Street Cheese in Camden Town, England

The Mark of the Taco Beast

Taco Bell is releasing these, I think Leviticus calls these an abomination...somewhere. A few years ago Del Taco released it's own un-holy horror when they did a campaign for their new mole tacos. Now me loves me some mole, but out of all the ad ideas shown to Del Taco corporate, they go with the brilliant idea of picturing their taco kicking me in the mouth. I don't know about you, but I try not to associate bad Mexican food with my teeth being kicked in.

Mia Alluim

Any guy worth his garlic salt should be able to make at least one good thing in the kitchen and mine is garlic cheese bread, the king of all pungent breads. The best you can buy (they ship it all over the globe) comes from the "Smoke House" steakhouse restaurant (What's floating around the net claiming to be the recipe from the restaurant is fake). The "Stinking Rose" is a garlic-centered restaurant that has a garlicky oil concoction on every table you smear on the warm bread they bring to your table (you can smell the stuff 3 blocks from the place) that can kick the butt of wasabi in strength. I'm waiting for garlic to take the place of bacon fervor in the hearts of America like it did in mine...but I'm not holding my breath.

Ingredients:
1 loaf French bread
1/2 cup butter room temp
1 cup shredded aged white cheddar or any good strong cheese (I use a double-cream feta I get at a local Armenian store).
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions -- chopped
1/4 cup shallots -- chopped
1 garlic clove-- pureed
*optional* One cheese powder packet from a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (rumored to be the secret ingredient in "The Smoke House" garlic bread).

Directions:
Split bread loaf into halves. Mix butter, cheeses, mayonnaise, green onions, shallots, garlic, cheese powder and in a bowl blend well. Spread the cut side of bread with spread. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes, then place under broiler til toasty.

Pumpkin Waffles with Lavender Syrup

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Meca Macadamia

Russ complains when I eat all the cashews in the mixed nuts jars he gets and I leave him only the peanuts. I told him why doesn't he get a jar that doesn't have peanuts, and only have other nuts like walnuts and Brazil nuts (a nut I've never seen outside of nut jars or Dr. Cow's Cashew-Brazil Cheese) with cashews. So he goes to get the new nut jar he just bought and all the cashews are gone and all he has are walnuts and Brazil nuts, he comes up to me and says; "You ate all the cashews again." I told him; "I thought it was only the peanuts you had a problem with." Now Russ is smart, and knows that the only nut I like better than cashew nuts are pistachios, so he buys a jar of mixed nut that has pistachios, cashews and a nut called a filbert that I wouldn't eat if you paid me. So this last time he goes to get nuts and all the cashews AND pistachios are gone and all he has are filberts that Russ wouldn't eat if you paid him.

I bring this up now because I'm eating all the cashews out of the latest jar of nuts he just got typing this with one finger because I can't type with two fingers and eat cashews at the same time.

Shanghai Rose

Ingredients

For the rosemary crystals:
1 cup dried rosemary
1 cup superfine sugar

For the rose elixir:
16 ounces rose syrup
16 ounces distilled or tap water

For the Shanghai Rose:
Juice of 2 lime
1/2 cup rosemary crystals
4 ounces rose elixir
4 ounces bottled yuzu juice
4 ounces simple syrup
Ice
36 ounces soda water
4 sprigs fresh rosemary for garnish

Tips

1. Make the rosemary crystals: Process the rosemary and sugar until fully combined with a food processor. Then wait about 1 minute, you will find there are some rosemary crystals. 2. Make the rose elixir: Take the rose syrup into a small saucepan and tap water to a boil over high heat. Cut the heat to moderate and simmer, uncovered, until reduced by half, 12 to 15 minutes. 3. Make the Shanghai Rose: Take two plates for ready, the one is for install the lime juice. And the other is for spread the rosemary crystals. Soak the rim of a 12-ounce glass into the lime juice, then soak it into the rosemary crystals to lightly coat. Repeat with a second 12-ounce glass. The final step of them is pour 1 ounce each of rose elixir, yuzu juice, and simple syrup into each prepared glass. Add ice and enough soda water to fill each glass. Garnish drinks with rosemary sprigs.

elote

Mexican street food venders sell ears of corn (elote) from push carts with all kinds of good stuff on 'em in the San Fernando Valley where I live. I asked one and he told me how to make it.

Slather hot ear of corn with mayonnaise, Salvadorian crème (It has to be Salvadorian because Mexican crème is just sour cream) drizzle all over with Parkay margarine from the squeeze bottle, Sprinkle grated Cotija cheese (found in Latin markets and major stores here in the valley), and sprinkle Pico de Gallo (salted red pepper powder). Some put a squeeze of lime and cilantro (I can never make the cilantro stick to the corn).

Watches you as you sleep


Since the writing of this post, "Mexican Style Corn" has become a mania. You can now buy already-made Mexican corn seasoning in stores and some Mexican markets sell it to order with crushed flaming hot Cheetos or chili lime Fritos.

Luma-con-i

The boyfriend bought me lumaconi pasta from our favorite (read; only) little Italian deli slash market. They’re so big they can hold a baby's fist, can a pasta take me out of my comfort zone? This one did. I told Russ next time don't bring me pasta the size of small apples. Pasta shouldn't make you confused or looks like a it should have a nun's face peeking out of it. Though I do know one group that'd really go for this. He also bought me anchovie paste, because anchovie paste is good in...

Actual size

giving charity for takeout

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Best onion rings in the L.A.

I like a Beer battery/Tempura style onion ring. Jars' Lobster dipping sauce puts it over for the win. .
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Kimchi Ramen Grilled Cheese Sammiches

Satan's evil carb temptation.
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Battling Battered Beelzebub

I don't see Satan as a "a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). I see Satan as a floor of tempura.* You have to tread carefully, but he's still under your foot.

*tentsuyu dipping sauce is probably allowable, but not beneficial (1 Cor.10:23)

Eating Nuns

 

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Nun's Sauce (made by nuns in a Yorkshire convent, 1870)

Makes one jar

Ingredients:

¾ oz of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoonfuls of soy
3 cloves of garlic
A tablespoonful of anchovies (these came in barrels and the scraping of the barrel was used)
A few cloves
3 or 4 shallots
1 large spoonful of sugar
A quart of vinegar

Method:

1. Pound all dry things with the dry sugar
2. Chop and add the onions, etc.
3. Put into a leadless glazed demijohn with the vinegar, and cork lightly.
4. This jar was then left at the foot of the stairs for a month, and everyone passing up and down to chapel (twice a day) had to give it a shake.