Okay, so I keep my Bloody Mary dry mix on the shelf alongside my other spices and my own homemade popcorn seasoning mix. Hmmm...
You know what happened, right? I went to make one of my favorite drinks and grabbed the wrong jar off the shelf. Well I gotta tell ya that mistake made one helluva Bloody Mary! It's hotter and more pungent than the original but, oh so good! Plus, as a bonus, it's a great seasoning for your popcorn.
Just substitute this mix for the original in my Bloody Mary recipe and be prepared for a rush. Here's how to make it:
Blend together the following,
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne red pepper powder
1 tsp ground sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
If using it for popcorn you make "from scratch" then add a couple of shakes to the hot oil when you add your popcorn kernels. For "bag" popcorn add as soon as you can after popping (melted butter will add taste and make the seasoning stick better).
And, of course, a Bloody Mary with your popcorn, well that's just a little too good, ya know?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Brett Favre for President!
I'm sick and tired of politicians I can't trust. I want someone whose as good as his word!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The "Perfect" Bloody Mary
Yeah, yeah, I know, everybody's got their own "favorite" recipe for the classic summer drink, the Bloody Mary. I've been searching for years for one I could call my own and recently found a recipe in a very popular food magazine claiming "so and so's" restaurant version to be the very best. Now this was not an easy recipe to make. It required cooking. It required pureeing. I think it required straining (to keep the tomato skin particles out of my teeth). Then it required mixing, garnishing, blah, blah, blah. Worst thing about it? It tasted Blah!!!
So once again I tried to make a simpler and yet much more flavorful version myself that could beat anything else I've tried and this time I think I've done it. It still requires a little bit of work but beats the hell out of the magazine's version in terms of effort and taste (in my humble opinion). So if you're interested, here goes...
The Dry Mix (this is the only hard part, I promise):
Dry Mix:
1.5 - 2T (that's tablespoons) fennel seeds*
.5t (that's teaspoons) celery seed
1.5t kosher salt (or, regular salt, it doesn't matter. Us *foodies* just always use kosher)
Grind in a coffee mill or in a morter and pestle to a powder
Then mix in
1T granulated or powdered garlic
1T onion powder
Set aside.
*Fennel is one of those spices you either love or hate. When in doubt, start with less.
Now we can make our Bloody Mary.
Start by combining in a Boston Shaker:
4 oz "Spicy Hot" V8 Juice
2 oz Clamato Juice
2 oz Guinness Beer
1 oz orange juice
1.5 oz vodka (your pick)
Add to this:
1.5t Dry Mix (from above)
A "squeeze" of lemon
A "squeeze" of lime
A "dash" of Worcestershire sauce
A "dash" of Tabasco
A "squeeze" of hot chili sauce (like sriracha sauce)
A "grind" or two of black pepper
A "dollup" of fresh or processed horseradish (yes, fresh is better)
Now shake vigorously in a Boston Shaker with several ice cubes.
Before pouring into your highball glass you may want to "rim" it. My favorite is a combination of lemon-pepper seasoning and salt. You may choose something else. Start by wetting the edge of the glass with a lime or lemon wedge. Then invert the glass over your pepper salt mixture to coat the edge.
Now carefully pour your drink into the glass without messing up the edge. Want some garnish? Try celery sticks, carrot sticks, green beans, lime or lemon wedges, jalapenos, olives or even a piece of crispy bacon.
Enjoy!
If you have any favorite Bloody Mary recipes of your own please let me know.Until then... Fred
So once again I tried to make a simpler and yet much more flavorful version myself that could beat anything else I've tried and this time I think I've done it. It still requires a little bit of work but beats the hell out of the magazine's version in terms of effort and taste (in my humble opinion). So if you're interested, here goes...
The Dry Mix (this is the only hard part, I promise):
Dry Mix:
1.5 - 2T (that's tablespoons) fennel seeds*
.5t (that's teaspoons) celery seed
1.5t kosher salt (or, regular salt, it doesn't matter. Us *foodies* just always use kosher)
Grind in a coffee mill or in a morter and pestle to a powder
Then mix in
1T granulated or powdered garlic
1T onion powder
Set aside.
*Fennel is one of those spices you either love or hate. When in doubt, start with less.
Now we can make our Bloody Mary.
Start by combining in a Boston Shaker:
4 oz "Spicy Hot" V8 Juice
2 oz Clamato Juice
2 oz Guinness Beer
1 oz orange juice
1.5 oz vodka (your pick)
Add to this:
1.5t Dry Mix (from above)
A "squeeze" of lemon
A "squeeze" of lime
A "dash" of Worcestershire sauce
A "dash" of Tabasco
A "squeeze" of hot chili sauce (like sriracha sauce)
A "grind" or two of black pepper
A "dollup" of fresh or processed horseradish (yes, fresh is better)
Now shake vigorously in a Boston Shaker with several ice cubes.
Before pouring into your highball glass you may want to "rim" it. My favorite is a combination of lemon-pepper seasoning and salt. You may choose something else. Start by wetting the edge of the glass with a lime or lemon wedge. Then invert the glass over your pepper salt mixture to coat the edge.
Now carefully pour your drink into the glass without messing up the edge. Want some garnish? Try celery sticks, carrot sticks, green beans, lime or lemon wedges, jalapenos, olives or even a piece of crispy bacon.
Enjoy!
If you have any favorite Bloody Mary recipes of your own please let me know.Until then... Fred
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
When I Become King... Part 1, Teaser Rates
Welcome to my new series (not replacing my regular blog contributions) where I rant about stuff we're all subjected to but shouldn't be. You'll see what I mean by reading on...
Part One: Teaser Prices That Require A Credit Card For Auto-Renewing Services
We've all seen the offers. For example, get a great rate for a one year subscription to Internet security services. Just use your credit card to subscribe at the teaser rate but, uh oh, in the fine print there's a notice that you just gave permission for an auto-renewal at the end of the first year AT THE FULL SUBSCRIPTION RATE, usually well above the teaser rate! There are tons of offers out there that follow this pattern, right?
Oh sure, you can opt-out before the auto-renewal takes place if, 1) you remember to do it at a later date (which could be months in the future) and, 2) you can figure out how to do it! Providers of *most* of these services don't want you to cancel. THEY WANT YOUR MONEY on a continuing basis! Therefore, they bury the cancellation procedure deep on their website in some obscure area you'd never think of to look in or, if there's an 800 number, require you to spend an inordinate amount of time punching digits through numerous menus hoping you'll eventually give up!
Now, there are a few companies out there who are stand-up citizens that don't abuse their customers as I've described but, there are many more that do and I'm sick of it!
When I become King, no more credit card auto-renewals without specific, prior permission from their customers and no more teaser rates that require an auto-renewal!
Part One: Teaser Prices That Require A Credit Card For Auto-Renewing Services
We've all seen the offers. For example, get a great rate for a one year subscription to Internet security services. Just use your credit card to subscribe at the teaser rate but, uh oh, in the fine print there's a notice that you just gave permission for an auto-renewal at the end of the first year AT THE FULL SUBSCRIPTION RATE, usually well above the teaser rate! There are tons of offers out there that follow this pattern, right?
Oh sure, you can opt-out before the auto-renewal takes place if, 1) you remember to do it at a later date (which could be months in the future) and, 2) you can figure out how to do it! Providers of *most* of these services don't want you to cancel. THEY WANT YOUR MONEY on a continuing basis! Therefore, they bury the cancellation procedure deep on their website in some obscure area you'd never think of to look in or, if there's an 800 number, require you to spend an inordinate amount of time punching digits through numerous menus hoping you'll eventually give up!
Now, there are a few companies out there who are stand-up citizens that don't abuse their customers as I've described but, there are many more that do and I'm sick of it!
When I become King, no more credit card auto-renewals without specific, prior permission from their customers and no more teaser rates that require an auto-renewal!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
I Know You Are But What Am I?
Maybe I'm just getting old or maybe I'm just getting really tired of the politics of late...
When I talk to anyone these days about what's going in D.C. I feel almost morally bound to identify myself as either Republican or Democrat (since the rest of the parties carry very little clout right now) and, increasingly, I'm becoming uncomfortable with either label. I always liked most of what the Libertarians believe in but even then there are limits to my adherence. I've searched in vain for the perfect label that tells the world the depth and scope of my political, moral and ethical beliefs. Centrist? Now that's interesting but not very descriptive. Hawk, dove? Nope, doesn't work for me.
How about "Citizen of the Still Greatest Country on the Face of the Earth in Spite of Its Problems"? (Drum roll, please.) Yeah, I like that!
So maybe I should re-title this piece "I Know I Am But What Are You"?
When I talk to anyone these days about what's going in D.C. I feel almost morally bound to identify myself as either Republican or Democrat (since the rest of the parties carry very little clout right now) and, increasingly, I'm becoming uncomfortable with either label. I always liked most of what the Libertarians believe in but even then there are limits to my adherence. I've searched in vain for the perfect label that tells the world the depth and scope of my political, moral and ethical beliefs. Centrist? Now that's interesting but not very descriptive. Hawk, dove? Nope, doesn't work for me.
How about "Citizen of the Still Greatest Country on the Face of the Earth in Spite of Its Problems"? (Drum roll, please.) Yeah, I like that!
So maybe I should re-title this piece "I Know I Am But What Are You"?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Health Warning: CPD On The Rise!
Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Americans, we are facing an epidemic of monumental proportions festering right here in the heartlands of our beloved country. No, I'm not talking about tainted peanut butter (which is also a serious problem) or the germs living on all of those shopping cart handles (which, come on, is not a serious problem) but, rather, I speak of the rapidly spreading problem of Cell Phone Driving (CPD).
This insidious infestation manifests itself in a number of ways. A driver infected by CPD will often appear distracted while driving. Their ability to maintain a constant speed and a consistant forward direction of travel will often be compromised. Often, the cars they're driving will exhibit jerky, erratic behavior (as in, "Oops, there's my turn! I think I can still make it. Oh crap!). The infected individuals will often seem oblivious to cars and pedestrians around them. Their facial expressions sometimes change quickly from blissful happiness (while in the midst of an engaging conversation) to total shock as they realize, belatedly, that they are rapidly carreening toward a stopped vehicle at an inappropriately high rate of speed.
Recently, some communities have enacted laws to curb the infection rate of CPD by mandating the use of blue tooth devices with cell phones but this, dear friends, is only a bandage on a festering wound. It's not the act of holding a cell phone that's dangerous; it's talking on that damn thing that causes the problem. And now, as all too often happens, a mutation of the disease is on the rise. The new, even more deadly infestation called TWD (Texting While Driving) is causing more distraction and loss of driving control for its victims. Now the brain is assaulted not only by extra aural stimulation but is also crippled by visual attacks requiring it to juggle input from the road ahead and tiny little alphabet characters on a teensy little screen which simultaneously demand attention. To make matters worse the stricken operator of the vehicle gives conflicting signals to the brain who knows it should be paying attention to the road but "OMG did u c what she did 2day?".
Where will it all end? Are we doomed to eventual total infection of all drivers? Will accident rates continue to rise as more and more infected drivers succumb to the mind-numbing paralysis of driving skills that results?
No, there is hope! Put down your cell phones. Turn them off while driving. If you must make a call, receive one or (God help us) have to view a text message or create one please, please, please do so off the highway and out of traffic!
Now I know this advice will fall on mostly deaf ears (after all, how can you hear me when you're always on that phone) so if you resist getting a cure for your affliction do me just one favor...
Just stay out of my way, would ya?
This insidious infestation manifests itself in a number of ways. A driver infected by CPD will often appear distracted while driving. Their ability to maintain a constant speed and a consistant forward direction of travel will often be compromised. Often, the cars they're driving will exhibit jerky, erratic behavior (as in, "Oops, there's my turn! I think I can still make it. Oh crap!). The infected individuals will often seem oblivious to cars and pedestrians around them. Their facial expressions sometimes change quickly from blissful happiness (while in the midst of an engaging conversation) to total shock as they realize, belatedly, that they are rapidly carreening toward a stopped vehicle at an inappropriately high rate of speed.
Recently, some communities have enacted laws to curb the infection rate of CPD by mandating the use of blue tooth devices with cell phones but this, dear friends, is only a bandage on a festering wound. It's not the act of holding a cell phone that's dangerous; it's talking on that damn thing that causes the problem. And now, as all too often happens, a mutation of the disease is on the rise. The new, even more deadly infestation called TWD (Texting While Driving) is causing more distraction and loss of driving control for its victims. Now the brain is assaulted not only by extra aural stimulation but is also crippled by visual attacks requiring it to juggle input from the road ahead and tiny little alphabet characters on a teensy little screen which simultaneously demand attention. To make matters worse the stricken operator of the vehicle gives conflicting signals to the brain who knows it should be paying attention to the road but "OMG did u c what she did 2day?".
Where will it all end? Are we doomed to eventual total infection of all drivers? Will accident rates continue to rise as more and more infected drivers succumb to the mind-numbing paralysis of driving skills that results?
No, there is hope! Put down your cell phones. Turn them off while driving. If you must make a call, receive one or (God help us) have to view a text message or create one please, please, please do so off the highway and out of traffic!
Now I know this advice will fall on mostly deaf ears (after all, how can you hear me when you're always on that phone) so if you resist getting a cure for your affliction do me just one favor...
Just stay out of my way, would ya?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Take A Deep Breath And Count To Ten
Here I am on December 30th. wondering where the whole year went and where we're going from here.
What a year. Oil hit $147 a barrel (with gas topping $4 a gallon) last summer and then the sub-prime mortgage mess hit, rocking the stock market to its roots. People's 401k accounts turned to mush and a hard fought election process concluded with a rout of the Grand Old Party. Mortgage foreclosures started rising at an alarming rate. Congress began throwing money around like drunken sailors and now we talk about spending "trillions" rather than mere "billions". (Speaking of which, I'm so old that I can remember when people thought a "million" was a lot of money.) The Financial Institutions were bailed out (for now) and the American car companies got a "loan" too. One wonders who's next to ask for a hand-out? There are plenty of new petitioners lining up before the gates of Congress but they'll have to wait for our new President to pull the purse strings open.
And I'm sitting here with the unenviable task of looking for a new job. Oh well...
I know a lot of people out there are worried about what's happened and what's to come. Hell, I'm worried too! But in times like these I'm often reminded of something my mother told me as a young child which I've heard many times since, stated in many different ways. To paraphrase, it's simply this:
When confronted with problems,
Change those that you can,
And accept those things that you can't.
I know, it's often easier said than done but try to remember that you, me and everyone else has been through tough times before and guess what? We've survived them. We probably didn't enjoy the ride but hopefully we learned something from the experience and that has made us better people. These are tough times but others have suffered worse. This is no Great Depression and will not become one. If we all keep our heads on straight and keep moving forward (even if very slowly) we'll make it to better times ahead.
Keep the faith; it'll all work out.
What a year. Oil hit $147 a barrel (with gas topping $4 a gallon) last summer and then the sub-prime mortgage mess hit, rocking the stock market to its roots. People's 401k accounts turned to mush and a hard fought election process concluded with a rout of the Grand Old Party. Mortgage foreclosures started rising at an alarming rate. Congress began throwing money around like drunken sailors and now we talk about spending "trillions" rather than mere "billions". (Speaking of which, I'm so old that I can remember when people thought a "million" was a lot of money.) The Financial Institutions were bailed out (for now) and the American car companies got a "loan" too. One wonders who's next to ask for a hand-out? There are plenty of new petitioners lining up before the gates of Congress but they'll have to wait for our new President to pull the purse strings open.
And I'm sitting here with the unenviable task of looking for a new job. Oh well...
I know a lot of people out there are worried about what's happened and what's to come. Hell, I'm worried too! But in times like these I'm often reminded of something my mother told me as a young child which I've heard many times since, stated in many different ways. To paraphrase, it's simply this:
When confronted with problems,
Change those that you can,
And accept those things that you can't.
I know, it's often easier said than done but try to remember that you, me and everyone else has been through tough times before and guess what? We've survived them. We probably didn't enjoy the ride but hopefully we learned something from the experience and that has made us better people. These are tough times but others have suffered worse. This is no Great Depression and will not become one. If we all keep our heads on straight and keep moving forward (even if very slowly) we'll make it to better times ahead.
Keep the faith; it'll all work out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)