As American As... Guacamole?

As we all gather around our TVs this weekend to watch the most expensive commercials in the world, AKA the Superbowl, you can be sure to keep everyone cheering no matter the score with my famous guacamole. Here is my crowd pleasing recipe:


Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 Roma tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 1/2 red onion (or 1 small)
- 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice (don't even think about using the stuff from the bottle)
- 1+ tps of salt (use to your liking, but i always find that it needs more than you think)

1. Pulse onion and tomatoes in the food processor until it becomes a uniform pulp.
2. Add avocado and either continue pulsing in the food processor or mash together with a fork (this really depends on the consistency that you like and how soft the avocados are).
3. Stir in lemon juice and salt.
4. Serve.

Go Giants!

The Art of Perfect Bacon

When asked what my last meal would be, I always incorporate bacon, anyway, anyhow. It's salty, crispy, meaty, just wonderful in every way. Getting bacon to the perfect crispiness and browned evenly takes some patients and a lot of attention - but it's so worth it!

Here are my tips:
1. Keep the heat to medium. You need to be patient and let the pan warm up sufficiently and then add a couple strips of bacon at a time. You don't want to overcrowd the pan and cool it down.
2. Using a fork I continually press the bacon flat in the pan to keep it from curling up and cooking unevenly. This will also prevent the bacon from having small pockets of chewy fat. Sometimes I'll flip a single piece of bacon a couple of times just to make sure it stays flat and cooks all the way through.
3. I never drain the pan of excess fat. As the fat renders it actually starts to deep fry the bacon, which helps the browning even more. Don't be afraid - things with spatter, but if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.
4. Enjoy!

Summer in January

Sometimes you need a reminder that the summer will come again. This is especially true when the weather starts getting colder and all you want to do is snuggle up with a blanket on the couch.
An easy fix for me is Cucumber Water. It's easy and delicious and tastes like summer in a glass. You can make it by the glass or pitcher, just add a couple of cucumber slices to your water , you'll be amazing how much flavor it imparts.

Oh My Grits!

After spending some time in Louisiana and North Carolina over the holidays, my obsession with grits and reached a new level. Not just any grits either, I have become quite the grits snob. Every time "Anson Mills" graced a menu I was ordering grits - which occurred at almost every meal. A favorite of mine is the all time classic - Shrimp and Grits. It's a heavenly match of creamy and buttery contending with salty and crispy.

In a land that believes there is no such thing as too much butter, I'm pretty much up to try anything, and I must say, I was never disappointed.