“The Rangers are in the WORLD SERIES” carnitas

This has been the best baseball season ever.  My dad and I have been able to go to quite a few games this year and it has been so much fun.  I was always a girl that kinda shunned sports (a true abomination to my raising – I couldn’t care less about football which is true sacrilege in Texas) and would rather go to the movies or shop during major sporting events (i.e. the super bowl).  This is until I realized how good game day fare is and I have since accepted every invitation to a Super Bowl party that I have received.

Anyway back to baseball.  I love it.  And my team will always be the Texas Rangers.  My dad (AKA their biggest fan) took my brother and me to countless games when we were kids and here’s the run down of things:

Me: Dad, can I have some cotton candy?

Dad: No. We just got here. Watch the game.

1 inning later

Me: Dad, there’s the cotton candy man. Can I have some now?

Dad: No.  You don’t need any cotton candy

1 inning later

Me: Dad, he’s here again and it’s really mean that every kid around has cotton candy and I don’t

Dad: Eat the peanuts that I brought

1 inning later

Me: Dad…

Dad: If you ask me for cotton candy one more time, you will not come to the next game

What a dictator.

My mom would have totally bought me some cotton candy.

We have a good laugh now every time we see the cotton candy man.  It brought me much joy this season when I sat next to a little boy who was attending his very first game and as he offered me some of his bright blue cotton candy he looked up at me and said “I love cotton candy.”  Me too kid-O.  Me too.

This might be kinda weird, but sometimes I think about times in my life that I could relive.  Like, if by some divine intervention I was able to go back in time and relive three nights, which would it be.  One of the nights that would for sure make the list was the night the Rangers won their first ALCS against none other than the Yankees.  I will never forget how the ballpark EXPLODED when the last strikeout of the night went to none other than Mr. Alex Rodriguez.  It was electric!!!   So much tension and so many breaths were released when that last pitch was thrown.

And so much was set into motion.  Here we are in another explosive year for the Rangers and the anxiety has not let up yet!

So where am I going with all of this? Here’s where I’m going.  Ballpark food.  Sure you could settle for a hot dog or pretzel, but my money is on the carnitas nachos.

Here is the Ballpark version:

 And here is what I made for a Game 1 of the World Series Rangers VS Cardinals watching party:

3.5-4 lb pork shoulder

Rub:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp ancho chili powder

½ tsp cinnamon

In slow cooker, pour 2 cups chicken broth, 2 bay leaves and 1 quartered yellow onion.  Add pork shoulder after you have coated it in the rub. I also pour about ¼ cup of green salsa on top of the pork if I have it on hand. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, turning once midway through cooking. When it’s done, you’ll see that it just falls apart so I pull out all the meat and then obviously discard the huge hunk of fat that comes on the pork shoulder.

When serving, warm it up in the oven so it gets a little crispy. My brother says traditionally they cook it in lard, but I think it’s ok to skip that step.

And then top with all of your favorite toppings.  I had 3 types of cheese – rotel queso dip, shredded monterey jack cheese, and crumbly cotija cheese.  And tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and salsa.  You can serve with chips and/or tortillas.

My President is a fan of the Rangers?  Are YOU?  Let me know your favorite Rangers memory and what you like to get when you go to the game!!!

Recipe: Viva Las Vegas Queso Fundido

My best friend since 5th grade is a gal named Lori. She’s great. You’ve not met someone who is as creative, as artistic, as funny as this girl.  So my pal Lori is in promotional products. She can put your logo on just about anything and she can tell you where that pen your dentist gave you came from and what it cost them to produce it.  As it turns out, right after Las Vegas celebrates adult entertainment in January, they have a whole week devoted to promotional products.

And that ya’ll, is what took me to Las Vegas for the first time. Let me tell you, Vegas is a place I am happy I saw with Lori. She and I have a similar taste for the debauchery and it involves food.

As an aside, just so you understand just how nice my friend is, we took a cab to get an In ‘n Out burger because if you’ve been to Vegas you know In N Out is off the strip.  Lori bought the cabbie a burger. Isn’t that nice? She’s just like that. She’s nice to everyone. Creepy people too. That’s usually when her husband and I don’t find it so cute, but still, I think the burger for the cabbie was a nice gesture.

Anyway, one of the best places we ate while there was Bobby Flays’ Mesa Grill in Caesar’s. Since eating at his restaurant in Vegas, I’ve eaten at the one in New York and the one in Vegas is better. Not sure why, but it is. Maybe it’s because I had the queso in Vegas. It’s sooooo gooooood and sooooo vegassssllyyy sinful. If only I could keep what happened in Vegas in Vegas, but I have to share this queso. I know we are all used to velveeta and rotel, but please trust me…… this is so simple and so much better.  Ok so it’s not as simple as the rotel/velveeta  microwave version, but I promise you the extra steps are worth it and will be a hit at any party you attend.  It is queso fundido with a roasted poblano vinaigrette.  You can find the recipe there and print it off or keep reading so you can see my pictures. 🙂

Here’s what you need:

For the poblano vinaigrette:

2 poblanos, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

3 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

drizzle of honey

1/4 cup canola oil

S&P

Throw it all in a blender and set aside.

For the QUESO FUNDIDO:

12 ounces of monterrey jack cheese, grated

1 cup whole milk

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp flour

goat cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour.  Cook for 1 minute while whisking. Add the milk and allow to thicken slightly.  Add the grated cheese, S&P and stir until cheese is melted.  Pour into a cast iron skillet and top with goat cheese.  Heat under the broiler until the cheese is melty and the goat cheese is lightly brown.

Are you ready for this?

Como se dice sinfully delicious en espanol? QUESO FUNDIDO

Random: Calendar

Ok loyal readers I’m working on a page that will display what’s happening around Texas month by month.  Let me know what festivals, events, concerts, and/or fairs  you like to attend throughout the year.  Many thanks!!

Are ya’ll watching the Rangers?! This has been a great season and a very exciting postseason so far.  Like, edge of your seat exciting.

The Texas legends want you to watch the Rangers. Do it for Davy

 

I have a whole post coming soon about food at the Ballpark.  Here’s a little preview:

Carnitas tacos recipe coming soon

If you aren’t from this area and are here during baseball season, you really should check out a game.  The Ballpark is one of the nicest sporting venues in our area (and not nearly as ostentatious as another in town).  Go on a Friday night and you will get to see an impressive display of fireworks (much more impressive than what my phone captured) and hopefully a win by the Texas Rangers!

Recipe: Stuffed poblano a la whatever

Well ya’ll should really be sad.  I was working on this great post about GUACAVICHE that was reminiscent of what I had on my SPI road trip, but alas the camera and I were not in sync and all the pictures I took came out completely blank.  I could tell you how to make it, but I think pictures are nice and well…….I kinda want to make it again anyway.  I did get one good shot.

To be continued....served with Julio chips. Que bueno!

So instead I’m going to post about what you do when you look in your refrigerator and have all the leftovers from making guacaviche as well as some random things you bought while shopping at Central Market.

(Let me just put in a quick word about HEB/Central Market grocery stores.  I am hopelessly devoted to Central Market.  I could spend hours wandering through their maze of a store and I think I’ve come close when I went on a Saturday before a holiday.)

On to the recipe……if I had to pick a favorite pepper  (and people ask me all the time to pick a favorite pepper. OK no they don’t) I would pick the poblano.  It is mild enough that you can easily control the heat of whatever dish you want to make, but has enough spice that you know it will add a kick of flavor all its own.  It is also super simple to stuff with whatever you have on hand and become a main dish.

In most restaurants in Texas, you will find the poblano filled with cheese and fried and in some places they will even cover it in more cheese. Yum-O!! but very gordo.  I like it roasted and stuffed as opposed to stuffed and fried.  Although the fried is worth a try if you have never had it.

Stuffing:

1 poblano

1 sweet potato, small dice

1/2 can of black beans, rinsed

1/4 yellow onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 tsp s&p, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika

Salsa verde:

3 tomatillos, halved (up to 6 if they are small)

1/4 red onion

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeno, with or without seeds depending on if you want the extra heat

handful of cilantro

juice of 1 lime

s&p, to taste

Garnish:

Mexican crema and/or queso fresco (or whatever kind of cheese or sour cream you might have on hand)

Roast the pepper under the broiler and then do the thing where you allow it to steam in a bowl under a towel.  After it cools, pull off the charred skin and slice down one side to pull out the seeds.  This can be kinda frustrating since the skin will be super tender and if it tears and falls apart well then just serve it alongside the filling.  It won’t look the same obviously, but it will taste the same and it’s definitely not worth getting frustrated over and throwing away.

In a 400 degree oven, roast the diced sweet potatoes that have been tossed in olive oil, salt & pepper, and a little bit of cumin for about 25-30 minutes.

toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin - about 1 tsp of each spice

Alongside, roast the tomatillos, red onion, jalapeno, and garlic that have been tossed with olive oil, s&p for about 15 minutes.

Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

After 15 minutes, transfer tomatillo mix to a blender and add the cilantro and lime juice.  Blend until it is a smooth, sauce-like consistency.  Check the seasoning and add salt as needed.

what your roasted pepper should look like and salsa verde.......mi favorito

In a stovetop skillet, heat olive oil over medium and add the yellow onion.  Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes then add the red bell pepper.  Season with dash of salt & pepper.  Allow a few minutes for the pepper and onion to cook and add the black beans.  At this point, you just want to get it warm until the sweet potatoes are done cooking.

When the sweet potatoes come out of the oven, hit them with about 1/2 tsp of paprika and add to the skillet.  Let flavors blend, check seasoning, and you are now ready to stuff.  This makes enough to stuff 2 large poblanos or 3-4 small ones.

And there you have it.  Sweet potato-stuffed poblano with salsa verde.  As you can see, you can take this concept and adapt it to whatever you have on hand — ground turkey, scrambled eggs, sausage — the possibilities are endless.  Let me know if you make it and what ingredients you decide to use!

Buen apetito!

Review: El Bulli and Cafe at the Modern

The Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth is one of my most favorite places to visit in the city.  The atrium itself is breathtaking.  It is also the only place in Fort Worth to see independent films and once a year Christopher Kelly, the film critic for the Fort Worth Star Telegram, picks 8 movies to showcase that most likely won’t play in our fair city and certainly aren’t playing here yet.  It’s called “Great movies you haven’t heard of yet”  and it’s definitely worth checking out if you live in the area or are visiting this time of year.  Last year I saw “Made in Daggenham”  and it was so great.   You should immediately netflix it if you haven’t already seen it.

I have yet to see all the movies shown during the festival and this was another year that I had to miss out on some great films because I was too busy.  El Bulli was the Sunday 2:00 movie and it did not disappoint.  It is a film  that was made about the avant garde restaurant in Spain that shuts its doors for six months of the year to design the menu that will be served the other half.  It is an interesting look at the creative process and what it takes to keep a restaurant of its caliber in operation.  The restaurant actually ceases to exist as of this year.  My favorite line from the movie came from one of the chefs who was explaining where he got the idea for one of the innovative dishes that made it to the menu.  He said, “You never know from where inspiration will come.”  I won’t spoil the movie by telling you more, but I think that quote sums up the creative process and how it can be frustrating and exciting trying to come up with ideas.

Before we went to the movie, Erinn and I dined at Cafe Modern.   Christopher said that in preparation for this event, he asked the chef to prepare an “El Bulli-” inspired brunch.  She offered two Spanish dishes – a paella that was sold out by the time we got there and a spanish version of eggs benedict.  Well the brunch menu looked amazing, but I’m sure you know I had to try the eggs benedict

and it was interesting…..delicioso…..creative…… and another good example of taking this classic dish and making it your own.

Rent “El Bulli” when you can or go see it if you’re in a city that has a venue for independent films.  I’d love to hear what you think of it.