Think I need a devil to help me get things right

I just found out Haida Gwaii is the name of an archipelago that all my life knew as the Queen Charlotte Islands?! Good Sunday morning danistrulytheman, lol!! Makes me think of another thing I read recently … from some guy I don’t even know … goes by the moniker Two – Toes  … LOL, and I’m even gonna give credit for the quote , “change is never a good thing” … my sentiments exactly!!

… a NEW set of eyes … and a DIFFERENT way of looking!! Sometimes “can’t see the forest for the trees” or is it “find a needle in a haystack”, whichever? Think y’all get the drift!! Oh and thanks Tiffany K for both … the insight, and the HELP, lol!!

Absomotherfuckinglutely!!  AND if I have to explain that, then you’re not!! And yes, I blogged ’bout this band before (THIS song too) … SO SO fucking great, LOVE it …

“Me. The Chosen One?
They chose me!
And I didn’t graduate from fucking high school!”

Rosetta Stoned

GODDAMN SHIT THE BED!!

… AGAIN!!

… I’m TOO fucking nice!! And I’m UNDERAPPRECIATED … there, I said it!! All this was spawned by a query … and golly gee willikers being the swell guy that I am, put forth a lot of effort and thought into this, which is completely fine, but then I said to myself, “danistrulytheman, being the media slut that you are (ok, didn’t REALLY say that, lol), you should share this shit with the WHOLE world”,  so I am …

My hummus recipe – Ingredients:

1 can chick peas 28 oz.
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 cup tahini
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or sea salt)
juice from 1 lemon freshly squeezed
15 dashes hot sauce

These are the ingredients needed, also you can use a 19 oz. can of chick peas and adjust accordingly. First step is to drain the can, BUT reserve the liquid as you’ll need some. Add the chick peas along with the garlic, lemon juice and salt to the food processor (blender) and pulse a few times. I then begin adding the tahini a bit at a time using a teaspoon, maybe half the amount. I’ll add about half the hot sauce as well, 2 tbsp of the liquid from the can of chick peas, and then purée for 20 seconds or so. I’ll check for seasonings at this point, and for viscosity of the hummus (I prefer a slightly loose version, not runny but not exceedingly thick, and remember refrigerating will cause it to tighten up somewhat as well … you should be able to use a cracker to scoop it from a serving bowl without breaking the cracker, but also without any hummus dripping/falling off the cracker … hope that bit of descriptiveness helps … know I can be wordy/thorough at times, lol). I’ll continue adding the remaining portions of the tahini and hot sauce until I’m pleased with the taste, then I’ll purée for about a minute straight, smoothing, homogenizing it as this is the consistency I prefer. After placing in a bowl to be served, I’ll sprinkle with sumac … adds a distinctive, tart lemony taste. A final note: homemade hummus rocks, great knowing what’s in it (unlike the pre-made store version) and I find it so easy to eat because of this … tastes so fresh (my wife and I polished off half of it just by ourselves) because it is, and unlike the store versions with their typical 3-4 weeks expiration dates, would probably only keep mine in the fridge for a few days, certainly no longer than 1 week. Enjoy!!

Shoulda read “a fucking idiot” but toned this rant down!! I’m talking about a certain group of people, usually reporters, writers, on-air personalities … since these are the dickwads fucking up the definition of a certain word/term/phrase: odds-on … and with March Madness upon us, am hearing/seeing it more. All of the sudden everybody’s Titanic Thompson with their picks and ill used lingo!! Odds-on does NOT simply imply favourite, most likely to win … a 2-1 favourite is NOT an odds-on favourite!! Stop being so motherfucking-moronic!! If you’re unsure (which you fucking are), saying favourite is sufficient (AND correct btw) … QUIT saying odds-on favourite!! Odds-on is reserved for a special favourite, a heavy favourite to win and should only be used when applicable … and I know this from my horsing around days where this term was frequently used … AND properly (God I miss you Al Michaels, lol)!! Ok, enough venting and blabbering, here’s the lesson, the RULE: odds-on means a greater than even chance of winning … to make that easier for you dummies, here’s an easy way to remember when to use. Even money is 1-1 … when it (a team, a horse … anything you’re referring to in gambling possibilities) is odds-on, the first number IS lower than the second, it has to be … 2-1, 5-2, 3-1, 7-2 while might be favourites, these are NOT odds-on favourites!! A few examples of odds-on: 2-5, 1-2, 3-5, 4-5, 1-9 … as my simple to follow rule states, the first number is less than the second!! In payout terms, you win less than you wagered (provided you win) … another way to remember too!! Got it? Good!! Class dismissed!!

Elongated … rocking broccoli and bocconcini … y’all know the drill, don’t waste food … EVER!! And with so much leftover broccoli from my previous meal, and knowing Tiffany K appreciates a healthy pie, made this ‘specially for her!! No pizza sauce either, but did add sweet onions … LOVE the way they char & crisp-up!!

Yeah, for real, lol!! I know it ain’t your quintessential side like fries, or even onion rings, but I like to think of myself as the frugal gourmet even if just once in awhile. Was on sale (79¢/head) at my Fortinos, along with this Angus Beef inside roast ($4.99/lb) … AND with winter officially (says I … 17 sunny degrees today mofos) behind us, felt it was perfect timing to dust of my ‘cue and bring it outta hibernation!! ‘Sides, it’s healthy as fuck, and being so cheap (the broccoli … not me, lol) bought two, just over a buck and a half for the both. Plus it’s so fucking simple to make … steamed until completely cooked … tender, but not mushy, and then seasoned generously with copious amounts of sea salt and butter, my favourite way to make/eat it!! … Oh, and before I continue, Wonder hamburger buns were also on sale (unadvertised, NOT in their flyer), 8 for $1.49 … it’s NEVER this price (typically $1.99 on sale) … looks like the weather/burger Gods were truly on my side, lol!!

Gorgeous 3 lb. roast …

Cut into thick pieces moments before mincing …

8 perfect hand formed 6 oz. patties (note the celery salt, a 1st time trial) waiting for the wood charcoal to get white-hot, just a few more minutes …

Big bowlful o’ brocc (SOOO good, could eat the whole thing, lol) …

danistrulytheman’s plate: Jarlsberg cheese and sliced sweet onions compliment the burgers, toasted the buns (a great finishing touch) on the wood grill too …

… published 12121212 … telling y’all, ‘ncase you didn’t catch that, lol!! 😉

LOL, I crack myself up, I’m such a child at times … ok ok ALL the time, lol!! Made this the other day, a variation of pizza that I normally make. Thought it would be a great idea, turns out better than I envisioned and imagined … was motherfucking sublime!! And once again (as I’ve said MANY times before), you can individualize it to your personal palate … I went with 3 meats (oven-baked capocollo, Sopressa proscuitto salami, and Di Lusso hot capocollo … all thinly sliced), 3 cheeses (Romano Lupa, provolone, and mozzarella), and 3 condi (pan roasted cremini mushrooms, sliced jumbo green olives, and hot banana peppers) … now that’s a trifecta trifecta, lol!! Spoon spread pizza sauce evenly on the naan as you would on pizza dough, and then sprinkle the Romano (very important), after that layer away as you wish, finishing with lotsa-mozza&provolone. Notice I rubbed dry Greek oregano between my palms releasing its fragrant flavour as a finishing touch before chucking it into the oven (400 degrees using convection … I don’t play around, lol, on parchment paper – NOT aluminum foil, and definitely NOT non-stick sprayed, 10-15 minutes as a guide, just keep an eye-on-yer-pie) not only for taste, but also for presentation … makes it that much more impressive, and that’s important too!!

didn’t realize till I was home it was their garlic naan, WOOHOO … BONUS!!, lol:

pizza # 1 … looks fucking awesome!!!!:

… another view … and more awesomeness, lol:

… not to be outdone, pizza # 2 (showcasing the aforementioned oregano):

on the chopping block (that’s my coveted KitchenAid pizza wheel btw, lol):

ready to chomp (check out the crust … yeah, fucking great):

ahhhhhhhhhhhh … ambrosia … now I can die, lol:

I want love
to roll me over slowly
stick a knife inside me
and twist it all around

I want love to
grab my fingers gently
slam them in a doorway
put my face into the ground

I want love to
walk right up and bite me
grab a hold of me and fight me
leave me dying on the ground

And I want love to
split my mouth wide open and
cover up my ears
and never let me hear a sound

I want love to
forget that you offended me
or how you have defended me
when everybody tore me down

… ALMOST!! Had it all planned, was gonna get to it right away … but you know, the best laid plans … so I’m 15 hours late … hey, still not too shabby!!

Outside the restaurant. Thanks TIFFANY K for the loaner, your iPhone 4s makes the perfect date/timestamp, lol …

Basket o’ onion rings. The Tiff dip into the spicy southwestern ranch dressing …

Five flavours of wings. Thirty (minus one – upper left basket), er 29 in total. Somehow someone got their greedy fingers on a Parmesan Garlic straggler … couldn’t patiently wait for danistrulytheman to snap the pic, lol …

Two tall glasses of suds, a Creemore and a Stella (sorry, no pics) rounded out the meal. Was great fun, more so since it was Wings – Tuesday. And no pic of the bill this time either … sheesh (and NO, I’m NOT sorry, lol)!! 😉

This meal was precipitated perusing my local neighbourhood grocery store’s flyers, FORTINOS to be precise … when this caught my eye (on the back page no less) …

Now, I’ve never bought oxtail before, never cooked with it, never gave it a second thought … really was never on my recipe radar!! Seeing it on sale gave me the push, the incentive I needed. Knew that I wanted to utilize it in a pasta dish, immediately ran a few thoughts through my mind on how I’d go about it … then I googled ideas, and the funny thing is what I envisioned in my brain on doing in the first place, before I even started researching, was EXACTLY a recipe I found (the other one was very, very close as well, slight differences only) … great minds I guess, lol. Looks great packaged eh? Was so excited when I saw it (interestingly, the store was having trouble keeping the refrigerated meat shelf stocked … even imposed a “limit of 3” purchase) … and suffice it to say, was definitely pleased with my oxtail purchase …

First job was to sear the shit out of them, lol … which I did (sorry, no pic and that’s a shame … in fact I’m missing pics from a couple of stages of this whole fucking thing. I get caught up in cooking ‘n creating, grabbing my camera to snap pics isn’t top priority). After blackening the pieces in small batches (and removing and setting aside) in my cast iron stock pot, I threw in one whole onion (chopped) and a carrot (finely diced) as well … stirring quickly and constantly ’cause of the residual high heat, I let them sweat for awhile (a few minutes, 5-10). Then I poured in Italian red wine, deglazing the pot and reducing it by half, at that point I dumped in a can of chicken stock (btw, I probably used 1/4 bottle of vino and used the whole can of broth because I didn’t have a smaller amount handy. That’s the beauty of cooking, it ain’t baking so measurements be damned … 250ml – 400ml, or even 500ml, it doesn’t matter … IT’S not too important … close enough for rock ‘n roll motherfuckers, lol). Next, I added a whole can of Italian San Marzano tomatoes breaking them up with my wooden spoon as I kept stirring. At this point it’s very chunky, and I wanted an evenly blended sauce. kinda puréed -ish … so I hook-up my boat motor (i.e. KitchenAid immersion blender) and have at ‘er for a few minutes whirling away till she’s smooth as silk … with the hot pot beautifully bubbling on the stove top as I do … and now with my sauce having the consistency I want (oh, I also added plenty of seasoning – salt, pepper … and Greek oregano too. Really, you can flavour it to your personal palate … bay leaves, chili flakes, marjoram, basil … the list goes on and on. Put in what YOU like … you’re the one eating it after all). I slow cooked it for hours, allowing the collagen to break down, rendering the meat SO SO tender!! This is the result (2 pics … hey, it’s the star of the show, lol) after 6 – 8 hours of simmering and tossed with the best rigatoni Italy has to offer …

Check out the richness of MY beautiful tomato/beef/red wine/chicken stock/onion and carrot based sauce … whew, that was a mouthful, lol!! Damn, yer boy’s got skills y’all!! I’m salivating as I’m blogging … Yum-motherfucking-O!!

Served with broccoli rabe … my obligatory side dish, lol (this time with roasted shaved garlic slivers … and lotsa chili flakes of course) …

And also with the world’s best focaccia (herb and garlic) … ok ok, Toronto’s best (as voted too, lol) from omg baked goodness ltd. …

And finally … plated …

Today … and since I’m now allowed to invert, I did!!

Published on the one-two-three-four p.m. too … the other option I considered is half a day in the past. That was my only bit of teetering, lol!!

It’s leap day not sleep day!! This is a gift from God (ok ok, maybe not, lol), in any case, it’s still a freebie, a bonus day to appreciate & celebrate, and so we did … grabbed the gang, and eazie-trapezie away we went, very modern family-ish don’t ya think? Here’s a few pics for y’all, enjoy!!

Italiano brewski – not Peroni … loved it, and the cool resto themed coaster:

Apps … Tuscan White Beans, Caponata, Baccala Fritti, Bocconcini:

danis’ casarecce:

A’s Bolognese (… ooooooh, nice watch, lol):

Tiffany K’s Stracci:

Zeppole ++:

Message left on my voicemail: ” … and just a heads up, bring lotsa cash”:

Communal cake (velvet cake) at A’s: