottles of Schlottzsky’s sauce than I can count. Lately I have been trying to mix up this concoction as often as possible in honor of Mike who is in Tanzania guiding groups up Mount Kilimanjaro. Needless to say there is not a Schlotzsky’s in reasonable driving distance. Check out Mike’s blog and you can follow his adventure.

Good luck Mike! I have a plate of Cheeze-Its and Schlotzsky’s sauce waiting for you!!!

Roasted Tomato Soup

The best thing about winter is soup! Most nights when I get home from work I do not care to put in the effort to make a large meal. Solution… soup!

Tomato soup, in particular, is one of my wife’s favorites. It seems like one of those things which should be so easy. However, far too often when she orders tomato soup it has little flavor, too much acidity or tons of cream.

This soup takes a while and there is a little more work involved but if you avoid short cuts like using canned tomatoes I promise your extra effort will be rewarded.

Ingredients:
• 8 larger tomatoes - just basic, round red ones, I always have good luck finding beefsteak
• 2 small onions, chop
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 parmesan rind, about 10 square inches
• 2 cups water
• pepper
• salt
• olive oil


Turn your broiler on. Cut the tomatoes in half (widthwise) and squeeze seeds and juice into a bowl (you will need this later.) Arrange tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt and place them under the broiler. Broil them for about 10-15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned with charred edges. This will help cut down on the acidity and caramelize the sugars on the edges, it smells great!


While your tomatoes roast strain the seeds and tomato juice over a fine mesh wire strainer. Discard the seeds and excess pulp, keep the juice. You may need to work the seeds and pulp a bit with you fingers to get the most juice out.

Set the tomatoes aside and allow them to cool. Heat a little olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onions and sweat for a five minutes, and then add the garlic, sweat for another 5 minutes or until the garlic has softened a bit.

Add the reserve tomato juice and the parmesan rind to the onions and garlic. Be sure not to forget the parmesan rind, I think this is what tempers the acidity of the tomatoes. Don’t use regular parmesan either, the flavor can get overpowering and take away from the sweet goodness of the tomatoes and garlic.

Skin the tomatoes and add the bottoms right into the pot, skins will peal off easily. Core the tops and add those as well. Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Puree in a food processor and return to the pot. Add water and continue to simmer for 2 hours on low heat.


Resist the urge to dump in a lot of spices. I know basil seems like a natural, or even a bit of dried Italian Spice, but the truth is, the pure flavor of the garlic and tomatoes is really amazing.

Serve with crackers, grilled cheese or my wife’s favorite… popcorn!!!

Other observations:
I made this today, Sunday, while watching football. If I see that Jane Seymour jewelry commercial one more time I might put my foot through the tv.

GUMBO!!!

I’m home this week in Marietta, GA for a conference downtown. It’s always nice to be home and spend time with my family. I live nearly 600 miles north so the time we spend together now is more than special to me. Additional bonus – I got to watch my Falcons on TV and didn’t have to spend $40 at B-Duds to do it. While watching the Falcons my dad and I made gumbo. It turned out REALLY well!


While it takes a little time and patients it’s not too hard at all. Here’s how we did it:

• First make the roux:
• In a cast iron skillet (and it must be cast iron) over low heat add one cup of oil and slowly add one cup of flower. Slowly cook this until it turns to the color of chocolate, about half an hour. Stir constantly! It is important to never walk away from the stove because your roux will burn quickly. Just keep stirring, your patients will be rewarded.
• When your roux has a nice brown color add two copped onions and two chopped bell peppers. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes.
• Transfer roux and vegetables to a pot.
• Add 1lb andouille sausage, sliced (we added hot andouille) and one pound cubed grilled chicken. I like the grilled chicken, it had good flavor and really fell apart during the cooking making the hot andouille the star of the show.
• Add 3 bay leaves
• Add 48oz. of chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil.
• While you wait for the pot to boil add the following:
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• Once you reach a boil, lower the temperature and simmer for two hours.
• After your two hours are up stir in 1 tbs file’ powder
• Stir in fresh parsley and several chopped green onions

To serve ladle into a bowl and add a scoop of well cooked rice to the center.

As I stated above, this is a pretty simple recipe but it does take time and patients. It’s well worth the effort!

I think the best part was getting to spend some time with my dad. There aren’t many better ways to spend an afternoon than cooking an incredible meal while watching football. My dad is by far one of the greatest people you will ever meet and I miss him and my mother an awful lot. What a great afternoon.

Danny's Deli

My wife has been telling me about this place her office really enjoys, Danny’s Deli. Tucked away off Front Street, Danny's is near the southeast corner of Front and Broad. It’s a great location and when you approach you know you are close because it smells so good.

The sign out front announces that Danny’s has the “best Corned Beef in the Town!” Naturally if it’s the best in the city I must try it! I can’t speak to weather Danny makes the best corned beef in the city but it was really good! I asked and Danny does in fact make his own corned beef. Most places just buy their corned beef so I think the "homemade" effort really sets Danny's apart.


I had the corned beef on rye with swiss. As you can see from the photo this is one serious sandwich. Piled high, the corned beef was served warm enough to just begin melting the cheese. The corned beef wasn’t too salty and was surprisingly lean. There were virtually not large chunks of fat, a sign that suggest quality meat is being used. Sliced thin, it was easy to eat despite the size.

Another thing that set’s Danny’s apart... they have stadium mustard! Ironically, I had a disturbingly in-depth discussion on the value and necessity of stadium mustard Sunday. I would say that as an Ohio tradition, stadium mustard is certainly needed in any reputable deli.


The atmosphere is fun but definitely not overdone. It has an easy deli feel and the walls are dressed with posters from I Love Lucy, Hogan’s Heroes, Andy Griffith and others tv classics. My personal favorite was a poster of the Clampett family all holding guns with a caption reading “Homeland Security.”

Overall I was extremely pleased with Danny’s Deli and will most certainly eat there again very soon. They seemed to have a pretty wide variety of sandwiches both hot and cold. Additionally, they are opened for breakfast and have listed on the menu a corned beef omelet. Corned beef omlet... ohhhh, my heart be still.

40 Acres of Fans!

There are some places that God created for a specific purpose. The Grove on the campus of Ole Miss is one of those places. God shaped that piece of land and knew that families and friends would use it to gather and celebrate.


Over the weekend we went to the Ole Miss v Vandy game in Oxford. I remember going to Ole Miss games when I was younger but I guess I’ve forgotten what an experience it is. NO BODY tailgates like Ole Miss. Each week is like a huge family reunion. There is just something about it I can’t quite explain. All schools tailgate but the fine Ole Miss fans do it on a different level.


The Grove is an enormous 40 acre piece of land settled in the middle of the Ole Miss campus adjacent to the stadium. Every home game weekend, every inch of those 40 acres is covered with tents and fans. It is honestly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. This past weekend there must have been 100,000 people.


Everywhere you turn there are people offering you something to eat or trying to put a fresh beer in your hand. It really does feel like a huge family.

I have been dragging me feet on this post. I think this one was a little difficult for me to write. This weekend really reminded me how special it is to be around family. I grew up outside of Atlanta and never had the opportunity to spend much time with my extended family. In particular, my cousins and their families are fantastic. Growing up, I really looked up to my cousins Kim and Don. They are a good bit older than I am and every opportunity I had to spend time with them was very special and it still is. Kim is one of the most fun people you will ever be around if she is near you will always have an incredible time. Don is the kindest most genuine person you ever meet.

I suppose this all makes me feel as if I really missed out on something special. However, those same feelings motivate me do a better job visiting them more often in the future. My wife and I are already looking forward to the Vandy v Ole Miss game in Nashville next year as well as another trip to Oxford.

Thank you to my family and all of the Ole Miss fans that gave us an unforgettable weekend! Hotty Toddy!!!

The Rendezvous

Several weeks ago my wife, in-laws and I took on a road trip to Mississippi for the Ole Miss v Vandy game. My family is all from north MS so this was to get together with them and enjoy a great football weekend. Now, onto the food... Friday night we all went to the Rendezvous in Memphis. Opened in 1948, the Rendezvous has arguably the best in the country.

Memphis style ribs are served dry and cooked with a heavy dose of rub. The Rendezvous cooks their ribs a little differently than how most people are accustomed to having them. The meat is moist and tender but does not “fall off the bone.” When you use a lot of steam, or boil your ribs, they tend to have that fall off the bone tenderness and while that’s great, you sacrifice a lot of flavor. The Rendezvous will have nothing to do with that, flavor and quality are by far better than what you will find at your run of the mill BBQ place. My cousin summed it up nicely, when you go to the Rendezvous you have three options, a full order of ribs, a full order of rubs or... a full order of ribs.



Beyond the ribs, the Rendezvous is simply a phenomenal experience. We had a group of 14 and immediately after we were seated the staff showed up with plates of sausage and cheese. The sausage and cheese plate is their most popular starter, slices of smoked sausage and cheddar cheese are served up with a healthy dusting of the Rendezvous’ dry rub. I can’t even begin to describe how good this was. Additionally, the staff seemed to always have one eye on the pitchers of beer, we never had to ask for more and never went dry.

The Rendezvous is a great experience, if you ever have the opportunity you must go. It’s easy to see why the Rendezvous is such a prominent Memphis institution and a legend for their ribs.

Cinco

I had high hopes for Cinco, the newest lunch spot that opened downtown at Broad and High. Sadly I was completely disappointed. Serving burritos, tacos and salads it’s more of a Chipotle rip off than anything else. A coworker mentioned that she had heard this and while I tried to be objective I would have come to the same conclusion on my own. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some good things about Cinco but overall I’m left feeling quite unfulfilled.

The Good:

• Cinco does seem to be a solid lunch time value. My burrito was $5.25 and a 24oz foundation coke was only a dollar more. Tacos were $5.25 and salads were $5.75 so the overall value is there.
• Cinco also has a great outdoor patio and which was by far the highlight of our trip.
• Location, location, location. At Broad and High it’s only a short walk for most folks working downtown.

The Bad:

• The atmosphere is fairly poor. Waiting in line the wall color and assembly line gave me the feel of an elementary school cafeteria.
• Initially I was pretty jazzed queso was available, which it is not a Chipotle. I ordered a chicken burrito and just like Chipotle it comes loaded up with rice. The queso really helps bring everything together and adds moisture. The only bad this was the queso wasn’t not very good. In fact it was pretty bad.
• The chicken on my burrito was almost rubbery and lacked flavor.
• Cinco really is a low budget Chipotle knock off, right down to the signage.

Overall, I was very disappointed. However, I’m not sure if feel let down due to my actual experience and food or if I was just expecting more. At any rate, with a convenient location I’m sure I will end up eating at Cinco again but it won’t be a first choice.

Are You Man Enough?

Thurman’s Café has been a Columbus institution since 1942 and each year like clockwork is chosen as the best burger in the city. A very good friend and I frequent Thurman’s to the point that the waiter knows our order. We hold Thurman’s with such reverence and value that whenever we make a bet, be it for fantasy football or any other occasion, it is always for a trip to Thurman’s. All of Thurman’s burgers are constructed on a base of ¾ of a pound of beef, and I am certain it is not lean beef either. The “Thurman Burger” includes a huge stack of ham, sautéed onions and mushrooms. While this may be Thurman’s flag ship my favorite is this monster:


This is the blue cheese burger and is no doubt a gift from the Heavens. The burger is topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo… and here’s where it gets good, blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, several pieces of mozzarella and you ALWAYS have to add bacon. I like to hose mine down with Texas Pete (feel the burn!)

For me the bacon is what sets this burger apart. It's always thick and they add plenty of it, not like what you would find at Wendy’s or some place like that. My friend usually orders the Texas Coney. It’s basiclly a 12” smoked sausage in a sub roll covered in what appears to be an entire quart of chili. But that monster deserves its own post.

This gut buster is by any measure a man’s burger. Certainly, it is a challenge to consume but just because you can eat the entire burger doesn’t make you a man. I’ve known plenty of people who have eaten a Thurman burger, returned to work bragging about how much they ate and then proceeded to be completely worthless for the duration of the afternoon. No, the true test of a man, or at least his intestinal fortitude, is how productive he can be after your battle with the Thurman burger.


I’m proud to say my friend and I can take on Thurman’s, return to work and still maintain a high level of efficiency.

Are you man enough?

Another Successful Tailgate!

What a day! This week’s tailgate was awesome!!!

I don’t know how many people showed up but there were no less than 60 that came pregame and another 30 post. Ohio State – Ohio isn’t a big rivalry but it sure it a big party. I was absolutely astonished at how much beer was consumed and there wasn't a scrap of food left over.


The food this week was a big hit, there wasn’t a scrap left when everyone cleared out for the game. Our menu was as follows:
• pulled pork sandwiches
• baked beans
• buffalo chicken dip
• wings and boneless wings from B-Dubs (compliments of my father in-law)
• marinated peppers
• beer (approximately 10 cases)

I kept the same routine as last week and started preparing on Thursday, as you can seem from my previous post. You saw what I did with the pork below. The peppers were just marinated over night in Italian dressing and the beans were from a can but I dressed them up a little. I used three large cans of Bush’s Original Baked Beans. I purposely drained two of the cans and made up the needed liquid with whiskey and brown sugar. I was extremely pleased with the addition of the whiskey, it provided a very distinct flavor that played well with the beans.


The layout of our tailgate remained the same. I’ll have to come up with a way to change it up for the next game (I’m on the hunt for a chandelier for the tent!)

Once again there are people with more toys but I still believe that we put on the best show in the lot. I noticed a lot of people roll out grills for their tailgates and I just don't see the appeal. I know you can get a better hamburger out of it but someone needs to cook and tend the thing the entire time and that has to get monotonous. You don't even get to enjoy the festivities you worked so hard on. It also seems to me that it would limit your menu options, you’re stuck with brugers and hotdogs every week.

Other Observations:
Whenever you cram thousands of people into one concentrated area, you are bound to get a diverse group. Tailgating is no different. Most tailgaters just hang out and do their own thing without calling attention to themselves. Some tailgaters can’t do that. The “Go Long” Guys are the perfect example.

Every section of the parking lot has these knuckleheads. These tool shacks think the lanes of the parking lot were designed specifically for them to run incredibly slow fly patterns and show off the arm strength that landed them third string QB on the JV. They end up knocking over tables, bouncing footballs off of car hoods and on one occasion I observed thumped a ball off a 4 year old’s gourd. Hey “Go Long” Guys, Uncle Rico called and even he thinks you should give it a rest.

Smokey Goodness

I love to tailgate!

So yesterday, in preparation for this weekend’s TOSU v OU game, I went all out! I smoked a 7lb pork shoulder to make pulled pork sammys.

I have a pretty cheap vertical smoker, the walls are extremely thin and it’s hard to regulate the temperature when it’s cold or there is any amount of wind. It was a little windy yesterday but after my fire burned for an hour and a half it settled down and stayed between 190 and 220. I used lump charcoal for the first time instead of brickets and was quite pleased. They seemed to burn a little slower and with the larger size I only added additional fuel once. I also did not have any problems with ash building up and clogging the air vents. I let the pork cook down to a little over 8 hours. All in all it was a very successful day.

As you can see from the picture above I had really good smoke penetration, I actually had a much larger smoke ring than I would have ever thought I could get. I was really pleased with the redness of the smoke ring as well…

I think this weekend is going to be a ton of fun. I can’t wait to get out there… and eat!

My First Post!

Well… this is my very fist blog post so I guess I’ll just dive right in…

Yesterday was Ohio State’s first game of the 2008 season and there are few things I love more than football. So yesterday I put on the tailgate for my in-laws and I had a ton of fun!

This year we are trying to take TOSU tailgating to the next level. As I am from the South I’ve seem some extremely elaborate tailgates. Not that there aren’t some tricked out tailgates at Ohio State games but it appears to me that their money and time is spent on getting the latest and greatest toys and less on food and presentation. It’s really cool to have a 40” flat screen and a huge stereo but if you’re rockin out with a cheese tray from Kroger, a few bags of potato chips and setting it all out on a dirty table it kind of defeats the purpose.

So as you can see from the pictures we tried to dress things up a bit.

The menu laid out like this:

• Italian sausages: sweet and hot
• roasted vegetables: peppers, onions and asparagus
• buffalo chicken dip: always a standard
• blocks of cheese
• fresh salsa
• homemade cookies
  

I started cooking Thursday night when I grilled the chicken for the dip. Friday night my wife and I really started working, I prepared the chicken dip and cut up all the vegetables to marinate overnight while my wife baked the cookies. Saturday morning I was up at 6:00. I grilled the sausages while the chicken dip baked. I roasted the vegetables last. Normally I would roast a tray of veggies for close to an hour but this time I cut that in half. Since we would not eat for several hours I thought they would hold up better if they were cooked less. It turned out to be a good decision, even after the game they were still fairly crisp and never got mushy.

I think everyone enjoyed the food and we had more than a few comments on the candle sticks. I looked for nice chaffing dishes but they run around $300 each. My solution was to use the $4 wire chaffers and build decorative boxes to set them in. None of this took a tremendous amount or effort, just some planning and practice (I set up the table during the week to ensure I had space for everything.)

Next week is the OU game… stay tuned for more.

I’m going to try and figure out the focus of this blog as I go along so bare with me.