It's National Fried Chicken day. Also National Hand Roll day. I guess what I'm getting at is that summer is in full swing with Canada day and 4th of July behind us, and it is time to accept that your winter body is your summer body. Eat your heart out and feel no guilt. Mm, a mai tai sounds great right about now. I think I will pick up ingredients after work today. Makes 1 serving 1 oz (2 tablespoons) dark rum 1 oz (2 tablespoons) amber rum 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) Cointreau or triple sec 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon orgeat syrup* or 1 drop pure almond extract 1 teaspoon superfine granulated sugar Dash of grenadine Garnish: an orange slice PREPARATION Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with 1 cup ice cubes, then strain into a glass filled with ice cubes. Focus: Happy weekend. Favorite fried chicken? Go pick some up and wash it down with a mai tai. I wouldn't say no to a hand roll either.
I’ve been on a Hot Chicken kick for a while. Going to Nashville in a month for the first time. Can’t wait to try the real thing.
My 31st is today, doing a cookout for myself and my mother in law tomorrow at my place. A few different types of sausage and chicken tenders (breast meat) on the grill. The more surface area, the more you get that marinade flavor into your meat. I always put some soy sauce and balsamic vinegar in whatever marinade I'm using. The umami flavors really pop.
Tomorrow I'm going to San Antonio with Jungle Julia. Why, you ask? She was browsing Craigslist and found a set of wicker chairs that she just HAS to have. Local pick up only. Yaaay...
You're a good sport. There was a rad vintage pair of end tables and a matching coffee table for sale that I was lusting after, but they were about 3.5hrs away in a small town. I hemmed and hawed and did not end up going to get them. They sold to someone else. And I'm still thinking about that set.
This morning I picked up four beat up "put together yourself, the assembly tags are still on them" chairs my eight month pregnant wife found at Goodwill last night and had to have. She wants to refinish and reupholster them...which will cost more than a set of new chairs, and more than likely, I'LL end up finishing them after they sit partially done in the garage for 4-6 months...
Don't make me laugh, 'Nerds. I live IN THE FUCKING VALLEY. Your San Antonio humidity is a fresh day for me.
I was obsessed with Nashville Hot Chicken for awhile. Then I sorta got burned out on it and haven’t had since. Sundays are my big cooking day and it’s only me and my son today since my wife took the rest of the family to the beach so we’re looking at- Brined, local baby back ribs. Going to smoke them with apple wood for 4 hours after slathering them in Fox Bros rub and yellow mustard. Twice baked potatoes. Never, ever wrap your taters in foil if you like a crisp skin like I do. Tried to get my son to eat a new veggie- collard greens, asparagus, anything. But no, he chose salad with ranch. Boring but better than nothing. Might make bread pudding for dessert if I stop feeling like a fatass today.
Yeah I’m looking at this as the zenith of my personal hot chicken craze. Once I have it at ground-zero I’ll probably be done with it for a while, maybe forever. That’s what’s happened with Chicago deep dish pizza anyway.
One of my customers killed a wild boar a few weeks ago and had it processed. It was a little more chewy than regular pork but otherwise it was delicious. I wish wild game was more easily accessible to the public. I’m not a hunter but I love me some venison but I also don’t want frozen meat shipped to me. In related news, I found a site that has “exotic meats” for sale. Guinea pig or iguana, which would you choose to eat?
I found myself addicted to Jamaican Jerked Chicken for quite a while (yeah yeah yeah, get the childish comments out of the way)... kind of the crazy-complex, nuanced, and killer non-fried hot chicken. There's this little hole-in-the-wall Jamaican restaurant in Toronto that has the best ever... right across the street from the TIFF theatre.
If you haven't tried it, this is a pretty typical recipe: https://www.africanbites.com/jerk-chicken/ It's kind of like curry... there are thousands of spice combinations possible.
Iguana. It’s not bad; the way I had it kinda tasted like frog legs. With most of those exotic meat sites, it’s just farmed raised anyway. Actual wild game can’t be sold commercially because it gets quickly over-hunted. If you want to get your hands on the real stuff, find a local game dinner that gets the meat donated by hunters. A lot of churches and community centers put on excellent wild game dinners. I travel to upstate Vermont once a year just go to some podunk church’s dinner they put on. Jerk chicken is really good. If you can get your hands on it, the jerk spice from Spice Professors is delicious.
Sister in law got me an espresso machine for my birthday. Nothing fancy, it takes those cups kinda like a keurig. Holy god is this thing gonna get some use outta it!!!
I got the same brand. My sister in law thought I'd appreciate the name. Turns out it's badass too. I like that there's just two buttons. You don't need something like that to be able to tell time and give you the temp outside and wipe your ass. Just do one job, and do it well.