Polish S'mores

Polish S'more

I spotted this today in the Willamette Week (Portland Alternative Weekly).....insert Homer Simpson drooling sound............-dooh! why didn't I think of these?

Former: Why “Polish s’more?” Because its creator is Polish, and this baby is the ultimate rebuttal to all Polish jokes. Former WW art director Maggie Gardner writes in with an Independence Day discovery: a bacon s’more.

[We] had a stroke of genius while, watching the camp fire cook breakfast on one side, and a morning s’more on the other: why not marry the two? And hence, the bacon s’more was born. I tell you, it’s the best fucking thing in the whole world. Like a white-trash version of a bacon-wrapped date.

Grandma Mildred's Baked Bean

"Golden Spike Ceremony" -First Transcontinental Railroad-1869

I was just lamenting the other day that I hadn't grown up in an ethnic household. Sure, my family is German and I do know that my Great-great grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1856. He was Sixteen years old and when he landed here he had exactly 40 cents in his pocket. He worked as a farm hand, basically for room and board and from what I gather the "board" portion of his pay was pretty slim. I have read accounts of him eating more than a fair amount of squirrel. Long story short John Schoen enlists in the Union Army and served as a guard for U.S. Grant. After the war he was granted citizenship and he started a construction company that did the grading for theUnion Pacific Railroad. This was part of the construction for the Inter-continental Railroad and he was actually in Utah when the golden spike was driven. He made enough money to move to Kansas, purchase a 137 acre farm, get married and eventually have 9 sons.
Okay, enough of the family history-
Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to have been invited to a Pig Roast my blog friend Heather put together this event for her husband Scott's birthday. My contribution to the event was a batch of Baked Beans. The recipe I used was from my fraternal grandmother and it is one of the few culinary memories from my childhood that I want to see carried forward. The recipe is simple (kinda white trash actually), but these beans are awesome!

Chicken Kabobs with Aleppo Pepper & Yogurt Marinade and my Grandmother's Baked Beans

Grandma Mildred's Baked Beans
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Pinto beans (soak overnight)
4 oz. Bacon
1 Onion
6 Cloves Garlic
1 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Ballpark Mustard
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
1/2 cup strong black Coffee
Preparation:
Cook (simmer) the beans in ample water for an hour then let rest for 30 minutes. Brown the bacon, add the onion and garlic. Add the beans and the wet ingredients. The mixture should have enough moisture that the beans are swimming in liquid (add more of any of the wet ingredients as you adjust to taste). A Dutch oven is perfect for cooking these at 325 degrees. The beans will be done in 3-4 hours-cook covered (check hourly and stir).
What makes my grandmother's recipe a little more unique is that she used to cook the beans until they were almost dry (see the photo). My recipe for Heather kept this a little more traditional and a bit more "saucey".
At home I cook the beans until the liquid is just barely gone. These beans are absolute flavor bombs-let me know what you think.

Why?.............Because Bacon Tastes Good

Yeah, I guess that you might get sick from the H1N1 Virus, but c'mon and get real about eating Pork. The swine flu isn't caused by eating Pork (especially Bacon). Bacon is savory deliciousness and while a VERY bacon heavy lifestyle might not be in your best interest. As part of a balanced diet that includes the fruit, vegetables, and that green side dish often called a "salad" you should be able to look forward to 6-7 decades of bacon consumption............"More Bacon please"!

Jerked Chicken

I have been busy with a new job since January and even though I have been cooking at home my blog posting has suffered. Last week I was on the road all week and this weekend I really wanted to do some "Home Cooking". With the weather in Portland, Oregon finally looking Spring-like I decided to fire up the grill and try a new favorite of mine. If you have followed my blog you will note that last year May I made a Jamaican Jerked Rib Eye Steak, this weekend I did one of those and then followed up with a Jerked Chicken. While the spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice, Cloves, Nutmeg) used sound like you are doing some Christmas baking the taste is anything but the Fruit Cake you got from your Mother. With these aromatic spices go ahead and toss in 3-4 Habanero peppers and you have some serious heat. If you haven't had one of these peppers raw just know that the heat quotient is roughly this: If heat equals strength and this is the World's Strongest Man Contest, the habanero chile can lift an 18-wheeler (300,000 scoville units). The serrano can lift a VW van. The jalapeño (5,000 scoville units) can lift a Vespa. If you want to simulate the heat just light a match, let it burn for 3 seconds, blow it out and then stick the match on your tongue.....nuff said.
This chicken is best if marinated overnight and it was awesome with some grilled asparagus, roasted cherry peppers (suprisingly hot) and a mixed vegetable salad. Try using hardwood charcoal with some fruit wood to produce some smoke (I used apple wood). About 30 minutes per side gets this done. Pair with a Red Stripe or a crisp and fruity Spanish Rose.

Wine is not Kryptonite

"Wine Guy" to the rescue!

I wrote this wine blurb over a year ago and since it seems like I am being asked of basic question about wine by friends and acquaintances alike, I decided to re-post it.

When I go out to a restaurant I often see people treating the "Wine List" like it has been infected with the Ebola virus. I am sure many uncomfortable diners would love to be able to have a wine super hero ( "Wine Guy") fly in and make a wine selection . While there are more and more restaurants who have a Sommelier or a knowledgeable Wine Steward who can assist in making a selection, I get the feeling that many of you have a fear of asking for directions when choosing a wine (kind of like not asking for directions to the Freeway and spending an extra hour driving in the wrong direction).
Well, I am here to say that the wine list is not made out of Kryptonite and if you want to think of me as a wine Super Hero (but without the cape and the tights) that is up to you.
The next time you are figuring out what to serve with dinner or are going to dinner and you are looking at the "Wine List", just keep in mind a couple of things when trying to pair your wine with your meal.

1. If it grows together, it goes together. Italian food goes well with Italian wines. Oregon Pinot Noir goes well with Salmon, mushrooms, truffles and game. When eating well prepared fresh local cuisine look for the wines of that region as well.

2. Forget the Red Wine w/Red Meat -White Wine w/Fish or Poultry Rule. While a Bordeaux or a California Cabernet go well with a steak you are absolutely allowed to drink whatever your palate says you should drink. If you want to drink a Sauvignon Blanc with a steak then do it! Personally anything that hits my grill is getting pared with a red wine that has the backbone to standup to some smoke and spice.

3. Don't be afraid of asking for directions. If the restaurant has a Sommelier use his/her expertise. These people have spent years training their palate (like a runner training for a marathon) and they can be a wonderful resource. Also, don't be anxious about ordering something less expensive on the list. The restaurant doesn't care if you order the most expensive bottle or the least expensive bottle, they want you to have a great dining experience and they want you to come back.

4. Take your own wine- My group of friends are very wine savvy and we all take wine to restaurants. Keep in mind that the restaurant will charge you to open the bottle. The standard term is called a "Corkage Fee". These fees will range between $10-25/bottle. The reason to bring wine is not to save money, it is to enjoy wines that are not on the restaurants wine list. Older wines, limited production wines, wines from mailing lists, etc.

5. Upgrade your stemware- As geeky as it sounds, different wines taste and smell better in different style glassware. If you want to maximize your drinking pleasure use a proper glass. While you can have an almost infinite variety of stemware if you are just starting out, purchase Cabernet/Bordeaux style glasses. These glasses are the most versatile for both red and white wines and by the time you get around to really enjoying Burgundy or new world Pinot Noir you will already have notched up your glass collection a stem or two just by osmosis.

6. EEE-Experiment, Expand your palate, Enjoy!-The more wine you taste, the better your palate will become and the more you will enjoy what you drink. Not to go all Forrest Gump on you, but the wine world is like a 1000 piece box of chocolates-try them all!

Wine can and should be first and foremost a fun experience.

7. Watch a couple of episodes of Wine Library TV- Trust me, Gary Vaynerchuk is doing more to take the "snob" out of wine than anyone I know. Follow the Three-E's and remember as Gary says: "You, and a tiny bit of me, is changing the wine world".