did i ever tell you i worked at wendy's?

Izkali Reposado Tequila

2012-02-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

My favorite right now

Collection of great restaurants and bars - Rio

2012-01-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

Porcao Churrascaria - Rio

2012-01-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Vivicius - Rio

2012-01-29T14:23:00.000-08:00

The guys who wrote the Girl from Ipanema watched her from this bar.

Espelunca - Rio

2012-01-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

Great bar and restaurant one block off Copacabana

Fresh Margaritas

2012-01-29T06:37:00.000-08:00

1 part tequila
1 part orange liqueur
1 part fresh squeezed lime juice

Shake or stir with ice. Strain into ice filled, salt rimmed glasses. Drink many.

Tequilas Tried
Herradura Silver
Carnicas Silver
Izkali Reposado

Orange Liqueur Tried
Patron Citronge

Line 39 Petite Syrah

2012-01-28T07:03:00.000-08:00

Concannon Syrah's

2012-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Doritos Taco Flavor

2012-01-02T11:31:00.001-08:00

'70's style bag and flavor

Prime Rib

2012-01-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

4-8lb (3 or 4 bone) prime rib trimmed

salt

pepper

1 clove fresh garlic sliced thinly

Taylor digital meat thermometer

Bring to room temp 2-3 hours, heavy salt, heavy pepper, spike beef and insert garlic slices

Rack in roaster, uncovered, 425 for 30 minutes, insert thermometer (doctor's orders), 350 until temp is 127 (1-2 hours)

Caipirinha

2011-12-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

Brahma Chopp

2011-12-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

24/7 Riesling

2011-12-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Flash Slaw

2011-09-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

A bag of chopped cabbage.
Salad dressing

Tried.
Girard's Lite Champagne

Stella Artois in a can

2011-08-06T08:31:00.001-07:00

small tall boy - 14.9 oz

Lingiune with Clams

2010-06-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Olive oil
Garlic
3 lbs Little Neck Clams
single serving bottle of white wine
Fresh parsley
16 oz of linguine
salt, pepper

Snoqualmie, Syrah, 2007

2010-06-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Domaine La Baside Les Genets, Syrah, 2008

2010-06-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

McManis, Petite Sirah, 2008

2010-06-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Greg Norman, Petite Sirah, 2007

2010-06-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Le Grand, Pinot Noir, 2008

2010-06-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Guenoc, Petite Sirah, 2007

2010-06-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Cuvee des Messes Basses, 2007

2010-06-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

Roasted Veggies

2010-06-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Combo 1
Dutch Golds
Globe Carrots
White Onion
Garlic

Combo 2
Dutch Golds
Globe Carrots
Baby Squash
White Onion
Garlic

Combo 3
Hericot Verts
Corn on the Cob
Baby Zucchini
White Onion
Garlic

Combo 4
Hericot Verts
Bell Pepper
White Onion

Bogle, Petite Sirah, 2007

2010-06-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

The Crusher, Petite Sirah, 2008

2010-06-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Layer Cake, Malbec, 2008

2010-06-06T17:45:00.001-07:00

Fried Oyster Salad

2009-05-02T06:30:00.001-07:00

This is more about the concept than the recipe.

1 dozen fresh shucked oysters
corn meal
buttermilk
Frank's hot sauce
vegetable oil

Place oysters in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Add a few dashes of Frank's. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat oil in a small pot to 370 F. Remove oysters from BM and coat with corn meal. In small batches fry oysters in oil for about 2 minutes each or until done. They cook quick and don't over cook. Drain on rack.

Make whatever kind of fresh salad you want with whatever dressing you like. Simple salads with a vinaigrette seems to work best.

Hearts of Romaine
tomatoes
green olives
cucumber
crumbled Cotija Fresco

Top with fried oysters.

Three Cheese & Onion Bake

2009-04-12T07:57:00.001-07:00

We still need a better name for this amazing dish.

Deviled Eggs

2009-04-12T07:56:00.001-07:00

Base
12 eggs
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup of mayo
1 tablespoon minced shallot
5 dashes Franks hot sauce
salt
pepper
paprika
chopped fresh parsley

Options
green olives
sweet pickle relish

Hard boil eggs. Cool, peel, halve. Remove yolks and place in bowl. Mash 24 halved yolks with a potato masher until smooth. Add and blend in mayo, mustard, shallot, Franks, salt and pepper. Place whites on a bitchin' deviled egg plate. Fill the halved egg whites with yolk mixture. Dash on paprika and scatter parsley. Chill 3 hours. Serve.

This dish needs a pic.

William James Cellars, Syrah, 2004

2009-02-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

Bacon Explosion

2009-01-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

Never made it. Probably never will, but I feel compelled to have it.

Summer Pasta

2009-01-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

A salute to the Silver Palate Cook Book.

4 large tomatoes, de-seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2-2.5 lbs)
1 lbs Brie, rind removed, torn into irregular pieces
1 cup fresh basil leaves, rinsed, patted dry and cut into strips
1 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
24 oz linguine
freshly-ground Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

About 4 hours before serving, combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Let it sit out on the counter. Stir every hour or so. Don't cook it and don't put it in the fridge!!

Boil pasta until al-dente. Drain pasta and immediately toss with tomato sauce. Top with PR cheese and serve.

Marinated Roasted Stuffed Chicken

2009-01-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

1 roasting chicken (approx 4½ lbs)

Marinate
olive oil
2 lemons halved
Montreal chicken seasoning
salt
pepper
dried parsley
dried thyme

Stuff
2 cups of Cornbread Dressing (I hope)
2 cups Italian Sausage
1/2 onion chopped fine
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried parsley
dried thyme
dried sage

Roast
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 lemon
Montreal chicken seasoning
salt
pepper
dried parsley
dried thyme
1/2 cup of white wine

Wash and dry chicken and remove the stuff inside. Cut way any excess skin or fat around the openings. Slide you fingers between the skin and the breast meat creating some separation. Do the same thing around the thigh. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl.

Liberally and individually coat the bird inside and out with olive oil, juice from one of the lemons, Montreal chicken seasoning, salt, pepper, dried parsley, dried thyme. Use your best judgement as to what is enough of each. Put a spent lemon inside your chicken. Cover with a paper towel and refrigerate for 4-8 hours. Rotate chicken every hour to recoat with marinade. Add more of any of the ingredients as needed.

In a medium sauce pan soften the chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add two cups of bulk Italian sausage. Break-up and brown. Add salt, pepper dried parsley, dried thyme, dried sage. Drain excess fat (but not too much). Combine cornbread dressing and saute for another 5 minutes.

Remove the lemon from inside and place the chicken in a large cast iron skillet. Cut the butter into table spoon size pieces and slide between skin and the breast and thigh meat. Fill the birds cavity 90% full with sausage and cornbread dressing stuffing. Don't cram it in there. Squeeze a lemon over the brid and put the halves in the skillet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes and then pour the white wine over the bird. Bake for another hour. Remove. Tent and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve and eat.

Wing Bruschetta (accidental recipe)

2008-12-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

2 dozen wing drumettes
olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
1/2 white onion chopped fine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
juice of a lime
2 bottles of Franks Wing Sauce
salt, pepper
Montreal Chicken Seasoning

loaf of French bread
fresh blue cheese
Monterrey Jack cheese

This dish was an awesome recovery from an ill-conceived attempt at something completely different.

Cover bottom of a skillet with olive oil and heat over medium. Single layer many wings as you can in the oil. Season with salt, pepper and Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Brown about 4 minutes, turn, re season and brown for another 4 minutes. Remove wings from the skillet. Do as many batches as you need.

With all the wings browned, add the garlic and the onions to the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the wings, sautéed garlic and onions, Franks Wing Sauce, vinegars and lime juice to a Crock Pot. Cover and cook for 1 hour on high. Cook for 5 hours on low. Remove wings from the Crock. If the meat does not fall of the bone, you screwed up. Separate the bones from the meat.

Slice about 15 appetizer size pieces of bread, arrange on a cooking sheet and top with as much fresh blue cheese as you can stand. Add on chicken meat and top with a thin slice of Monterrey Jack cheese. Bake for 20 minutes on 300.

The Best Apron

2008-11-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

Cotija Fresco

2008-11-30T18:39:00.001-08:00

Mexican goat cheese

Miller High Life Cammo Tall Boys

2008-11-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Saint - Estephe Chateau Les Oremes de Pez 2004 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel

2008-11-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Red Bordeaux on Air France

Drank enough of this fine red and the Deutz Brut on a 10 hour flight from Paris to Houston to affect the profitability of Air France in 2008.

Deutz Brut Classic

2008-11-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Champagne on Air France

Corn Bread de Andy

2008-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

1 can of sweet corn drained or the equivalent amount of fresh
1/4 cup olive oil
sliced pickled jalapenos

1 package corn bread mix (Jiffy)

Add olive oil to a small sauce pan and heat. Add corn and jalapenos and saute until the corn begin to look glazed.

Prepare corn bread mix to packages instructions. Add corn and jalapenos to mix before cooking. Cook 2-3 minutes longer than package directions.

Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit...

2008-10-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

1 onion chopped fine
1 red bell pepper chopped fine
2 stalks celery chopped fine
3 cloves garlic chopped fine
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 stick butter
1 lb red beans
3 cans beef stock
1 smoked pork hock
1 tablespoon thyme
1 or 2 bay leaves
sausage ring (Holmes) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
red pepper sauce (Frank's)
salt
pepper

Soak beans in cold water over night. Drain.

In a sauce pan melt butter and add olive oil. Add onion, red pepper and celery cook until soft but not brown. Add the garlic for the last minute.

Add all the contents of the sauce pan to a Crock Pot along with beans, stock, hock, thyme, bay leaves. Add salt, pepper and pepper sauce to suit your taste.

Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low and continue for 6 hours. Add more salt, pepper and pepper sauce. Add sausage and cook for 4 more hours.

Remove hock and bay leaves.

Top servings with Molho de Vinagrete and crumbled queso cotija and a side of Corn Bread de Andy.

Her Enchiladas

2008-07-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Lou makes a mean 'chilada. Secret recipe.

However, I will record some interesting fillings she has used.

Brisket for Coke Whores - magical

Don't Let Your Meat Loaf - She doesn't need to do it again. They were good but no real point.

Brisket for Coke Whores

2008-05-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

1 Brisket. Size does not matter. Trimmed or not.
Salt
Pepper
Penzey's English Prime Rib Rub
Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 medium white onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 16 oz bottle of Coke

Season the brisket with the spices. Slice the onions into rings. Crudely crush the garlic. Spread about 3/4 of the onions and the garlic in the bottom of an appropriate sized roasting pan. Put the brisket in the pan fat side up and put the rest of the onions on top of it. Pour the Coke over the brisket. Re-season if need and and make sure onions are still on top of the meat.

Cover with foil and cook @ 400 for 30 minutes and then turn down to 250 for 6 hours for an 8-10 pounder. Baste every two hours. Meat thermometer.

Remove from pan, cover with foil and let rest for 25 minutes. Slice and eat.

Ted the Mule, Syrah-Grenache, 2006

2008-03-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

Lou's Chicken de Cassis

2008-03-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

crème de cassis - a sweet dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants. The best quality crème de cassis comes from the Dijon region of France and is used for making the cocktail kir.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1/3 cup flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup crème de cassis
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge them in flour, shake off the excess flour and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large, skillet on medium high. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook, turning once, until both sides are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and finish in 350 degree oven until done, about 20 minutes.

Discard excess fat in the skillet. Add the wine and deglaze, scraping up the browned bits. Boil the wine down for 1-2 minutes, add the crème de cassis and the cream. Continue to boil down the mixture until it is reduced by a third. Whisk in the butter. Add salt and pepper and spoon over chicken breasts to serve.

Kuhl, Riesling

2008-03-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Dona Paula Los Cardos, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005

2008-03-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

Shoofly, Shiraz, 2005

2008-03-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hendrickson's Unique Dressing

2008-03-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

Balbo, Malbec, 2006

2008-03-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Don't Let Your Meat Loaf

2008-02-16T16:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.zazzle.com/dont_let_your_meatloaf_t_shirt-235059582899085967

1.5 lbs ground round
1 lbs ground pork
1 medium white onion, chopped fine
1 green pepper, chopped fine
1 clove garlic minced
1 egg, beaten
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 piece of bread, crumbled fine (sour dough is best)
1 tablespoon Penzey's Prime Rib seasoning
Frank's Hot Sauce
Lemon Pepper
Seasoning Salt
Dried parsley
Worstershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Do not mix too hard and destroy the meat. Be gentle. Mix just enough to incorporate all the ingredients. If you mix too much, the loaf will get dense.

Form into a loaf shape and put in a large cast iron skillet. Cook on 350 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until internal temperature of 165. Remove from skillet a foil lined cookie sheet and tent with more foil. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve.

Before baking

Finished Masterpiece

Mae Ploy Sauce

2008-01-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

Frank's

2008-01-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

Antano, Crianza, 2003

2008-01-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Cetamura, Chianti, 2005

2008-01-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

Penzeys Spices

2008-01-13T06:37:00.000-08:00

Louis Latour, Pinot Noir, 2006

2008-01-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

Baked Rigatoni

2008-01-12T13:49:00.001-08:00

Make Macaroni and Cheese with the following changes.

Replace the elbow macaroni with rigatoni

Replace the 10 oz of cheddar and 16 oz of Kraft Old English with 20 oz of fontina. Mix all of the cheese in the dish and don't top with any.

Before baking, mix in 1/2 lbs of thin sliced prosciutto cut into 1/2" strips.

Macaroni & Cheese

2008-01-12T13:44:00.001-08:00

not baked & completely baked

Cornbread Dressing (I hope)

2008-01-12T13:30:00.001-08:00

"Natalie's" Corn Dip

2008-01-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

Crazy Asians

2008-01-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

Chicken wings, cut into sticks and flats
olive oil
Mae Ploy Sauce

Marinate wings in a freezer bag in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Coat the bottom of an iron skillet with olive oil. Fry wings over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Turn and cook for 5 more minutes until skin starts to brown slightly. Drain wings of excess fat. Drain excess oil from skillet and set aside. Do not remove drippings.

Arrange wings on a foil covered baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for an hour at 375 degrees.

De glaze iron skillet with a 1/2 bottle of Mae Ploy Sauce. Add wings and mix to cover wings in sauce.

Sex Wings

2008-01-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Chicken wings, cut into sticks and flats
olive oil
Frank's Wing Sauce

Marinate wings in a freezer bag in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Coat the bottom of an iron skillet with olive oil. Fry wings over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Turn and cook for 5 more minutes until skin starts to brown slightly. Drain wings of excess fat. Drain excess oil from skillet and set aside. Do not remove drippings.

Arrange wings on a foil covered baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for an hour at 375 degrees.

De glaze iron skillet with a 1/2 bottle of Frank's Wing Sauce. Add wings and mix to cover wings in sauce.

Serve with a wicked blue cheese dressing.

Prime Time Lou's Tartar Sauce

2008-01-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 shallot, chopped fine
juice of 1/2 a lemon
fresh parsley, chopped fine
salt
pepper

Fish Twice a Week

2008-01-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Fish fillets - we've used speckled trout, flounder, red snapper, halibut
extra virgin olive oil
Penzeys Spices Fox Point Seasoning
Panko
salt
pepper
olive oil

Lightly coat fillets with extra virign olive oil. Season with Fox Point, salt and pepper. Cover with Panko.

Cover the bottom of a non-stick skillet with olive oil. Over medium-high heat cook fish on each side for about 3-4 minutes or until done.

Quesadilla Chicken Sandwich

2008-01-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, marinated for 3 hours
6 oz of queso quesadilla cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup of Italian salad dressing
olive oil
whole wheat hot dog buns

Coat pan with olive oil and cook chicken for 8-10 minutes per side until brown. Finish in oven for 5-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Remove chicken from pan and deglaze with Italian salad dressing over low heat. Cut chicken into slices, return to pan and add cheese. Continue to heat on low. Stir occasionally until all cheese is melted.

Divide chicken mixture evenly among 6 buns. Return all buns to pan and heat on low until warmed through.

Makes: 6 sandwiches

Queso Quesadilla

2007-12-31T15:16:00.001-08:00

Molho de Vinagrete

2007-12-31T14:52:00.000-08:00

6 medium tomatoes coarsely chopped and seeded
1 medium white onion chopped fine
2 green onions chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lime
2-3 sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped
rice wine vinegar
white wine vinegar
cayenne pepper sauce
salt
pepper

Mix tomatoes, white onion, green onion, parsley and lime juice in a bowl. Add enough rice and white vinegar to almost cover (1/2 of each). 2 or 3 dashes of pepper sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Feijoada

2007-12-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

Competition Winning Recipe

2 lbs black beans, soaked over night in cold water, drained
2 or 3 medium white onions, chopped fine
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 lbs thick-sliced bacon, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 package (12 oz) of salt pork, trimmed of gratuitous excess fat, cubed in 1/2" pieces, boiled for 30 minutes in water
2 lbs of smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 rack of baby back ribs, sliced into the individual ribs
2 smoked pork hocks
3 boxes (32 oz) of beef and/or chicken stock
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded, chopped fine

Frank's Hot Sauce
olive oil
salt
pepper

Coat the bottom of a large stock with olive oil, add onions and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 3 more minutes. Throw-in bacon and salt pork and cook 4 more minutes. Add beans, sausage, ribs and pork hocks. Add enough beef/chicken stock to cover the contents of the pot by an 1-2" of liquid. 3 boxes should be enough but have an extra one. Add the bay leaves, parsley and jalapeno. Salt and pepper to your taste along the way. Use enough cayenne pepper sauce to make you happy.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours covered. Stir every hour and dip out the foam that collects on top.

Remove ham hocks and bay leaves.

Serve in individual bowls and topped with Molho de Vinagrete. Goes well with cornbread or rice.

Makes: Lots

V-Slicer

2007-12-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

Marinade for Beef, Chicken or Pork

2007-12-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
rice wine vinegar
juice of a lime
hot sauce (Frank's, Trappey's)
Montreal steak seasoning
salt
pepper
lemon pepper
seasoning salt
dried parsley
clove of fresh garlic

Salt Pig

2007-12-28T19:03:00.001-08:00