Fourth of July

From the Los Angeles Times

grapeleaves.jpgIn the beautiful economy of the forest – or the urban backyard garden – leaves are nature's brilliant cookware. Banana leaves can be cut down to make plates or unfurled into wrappers perfect for steaming fish on a low-slung grill. Fig trees and grapevines yield leaves the exact size for enclosing, then grilling, a cube of feta, a recumbent sardine or a mint-studded lamb meatball.

Before the invention of tinfoil or grilling baskets, pragmatic cooks picked their kitchen supplies from branches and found what they needed in the trees.

Going green was logical – OK, obvious – long before it became chic.

Read article...

chilidogDid you know July is National Hot Dog Month?

I guess it makes sense since this is the month when Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place.  I think this year, fifty-nine hot dogs were eaten in 10 minutes and then an overtime round was required because of a tie.  Ack!  Fifty-nine dogs plus the tie-breaker round...no thanks!

We don't have hot dogs around here very often, but when we do, we like them slathered with chili and cheese.  And not just any chili, it has to be sweet and super tangy.  I love chili with cumin and cayenne but not on a hot dog. I prefer something that really forces my taste buds to stand up and salute.  This is why I came up with this recipe.  Hold me.

These chili-dogs have an amazing burst of flavor like you have never tasted before.  The tang gives you this awesome puckering sensation in your mouth but in a very good way.  It's not overpowering, it's just right.

Read more ...

Why doesn’t somebody make a hamburger bun that also fits a hot dog?  It would be hinged.  That way, if you had a small family, you would only have to buy one package of buns.  Here’s what it would look like...

bun.jpg

Page 3 of 5