No Velveeta? No Problem

As you may have undoubtedly already heard, according to Kraft there is a Velveeta shortage this year.  And of course this comes at the most inopportune time of Super Bowl Sunday.  Well, what if I told you that you need not worry.  There are plenty of ways to still make a cheesy delicious dip that does not require Velveeta but instead just a little know how.  And if you don't want a cheesy dip, then let me offer you some alternatives as well.

A simple cheese sauce is not hard to make.  It also give you the freedom to make it how you want to.  Purists will probably stick to cheddar or American cheese, but for the more adventurous you can try different cheeses or even cheese combinations.  To make a simple cheese sauce you will need:

1 quart whole milk
3 oz AP flour
3 oz butter
8 oz cheese, shredded
Salt and White pepper to taste

The first step is to heat your butter and add your flour.  Allow it to cook slightly to make a roux on medium to medium low heat.  Once you have allowed the roux to form, add your cold milk to the sauce pan stirring the entire time to avoid lumps.  Once the roux and milk have been completely incorporated and the mixture has thickened turn down the heat to low.  Now you can start to mix in your cheese.  The key here is to add it SLOWLY.  Don't dump it in all at once as this will make your cheese sauce grainy.  Add a little cheese, mix and allow it to melt, then add some more.  After you are done adding your cheese then add your seasonings.  This allows your to adjust to your tastes.  If you want to make your cheese sauce fancy, you can always try adding a dash of Worcestershire sauce, some dry mustard or some hot sauce.  To make a queso dip, try using Asadero, Oaxaca, or Chihuahua cheese as well as some pico de gallo or your own favorite salsa.

Now if you don't want a cheese sauce or you want something else to accompany it, here are some alternatives:

How about some delicious guacamole to accompany your queso dip.  All you need is
2 medium ripe (soft) avacados
1/2 white onion diced or minced
2 jalapenos or serranos stems and seeds removed and diced
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
2-3 tbsp of lime juice
1 large tomato diced
salt and pepper to taste

First just mash the avocados to your desired consistency.  If you like your guacamole chunky don't mash them up so much.  For a creamier guacamole you can even use a food processor if you'd like.  After that just fold in all of your other ingredients and season to your liking.  If you like you can even add a tablespoon of cumin for extra flavor.  Oh, and if you are truly lazy or pressed for time, just take the avocados and mix them with pico de gallo or salsa. I once made a "guacamole" with nothing but some under ripe avocados, a blender, and the contents of my friend's spice rack.

Now one dip you might want to give a chance is hummus.  It is not hard to make and so adaptable and customizable it might as well be a Honda.  What you will need is

2 cans of cooked chickpeas, cooked
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 garlic cloves minced
2-3 tsp cumin
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
paprika for garnish

Just combine the first five ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  While processing, slowly drizzle in olive oil.  Reserve about a tablespoon of the oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour the hummus into a serving bowl.  Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.  If you want to give your hummus a little kick, add a bit of cayenne pepper to it.  Like I said earlier, you can really customize your hummus.  Add anything from roasted red peppers to a Mediterranean olive spread.   Or get crazy and add black beans, or even feta cheese.  Yum.

Hopefully this will leave you better prepared for Super Sunday, even without the Velveeta!

R.I.P. Brian O'Neil's: Goodbye Old Friend

Last night was an end of an era.  At least for me and my friends it was..  You see after this Sunday Brian O'Neill's in the Rice Village will be shutting its doors.  It will then be remodeled and rebranded into something completely different.  The reason I say that last night was an end of an era is because my friends and I have been going to what we affectionately call Brian O's in one form or another since 2002. It was also one of my first reviews when I started blogging.

I first discovered  Brian O's back in 2002 when my college roommate and I were hungry and in search of a place to eat.  Living in an apartment very close to the Rice Village, we decided to explore. We happened to chance upon Brian O's and wandered in.  It was then that we noticed that Brian O's had a weekly Wednesday special of half priced burgers.  My roommate and I decided to come back that Wednesday.  It was that first Wednesday of many that we also discovered that Brian O's had a glass special, where, if you bought their glass, you got cheap refills on beer as long as you had your glass.

Original Brian O'Neil's Glass

After that we were hooked.  My roommate and I spent many a Wednesday night there throughout the school year.  That is where I first sang karaoke. Since my roommate and I were having such a good time, we started inviting other friends.  Brian O's is where we watched Rice lose the second game of the 2003 College World Series.  One of my friends was almost turned against Brian O's due to a bad order and a vindictive waitress.  Luckily he was not soured enough to not come back.  As time passed, more and more friends started to show up on Wednesday.  Next thing we knew, it was our weekly tradition.  Show up at Brian O's on Wednesday before 7:30 for half priced burgers and cheap beer.  Show up after 7:30 and we will have already ordered without you.  Those were the rules.

As time went on, some of the faces changed and some of us could not always be there, but the time and the place remained constant. It became like an old warm comfortable blanket.  It was where we could meet on weekly basis to converse and discuss the events of the week or plan for the upcoming weekend. Even after some changes were made to the menu and they changed the glass special (bring your own up to 32 oz), the time and the place remained constant.  Even if you could not make it this week, you always knew there was next week as the time and the place remained constant.

Brian O's did not only serve as our weekly meeting place.  We also had other event there.  I remember more than one birthday celebration being had at Brian O's.  I had part of my bachelor party there as well as the rehearsal dinner for my wedding.  Brian O's has been a part of my life pretty much since its beginning.

But as they say the only thing that ever stays the same is change.  It was announced via Eater Houston that Brian O'Neill's was shutting down to remodel  and rebrand with a whole new menu.  Now while Brian O'Neill's is not technically closing, what it once was will be gone and I can't help but feel a little sad about that.  Last night was the last Wednesday of what had been a great weekly tradition.  Last night was our last hurrah.  Some of us even took our old Brian O's glasses.

We talked and cajoled like have done for so many nights, but we also reminisced a bit.  So, as the night ended, it was like saying good bye to an old friend.  Farewell Brian O'Neill's, you will be missed but not forgotten!

Perfect for a cold winter's day: Mexican Hot Chocolate

With the weather still being cold especially in Houston, I was reminiscing about some of my favorite cold weather foods. One of my favorites when I was growing up was hot chocolate.  However, since I grew up in a Mexican household, we would often drink Mexican hot chocolate.  It is very similar to your everyday variety, except that traditional Mexican hot chocolate includes semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla. In Mexico, hot chocolate remains a popular national drink. Besides the instant powder form, hot chocolate of this type is commonly sold in circular or hexagonal tablets which can be dissolved into hot milk, water, or cream, and then blended until the mixture develops a creamy froth. The two most common types of Mexican chocolate sold in tablets are Abuelita and Ibarra.

If you can't find these two brands at your local grocer, you can scour the internet and find a litany of recipes that you can make on your own.  The one common factor amongst all Mexican hot chocolate is that it is chocolate that has been spiced with other things not typically found in most common hot chocolate recipes.

Making hot chocolate from the tablets is really quite simple. All you need is a sauce pan, some milk, the chocolate itself and a whisk.  In Mexico a wooden whisk called a molinillo is used to whip up the froth on the finished chocolate. 

The first step is to heat up your milk. Back in the day hot chocolate used to be made with hot water instead (thus the title of the popular novel Like Water For Chocolate) Usually you need about 2 cups for every half tablet of chocolate.  You want the milk nice and hot, about a simmer.  You definitely don't want to scald the milk or have it boil over as this will give your hot chocolate a less than idle flavor.  When I talked to my mom about how to make the hot chocolate, she said that my grandmother would add a little cold water(just enough to coat the bottom) to the pan as primer to help protect the milk from scalding.

As the milk comes up to temp, you can cut your chocolate into pieces as it will be quicker and easier to dissolve the chocolate in pieces instead of one big chunk.  Once the milk is hot enough, you introduce the chocolate into the milk whisking rapidly to dissolve and incorporate the chocolate.  Always be mindful of the heat of your milk.  You still don't want it to overheat and scald or burn the chocolate.  Once all the chocolate has been introduced, you can cut the heat and just continue to whisk until it completely dissolves and the chocolate begins to froth up.  As soon as that happens, serve and enjoy!

The Breakfast Klub

Let me start by saying that I had not done a review of The Breakfast Klub before due to the fact that I figured everyone who loves good food and live in Houston knows the The Breakfast Klub.  Apparently, I was wrong. Very wrong. And that makes me sad.  Why?  Simply because everyone who lives in Houston and does not know this midtown haven of scrumptious breakfast and soul food is doing themselves and quite frankly their family a disservice.  Am I overstating this a bit?  No, not in the least.  To put it simply, I love the place.  I love the atmosphere, the staff, the service and especially the food.  OH DEAR GOD, THE HEAVENLY FOOD!  But I will get to that later.  The Breakfast Klub is located in midtown right off of the the US-59 exit on Travis St.  It is right across the street of  the somewhat infamous mural of President Obama.  Parking right next to the restaurant is a little troublesome, due to the small lot, but there is plenty of parking just down the street.  The hours of operation are 7 am to 2 pm Mon.-Fri. and 8am to 2pm Sat. and Sun.  A line develops quickly to get in, so the key is to arrive early.  But even if you have to wait in line, it is totally worth it!

The Breakfast Klub is the work of Marcus Davis (also the proprietor of the The Reggae Hut).  After being middle school teacher, Mr. Davis decided he wanted to something else instead.  So he took the experience he had from working for his father's catering business and opened up The Breakfast Klub in 2001.  Since opening, The Breakfast Klub has won numerous awards and well as being mentioned by such media outlets as Good Morning America, USA Today, Esquire and Forbes as "one of the best breakfast restaurants in America".

While the Breakfast Klub has a great many wonderful dishes, they are best know for the two signature dishes: The Katfish & Grits or The Wings & Waffles.  I have had both and they live up to their top billing as signature dishes.  Of the two though, I have to say that I prefer the Katfish & Grits. 

It comes with your choice of biscuit or toast and of how you would like your eggs prepared.  Needless to say that  no matter how you choose your eggs, they will always come out perfectly. At the very least they will be prepared as close to perfectly as anyone can prepare eggs.  The same can be said of, well, everything else.  The catfish is always fried just right so that the outside is crispy but not burnt and the inside is moist and juicy and full of flavor.  If you are not a fan of grits, the grits from the Breakfast Klub will give you reason to reconsider.  They are always have the just right consistency.  They are soft and pillowy, but not runny. Not only that, but they are always well seasoned.  One of my biggest complaints about grits is that they are usually left unseasoned so you get what amounts to a pile of flavorless ground corn mush.  About the only thing I add to this wonderful dish is hot sauce.  I love hot sauce and I think it compliments the dish perfectly.  It is without question, one of my favorite breakfast dishes.

The other signature dish is The Wings & Waffle.  This is a golden Belgian waffle surrounded by 6 wing pieces and topped with powdered sugar and a strawberry.  This dish, while not my favorite of the two signatures is still very good.  The wings, like the catfish, are fried to perfection.  The waffle is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  The mixture of sweet and savory is amazing.  I would have never thought that fried chicken wings and a waffle would work together, but they really do.

Official Picture of Wings & Waffle from The Breakfast Klub webpage

There is one more dish that I feel I must share with you.  It is probably my second favorite dish at the Breakfast Klub.  I'm talking about the Pork Chops and Eggs.  You get  two pork chops (fried or grilled) and 2 eggs served with potatoes or grits and choice of toast or biscuit.  If I remember correctly, if you ask nicely, they will even let you order one fried and one grilled.  Either way they are served, the pork chops are wonderful.  They are moist, tender and so full of flavor.  I usually get the biscuit, because to me, nothing beats a great biscuit for breakfast.  Once again the Breakfast Klub delivers.  Biscuits are a good size.  Not too big as to feel you are overwhelmed by it and not so small as if you feel you are being cheated out of your bread.  You can tell the biscuits are homemade as they are firm, but flake easily.  Yum.

Now, when you go to the Breakfast Klub, make sure you go hungry.  This place does not skimp on the portions.  They are all very generous and very filling.  I asked for a side of the sausage gravy (which I could eat as a soup, its soo good) and I got one of the coffee bowls filled halfway with gravy.

  They are also as generous with the coffee which has free refills for all you caffeine addicts.  

Anyway you slice it, The Breakfast Klub is a great venue for eating, people watching and just a generally positive experience.  It is worth going, even if you have to wait in line to get in the doors.  

In Honor of National Chocolate Day, Try Some Mole

Today, December 28, is national chocolate day. That is great for chocoholics everywhere. But what if you don't have a sweet tooth? Well, there is at least one way that I know of to enjoy chocolate on this day that is not sweet. I'm talking about mole. Mole is a traditional Mexican savory sauce that can be used with just about anything. Mole, like Mexican cuisine itself, has a considerable number of variations dependent on region, custom, family tradition, even an individual cook's style. The most "typical" mole people think of is a thick rich dark brown to brick red concoction made of dried chiles, peanuts, other spices, and unsweetened chocolate.

To make truly authentic Mexican mole is a long arduous process involving multiple steps as well as a plethora of ingredients. For this reason mole sauce bases are the easiest way to prepare it. Even in Mexico it is not uncommon to use a premade base. However, those are usually available at the local market and usually prepared by the person selling it. Here in the US, there are many brands you can find at your local supermarket. El Mexicano, Doña Maria, and La Costeña come to mind. They are typically concentrated so you will have to add liquid to it.

If you are willing to and brave enough, you can always try making your own. The internet is filled with recipes for all levels of cooking acumen. In fact, here are some good ones:

Authentic Mole Recipe

Quick Chicken Mole Recipe

Mole Sauce Recipe

Rick Bayless Red Mole Sauce


So there you have it. Mole sauce works well on everything from chicken to shrimp to even eggs. On this national day of chocolate go out and enjoy some chocolate, even without a sweet tooth.

Christmas in the Rio Grande Valley

This year's Christmas has been a harrowing one for reasons I'm not really ready or willing to discuss in such a public space. However, this Christmas season still allowed me to cook a little. Originally my mother and I had planned on preparing two dishes: a roasted pork leg and bacalao (salt cod). We were going to prepare the pork leg adobada and the bacalao Spanish style, but like I said, circumstances got in the way of that. Instead, I ended up making the pork leg with a mustard, garlic, and herb rub and slow roasting it in the oven. I also made a mushroom risotto as a side. The rest of the sides were made by my mother-in-law.

I knew the pork leg would take all day to cook. The thing was HUGE! It was easily 20 to 25 lbs. Most people have no idea how big pigs truly are. The first thing I prepared was the rub for the pork leg. Originally I was going to use fresh garlic and herbs. However, when I went to the grocery store the fresh herbs were insanely expensive. Instead I opted for dried herbs. Even those were a bit overpriced. I decided in the end to just use what my mother-in-law had on hand. I did manage to acquire fresh garlic, parsley and some spicy brown mustard. To make the rub I combined the entire 16 OZ bottle of mustard, one bunch of chopped parsley, an entire head of garlic, about a cup of oil, salt and pepper and a garlic and rosemary seasoning blend I found in the cupboard. As a chef you learn to be flexible and roll with the punches. When the rub was completed, I placed the leg on a roasting pan large enough to hold it lined with foil (for easy clean up). I completely rubbed the pork and whatever leftover rub I had I placed on the bottom of the pan with about a half cup of water. I then covered it with foil and then placed the leg in a 275° F oven. The pork leg went in about 10:30am.

The leg cooked all day. About 12:30 or 1pm I kicked the oven up to 300°. Approximately an hour after that I had my wife remove the foil. It was at 4pm, an hour before I anticipated the pork would be done, that I started to make the risotto. Now a lot of people consider risotto to be difficult to make. While it does require a bit of patience, it is no more difficult to make than a regular pot of rice. The first step was to heat my fat in the pan I was making the risotto in. I used a combination of butter and olive oil(about 3 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil) . While the fat was heating up, I also was heating up my liquid. I used a combination of chicken and beef broth. When making risotto it is important to use hot liquid. Once the fat was hot I started to sauté the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms were soft, I added the rice (about 3cups). For risotto you want to use Arborio rice. I stirred the rice allowing all the grains to be coated in fat. After that I added about a cup of dry white wine. I stirred the mixture allowing the rice to absorb the wine. When the wine had been mostly absorbed, I started to slowly add my hot broth. Now the key to making risotto is to keep stirring as you add your liquid and to add the liquid slowly. You have to give the rice time to absorb the liquid. The risotto is done when it is creamy and the rice is tender. After you reach this step season the risotto with salt and pepper. You can also add parmesan cheese if you'd like. Since I did not have any, I left it out.

Once the risotto was done I pulled the pork leg out of the oven. It looked and smelled wonderful. The pork leg still had the skin on it so it had a nice layer of fat to keep the meat moist. The flavor of the rub had penetrated the meat. I will admit that if I had had a chance to let the rub sit for longer it would have had a deeper flavor. The meat around the bone of the leg was also a little under done, but I was not worried about that since I was carving the outside first. After dinner I put the leg back in the oven to allow it to cook some more. The risotto also turned really well. It was creamy and rich with the flavor of mushrooms.

 
As stated earlier my mother-in-law made some other things. She made a pot of pinto beans and some chicken in gravy as well as a side of green beans. As you can see we had a veritable smorgasbord for Christmas dinner.

Dilled Potato & Apple Salad

This is a recipe I made at work recently.  At first I was unsure of how the potatoes and apples would play off each other.  But after making it, the salad combine sweet and savory elements in a nice light and refreshing dish.

2 cups fat free plain yogurt
2 tbsp honey
1/8 cup lemon juice, fresh is preferable
Black pepper to taste
3-4 tbsp fresh dill weed or 2 tbsp dried
4-5 medium  or 6-8 small red potatoes
2-3 apples (use a mix of sweet and tart for best results)
1 cucumber peeled and seeded
1-2 carrots shredded (if using preshredded  carrots this is about a cup to a cup and a half)
1 med. to large red onion sliced

In a mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients until blended and smooth.  The mixture should have a nice balance between tangy, cream, with a hint of sweetness

The potatoes should be quartered or cut into bite size pieces.  Boil or steam the potatoes until they are fork tender, but not falling apart.  Cool them down.

Core and slice your apples.  If you are not going to prepare the salad immediately, you can store your apples in water with a little lemon juice to avoid them turning brown.

After you peel and seed your cucumber you can dice it, or cut it into half moons

After you have prepared all your fruits and vegetables, mix them  together in a large mixing bowl.  Add your already mixed dressing and toss lightly to incorporate.

Enjoy!