There's really no need to go any further.....

National Clams on the Half Shell Day!

Why We're Fat Volume 7

The 50 Fattiest Foods in the United States

The good folks over at Health.com have come up with a fabulous gallery of the fattiest foods in all of the United States of America, and, yes, that includes you Alaska and Hawaii.

So, which state do you fit in??


Fattiest Foods From All 50 States

Personally, being from New York City and going to the University of Rochester many moons ago, I take great pride in knowing that our college (i.e. drunk) late night staple made the cut.

Behold :

The Nick Tahou's Cheeseburger Garbage Plate

A sublime construction of macaroni salad (lots of mayo, celery, and carrots, for those so fussy), baked beans, and fried potatoes, topped with two thin hamburger patties, seared to leathery perfection, American White Processed Cheese Food, in an oozy mass, topped, again, with chopped "fresh" onions, and signature "sauce", which constsisted of the entire day's grille scrapings placed into a coffee can and ladled on top, but wait there's more, if you could possibly top this off, some stale "Cuban" bread to mop up all of the "juices".


Add some Tabasco to liven things up, and this was 4;00AM heaven.

The best part of all of this in the wee hours of the AM were the junkies, dealers, and pimps who frequented the establishment; side by side with the local Police Department (at least the cops knew where the crimainals were, because everyone was eating together).


After one of these Garbage Plates, it was next to impossible to get the "aroma" from your breath, clothes, automobile, or, much less, the always festive after effects. Basically, you reeked for two days and no one would go near you. However, your system was cushioned with greasy hangover happiness.


Nick Tahou himself, who founded this creation, passed away a few years ago to much local mourning. He will be missed, however, his gastronomic impact and "restaurant" is the stuff of legend.


Again, this is why we're fat, but with fond, and much younger with cast iron stomach, memories.

Now, for those willing to attempt this, some guy came up with this "homemade" version :

Special Sauce Ingredients:

1 - medium onion, chopped

1 - clove garlic, minced

1 - tbsp. oil

1 - lb. triple-ground beef

1 - cup H₂O

1 - can tomato paste

1/2 - tbsp. brown sugar (optional)

1 - tsp. ground black pepper

3/4 - tsp. cayenne pepper

1 - tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 - tsp. paprika

1/2 - tsp. ground cumin

1/2 - tsp. allspice

1/4 - tsp. cinnamon

1/2 - tsp. powdered cloves

1 - tsp. salt (to taste)

Plate Ingredients:

(Cheeseburger Version)

8 - frozen beef patties

8 - slices of white american cheese

4 - cups cold beans

4 - cups macaroni salad

1 - medium onion, diced

4 - cups hash browns, cubed

2 - loaves of fresh Italian bread

40 - generic butter pats

1 - case Genesee beer

Step 1 - Preparing the Special Sauce:

In large skillet, fry chopped onion and garlic in oil until soft.  Add meat, stirring constantly with fork to keep its texture fine.  Once the meat browns, add water and tomato paste.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Add sugar and spices.  Simmer 30 minutes, adding water ,if necessary, to keep it moist but not soupy.  Alternatively, you may use the griddle scrapings from Step 2 for the Secret Sauce (the authentic method).

Step 2 - Preparing the Plate:

First of all, you can substitute any of Nick's other main items in place of the cheeseburger.  These items are hamburger, beef hot dogs (red hots, not white hots - that's Don 'n Bob's), steak, egg, veggies, and fish (plain old whitefish, I believe).  And now onto the Plate.

Take beef patties straight out of freezer and lightly sear on super hot griddle.  Do the same with hash brown cubes.  Melt one slice of cheese on each beef pattie.  Place 1 cup of beans, 1 cup of macaroni salad, and 1 cup of hash browns on a restaurant style paper plate.  Place 2 beef patties on top of the heap, in the center.  Spread mustard and diced onions over the beef patties.  With a ladle, cover the center of the heap with Special Sauce. 

Garnish with bread an butter.

Drink as much Genny beer as you can.

Serves 4.

Recipe and Concept courtesy : The Lynches

I dare ya......

Images courtesy :


Health.com



and


The Lynches



BTW, there's still time for this :

Sal's Birdland



But, that's for another time.

Good News!

Finally, some Good News for everybody!

No more various altercations in the Middle East, no more recession/depression, no more nuclear disaster;

The United States of America has surpassed France, for the first time, in

Wine Consumption!

According to Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates, a wine-industry consulting firm in Woodside, California, wine shipment to the Unites States climbed by two (2) percent last year to 329.7 million cases. That beats France, which can only boast 320.6 million cases.

Now, to give the French their proper respect, they still eclipse the United States in per-capita consumption, but what do you expect with a country the size of New York State?

Regardless, Jon Fredrikson, the president of the consulting firm, said, in an interview,

“Wine is really gaining traction in the U.S. -- it’s becoming an accepted part of everyday life. That’s a radical change over the past two decades.”

I think that my Barolo is calling me.......

Sources :

Castello Banfi

Bloomberg

The Wine Institute

 

Get On The Stick!

It's

National Food On A Stick Day!!

Everyone!

I'm talking Shish-Kebab!!!

A perfect walk-around food. Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Shrimp on the Barbie (we're not talking Mattel here).

ANYTHING that can be grilled on a stick.

Pick a culture, Turkish, Iranian, Afghani, Indian, Azerbaijani, Chinese, Pakistani, Nigerian, Greek, Cyprian, and, not to mention, the good 'ole U. S. of A. From Hawaiian Spam Kebabs (you can guess where that comes from) to the Hünkâri Kebabi (look it up for yourself) the entire planet loves these kind of dishes

All of these dishes require some kind of marinated meat, poultry, game, or fish.

So, how do you get a proper marinade? I know it sounds complicated, but try this one (it's easy too).

Beer and Ginger Marinade for skewers

• 1-1/2 cups flat beer
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 (1-by-3-inch) piece of orange peel

Place all of the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and mix thoroughly. Add your favorite chunks of meat, poultry, game, or firm fish cut into one to two inch cubes (3-5 cm.). Mix thoroughly and cover tightly. Allow the marinade to percolate with your chosen meats for between six (6) and forty-eight (48) hours in the refrigerator, rotating and remixing the marinade and meat mixture every few hours or so to insure even soaking. If using fish or shrimp, a four (4) to six (6) hour marinade is perfect.

Skewer the various meats or fish onto water soaked bamboo skewers and place on a pre-heated grille. Using the remaining marinade as a mopping sauce, grill the skewers over medium heat until your desired doneness (i.e. black charcoal nuggets for my European family or succulent grille tinged perfection for those in the know).

Adapted from : The New Settlement Cookbook edited by Charles Pierce (Simon & Schuster)

For a plethora of information on how to do this at home try :

Home Cooking

Okay, so as not to be completely vilified and skewered by the rest of the planet, here you go....

The Classic Corn Dog

1 package Hot Dogs (8 of your favorite kind)

8 long Bamboo Skewers (soaked in water for about an hour)

1 package of Quik Corn Muffin Mix, prepared into a thick mix (just follow the package directions, y'all)

1 quart Corn Oil

Yellow or Spicy Mustard, to taste

Pre-heat the Corn Oil in a large cast iron dutch oven to 320-330°F (163°C).

Skewer each Hot Dog the long way, leaving a convenient handle.

Dredge each Skewered Hot Dog in the Corn Muffin batter.

Carefully drop the Corndogs into the pre-heated Oil.

Fry until golden brown, about three (3) to four (4) minutes.

When done, remove the Corndog from the Oil with Tongs by holding onto the skewer.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve with the Mustard of your choice on the side.

Adapted from : Gutsy Gourmet

Spinach!

Get your inner Popeye going (and I don't mean the fried chicken shop, silly), its :

National Spinach Day!!

Dear old Popeye knew that eating your spinach is good for you and gives you the strength to seduce scrawny women with annoying voices. But what Popeye didn't know was all of this :

"Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is a rich source of vitamin A (and especially high in lutein), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, betaine, iron, vitamin B₂, calcium, potassium, vitamin B₆, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids."

Via : Wikipedia

Spinach can be made in so many different ways that it never becomes boring. My Greek favorite Spanakopita, luscious phyllo puffs stuffed with spinach and feta, Ika-ten Udon, a Japanese noodle soup with spinach, scallions, and tempura squid, or the classic American Stuffed Shells, large shelled pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta.


All sounds good, doesn't it?


Personally, my favorite is below. I grew up with this and it will always be a crowd pleaser.


Sautéed Spinach.

Cobra Burger

So, what do you do when you've seen it all, eaten it all, and it's a Thursday night with nothing in the fridge?

Cobra Burger

Think you're manly enough for this?

The Cobra Burger

From Indonesia comes this scrumptious item. Check out how they prepare it on the above link.

You'll never go back to ground chuck again.

Why We're Fat Volume 6

The 10 Fattest Cities in America!

Link right below

10 Fattest Cities

Did yours make the cut??

Well......

At least there's no confusion.

Ravioli!

Guess what?

National Ravioli Day

is finally here!!

Image courtesy : madehealthier.com

Who doesn't love ravioli.

Ravioli can be found in some form or another all over the world. Most people associate ravioli as being exclusively Italian, but the Germans have a similar version with maultaschen. However, many other cultures have very similar versions; you know, dough stuffed with a filling. Asian cultures have dumplings and pot stickers, Eastern European cultures have pierogi or some version, Spanish and Latin cultures have empanadas, etc.

So, get out and enjoy some Ravioli today!

Normally, I would give you my recipe for Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Ravioli Stuffed with Shiitake Mushrooms, Proscuitto, and Parmigiano (wait for my book), but, instead, let's take a look at America's deadliest pasta dishes.

Behold :

Image courtesy : dreamstime.com

The Cheesecake Factory's® Spaghettini with Smoked Bacon, Green Peas, and a Garlic-Parmesan Cream Sauce. Available with Chicken.

Logging in with a whopping total of 2291 calories, 589 g. of saturated fat, 1833 mg. of sodium, and 164 g. of carbohydrates all in one dish and in one portion for one person.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the following for a healthy adult : 2000 calories, 20 g. of saturated fat, 2300 mg. of sodium, and 300 g. of total carbohydrates to be consumed in one single day.

You do the math.

Now, the above image is not from The Cheesecake Factory®, so I have no idea what the dish actually looks like. But, one can only imagine.

However the real kudos go to the good folks over at The Daily Beast who came up with a list of 31 chain restaurants across America and their most heart stopping pasta dishes. I wonder how many of them survived the taste tests?

Go check it out.

Via : The Daily Beast

The Day After

Since everyone is still fuzzy from "the world is Irish day", I thought I'd show you how the 250th Saint Patrick's Day Parade was done here in New York City.

Right?

Whisky!

Just in time for Saint Paddy's Day we have :

Whisky In A Can

That's right, Dude, Joey's having a kegger over at his place, you bring a six-pack of whisky.

Scottish Spirits, a Panamanian based company (yes, you read that right) has come up with this brilliant idea. Sold in 12 oz. cans, individually and in six-pack form, each can equals approximately three drinks and is meant to be shared. But, really, who'd want to do that? I really don't need Joey's backwash in my whisky.

From their brochure :

"Is there any better sound than the crack of a beer can being opened after a long day of work? What if the can was filled with something a little stronger than beer, say Vodka, Tequila, Bourbon or any of your favorite spirits?"

Neither Scottish or Irish, Whisky in a Can is made in the USA for Scottish Spirits with the intent on selling to the Central and South American markets. But, who knows where else it could wind up. With FourLoko essentially now banned in the US, what else is a good frat boy to do? This would be the ticket.

Now, for those of you not interested in Whisky, Scottish Spirits has you covered. Apparently they have a complete line of liquor in a can for you to choose from, such as, Bourbon, Gin, Tequila, Vodka, Rum, etc.

So, methinks we need to petition the ATF to allow this to come to your local all night bulletproof liquor store.

Solved!

Impeccable logic.

This cannot be ignored.

Consumption

Well,

Via : The Economist

Where do you sit?