Author: jordzuck

SF @ ARI Cooking Video with Special Guest Dava Krause

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Jordan Zucker shows Dava Krause how to cook up the SF/ARI meal.

All recipes were posted HERE!

Dava asked a bunch of excellent questions during the cooking session.
We’ve compiled them and put them in the “tip jar.”

Tip Jar

Dava: What is the difference between baking and roasting?
Jordan: Just temperature. Baking is generally around 350 degrees and roasting is generally around 425, it’s a higher temperature.
Dava: So we’ve got the oven on 5 past 420.
Jordan: Good to go.

Dava: Are the seeds OK to keep in the chili peppers?
Jordan: Yes, the seeds have all the heat. We’re infusing the oil with the heat and then straining the peppers and seeds out.
Dava: These are super small peppers anyway, it seems like they’d be hard to deseed.
Jordan: Well if we wanted to you could do it. Just slice them vertically and scrape the seeds out.

Dava: Is this the only way to infuse?
Jordan: Another way would be to not heat it, and just let the peppers sit in the oil for a few days.
Dava: OK, but that’s like you’re planning dinner 5 days in advance.
Jordan: Ya, you’re making jars of it.

Dava: I feel like I always over or under use garlic.
Jordan: When you cook garlic it’s not as big of a deal. Raw garlic runs the risk of being overpowering.

Dava: Why are you doing the tarragon herb last?
Jordan: Tarragon is a leafy herb. Leafy herbs get added at the end, you don’t cook them. Woody herbs can be included in the cooking process. Some leafy herbs are basil and tarragon. Some woody herbs are thyme and rosemary.
Dava: How do you know they’re woody? They’re happy to see you?
Jordan: Ya, and by their construction. They have sticks and wood elements and a woodier flavor.
Dava: Ah, ya, they’re more tree looking. The others actually look like leaves.

Dava: So we’re just lucky that this lemon doesn’t have seeds.
Jordan: Yes, but no, there are lemons that are bred to be seedless. I think it’s done the same way they make a pineapple which is the only fruit I can think of that doesn’t have seeds. It’s done by cross-pollination.
Dava: It’s an infertile lemon.
Jordan: Ya, it’s the mule of the citrus.
Dava: This lemon needs to adopt.

Dava: Peeling the squash seems difficult.
Jordan: It wasn’t the easiest, but you know, we’re all still alive.
Dava: Is there an easier way to deal with this butternut squash than peeling it?
Jordan: Well if you don’t need to uphold the shape of the flesh, like if you’re mashing or pureeing it, you can just simply slice the whole gourd in half and roast it in its shell and then scoop out the meat.

Dava: Talk to me about the blue cheese chunk size.
Jordan: Since we’re melting the blue cheese into the polenta we can keep the chunks bigger. If I were putting the blue cheese in a salad, I would crumble it into smaller pieces. I think with blue cheese a little bit goes really far. Size isn’t as important in this dish, believe it or not.
Dava: It’s the motion of the cheese.
Jordan: Ya, the motion of the ocean.

Dava: So folding is basically gentler stirring.
Jordan: Yes, you’re basically taking the spoon and lifting a little bit of the contents of the pan and dumping it on top of itself.

Dava: I’m always afraid I’m going to over cook the fish or under cook it…
Jordan: Ya, more of a risk to over cook it because under cooked salmon is actually still tasty.

Jordan: Pour some of the sauce into the pan.
Dava: The heat’s not on.
Jordan: That’s OK, you don’t want to have heat on an empty pan, I think it ruins it.

Jordan: You can remove the fish from the heat when it is a little underdone because it will continue to cook a bit even after it’s off the heat.
Dava: Is all fish like that?
Jordan: Everything that you’re cooking will always continue to cook a little longer when it’s off the heat because it’s still hot. That’s why if you want something to stop cooking immediately, you throw it into an ice bath.
Dava: Oooh, like asparagus!

Dava: For round 2 of the salmon, do we resauce when we replatter?
Jordan: Yes, keep the extra sauce on the side and add more to make sure the fillets are always fully bathing in it. But that lowers the temperature of the pan so keep an eye on it to adjust cooking time.

Dava: Would you just use sesame oil to flavor something but not to cook?
Jordan: Yes. Sesame oil is concentrated. A little goes a long way. Canola or olive, etc. you can have as a base and use a lot of it, but sesame would be too overpowering.

Thanks for tuning in!

Monday Night Match Up Menus: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals

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Here’s our menu for the week. Stay tuned for the video with special guest, Dava Krause!

Roasted String Beanie Wells

Beanie Wells - RB ARI

Frank Gorgonzola and Squash (Frank Gourd) Polenta

Frank Gore - RB SF

Mike SingleTeriyaki Salmon

Mike Singletary - HC SF

Larry Gin Fizzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald - WR ARI

Roasted String Beanie Wells

Ingredients:
1 lb. beans
1 clove garlic
2 T tarragon
1 T shallots
1 T lemon, juice and zest
2 T chili infused olive oil
salt
pepper

Procedure:
Preheat your oven to 425. That’s 5 past 420! Which is about how old we’ll all be by the time Beanie’s knee heals.
Wash beans, snap off ends. It’s not hard, it’s just tedious, but it’ll give you something to do while you’re waiting for Beanie’s knee to heal. See where I’m going with this? OK, no more nagging injury references.
Mix in a bowl with other ingredients except the tarragon. TOSS!
Line in single layer on a foil lined baking sheet.
Roast for 8 – 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle the tarragon on top. TOSS!

Frank Gorgonzola and Squash Polenta

Ingredients:
3 c broth
1 c yellow cornmeal
½ stick butter (4 T)
½ c milk
4 oz Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 butternut squash – roasted in small cubed pieces
salt
pepper

Procedure:
Bring broth to boil. Add cornmeal and stir well. Lower heat to med low and simmer and stir for 20 min. Turn off heat. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
I like it in a porridge consistency. If you want it thicker, use less milk.

Mike SingleTeriyaki Salmon

Ingredients:
2 ½ lb salmon fillets cut into 6 pieces
1 c mirin
2 c soy sauce
1 c pineapple juice
6 T brown sugar
2 T ginger
½ c vinegar
2 T garlic
1 t red pepper flakes
2 T sesame oil

Procedure:
Whisk together the mirin, soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ginger, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil in a bowl to make the sauce.
Place the fillets in a plastic ziplock bag.
Add half of the sauce to bag to marinate overnight. Reserve the other half.
When you’re ready to cook the salmon, add some of the reserved salmon to a sauté pan (enough so fillets will be half way submerged), and put heat on med high.
When sauce is bubbly, add 2 fillets at a time and cook for 3 minutes. Flip fillets and cook another 3 minutes on the other side.
Repeat with two more fillets at a time, adding more sauce to the pan when it’s getting low.
I don’t like my salmon overcooked. I’d rather have it undercooked than overcooked. I think that’s with most meat and fish but especially salmon. You don’t want it raw but just slightly cooked through so it’s a dark orange/pink inside.

Larry Gin Fizzgerald

Ingredients:
2 oz gin (I use Hendrick’s)
½ lemon, juiced
seltzer
1 egg white
2 T rosemary syrup (1 c water, ½ c sugar, 4 sprigs rosemary – boil. Simmer for 2 min. strain. Cool.)

Procedure:
Add all contents to shaker with ice except for the soda water. Shake Shake Shake. Pour into a glass and top with a splash of soda.
Often this drink is called the sloe gin fizz, but since we’re naming it after Larry it didn’t seem fitting.
People get weirded out by many things. Raw egg is one of them, but I just feel like the alcohol and citrus will kill any traces of salmonella, so I think it’s fine. A wise bartender at Hog and Rocks in San Francisco taught me that. It had taken me over 9 hours to get up there this summer because the 5 was closed due to the fires, so I didn’t have down time to change; I had to go straight to the restaurant and was in major need of a drink. And a bartending lesson apparently.

There you have it!
Hope you enjoyed this week’s match up menus.

Now Man Up! And Chow Down!

Thanks G. 2nd Night 2010

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We get it. Thanks g. isn’t a Jewish holiday. You’re only supposed to celebrate one night. This isn’t Rosh or Passover… We don’t care. We’ve adopted a tradition of doing 2nd night thanks g. It’s not family, just friends. There’s no turkey, just a full on fall menu.
Here’s what we made this year:
Arugula Salad with Persimmon, Fennel, and Pomegranate
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Radicchio
Roasted Cod with Candied Quince and Spinach
Ginger Garlic Brussles Sprouts (Zucker staple)
Beets and String Beans
Cranberry Sauce (this dish keeps my parents married)
Roast Loin of Veal w/ Cognac and Shallot Vinaigrette
For the life of us, my mother and I can’t remember what we made for dessert and there’s this mysterious pot of whipped cream that shows of in some of the pictures… Anyone?

Arugula Salad with Persimmon, Fennel, and Pomegranate

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
½ lb arugula
2 persimmons, sliced (we like hachiya persimmons – the acorn shaped one)
1 bulb fennel, sliced
1 pomegranate, seeds of
2 T fig balsamic vinegar
¼ c olive oil
¼ c pecan flour (just drop pecans into food processor until flour like consistency)
salt
pepper

Procedure:
Plate some arugula. Layer a few slices of persimmon on top of each arugula bed. Add a few slices of the fennel. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds on top. The dust with some pecan flour. Drizzle some of the balsamic and olive oil on each plate. Finish with a small pinch of salt and pepper on each. Serve.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

(inspired by NYTimes recipe)
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 5-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c flour
1 T salt (at least)
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium onion, finely chopped
2 small head radicchio, sliced into ¼” strips (about 2 cups)
2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Procedure:
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, flour and 1 T salt. Mix well to make the gnocchi batter.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes; remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large pot, boil water. When the water comes to a boil, salt it. Using a teaspoon (or two), scoop up the dough and form a dumpling, then slide the dumpling off the spoon and drop it into the boiling water.

Continue forming dumplings until the pot will hold an even layer of them. When the dumplings are ready, they will float to the top of the water.

Then lower the heat to medium low and simmer for about four minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the saucepan with the onion. Repeat with the remaining dumpling dough until they are all cooked.

Return the saucepan with the onion and gnocchi to medium-high heat. Toss in the radicchio and stir gently until wilted, about two minutes; season with more salt and pepper to taste. Top with the parsley. TOSS! Serve.

Roasted Cod with Quince and Spinach

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
2 lbs cod
2 lbs quince
1 c sugar
2 lemons
1 T butter
1 lb spinach
olive oil
salt
pepper
extra lemons on hand
Procedure:
Fill a bowl with water and add slices of lemon to it. Peel, core, and chop the quince. Add to lemon water.
In a saucepan, heat 1½ c water and add the sugar and juice of a lemon on med high. When boiling, transfer quince from cold lemon water to boiling sugar water. Cook until tender (about 15 min.). Remove from heat and let cool. The quince will now be in a syrupy liquid.
Preheat oven to 425. SWOOPS the cod filets. Place on foil lined tray and roast for 10-15 min until flaky. Do NOT overcook the fish.
Heat olive oil in a pan on med high heat. Add spinach and saute until wilted. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Plate a bed of spinach on each. Place a cod fillet on top and spoon some of the quince on top.

Ginger Garlic Brussles Sprouts

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 carton brussels sprouts
2 T fresh ginger root, chopped
2 T garlic, chopped
2 T olive oil
salt
pepper
1 lemon

Procedure:
Cut off root end of each sprout and peel leaves off until you’re left with a little yellow cabbage head. Discard middle cabbage head and keep outer leaves. Rinse leaves in a colander; shake to drain, but not completely dry.
Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
Add sprouts, and cook 1-2 min until bright green. Add ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook another 4 min. Transfer to a serving platter and squeeze some lemon juice on top.

Roast Beets and String Beans

Serves 6-8
6 medium beets, roasted, peeled, and cut into ½” cubes
6 oz string beans, boiled for 2 min.
¼ c dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T mustard
2 T red wine vinegar
¼ c olive oil
salt and pepper

Procedure:
In a small bowl whisk together the mustard,garlic, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and whisk until a creamy consistency is achieved.
in a large bowl add the beets, string beans, and dill. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables.
TOSS, TOSS, TOSS.

Betti’s Cranberry Sauce

Serves: not enough according to Dad (but about 6-8)
Ingredients:
1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
4 T orange juice
4 T red wine
2″ vanilla bean, split
1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped
2 T sugar
1 lemon, zest of

Procedure:
In a large sauce pan, cook the cranberries, OJ, wine, sugar, lemon zest, and apples over medium low heat until the cranberries pop (the skins will split). Add the vanilla bean and simmer for five more minutes. Let cool to room temp and serve.

Roast Loin of Veal w/ Cognac and Shallot Vinaigrette

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 loin of veal (2.5 lbs. eye of the round)
3 sprigs thyme
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 T cognac
3 T walnut oil
3 T shallots, minced
1 T thyme, chopped
3 T parsley, chopped
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 375.
Season loin with salt, pepper, and thyme. In a heavy saute pan (that the veal fits in), heat olive oil. Add veal and saute until golden on all sides, searing so the juices seal.
Transfer loin to a roasting pan and put in oven. (You can line with foil for easy clean up but not necessary to cook.) Roast until medium rare (about 10 min).
Remove from oven, set aside, cover with foil.
Whisk vinaigrette ingredients. Deglaze saute pan (add ingredients to the pan and keep on very low heat).
Slice veal, pour vinaigrette on top.

Monday Night Match Up Menus: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

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OK, I’m somewhat tempted to hop in Oscar (please, everyone should name the car) and head down to SD for the game on Monday, simply because they’re not hosting the Raiders. We’ll see. In the meantime, here’s what we’re cooking up:

Coconut Almond Antonio Dates Darren SpRolls

Darren Sproles - RB SD

Antonio Gates - TE SD

Chopped Chicken Phillip Livers Pate

Phillip Rivers - QB SD

Laurence Macaroni and Cheese

Laurence Maroney - RB DEN

CaraMalcolm Floyd Popcorn

Malcolm Floyd - WR SD

Eddie Kir Royale

Eddie Royal - WR DEN

Coconut Almond Antonio Dates Darren Rolls

Ingredients:
2 c pitted dates (8 oz) – check the pitted ones, the bag I got still had a few lingering in there and jammed up the Cuisinart. No bueno.
1 c shredded coconut
½ c almonds
1 T orange zest (1 orange)
1 t water

Procedure:
Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined and slightly clumpy.
Scoop out a heaping teaspoon at a time and shape it into a log.
You can refrigerate them first or just serve room temp. Happy vegan football fans!

Chopped Chicken Phillip Livers Pate

Ingredients:
¼ c olive oil
1 lbs. livers
2 c mushrooms, (I used cremini)
2 T garlic, minced
4 T scallions
3 T bourbon
2 T Shallots
4 T parsley
2 lemons, juiced
6 strips bacon, crumbled
salt
pepper

Procedure:
Clean the livers. There may be a proper way to do this but I just removed the connective tissue with my hands and got messy. Since it was all being thrown in the blender later, I didn’t worry about keeping the shape of the livers intact. SWOOPS* the livers. Cook the bacon well-done and crispy so it easily crumbles and set bacon aside. Add the livers and mushrooms to the pan with the bacon grease and cook on medium high heat for a few minutes. Add the garlic and shallots and stir. Cook another few minutes. Add the bourbon and deglaze the pan.

Once everything is just cooked through, transfer the pan contents to a food processor and add the parsley, scallions, lemon juice, bacon crumbles, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth. Works well with crackers or on top of crostini (toasted sliced SWOOPS baguette.)
*SWOOPS = Season With Olive Oil Pepper and Salt

Laurence Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 16 oz box macaroni, any shape you roll with
4 T butter
4 T flour
4 c milk
2 c cheddar
1 cup jack
1 cup parmesan
1 cup goat
1 cup velveeta
4 jalapenos, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 T garlic, minced
6 strips bacon, crumbled
4 T olive oil
¼ c panko

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350. Cook the bacon in a skillet on medium high head until well-done. Drain on paper towel, crumble, and set aside. Saute the onion in some olive oil on med high heat for 2 min. Add the jalapenos and cook another 2 min. Add the garlic and cook another 2 min. Remove from heat and add the bacon. Set aside. In a large pot, cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside, (I usually add olive oil so it doesn’t get sticky.) In a large sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Add the milk gradually and stir until thick and smooth. Stir in the cheeses one by one until melted into the sauce. Add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, and bacon. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and mix well. Transfer everything into a baking dish. Top with melted butter or olive oil mixed with panko and some extra cheese if you desire. Spread the crust on top of the dish and bake for about 20 min. Turn broiler on for the last 3-5 minutes to crisp the top. But don’t burn it. Smack and Cheese!

CaraMalcom Floyd Popcorn

Ingredients:
1 c butter
2 c brown sugar
½ c corn syrup
1 t salt
½ t baking soda
1 t vanilla
1 c peanuts
½ t cinnamon
1 T ginger root, minced (my secret ingredient)
¾ c popcorn kernels

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 250. Pop the popcorn on the stove. Heat some oil in a big pot on high. Throw a kernel in there. When it starts to bubble, add all of the kernels and cover the pot, shaking it around occasionally to evenly distribute the heat. You will hear the popping. When the noise dies down, remove the pot from the heat and set aside in a bowl. In a medium pot, melt the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium high heat. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the salt and ginger and stir well. Remove from the heat. Add the baking soda, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir well to combine. Add the peanuts and stir to combine. Pour the mixture over bowl of popcorn and transfer to a baking sheet (don’t line with foil), in an even layer. Put the sheet in the oven and cook for an hour. Every 15 minutes, remove the sheet and quickly transfer the caramel popcorn to the bowl and then back to the sheet and return to the oven. This will make sure all of the popcorn is evenly coated. (So you do this four times.)

Eddie Kir Royale

Ingredients:
Champagne of choice (At my 32nd bday champagne tasting, the final rankings were: 1) Krug, 2) Cristal, 3) Veuve La Grande Dame, 4) Dom Perignon, 5) Taittinger)
Splash of crème de cassis (a little goes a long way here)

Procedure:
Pour a few drops of the cassis in a champagne flute. Sometimes I toss in whatever berries I have lying around. Top with the bubbly. For added bubbles, sip in a hot tub.

Now Man Up! And Chow Down!!

Monday Night Match Up Menus: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins

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We’re on a liquid diet this week. All cocktails.

LeSean McCOysters Shooter

Oyster Shooter

LeSean McCoy - RB PHI

Brent Cazerak

Sazerac

Brent Celek - TE PHI

Asahi Samuel

Asahi Beer

Asante Samuel - CB PHI

Santana Mosscow Mule

Moscow Mule

Santana Moss - WR WAS

Killer Chris Cool-Aid

Killer Kool-Aid

Chris Cooley - TE WAS

Dom Perignon McNabb

Dom

Donovan McNabb - QB WAS

LeSean McCoyster Shooter

Ingredients:
1 raw oyster, shucked
1 oz chipotle vodka (I use hangar one)
1 squeeze lemon
1 splash tomato juice
1 splash hot sauce
Procedure:
Place oyster in shot glass. Top with vodka, lemon, tomato juice, and hot sauce. Shoot.

Brent Cazerak

Ingredients:
2 oz. rye whiskey
5 dashes bitters (combo of Peychaud’s and Angostura)
1 t simple syrup (sugar + water 1:1)
½ t pastis, absinthe, or herbsaint (I used Pernod because that’s my fave of the bunch.)
Lemon peel
Procedure:
Place all ingredients in a shaker. Pour into a tumbler. Garnish with peel.

Asahi Samuel

Open and drink!

Santana Mosscow Mule

Ingredients:
2 oz vodka
½ oz lime juice
2 oz ginger beer
Procedure:
Fill a copper mug with ice. Pour in the vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer. Stir.

Chris Killer Coolaid

Ingredients:
1 oz vodka
½ oz amaretto
½ oz pear liquor
splash cranberry Juice
splash of creme de cassis
1″ piece of melon
Procedure:
Muddle melon. Add ice. Add vodka, amaretto, pear, and cran. Stir. Sip.

Dom Perignon McNabb

Pop and pour. Tie one on. Know the rules of a tie.

Now, Man Up! And Drink Down!

Monday Night Match Up Menus: Steelers @ Bengals

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You’ve all heard about my Ben RoethlisBURGERS. We’re not doing that this week.

Salad: Romaine Gresham Salad with Tomatillo TerRelish Owens

Jermaine Gresham - TE CIN

Terrell Owens - WR CIN

Side: Hearts of Carson Palmer Slaw

Carson Palmer - QB CIN

Main: RaCharred Mendenhalibut

Rashard Mendenhall - RB PIT

Cocktail: Troy Cosmopolamalutan

Troy Polamalu - S PIT

Romaine Gresham Salad with Tomatillo TerRelish Owens

Ingredients:
1 lb tomatillos, husks removed and halved
1 small red onion, cut in 1″ chunks
3 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno, chopped
¼ c olive oil
½ c flat leaf parsley
1 lime, juiced and zested
celery seed
salt
pepper
2 hearts of romaine

Procedure:
Roast tomatillos, onions, and garlic at 425 for 20 min.

Transfer to food processor and add rest of ingredients.
Blend until desired chunkiness.

Cut each romaine heart lengthwise. SWOOPS* the cut side.
Heat grill pan to med high. Spray with non-stick spray. Grill 1-2 min until charred.

Remove from heat and spoon relish on top.
MMMM!
*SWOOPS = Season With Olive Oil Pepper and Salt

Hearts of Carson Palmer Slaw

Ingredients:
½ green cabbage, shredded
½ purple cabbage, shredded
½ pineapple, julienne
2 mangoes, julienne
6 stalks hearts of palm, julienne
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 limes, juiced
salt
pepper

Procedure:
You’re welcome to cut the fruit in any shape you desire, but since there’s shredded cabbage involved and it’s a slaw, I like to keep everything relatively uniform in long strips. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and TOSS, TOSS, TOSS! (Ya, that’s “TWO-US” in my mother’s world.)

RaCharred Mendenhalibut

Ingredients:
4 halibut steaks (about ½ lb each)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Procedure:
SWOOPS Halibut. (Season With Olive Oil Pepper and Salt) Both sides. Grill on med high heat until charred and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from grill and serve on a bed of the slaw and top with the relish.

Troy Cosmopolamalutan

I forgot to photograph mine before I drank it... here's an example of what it should look like.

Ingredients:
2 oz. vodka
½ lime, juiced
½ oz – splash of cranberry juice
½ oz – splash of Curacao
1 slice of an apple
curly piece of citrus peel

Procedure:
Mix the vodka, lime juice, cranberry juice, and Curacao in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Sift drink without the ice into a martini glass. Don’t spill – Martini glasses are the stilettos of barware: Best looking. Least Functional.
Fork the apple slice into the prongs of a PICK and stick it in the drink. If you own Steelers D, this ceremony increases the chances of a Polamalu pick.
Drink through a CURLY straw. Garnish with a citrus CURL.

Now MAN UP! And CHOW DOWN!!

Monday Night Match Up Menus: Texans @ Colts

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Here’s what’s on the menu:
Lots of love for the receiving core.

Bacon Wrapped Kevin Walter Chestnuts

Kevin Walter - WR HOU

Veggie Wayne – Joseph PadThai

Joseph Addai - RB IND

Reggie Wayne - WR IND

FLANdre Johnson

Andre Johnson - WR HOU

Dallas Clark and Stormy

Dallas Clark - TE IND

Bacon Wrapped Kevin Walter Chestnuts

Ingredients:
1 can water chestnuts, drained and soaked in soy sauce overnight.
½ lb. bacon (sliced in half)
½ c mayo
¼ c brown sugar
1 T tomato paste
1 t Worcestershire
2 T soy sauce
1 t garlic, minced
2 T lemon juice

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut your strips of bacon widthwise so they are half as long. Take a water chestnut and wrap a strip of bacon around it. Place the wrapped chestnut in a pan seam side down. Repeat until the pan is full. Bake for 40 min.

While the bacon wrapped water chestnut are cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
After about 40 min, remove the pan from the oven and pour the sauce from the bowl evenly on top so all of the bacon wrapped water chestnuts are well covered. Return the pan to the oven and cook for another 15-20 min.

Sauced and Ready for Round 2 in the Oven


Remove from oven. Remove the bacon wrapped water chestnuts and place them on a paper towel lined plate to drain the excess grease.
Let cool and serve!

Veggie Wayne Joseph Pad Thai

Ingredients:
water on hand
2 T tamarind paste
4 T fish sauce
2 T sugar (I used coconut)
½ t chili paste
10 oz. rice noodles
14 oz tofu extra firm (pressed in towel and weighted for an hour, then marinated in soy and SWOOPS* overnight.)
4 T peanut oil
½ c scallions, chopped
2 T garlic, minced
2 T shallots, minced
2 eggs
½ c cabbage
¼ c carrots, peeled and chopped
½ c bok coy, sliced
1 c mushrooms, sliced
½ c bean sprouts
½ c peanuts, chopped (or cashews)
1 lime
*SWOOPS – Season With Olive Oil Salt and Pepper

Procedure:
To make the sauce, combine the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind, and chili paste in a bowl.
Soak the noodles in a bowl with warm water until they’re soft, about 12 min. Drain them and set them aside.
Slice the tofu into little pieces, your shape of choice. I do about 2 inch spears.


Heat the oil in a wok.
Cook the scallions, carrots, bok choy, mushrooms and cabbage while stirring and tossing (pronounce that like my mother does with her NY accent: TOSS = “two” + “us”)

Add the shallots and garlic. TOSS!
Crack the eggs right into the wok, making sure none of the shell falls in. Let them set for a minute and then scramble them in with the rest of the veggies.

Add the noodles. TOSS!

Add the sauce. TOSS!
Add the bean sprouts and nuts. TOSS. TOSS. TOSS.

Squeeze the lime at the end and serve!

FLANdre Johnson!

Ingredients:
¾ c sugar
1 T water
2 T coconut rum
2 c milk
1 c cream
1 c coconut milk
3 eggs
2 yolks
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 325.
In a small sauce pan on med heat, cook the ¾ c sugar, 1 T water, and 2 T cocounut rum. Stir to combine them well and then don’t touch it. You will see it start to bubble and brown. When it is a golden caramel colored liquid, remove it from the heat and pour it into the bottom of whatever flan shaped container you want to use. (You can make one big one or smaller ones in ramekins.)

In a large bowl, wisk together the eggs, sugar, pinch salt, vanilla.
Then slowly stir in the milk, cream, and coconut milk. Wisk well.

Pour the mixture through a sieve into another bowl. This strains out the egg white membranes and gives the flan a smoother consistency.
Pour the custard on top of the caramel in the containers.
Now you have to place the containers in a hot water bath.
Boil some water in a kettle. Place a big pan on a shelf in the oven. Place the flan containers in the pan being careful not to spill. Then pour the hot kettle water into the big pan so the flan containers are surrounded in the water, but don’t get any water in the flan containers. Slowly slide the oven tray in. Bake the flans for about 45 minutes (depending on what shape/size containers you use). You should be able to stick a toothpick in the center and remove it cleanly. Remove from the oven and chill for at least 4 hours. Once cooled, slide a knife along the edges to loosen the custard, put a plate on top of them upside down, and flip! Lift flan container and they should now be on the plate with the caramel sauce running down the sides. Done!

Dallas Clark and Stormy

Ingredients:
2 oz. Goslings dark rum
1 oz. ginger beer (must be ginger beer, not ale!)
Procedure:
Fill a tumbler with ice. Pour the rum in the glass and top with the ginger beer. Stir. Best enjoyed while the sun is setting in Montauk, NY.

The Final Meal

Monday Night Match Up Menus: Dallas Cowboys host New York Giants

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This week we’re getting spicy and going Tex Mex.
Shrimp Jalapromo Poppers
Yes, they’re Jalapeno Poppers – the name’s a stretch. Like the Cowboys, I can’t win them all..

DeMarcus Ware‘s The Beef Chili – Not to say the chili’s lacking in the beef department. (That’s me getting defensive.)

Marion Barber Q Cornbread – He goes well with a lot of Tex Mex, you can Barber Q almost anything!

Chocolate Pecan Pieles Austin – I’m getting Miles to say the Billy Crystal “When Harry Met Sally” Line at some point… PEEEE-CAAAAN PIIIIIIE! Stay tuned.

Shrimp Jalapromo Poppers

Ingredients:
24 jalapeno peppers
16 oz cream cheese
1 c mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 c jack cheese, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped (about 1 T)
1 bag shrimp
olive oil
salt
pepper
1 c milk
1 c flour
1 c breadcrumbs
1 c panko
3 eggs
1 lime, juiced

Procedure:
Roast Peppers at 450 for 20-30 min. (until shriveled).
Remove from oven and let cool in a paper bag. Peel skin and deseed the peppers, being careful not to rip the flesh and keep the peppers in one big flat piece. If a little skin remains on, that’s ok. Also, penalty on illegal hands to the face. I’m tough, I don’t use gloves. But I also don’t touch my eyes.
In a saute pan, heat olive oil, and cook onions, garlic, about 2 min. Add shrimp and stir, until shrimp is just cooked, about 5 min. Squeeze a lime in there and season with salt and pepper.
Throw pan contents in a blender with the cheeses and blend until smooth.
Scoop ½ t of the mixture into a jalapeno roll to stuff it. Roll closed.
Prepare a bowl with milk and another bowl with flour.
Dip each stuffed pepper in milk, then flour. Then place on a wax lined sheet and freeze for an hour.
Prepare a bowl with the eggs and a little milk all whisked together. Prepare another bowl with the breadcrumbs, panko, salt and pepper.
Once the peppers are frozen solid, dip them in an egg/milk bath, and then seasoned breadcrumbs mixture. Return to wax lined tray.
Freeze for at least an hour, I usually let them sit overnight.
Fry in canola oil at 375 and turn to brown both sides.
Drain on a paper towel and consume at your pleasure.

Demarcus Ware’s The Beef Chili

DeMarcus Ware's The Beef Chili

4 T olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 T dark brown sugar
1 bottle red wine
4 T red wine vinegar
1 little can tomato paste (about 6 T)
4 c low-sodium chicken stock
1 t cumin
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t chili powder
salt, to taste
10-15 okra, sliced
1 c mushrooms, sliced
2 lbs meat, ground beef
1 can black beans
1 can black eyed peas
2 chopped fresh jalapenos, chopped

Procedure:
In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3-4 min. Stir in the brown sugar and cook until on onions and garlic brown slightly, 2-3 min. Stir in the red wine, vinegar, tomato paste and chicken stock along with the cumin, cayenne, chili power, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 30-35 min. Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over high heat, cook the meat one pound at a time until it browns. Add salt, pepper, and one can of black beans, jalapenos and mushrooms and mix until warm and add to chili sauce. Repeat process with second pound of meat and second can of beans. Add rest of ingredients.
Especially the okra – my secret ingredient.
OKRA – it’s green, it’s gooey, and it’s about to LAUNCH ITS OWN NETWORK!!!!!
Bring whole thing to a simmer and cook until the chili has thickened, (at least 60 min). Check seasoning and adjust as needed. Serves 6.

Marian Barber Q Cornbread

Ingredients:
4 T butter, melted
6 T white sugar
2 eggs
1 c cornmeal
1 c flour
2 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
1 t salt
1 ½ c buttermilk

Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 400.
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk all of the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add dry to wet a little at a time to fully combine and form the batter. Pour batter in a greased baking pan. Bake for 30 min or until done (just browning on top).
To make the Crumblin: Pour 1 c milk in a glass, add enough cornbread crumbles to fill the glass, and add a splash of buttermilk. Eat with a spoon.

Chocolate Pecan Pieles Austin

Dough:
Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1/4 c ice water
1 c flour (use gold medal) do not use heckers or pillsbury (they have more gluten = tougher pastry)
pinch of salt
Procedure:
In food processor with metal blade, slow pulse butter, flour, and salt, about four or five times.
The dough will look crumbly (flour with bits of butter).
Remove ice from water. With food processor running add water VERY slowly. You may not need all of it, so just add a drop at a time until you see the dough forming.
Dump dough on a floured work surface. With the heel of your hand “slide into base” and press out pieces of the dough. This gets the dough more cohesive with out over working it.
Repeat the slide until you have lots of clumps that you can form into a disk (flat ball).
Wrap dough disk in wax paper and then in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 1 hr or until needed, can be frozen, I usually make it the night before.
When you’re ready to use the dough, unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flour your rolling pin. (You can use a Cabernet shaped wine bottle too!) Roll from center outward, turn disk and repeat until you have a round, flat, even, pie crust.
Lay rolled out dough over a metal pie plate and press down. Trim edges. Prick dough with a fork. Cover with foil, but don’t push in.
Place some uncooked rice or beans into the foil to weigh it down and bake the dough at 400 for ten minutes.
Remove from oven and take off the tin foil and rice/bean weights.
Lower temp to 350
Return uncovered pie crust to the oven and bake about 5 minutes more.
Let cool and add your filling.

Filling
Ingredients:
1 c pecans
4 oz milk chocolate chunks, melted
3 eggs, beaten
½ c sugar
½ c light brown sugar
¾ c corn syrup
½ t vanilla extract
4 T butter, melted
2 T butter for pecans
1 T sugar for pecans
1 t cayenne pepper (You heard it here third, cayenne and chocolate are a great combination!)
Pinch salt

Procedure:
Melt 2 T butter, 1 T sugar and mix together. Add 1 t cayenne and stir. Pour over the whole pecans and mix until the nuts are fully coated. Spread coated pecans on a foil lined tray and toast in a 425 degree oven for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
In a large bowl combine the corn syrup, sugars, eggs, chocolate, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix until fully combined and smooth.
Pour the filling into the baked pie crust.
Layer the top with the seasoned pecans
Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Now MAN UP! AND CHOW DOWN!!

Lazy Ox Down and Dirty

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I had an awesome girls dinner at Lazy Ox. Here are some snippets from the evening:
Lizelette: Have you been to Rivera?
Jordan: Yes, it was amazing. I went there on a Jdate.
Alex: Which one?
Jordan: The one where I was a dirty little whore.
Sarah, who was either half listening or just distracted by how good our Siduri Pinot was, heard only part of that.
Sarah: I need to add “Dirty Little Whore” to my list of places to go!
Jordan: No, lovey, the place is Rivera, I’m the dirty little whore!
P.S. Thank you to Alex and Lizelette for pretending to see that as a specific Jdate identifier.

Here’s what we had:
Bellwether Farms Ricotta Fritters with saffron honey – to appease the waiting from the kitchen, nice touch, our table wasn’t that late.
Dashi Marinated Yellowtail with avocado, hash brown & tonburi – this was the best
Lengua Ravioli – second favorite
Bone Marrow Special with lentils – amazeballs
Lamb Neck Hash with toasted quinoa & fried jidori egg
Beef Cheeks – yum
Heirloom Tomatoes with cheese, torn basil & corn pudding
Beet Salad
Rice Pudding
Temporary Insanity Tempranillo
Great meal, can’t wait to go back!

Lizelette, Alex, Jordan, and Sarah at Lazy Ox Canteen

Words With Friends. And Family. At Mas.

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The other day I got a call from my mother.
“What the eff game did you send Dad for the iPhone? He’s obsessed with it, he plays it all day long (pronouned oohwall day loo-wong).”
“Oh, I sent him an invite to play Words With Friends – Scrabble for iPhone, but he hasn’t accepted my game request, is he just playing with strangers?”
“He’s playing with strangers All Day Long!!”
So I sent my dad another request now that he had downloaded the software.
He accepts the game and sends me a message “No Mercy!”
Today we were discussing where to to for dinner when I get into town on Wednesday for a belated bday celebration for my dad. He wanted to go to Del Posto but couldn’t get in.
I told him to pick another restaurant and went to go turn the ALCS Game 3 on.
He goes, “OK, but what happened to that scrabble game we had going?”
I said I was busy with football yesterday but will make a move later.
“You’re leaving me too many open spots, Jordan!”
“I’m still winning, Dad.”
“Yeah, we’ll see!”
He decided on a repeat restaurant, Mas.
The last time we were at Mas was for its soft opening. My dear high school friend’s brother is part owner and we all got a table during the debut evening. We noticed a man at a neighboring table with a bottle of Sine Qua Non Ox (their 1999 pinot noir) and ooh and aahed over it. Apparently he caught wind of this and we were soon greeted with three glasses of the stuff. I all but sat on his lap in thanks. This time we brought our own, along with the 98 vintage – Veiled.
I surprisingly liked the Veiled better…
While the Veiled was my favorite part of the wine portion of the evening, one of the highlights of the conversation was the followng:
I was discussing how I had quite a few friends going through separations and I heard from someone who majored in Sociology, that studies show the hardest years of marriage to get past are 4, 7, and 24.
“24!!!” both of my parents screamed out in unison agreement.
“24-40!” they added.
Happy Birthday, Dad!

The Zuckers at Mas - (pre Jordan WWF victory)