Sunday, August 15, 2010

Surf and Yard Bird

My wife and I finally got a chance to visit with some old friends today. we planned ahead of time to have a cookout and get some much needed play time for the kids, and some much needed social time for the parents. The rain came in today, and it was steamy outside, but the food made up for any negative feelings from the storm. It was a surf and turf, and yard-bird kind of party with some apple chicken sausage thrown in and Val's AMAZING corn and black bean salsa.
[as an aside: I avoid corn products except in the case of it being served as actual CORN. I grew up in the mid west, and there will never be a time when i give up corn completely -- no matter how bad it fits in with the paleo/primal diet crowd. Where I grew up corn was a vegetable, and served as such. I also thoroughly enjoy bourbon which by definition must be mashed from no less than 51% corn. Sweet corn grown in our garden every summer was a major staple in my house as a kid. HFCS hadn't been widely distributed, and the only sugar we drank was in tea or in Kool-Aid. Corn is fine in appropriate amounts -- as a VEGETABlE.]
The point of this post is to pass along the Chicken and Shrimp recipes that I used for my contribution to the cook out. There was grilled chicken wings and drumsticks tossed in Tiger Sauce. AND!!! Fresh Mayport Shrimp in a Tequila Lime Marinade. I only wish I had a chance to take pictures of the final product. The cameras were trained intently on my daughter and friend's son who were enjoying their third date. If they could type it would be Facebook official.

Chicken:

you will need a grill and some chicken wings and drumsticks. Also about half a stick of butter and 2 small bottles of Tiger Sauce.
Charcoal is best for this, but you can fry or bake the wings as well. It really doesn't matter; I just like to have the crispy grill burned pieces co-mingle with the sweet and spicy of the sauce. The broiler would be completely sufficient.

Grill your chicken, and make sure to sear it well.
I had 8 full wings and 4 drumsticks. I used 1/2 a stick of melted butter and 1 3/4 bottles of Tiger sauce. Add some salt, and you are golden. Toss your cooked Wing/drumsticks in the sauce and get it. I marinated the chicken ahead of time, but it didn't make a difference. None. The flavor is in the eye of the tiger.

Now the Shrimp is a different story. It's too awesome to give a name.

You need 2 pounds of fresh peeled and de-veined shrimp.
3 slices of thick sliced bacon
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped fine (seeds and veins removed)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
the leftover 1/4 bottle of Tiger Sauce
Salt to taste
and TEQUILA!!!!

The most important things about this concoction are: 1. The shrimp has to be fresh, 2. The bacon should be a good thick cut, and 3. The Tequila must be good. Quervo doesn't cut it, kids. I used Hussong's Reposado, but anything of a decent heritage will work. And seriously, Life is too short to eat shitty bacon.

Combine the Shrimp and all the ingredients except the bacon in a non-reactive bowl and keep chilled. Slice the bacon into small pieces and brown in a pan. De-glaze the pan with the marinade from the shrimp and reduce. Add the shrimp and sauté for 5 minutes or until done. Make sure not to over cook. Over-cooked shellfish is a sin to humanity.

It really seemed more complicated than it was while I was cooking the shrimp. In actuality I was merely prepping the shrimp. I bought it fresh, so i had to pull off the heads, peel, and de-vein everything. I usually just throw the little guys in a pot and boil them. This was the first time I actually made a big to-do over skrimps.
The flavor was unbelievable, though. I will definitely be making this again. The tequila-lime-bacon trifecta was a powerhouse of flavor that made you stop what you are doing and rethink everything you know about food. Ask My wife.

So now I will be finishing the bottle of Hussong's watching the roast of David Hasselhoff.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Life as it stands on a few drinks of Rum

I tend to be more verbose after consuming some decent rum drinks. Sailor Jerry and Coke Zero have been giving me a silver tongue for the evening, but it really doesn't matter. 1. You need an audience, and 2. you have to have people that care what comes out of your mouth. Rum provides Neither.

I decidede to share the wealth of the down-home blues of Captain Luke and Cool John playing a cover of the Brook Benton version of "Rainy Night in Georgia." I absolutely love this song, and this version-- with the boys sitting in a pawnshop or guitar store or whatever-- makes it so much more authentic and real. Captain Luke's Double Bass rumbling through the bottom end of the range as Cool John rings out the harmonics like he's directing a herald of cherubim. Call it poetic, but don't deny that this version sounds great, and Cool John can play that guitar!



Here is another video of Captain Luke teaching the finer points of singing Bass:


You can find more videos of the last great Blues Men and the best of independent music on The Musicmaker Foundation website with links to more and more the videos of men and women like Captain Luke and Cool John bustin' it out to keep the lights on all throughout The South. Give them a listen. This is what the blues is about.

Now don't forget the Punkin' Puddin'

Friday, August 6, 2010

Fantastic Friday!!! (2fer1!)

While I sit and wait for my shift to be over, and day dreaming of home I tend to watch videos and read a lot of internet blogs.

Here is the story of Veronica Garza, who at 27 Defeated Lupus after the doctors told her she couldn't by switching to a Primal Diet, and joining a CrossFit gym. The video is extremely well done, and very motivational. It's such a great story! I can't wait to hear more about her. Way to go Veronica! And thank you Free The Animal for the link.

G7 Stories - Veronica Garza from G7 Athletics on Vimeo.



Here is the Music Video for HaHa Tonka's "Caney Mountain." The video is all stop- animation except for the beginning and end. But I see it as a metaphor for today's modern snake oil salesman trying to sell everything they can market in pill form. The cycle will continue until someone starts looking for causes instead of "cures" to the symptoms.

Ha Ha Tonka "Caney Mountain" - Widescreen HD from Barkley MDFX on Vimeo.



In honor of the Mustache growing contest I am having with myself, here is a video from La Blogotheque from the Low Anthem. Look for more of these guys.

The Low Anthem - Apothecary - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.


They are also streaming a live set from the Newport Folk Festival on NPR.org

I will be trying to blog on a more daily basis in the future, but no promises.

Muscle-Ups (Diluted)

I was blogging in my head through my workout two days ago. 30 Muscle-ups took 48 minutes and 26 seconds to complete. You might think this was a distraction, and I should focus more on the task at hand, rather than put coherent thoughts and sentences together while I sweat, but honestly it helped keep my mind off of the clock (discouraging), and the tears on my hands. I had a post started musing on the beautiful challenges of the muscle-up and it's functional translations into real life, but due to distractions and my inability to put it all together in a coherent fashion, I deleted it. It was crap.

Short story: Muscle-ups are hard. I am getting better at them. 2 years ago I could not do 1. Wednesday I did 30 -- for time. I can do 4 in a row, but after I start getting tired I have to focus on the form, and the kip that is very similar to a pole vault. The first 15 took 20 minutes, and the last two took ten. My hands look worse today, then yesterday, and this was after re-taping twice in the middle of this. My time sucks, but I'm getting better, and a shitty time is still better than a DNF. Amen

I would like to thank the Live Oak outside of my trailer for your support -- of my RINGS!!!