In Search of The Big Dog…

Call me Ishmael.

But if you do, don’t expect me to answer for this is the story of my elusive quest for the obsession of my culinary soul.

For the past fifteen summers I have been on the trail of one of New Jersey’s most beloved mythical creatures. He has been seen across the state by thousands & thousands and hundreds more have claimed to have eaten with him. From the clam bars in Cape May to the rodizios in the Ironbound to the farm stands of the rural counties to the diners lining the middle arteries of the state, reports come in each summer of sightings that always involve varied & wondrous gastronomical creations. He is the Big Dog of Munchmobile fame and he is my white whale.

But this summer will be different. This summer I will be using high tech gadgetry beyond the black ink of a newspaper like Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to follow The Big Dog’s progress. Our local paper even has a “Peter Parker type” of a writer who always seems to be in the right place at the right time for pictures of the Big Dog. I’m not sure how he does it but with coincidences like those, I am going to make sure that I follow him too.

The other day, while I was out for a drive in the country, my Big Dog sense started to tingle. I looked around me and noticed a restaurant coming up on my right hand side. It looked interesting and out of the way and the parking lot was full of cars & people excitedly talking & pointing down the road. As I stopped my car and stepped out, there was just a hint of mustard wafting away in the breeze so once again I was too late. The Big Dog had come & gone.

Follow The Recipe ? Who ? Me ?

(this blog was originally posted at http://www.allrecipes.com)

I remember a surprise quiz that my 5th grade math teacher, Mrs. Conroy, gave our class one spring morning. When she handed out the two sided quiz she made sure to tell us in her two pack a day raspy voice to read the all of the problems on the whole quiz before we started our work. Yeah, yeah, yeah I said to myself. I was in a competition (in my own mind) with a girl in class for the unofficial title of “Fastest Mathlete in 5^thGrade” and I wasn’t going to let something like reading the problems ahead of time slow me down. When Mrs. Conroy croaked out “Begin” I tore into the problems like a swarm of hungry grasshoppers in a new field or your co-workers at the annual holiday office potluck lunch. I was on question #4 when I heard someone behind me who definitely was not in the competition for the “Fastest Mathlete in 5th Grade” say “Done” followed immediately by two others who weren’t exactly “A” students either saying the same thing. “How could this be ?”, I said to myself as I glanced around and took in the chirping chorus of “Dones” accompanied by the clicking of their pencils being placed on their laminate desktops. I desperately started reading the test to see what I had missed. When I got to Question #20 I read with horror – Now that you have followed my directions, flip your paper over.  Do not do any of the problems. Put your pencil down and say “Done”.  It was then that I realized that the whole class was looking at me. I was the only one who wasn’t “Done” yet. This story was kind of a roundabout way of my saying that I have never been very good at following directions and that especially applies when we start to talk about the kitchen.

 

I have a confession to make. I am terrible at following recipes, even my own recipes. I’m always tinkering with those. I don’t think there is anything that I have ever made exactly the same way twice. Not exactly what you expect to hear on a recipe website, especially a recipe website such as this one where I have more than a few published recipes. It’s not that I think I know better than the person who came up with the recipe, I don’t. The recipe was developed with their likes & dislikes in mind, not mine. It’s just that most of the time I either don’t have one of the ingredients the recipe calls for and I have to substitute or there is an ingredient that I just know I don’t like so I switch it out for something else in my pantry or fridge. So it is actually rare that I follow a recipe ingredient by ingredient or measure by measure from start to finish. That is until now. Recently as an Allrecipes Brand Ambassador I have had to follow recipes exactly and that has been a real struggle for me.  Kind of like the struggle I had with putting on a tie and going to Sunday School as a kid which may have been the reason (Who am I kidding ? It was the reason.) I made the traveling 11-12 year old allstar hockey team as a 9 year old but that is another blog for another time on a another forum. Suffice to say, I even change my Grandmother’s recipe for Apple Delight and she got that recipe from her Grandmother who know doubt got it from her Grandmother too so following recipes by complete strangers or spice adverse middle of the tastebud road companies just isn’t going to happen while I am manning the burners.

 

I know I am not alone with this affliction because for years both here in the Blogs and over on the Buzz (Recipe Exchange for you oldtimers out there that haven’t gotten sick of my ramblings yet) there have been countless blogs & postings lamenting the reviews that people get & give for dishes that were made in their own way and not in the intended manner yet are reviewed as being done in the same manner as the original recipe. I can’t help but shake my head at those misguided missives & their complainers and move on. Like snowflakes & fingerprints, everyone’s tastebuds are different and opinions are like *expletive deleted* and everyone has one.   

 

I guess what I am ultimately trying to say is, have fun with your food. Make the recipes your own. Don’t blame the recipe if it isn’t good, you never have to make something exactly the way it is written and whether it is good or bad doesn’t make it right or wrong. To me, Walk/Don’t Walk signs & crosswalks in New York City are merely suggestions while to many others, they are the law. To me, Julia Child & her culinary descendants are merely Crossing Guards there to help you across the culinary divide. So go enjoy yourself in the kitchen and don’t worry, there really is no such thing as the Kitchen Police. You really can get wild & crazy and add bacon if you want.

Halfway to Biting that Apple

I’m happy to report that I am now halfway there in my 25 year quest to once again bite into a ripe juicy apple. It seems like it was a longer than a year ago this month that we started with the extractions and even though I only wore a full upper denture for 9 months of that time, it certainly felt more like 9 years. If necessary, I could have continued to live with the denture but as I mentioned in an earlier blog about these same teeth, that wasn’t the goal and wearing dentures for the rest of my life was not what I had planned.

A week ago I reported to my periodontist’s office and they proceeded to shoot me up with so much Novocain that you could have had Wile E. Coyote drop a piano on my face and I don’t think I would have felt it. It took me 3 days just to remember I even had an upper lip. Now all those shots were meant for a reason and that reason came next. In order to hold my full set of implants, they were going to need to drill holes in the bone beneath my sinuses. I think I opened my eyes once during this portion of the procedure and I wish I hadn’t. I am pretty sure I used the same sized drill bit fixing a cabinet in the kitchen. But again, due to all of the Novocain, I never felt a thing. I just heard the incessant grinding as I wondered if JR Ewing did this much drilling in all of his time on Dallas.

The drilling produced 6 holes in my head which needed to be filled with 6 implants or posts. As they were being screwed in & anchored, I never thought I would hear the surgical product specialist, who had come in that day to observe, ask the doctor if he needed her to go out to her car to get her Torque Wrench. Nor did I expect to then have that Torque Wrench be used in my mouth. I really thought my face was going to break with each successive snap. At this point we were a good 4 hours into the procedure and I was starting to wonder if we were ever going to finish.

Now all the while I was having my mouth worked on, there was a lab technician from the company that made my full plate upper denture also present. His job was to cut down, mold & shape my old denture into the temporary permanent prosthetic device that I am going to be wearing for the next 3 months while the drilled bone heals & grabs the posts. I have to say that his workmanship was amazing and I can’t believe that the “teeth” I have in my mouth now are actually the denture I despised with all of my eternal being.

When the final screw was tightened and the final edge ground down for the maximum bite points, I had been in the chair for just over 6 hours. It’s been a somewhat painful recovery in that I didn’t expect the swelling on the roof of my roof from the bone grafts but then again, the roof of my mouth has been covered for the past 9 months so I am just glad I can feel it again. I am on a very soft foods diet for the next 3 months so that means if I can hear it when I bite it, I can’t have it. Guess that means I will be on a cookie sabbatical for the next 3 months unless I get my wife’s or daughter’s chocolate chip cookies as they come out of the oven. It also means that the 3 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies (Do Si Do’s, Thin Mints & Trefoils) I have stashed away in my desk at work will get attacked like I am blue & furry and have bugged out eyes when I finally get clearance.

Finally, it’s done a lot for my self-esteem. Not having to take my “teeth” out every night before bed or to not having to brush my “teeth” in my hands every morning has been a huge weight off of my psyche. I feel whole again. I don’t feel like pieces & parts. I like myself just a little better now too.

In a few weeks, we start all over again with the lower teeth but this time, we really aren’t worried too much about the aesthetics. We just want them to comfortably fit and hopefully without all of the bone grafting my uppers needed. So I am half way to that ripe juicy apple. I’ll keep you updated each small step/bite of the way there. Thanks for reading & thanks for listening. It does make the whole ordeal that much easier to deal with every day

Still Slicing My Apples…for now

(Part 3 in an ongoing saga)

It’s been a while since I last gave my handful of readers an update on my quest to once again be able to take a bite out of a crisp ripe apple. There really hasn’t been all that much to report other than I got a new & improved upper denture that looked and felt more like real teeth while I waited for the bone grafts to take from the surgery I had back in June. Well that all changed this week when the results of my oral CAT SCAN came back and I had a chance to sit down with my doctor.

As I was driving over to my appointment, it really hit me that I was about to find out whether I was going to be able to move on with my plans for full permanent implants or if I was going to be stuck in a denture for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really hate my denture but, well, actually I do. While it’s infinitely better than the broken teeth they replaced, it’s just not the favorite part of my daily routine (along with taking my heart medicine for my pre-hypertension but that is another blog that for once has actually already been written). I would do just about anything to move on with this phase in my life.

The doctor saw me right away and we started to look & review the 3D quality CAT SCAN of my mouth and the news was good. The bone grafts did take and I now had enough meaningful & useful bone structure to be able to try for the six implants that would lead eventually to twelve teeth on my uppers. My denture currently has fourteen teeth but I promise if you don’t go looking for the missing back two teeth, I won’t show you where they were supposed to be. If for some reason the two tilt implants in the back don’t hold, I’ll either have to have nine months of bone grafts in my sinuses in order to get the posts to hold or I will need to move on to a less secure snap in denture which is still better than the “floating” poli-grip denture I have now. I think you all know which way I am hoping I am headed. The surgery will be scheduled for the end of March or early April and then it will mean another four to five months of the soft food diet I have been on for most of the past year anyway. Once we finish up with the uppers, we start all over again on the lowers but it won’t take as long since cosmetics are not as important when it comes to teeth you can’t really see. And trust me, it’s a price I will gladly pay.

So for now, I’m still slicing my apples but I can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel that leads back to that first big bite of a crisp ripe apple.

Part 1 – http://swampynomo.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/to-bite-an-apple-again/

Part 2 – http://swampynomo.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/to-bite-into-an-apple-again-part-2/

What’s On Your Super Bowl Menu ?

The Super Bowl is probably the most famous & most celebrated unofficial American Holiday on the calendar. It is being contested this coming Sunday between the American Football Conference Champion Baltimore Ravens & the National Football Conference Champion San Francisco 49ers and it is being celebrated by millions & millions of people not only across the United States but across the globe. Some will be watching for the game and some will be watching the commercials and others will be watching to see if they won their 100 square Super Bowl pool. No matter why or where they are watching, there will be one common thread running through every gathering or viewing party…

Food.

And that is where I come in. The Super Bowl is my day to go nuts in the kitchen. My wife & children clear out soon after breakfast and come home just before kickoff. When they leave, I am a mess. When they come home, the kitchen is a mess. The food however is plentiful despite the fact that I am really only feeding an army of five. I realize that most serious football fans wouldn’t want their family around for the game but my favorite team hasn’t made it to the final game of the season since 1999 (Go Broncos !) so for me, the food is more important. All that being said, let’s see what is tentatively on the menu this year and please remember, all dishes are subject to change at the whim of the chef.

Alligator Chili – this recipe has been on the menu for seven or eight years now and was a gameday inspiration that grew out of my wife’s pregnancy cravings back in 1997 but that is another blog for another time. Alligator does not taste like chicken but has more of a pork like quality to it. It’s also incredibly lean meat. Speaking of lean, neither myself or the host of “What’s Cooking ?” were terribly lean when a video was shot on how to make Alligator Chili but we are both much better now.

Honey Orange Chicken Wings featuring Uncle Dougie’s Chicken Wing Marinade – This recipe not only features my favorite chicken wing marinade on the planet but it also uses wingettes because that is what my family likes more than other chicken wing (tip or no tip). I marinate a couple of pounds of wingettes in a combination of Uncle Dougie’s, Orange Juice, Honey, Mustard & Key Lime Juice. I then bake them low & slow until the glaze is almost sticky and the meat is falling off the bones. ( http://www.originaluncledougies.com/ )

Game Day Mac & Mex – This is a recipe I came up with recently in regard to a challenge put forth by Sargento Shredded Cheese. This time, instead of making it in a large pan, I am going to spoon big scoops into individual muffin tins and top them with a dollop of salsa as they go into the oven. These will either be really good or really easy to throw at the chef.

Cheddar Bacon Deviled Eggs – the name pretty much says it all though this year, I’ll add some Bacon Salt to a recipe that includes bacon, shredded cheddar, mustard, hot sauce & a dusting of smoked paprika. This is always Daughter # 2’s favorite dish.

I always try to make a dish that represents each of the two teams in the big game and this year is no different.

Shredded Asian Duck Legs (San Francisco – in a nod to Chinatown) – the concept is here but now we have to see about the execution. I am thinking of a plum sauce or a hoisin sauce or a sweet chili sauce with the shredded duck and all served inside little phyllo cups. This dish will get more thought & scrutiny the closer we get to Sunday. Any suggestions ?

Creole Crab and Corn Chowder (Baltimore) – this dish will also probably be played with and altered (look for crawfish to somehow enter the mix) before kickoff but like I said two weeks ago, I wanted something that said both Baltimore & New Orleans since I wanted the Ravens to beat the Patriots. (and yes, that is why I picked MANHATTAN clam chowder to represent the patriots)

Baby Back Ribs – I’ll do some low & slow in the oven with a mild dry rub on them just in case my anticipated trading of chili for ribs doesn’t come off during the pregame show. I’ll go mild because my son will be the one who will eat the most of these and he likes to gnaw on the rib bones like the animal that he is. I can’t gnaw on the bones until we finish off all of my dental work so that looks more like the 2014 or 2015 Super Bowl for me. Ribs are a Super Bowl standard and have to be made or obtained but there must be some in the house.

Dip with Sour Cream & Key Lime Greek Yogurt – okay, that’s a bit wide open and fairly non-descript but over the years I have collected a good quantity of hot sauces and I have also acquired a good number of specialized dip mixes that either call for sour cream or mayonnaise as their main ingredient. Over those same numbers of years, first plain yogurt, then plain greek yogurt came into vogue as something to mix into a dip. I am going to take it one step further this year and try to use Key Lime Greek Yogurt. I’ll have a better idea come Saturday when I dive into the pantry to see what I have and what might work.

My Wife’s Guacamole – I won’t even begin to try and duplicate the goodness of her guacamole. It’s a very simple recipe that I don’t know and wouldn’t even begin to try to make. This is her responsibility and she will bang it out after they get back from the movies just before kickoff. I think my daughter Caty has it as a personal recipe in her recipe box but I haven’t checked and I am not sure if I can.

Key Lime & Blackberry Bread Pudding – I tried this 2 weeks ago with a Blackberry Rum Sauce and while it was well received, it needed some tweaks to be better. I’ll make those tweaks this Sunday and then maybe we will have a recipe that can be submitted for publication. I have thought about changing the blackberries to blueberries and a blueberry syrup drizzle but I like the sour counterpoint of the blackberries with the sweetness of the key lime just a little bit better.

And finally, Mom’s Blondies – the only recipe I have ever submitted to Allrecipes.com that got rejected as being too similar to another recipe on the site and that happened back in the late 1990’s. They are brown sugar & chocolate chip goodness that you can make with or without the nuts I like to make them as a tribute to Mom since she always made sure that we had a tray every Super Bowl Sunday when we were growing up.

So there you have it, that’s my line-up for Sunday’s big game. Things could change based on availability at the grocer and whatever whim takes me that day. It could also change based on your suggestions or ideas. Now if you want to follow my progress on Sunday, the best way to do it is to follow me on Twitter (@swampynomo) or you can wait for the blog that recaps my successes and failures.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the actual game. San Francisco has a quarterback that can explode with his arm or his legs and a very opportunistic defense. Baltimore has the most boring quarterback in the NFL but boring or not, the kid wins. The Ravens also have the extra motivation of this being Ray Lewis’ final game. I think it will be an exciting game and if everything goes as planned, the final score will be Baltimore 27 San Francisco 23 and I will have won my 100 square Super Bowl Pool.

Flight Delays & Express Lanes

I travel for work. I travel for work a lot. Some would say that I travel for work too much and at times I would tend to agree. One of the offshoots of all this travel time is that I spend a great deal of time alone with my thoughts. That in and of itself could be a dangerous thing but for the most part, it’s pretty mundane. Sometimes those thoughts blossom into real ideas but most of the time they wind up under done like the last egg over easy I was served at Cracker Barrel. That being said, and because I have time to kill until my next flight, I thought I would share some of those thoughts with you.

What is with the big dessert craze ? I have been in Atlanta the last 3 days and every restaurant we went to had a bigger dessert than the guy next door. I a saw slice of pie that needing a zoning variance to be piled that high. I saw a bread pudding the size of a bowling ball. I saw a coconut cream dessert that looked like a cloud had landed on the table. And I saw a slice of cake that had so many layers I thought I was counting the rings of a tree. They were all really good too.

In-room coffee while being free is never good. I bring Starbucks Via Instant Coffee packets with me to spike the coffee when I make it.

To you actually pay for a free breakfast if the free breakfast is bad ?

I have to make a double batch of alligator chili for the Super Bowl this year since word got out I will trade it for BBQ.

I LOVE TSA PRE-CHECK !!!

I had a Cheesesteak Egg Roll last night at dinner. I wonder if Hoagie Haven in Princeton, NJ has ever thought of making those ?

And if you ever go to Hoagie Haven, will you get me a #17 with lettuce & tomato – no spices.

I made a Key Lime Bread Pudding the other night that was really good but I have already figured out what I need to do to make it better for next time. The idea started as a key lime cake but then my wife saw a show about bread pudding. I really liked the Blackberry Rum Sauce I made to go with it. I’ll share the recipe after I test the changes.

8 items or less. It’s not hard. You don’t even need both hands to count all the items in your basket to make sure you qualify. If you have to start using your toes, then you need to get out of line.

And really, who still writes checks and why don’t you already have it out when you hear the total at the register.

I think Propel Mandarin Orange is my favorite flavor of water though Propel Cranberry Lime is a close second. When I can’t get those, I try to get Vitamin Water Zero in either the Orange or Lemonade Flavors.

I went to a steak house and ordered Shrimp & Grits. I was in the south, can you blame me ?

I don’t know what the two guys sitting at the table next to me during breakfast today did for a living but after listening to them talk, I am pretty sure they don’t do it well.

The hotel gave me Room 222. Groovy.

Still trying to figure out my Super Bowl Menu items for Baltimore & San Francisco but I am thinking something Asian for SF as a nod to Chinatown. Maybe something with a twist or two in honor of Lombard Street.

I missed National Pie Day yesterday and I am missing National Peanut Butter Day today. Sounds like I need to combine the two this weekend.

Just saw my plane pull up. Thanks for spending a few moments with me while I waited for my flight. Refunds for those lost minutes of your life can be requested at 1-888-speaktothemachine. Have a great weekend.

(and my flight is currently delayed)

4 Teams – 4 Soups – Who is going to The Souper Bowl ?

There is a reason that the Oddsmakers in Las Vegas love me so much and my more than slightly inaccurate prognostications last weekend were a prime example of why. After predicting (not publicly and indeed well after the fact) all four wildcard games correctly the previous weekend, I only got one of the four games right this past weekend. But never fear because win, lose or get burned like toast, I will be here with your predictions for this weekend’s National Food-ball League Conference Championships.

Before we start, I have to go back to last Saturday’s Broncos-Ravens game for just a minute as this has been chewing away at me for a while like piece of gristle from a cheap piece of steak. How in the world can you EVER let a man get behind you on a Hail Mary Pass ? The Denver Broncos defensive back that fell on his keister looked a lot like my cousin Earl during last summer’s family reunion touch football game that got a little too personal down in the trenches between Aunt Sandy & her sister in law but that really is another blog for another time and I digress. And then Peyton Manning throwing across his body in overtime was like banging the oven door shut on a soufflé. I am so depressed thinking about it I am probably going to go get some pork rinds from the overpriced vending machine here at work. But enough of this wallowing in my misery, let’s get to the task at hand. Who’s going to the Souper Bowl in New Orleans this February ?

National Food-Ball Conference

The San Francisco 49ers at The Atlanta Falcons

Though I didn’t pick either of these teams to be here at this point in the playoffs I am somewhat excited to see this game. The 49ers may be the most exciting team left in the playoffs with their quarterback Colin Kapernick leading the way. This kid can run & throw as well or maybe even better than Cam Newton or RG3. Throw in the running of Frank Gore, the speed of Michael Crabtree, the sacrifice of Randy Moss and an exciting defense and you have a team that could be headed to New Orleans with the Alex Smith Controversy in their back window. Of course that doesn’t mean that the home team & #1 seed over on the other side of the ball is going to go lie down like a wilted lettuce leaf at the end of Las Vegas Buffet. “Matty Ice” finally won a playoff game and the Falcons exorcised a whole lot of playoff demons when that field goal split the uprights. Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, Julio Jones & Michael Turner will help key the offense while the defense will have some explaining to do for last week in order to write their ticket to New Orleans.

But what’s a Souper Bowl without a Battle of the Soups ?

Bodega Bay Cioppino (San Francisco)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bodega-bay-cioppino/detail.aspx

vs

Grilled Vidalia Onion Soup (Atlanta)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-vidalia-onion-soup/detail.aspx

Anyone who has read some of my earlier blogs know that I now know my way around a Cioppino and this Bodega Bay variety from Northern California has a great mix of seafood all-stars (offense) combined with a zesty red sauce (defense) that you just want to sop up with sourdough bread. The Grilled Vidalia Onion Soup is a more than slightly different version of a French Onion Soup that we all love & know so well that gets its New Orleans connection from the splash of sherry at the end. It makes for a great battle but in the end, the sourdough bread will make the difference.

San Francisco 31 Atlanta 30

(I’ll take the grilled Vidalia onion soup myself)

American Food-ball Conference

The Baltimore Ravens at The New England Patriots

The Say Goodbye To Ray Tour didn’t come to end in Denver like everyone thought it would and so now we have a rematch of last season’s American Food-ball Conference Championship Game and it’s being played on the exact same field. The big question is, will it have the exact same result ? The Ravens defense has come back to life on thanks to both the return of Ray Lewis from injury and from the fact that he has announced that he will retire at the end of his playoff run this year. Throw in quarterback Joe Flacco coming out of his late season funk and suddenly Baltimore is one step away from New Orleans instead of having one foot in the football grave. Of course the Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll and his team of seemingly interchangeable parts just keeps winning & winning. Throw in a dose of revenge for an early season loss at the hands of these same Ravens and you have more than enough motivation in the nightcap.

So which Chowder will get to stroll down Canal Street in two weeks ?

Creole Crab and Corn Chowder (Baltimore)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/creole-crab-and-corn-chowder/detail.aspx

vs

Allana’s Zesty Red Clam Chowder (New England)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/allanas-zesty-red-clam-chowder/detail.aspx

When I think of Maryland, I think of crabs. When I think of crab soup, I usually think of crab & corn. When I think of a crab dish that could get the Ravens to the Souper Bowl in New Orleans this year I think of this soup. The creole seasonings that abound in this soup are a tribute to Ray Lewis and the rest of the Baltimore defense. When I think of New England, I usually think of a fairly tame & traditional creamy white clam chowder but this game is in New Orleans and you need to bring some excitement to the table if you want to stand out on Bourbon Street. Out of the four recipes I picked today, this was the only one that was already in my recipe box and out of these four teams, the Patriots are the only ones that have been to the Souper Bowl this century.

New England 27 Baltimore 20

(corn & crab vs clam ? I take corn & crab every time)

So those are my picks for who is going to The Souper Bowl in New Orleans. What do you think and what soups would you pick for either these teams or for your favorite team ? See you in New Orleans !

Gameday Mac & Mex – The Super Bowl Challenge

The game was deep into the 4th quarter when the doorbell rang. I hadn’t been expecting anybody so I was both curious & annoyed to be pulled away from the television at this crucial stage of the game. When I opened the door I was handed a pizza by a delivery guy who turned away quickly without saying a word.

"But I didn’t order a pizza." I said. The delivery guy got into his unmarked & unremarkable car and drove off. He never looked back. I shrugged my shoulders, closed the door and took the pizza box over to the kitchen table to see what kind of pie it was.

It was a large extra cheese that began speaking to me in more ways than a pizza usually does speak to me when I opened the box. "Mr. Matthews, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to create an original Gameday recipe using one of the many fine Sargento Shredded Cheese products available at your local grocer. This pizza will now self-destruct in 12 pieces."

And it did with the help of my hungry family.

As we all ate the pizza, my family & I discussed the mysterious assignment. There were so many ideas bouncing around in my head and my wife & kids were there as always to help me sort them through. My first thought was a dip.

“Can’t do a dip Dad.” said my oldest daughter.

“Why not ?” I replied.

“It’s not you.” said my middle daughter/

“What do you mean it’s not me ?” I responded.

“Dad-Dude, you make alligator chili,” said my young son “you don’t make dip.”

“He’s right Honey.” My wife chimed in.

And you know what, my wife & kids were right. I needed to make something a little bolder. I needed to make something with some weight to it. I needed to make something that could anchor a tailgate buffet like a staunch offensive line and I needed to give it a twist to make it my own. That’s when it hit me and Gameday Mac & Mex was born.

Bueno.

I decided to take an old fashioned buffet staple like Macaroni & Cheese and give it the same type of twist that we are seeing in restaurants all across America. I decided that Mac & Cheese needed to make a trip south of the border and Sargento’s 4 Cheese Mexican Mix was going to be just the cheese to help me do it.

After throwing a pound of elbow macaroni into a pot of boiling water, I started making the roux for my cheese sauce with butter, flour, warm (I stress warm) milk and my spices. Warming the milk before whisking it into the golden roux helps the roux dissolve slowly and not in lumps. When the milk has all been added and the liquid has a silky texture to it, it’s time to turn off the heat and add in the Sargento 2 Cheese Mexican Mix. Once the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick, you pour it onto cooked & drained macaroni. When the cheese sauce has been thoroughly integrated into the pasta it’s time to start folding in your black beans, chopped chiles or jalapenos, green onions, diced avocadoes and cilantro. Transfer all of that goodness to a large 13X9 glass pan and spoon up to 2 cups of salsa across the top of the dish before placing into a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. When the top is starting to turn a golden brown and the edges are starting to bubble, it’s time to pull it out of the oven and let it rest & settle. Keep the south of the border theme going and garnish with sour cream, olives and/or fresh cilantro.

When I took my first bite I had a feeling I had a contender. When I saw my wife & kids take a second bite without saying anything after the first bite I knew I had made it into the playoffs. When my son got up from the table and gave me a High Five & a Fist Bump, I knew this dish was going to the Super Bowl.

Gameday Mac & Mex featuring Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican Mix is going to be in my line-up for years to come. I hope you add it to yours too. Enjoy.

I’m an Allrecipes All Star Ambassador and the views & opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own. It is a volunteer position and I am not paid. I did receive free product from Sargento but I would have bought it anyway without the coupons. I think there is some other legal mumbo jumbo I am supposed to add as well but I can’t remember what it is and I really have to get busy making my picks for this weekend’s football games.

GAMEDAY MAC & MEX

Ingredients

• 8 TBS Butter
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 TB Salt
• 1 tsp White Pepper
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 LB box of elbow macaroni
• 1 qt Milk (warmed)
• 6 cups Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican Mix
• 1 – 15oz can of Black Beans, rinsed
• 2 – 4oz can of Chiles, chopped
• 1 cup Green Onions, chopped
• 2 Avocados, chopped
• 2 TBS Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups Salsa

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Set 4 to 6 quarts of salted water to boil for the macaroni. Add pasta when water boils and cook for 6 to 7 minutes until al dente. Remove from heat. Strain and return the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add 2 TBS of butter. Stir & set aside.

3. Melt remaining 6 TBS of butter in a large sauté pan. Slowly whisk in flour and continue stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until roux is smooth & golden. Slowly add warm milk and stir until silky in texture. Add in salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and slowly stir in 6 cups of Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican Mix. Keep stirring until cheese has all melted and sauce is thick.

4. Pour over pasta and begin to fold in black beans, green onions, chiles, avocados & cilantro. When well mixed, transfaer to a 13X9 glass baking dish.

5. Spoon up to 2 cups of salsa across the top in swirls or lines.

6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until top is beginning to brown or the sides are bubbling.

7. Let rest for a few minutes to settle before serving.

8. Can garnish with sour cream, hot sauce, more cilantro or more salsa

Food-Ball or Football ? A look at this week’s NFL Games

It’s that time of year again. The playoffs have started in the National Food-ball League and this week it’s the Divisional Playoff Round. I have to admit that life got in the way of my previewing the Wild Card Round but when you think about, the dishes that were eliminated (Cincinnati Chili, Minnesota Lutefisk, Indianapolis Milk Pie & that load of Bull coming out of Washington DC) did not produce any real surprises. So with my favorite team bias somewhat in check (not really, in fact not a chance) it’s time to preview the four games that we have coming up on the plate.

The Baltimore Ravens at The Denver Broncos – From a football angle, this is the game with the most media friendly storyline. Baltimore Ravens hero & face of the franchise Ray Lewis is retiring when his team loses in the playoffs and Peyton Manning has come back from four neck surgeries to lead his Denver Broncos to the top seed in the AFC. The money in Las Vegas has the Broncos as a Nine point favorite but in the National Food-ball League, Las Vegas is nothing more than another neverending buffet. What really matters is what’s on the plate. Now a bucket of Boiled Shrimp with some Old Bay Seasoning may have been enough to derail a bowl of midwestern chili but it’s not going to be enough when the Ravens come to Denver. They better be bringing a bucket of boiled crabs, a section of newspaper for the table and more than a few mallets if they think they can beat the Broncos. And what will Broncos be serving up to counteract this attack ? While I never ate them while I lived there (and with good reason), I think the Broncos will bring a large platter of Rocky Mountain Oysters to the game as a sign of how they are going to “Say Goodbye To Ray” on Saturday afternoon. (How do you like that “Unkindness” Cousin Liz ?)

Broncos 34 Ravens 19

The Green Bay Packers at The San Francisco 49ers – From a football perspective, this game has all the makings of a classic. The Packers want revenge for the opening day loss the Niners pinned on them and the Niners need to show that they can take that next step. Injuries have slowed the receiving corps of the Packers all year but that still didn’t stop Discount Double Check from throwing 39 TD passes. The Niners were rolling with Alex Smith at QB and then he got a concussion. They never lost stride and may have even gotten a little bit better when Colin Kapernick stepped up as his replacement. But in the National Food-ball League that is neither here nor there when what we are really talking about is Wisconsin Cheese & San Francisco Sourdough. While I love me some sourdough, I can see the bread getting dunked & covered in a creamy Beer Cheese Soup. The cheese would have to trump the bread in this situation.

Packers 33 Niners 27

The Seattle Seahawks at The Atlanta Falcons – The Seahawks are probably the scariest team to come out of the Wild Card round. They have an oversized bull at running back and an undersized rookie quarterback that wasn’t supposed to beat out the high priced free agent quarterback the Seahawks are now looking to dump like that last cup in the office coffee pot around 4pm. The Falcons have looked great all year but a couple of late flops have caused question marks to be buzzing around them like flies at a BBQ picnic. From a National Food-ball League Standpoint, the Seahawks bring an impressive array of Pacific Northwest Salmon to the plate and with some of Etta’s “Rub With Love” in their back pocket I think they take the victory from a big steaming plate of Shrimp & Grits. Like Joe Pesci proved in “My Cousin Vinny”, you need time to properly cook your grits and I don’t think that time is right in Atlanta.

Seahawks 24 Falcons 14

The Houston Texans at The New England Patriots – the last time these two teams played each other back in December, the Walking Talking Touchdown Tossing Ken Doll that is Tom Brady shredded the Texans vaunted defense like they were shredding mozzarella for a pizza. The Texans do have revenge on their mind but they are going to need to forcefeed a healthy dose of Arian Foster to the Patriots to have any chance at all. Houston finished the season with all the excitement of day old dry brisket and while I do prefer BBQ over Lobster every day of the week and twice on Sunday, I do think that the Patriots are going to drop another perfect Thermidor on the Texans and no one is going to miss the BBQ Sauce.

Patriots 38 Texans 10

So that’s how I see this weekend both on the gridiron & on the plate. What are your football and/or culinary choices for these four games and what would you offer up differently ? See you next week when we talk about who is going to the Souper Bowl.

Getting CHOPPED for dinner again

It was early on Saturday afternoon and I was at my son’s Full Ice Cross Ice Hockey Game watching a slightly more spread out version of little kid soccer (they fall down on skates) when my blackberry buzzed. It was my wife and she wanted me to know that it was snowing and she wanted to know what I wanted to do for dinner. She was out, it had just started snowing and she was going to go to the grocery store. I told her that I was happy with anything and despite the snow, I would be more than happy to go get Thai Takeout if she wanted. (Actually, I wanted the Thai Takeout but I wanted her to say she wanted it). She said she would think about it and that she was headed into the grocery store anyway since she was already in the same shopping center. That’s when I said to myself, let’s have some fun and I offered to have her hit me up with a CHOPPED. Anyone who has read my blogs before know that this is not an unusual occurrence in my house. At least this time I knew if she said yes, that I wouldn’t have to take on my ultracompetitive daughters since one of them was gone for the night at a sleepover. Surprise, surprise, my wife said YES in all CAPS.

Now over the past few times we have played, my wife & kids have come to understand that as “judges”, they have to eat what I prepare so unlike the TV show, I knew I wasn’t going to get Lamb Fries or Rose Water Syrup or some other strange fruit or vegetable that I had never heard of or seen before. Then again, I had no idea what kind of mood my wife was in since she had been out clothes shopping with our tweenage fashionista of a middle child. Would she be irritable ? Would she be playful ? Would she actually want something good to eat ? All of these questions bounced around in my head as my son and his teammates bounced up and down the ice. When we finally got home through the ever increasing snowfall I got my answer.

My wife & tweenage fashionista daughter were waiting for me with a bag from the grocery store and their best Ted Allen impersonations. They told me that I could have as much time as I wanted but that dinner was to be served at 7:00pm. They also told me that I had to use all the ingredients in the bag in one form or another and that I could make use of any & all of the items in the pantry & fridge. (And as is always the case, I discovered after we started that the pantry & fridge were woefully understocked.) Then they proceeded to pull the ingredients out of the bag and they were Pork Loin (A big one hence the no time limit), Parsnips, Proscuitto, Goat Cheese & Blueberries. Certainly not a killer basket by any means but it was a basket full of potential. I figured I had about an hour and a half to think things through before I started cooking so I headed outside in the snow to play with wayward Christmas lights and to haul up firewood for a fire we could toss the lousy dishes into if I failed. Once I had somewhat of an idea as to what I was going to do, I posted the challenge on the Buzz & Facebook and got some wonderful ideas – that I couldn’t use. To be honest, I am glad that there weren’t three more chefs standing next to me at that point because based on what I read, I would have been going home in the first round.

The first thing I did was turn the oven on and head over to my spice rack for a rub for the Pork Roast. I had thought of braising it in a blueberry something but that didn’t quite click with me so I wanted something that could stand on its own without being overpowering. I saw the Chef Paul’s Magic Seasoning Salt that had been given to my wife by the hostess at his restaurant when we went there for her birthday a few years back and decided I should rub that all over the pork. It had a great color and smelled fantastic so into a 300 degree oven it went in a roasting pan with a little water in the pan for basting.

Next I turned to the Parsnips which are essentially starchy white carrots that I knew I was going to puree with the Goat Cheese. Having watched countless episodes of CHOPPED during my early early early morning workouts, I knew that the puree would have an “unctuous” quality when done. (On a side not, isn’t “unctuous” such a pretentious & CHOPPED judge worthy word ?)

While those two items were roasting away I watched some football and pretended to know what I was doing while I figured out the rest of the ingredients. The Proscuitto was going to be easy. I would fry that up in place of bacon in a pan and then wilt some spinach with some Honey Wine Vinegar (yes – I used it again) and salt & pepper. It’s an easy side dish to prepare and one that I also make with Brussel Sprouts. It was almost like cheating. Now what to do with the Blueberries ?

I have cherry balsamic vinegar in my pantry and I also have a pomegranate one as well so I figured that I could probably make a blueberry balsamic glaze or sauce. One problem, that idea somewhat bored me so I had to think outside the bottle and that was when it hit me. I went over to the underutilized booze cabinet (I quit drinking 24 years ago) to see what if anything we had that could possibly go with blueberries to make a sauce. Sitting there on the shelf, glaring at me the same way it did in college, was a bottle of Tequila. Now “Ta-kill-ya” may have made me 6’ 4”, handsome & brave in college but with some blueberries, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, orange & lemon peel and salt & pepper I felt I had the makings of a half decent sauce so I set to slowly simmering that mixture on back burner.

As the clock continued to countdown to 7:00pm, I took the temperature of the pork and at 125 degrees, I raised the oven to 325 degrees. At 145 degrees I raised the temp one more time to 350 degrees and at 165 degrees I pulled it out of the oven and set it to rest on a cutting board. Not to pat myself on the back too hard because I have a bum shoulder but it looked good. I also pulled out the parsnips and tossed them into a food processor with some chunks of butter (about 4tbs), 8oz of Goat Cheese and some salt & pepper. Pureed it smooth and it was “unctuous” but it was missing something.

I then turned my attention to the Proscuitto. The whole package went into a large sauté pan and as I started to crisp it up, I realized I had way too much for the spinach dish I had mapped out in my mind so I scooped out half of it, chopped it up and mixed it in with the parsnips. The spinach went into the pan with a healthy dose of honey wine vinegar and the meal was almost done. That was when I noticed the blueberry tequila lime sauce had slowly cooked to the consistency of jam. It was missing something too. It really needed a hint of sweetness so I tossed in a little brown sugar and deglazed the pan with a splash of orange juice and I was back in the game.

The picture you see below was the final dish as served to the judges. I think my presentation was a little weak and that the sauce was a little thick but overall I thought I did alright. My wife loved it, my tweenage fashionista daughter said it was fine and my son said, “”It tastes like pork Daddy”. At least he didn’t ask me for some applesauce.

Come back next time when my son and I go at it over a dessert basket and yes, at 7 years old, I am worried that he may beat me.

img 20121229 00117

img 20121229 00119