Hilldog Cracks - 'Click My... uh, Photo for More Info'

Ben We Await Your Word

Will it be 1/2 point as anticipated by the lemmings, or a more conservative 1/4 point? If you had the guts I used to think you had you'd not cut at all, but you let the market guide you just like Greensapan.

Word of The Day

Today's word of the day is ersatz.

adj. Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one; artificial: ersatz coffee made mostly of chicory. See synonyms at artificial.

As in: Hillary Clinton threw an ersatz victory celebration after winning exactly zero delegates in Florida's Primary. Here's a good piece about last night's farce.

Mark my words on this one. If the Democratic Primary process doesn't anoint Hillary, there will be lawsuits about the Florida and Michigan voters being disenfranchised by being excluded from the Primary Process. This, despite her signing of a pledge that she agreed with her Party's position on the handling of the Florida and Michigan Primaries.

Who Needs McDonald's?

Given the fact that the nearest McDonald's is at least six blocks in either direction, and the fact that the wind chill is currently 25 below zero, and the fact that I'm lazy and it's 5:30 am, I decided to make my own breakfast sandwich. (Even though, I am curious to check out this new McSkillet Burrito they're pushing.)

This exercise also allowed me to cook some bacon in the cast iron skillet that I've been trying to re-season, and to utilize the griddler.

Here are the ingredients:
2 slices of Bacon - 160 cal.
2 eggs - 140 cal.
2 slices of bread - 200 cal.
1 slice of cheese - 50 cal.
hot sauce - 0 cal.
Total - 550 cal.

Eat one of these three times a day and you'll lose weight.
Sure, there's the cholesterol, fat and ensuing heart disease, but at least you'll look good.

A Chili Failure

I haven't been able to bring myself to post in the last couple of days. Partly, I've been researching some trading ideas in Wheat, Lean Hogs, and Soybean Oil, but mostly I've been trying to figure out what went wrong with my last batch of chili.

It wasn't for lack of love (usually the most important ingredient). No, this was a case of trying to reach too far with a new ingredient. It all came together perfectly, but when I tasted it I found myself liking the tortilla chips and habanero cheese more than the chili itself. The culprit, Bueno Foods Red Chile.

This stuff was just plain bitter. There was almost a bile "quality" to the taste. Not good. No amount of tomato, potato, chipotle or Dave's Insanity could bring the pot back to edible.

Beware the Burrito Bandito

The other day I went to the Jewel and picked up some staples... refried beans, tortillas, and cheese. As I was opening the tortillas to feed the griddler I noticed something was amiss. The perforated seal had already been broken. I immediately embarked on a tortilla inventory. The 12 tortilla bag only added up to 11. Once, twice, three times a tortilla, and only 11 in the bag. I gave them a good looking at, and didn't see anything wrong with them, so went ahead and fed them to the griddler without any ill effects. Just remember, the next time you pick up some tortillas for your fiesta, check the seal on the package. You never know when some burrito bandito might strike and eat one of your tortillas.

My Insomnia

Here is a picture that sums up my insomnia. Turn those machines back on!

Top Ten Reasons to Move to Michigan

10. Bell's Beer










09. Sorel Superiors






08. Snowmobiles as Transportation









07. Whiteouts







06. Wearing Red Wings Hats without getting dirty looks.








05. You can still get WGN on TV and Radio.









04. Craig James, Meteorologist Extraordinaire








03. A Meijer anywhere you need it.






02. Ice Fishing is Fun








01. Did I mention Bell's Beer?

In Which the Pack Attack Faulters

P.J., sole proprietor of his garage, readies his bar for the Green Bay Packers vs. the New York Giants.







No Green Bay celebration could be complete without a crock pot or three. Chris made a really good venison Bar B Que. Kevin brought the timeless Polish Sausage with Sauerkraut, and Cindy made a potato spinach soup. It was all good. (Especially with a little Dave's Insanity added.)





My contribution to the feast was grilled corn dogs, and a case of Coors "The Original Banquet Beer" (whatever the hell that means). I added some Dave's Insanity to the mustard and ketchup. I also added the adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers to the ketchup to add a hint of smoky goodness to the heat. It seemed to work well.



The game got under way and the gambling began. Behind those Packers jerseys is a roulette wheel. 20 chips for $1. I managed to break even.






P.J. retired from the Smash up Derby circuit, but not before amassing some serious trophies.







Packer fan down!

Favre wasn't the only one having a rough go of it.






Chris pulled out the guitar to try to ease the Packer pain.

Even though it's been proven that Packer fans prefer Vicodin to music to sooth those aching muscles, Chris was able to get P.J. from pacing a hole in his garage floor after a few chords. Pebbles looks on.

In Which Claude tries to Blow Up Boy Family Rules

Had a very pleasant and fiery visit with the Boy Family Rules last night.



I was very honored to be greeted by the smells of peppers and onions in a cast iron skillet, and a large assortment of sauces. Little did my unsuspecting guests know, I had a little surprise of my own in my pocket. That surprise is pictured to the right.



After sampling the fine sauces arrayed on the dining room table, Mike finally asked, "So how hot is this stuff in Scovilles?" Mike, Scoville and I go back a ways. In fact, Mike is responsible for broadening my horizons beyond the regular Rockford grocery store offerings. I still remember my first taste of Doc's Jamaican Hell Fire on Gardetto's Mustard pretzels. It's been Mo' Hotta Mo' Betta ever since. But I digress...

According to Mo' Hotta Mo' Betta, Dave's Insanity tips the scales at 51,000 scoville units. For comparison, Tabasco barely makes Flyweight at between 2500 an 5000 scoville's. While Da' Bomb's Beyond Insanity makes Heavyweight at 119,700 scoville units. Sure there are some in the Super Heavyweight class, but just as in boxing they're just the freaks, or as Mike put it, "just chemicals."



Thanks again to the Boy Family for plying me with mexican food, hospitality, and above all, hot sauce.

The Griddler is Back in the Starting Lineup

Yesterday's breakfast found the griddler playing a supporting role. Today, the griddler was back in the starting line-up. Team player all around. A real Mark DeRosa-type player. He can play every position well and still hit .293 on the season. Indispensable. I hope Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella can keep their griddler happy.

However, keeping your griddler happy is as easy as 1, 2, 3.




Let some tortillas warm up on the griddler while you are working on some scrambled eggs and bacon. Sprinkle with a little cheese.









Put the scrambled eggs and bacon on the tortillas.






Carefully fold the tortillas over and slowly lower the lid of the griddler. The weight of the lid slowly pushes down as everything inside gets glued together with cheese.





Toss on some chopped jalapeño and tomato.

Add a splash or two of your favorite hot sauce. (The drop of red on the right side of this picture is Dave's Insanity. A drop that size is probably sufficient for much more food.)

Have a full belly.

The Griddler Strikes Again

The griddler awaits with open jaws.






Above is the Cuisinart griddler. It is marketed as a sandwich press and panini maker, but it shouldn't be limited to such pedestrian duty. I have used it to make quesadillas, breakfast burritos, and even little toasts for appetizers. Today, the griddler was pressed into yet another task, and though the task was small, it was invaluable. Today, griddler showed itself to be a true team player.

I wasn't sure what I was doing when I pulled all of the ingredients out of the fridge. I had bacon, eggs, shredded cheese, tortillas, and left over green chile stew. How to put this all together?

First thing was to plug in the griddler. I didn't know where this was going, but having the griddler at the ready was a must. Glancing at the loaf of bread I wonder about a sandwich, but that wouldn't work with the stew. No, bread, you'll have to sit this one out. Must use the tortillas. A natural fit with the stew.

The hungry griddler's jaws were growing tired of this indecision. It was time to act. The next thing to do was to get an egg going, but scrambled for a burrito, or fried? Then it hit me. Fried. It had to be fried. I could put green chile stew over the fried egg just like they do in New Mexico. Perfect.

But what's the griddler to do now? It's been patiently warming and waiting. Surely you can't press an over easy egg. The griddler is a machine. It can't play like a bear cub or a puppy just gently nipping and exploring the new world.

I toss the griddler a bone. I throw on a tortilla to let it warm. Ok, now, how do the Mexicans (New or otherwise) get the tortilla to the bottom of a plate of huevos rancheros and still get the egg to cook? Ah, the griddler strikes again. It says that it would be happy to put its jaws into service as a staging area. Just slide the sunny side up egg onto the warming tortilla, and then slide the tortilla back into the frying pan. Brilliant, griddler! Good work.


Now spoon the green chile stew around the perimeter to allow it to come up to temperature as the egg continues to slowly cook on top of the tortilla. Covering the pan creates a poaching effect to help get the egg finished.




With a large spatula, move the egg and tortilla to a plate.

Then, just scoop the green chile goodness all around.

Throw in a splash of your favorite hot sauce, and you're good to go.




Note: It would probably have been much easier to just throw a fried egg on top of a tortilla and just cover it with green chile from the microwave. But ask yourself? Where is the adventure in that?

Green Chile Stew

I woke up at 5:30 this morning with two fresh pork chops in the fridge. What is a guy like me, living alone while the wife is away, going to do with two pork chops, a pound of Roasted and Peeled New Mexico Green Chile, half a head of garlic, and half a Vadalia Onion? There are options. Chile Verde, pork tacos with green chile, pork in a taco shell with green chile, or Green Chile Stew.

The plan came together as I was making my breakfast sandwich. Two slices of bacon, a fried egg, a slice of American cheese, a few splashes of hot sauce, and two pieces of bread pressed together with our new Cuisinart sandwich and panini press, a.k.a. the Griddler.

Here's how the recipe goes down:

Note: I've tried this recipe without Roasted and Peeled New Mexico Green Chiles, and haven't been able to find a suitable substitute. As the supply of said peppers is hard to come-by in the Mid-West, I'll continue to try to find a good alternative and post it when I figure it out.

Chop 1/2 giant Vadalia (or other sweet) onion roughly
Chop 1 (or more) fresh jalapeno peppers
Add to a skillet with oil and a good pinch of kosher salt on medium to low heat until they soften
Chop 1/2 head of garlic any way you like
Add Garlic to Onions and Jalapenos (this is the true holy trinity of any cuisine in my opinion)
Let Garlic soften, but don't let it brown.
If you just happen to have a pound of chopped and peeled Hatch New Mexico Green Chiles on hand, throw it in your crock pot or in another pot suitable for stew. If you can't get these chiles, you're out of luck... for now. Add a couple pinches of salt and turn on low.
Add the holy trinity and stir.
Now take the two pork chops and cut into cubes. Toss these into a your skillet and sear quickly on high heat. You're not trying to cook the pork through, just brown the outside and add some flavor. Toss in a pinch or two of salt and pepper and add to the stock pot.
Stir it all together. Add another pinch of salt and some ground pepper.
Now add some ground cumin to taste. Maybe add a bay leaf, and whatever other spice you have on hand that you like.
Add some water or chicken stock until it covers the pork and turn the crock pot on high.
Let go for an hour before stirring.
After an hour, take a peek and a taste of the liquid. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cumin.
Let go for another hour on high.
After that, take another taste and adjust as needed.
Now toss the pot into low and let it go another hour.
Now you should be starving. Eat it up.
Serve it over anything that sounds good.
For lunch I ate it straight up. For Dinner I picked out some pork chunks and made some tacos with cheese and... more hot peppers and hot sauce.
Tomorrow, I'll have more of a chile pepper soup than stew since I picked out the meat, but hey... so what?