Tailgating, Texas Caviar & The Two Dollar Grill

College football season kicked off this week and I was very excited to get last minute tickets to the UNLV Wisconsin game. Not so much because of the game, but because of the tailgating.

There's something about tailgating that I love. Maybe it's the fact that middle-aged people can stand around in a parking lot and drink beer without feeling weird about it. Yep, that's definitely it. Imagine standing in the parking lot of a Target or Sears drinking beer. Weird. 

We only had a day to whip up a tailgate party menu and we had two big problems. Problem number one? We don't have a grill. Problem number two? It was expected to be 105 degrees that afternoon. 

The grill was no problem. If you ever need a grill or don't want to bring your own grill because it's a mess, buy a disposable grill. You can find them in the charcoal section of the supermarket or the camping area of places like Target and Walmart. It's usually around $4 and comes with everything you need. We found this guy in the summer clearance section of our supermarket for $2. The best part is when you're finished, you can just throw it away. 

One word of warning. These grills are pretty ghetto. I wouldn't suggest cooking chicken or ribs on them. I pretty much buy them when I want to grill hot dogs. 

So first problem solved. Now the second problem was to find a dish that can add some life to my hot dog and chips menu, without melting in the heat. That's where the texas caviar comes in. 

Texas Caviar has nothing to do with fish eggs, and is pretty much a classic bean/corn salad that's made with black eyed peas. There are about a million recipes online, with different variations. I needed one that was easy to make, so I used a recipe called Cowboy Caviar that I found on myrecipes.com.  It was a big hit and only took about 15 minutes to make.  

This picture is of day-old leftovers, so don't let the wilted cilantro and browning avocado fool you. It was really good. 

Canned My Own Salsa, But Don't Think I'm Getting All Domestic On You

I know what you're thinking - Canning sounds so old fashioned. So grandma. So stay at home mom. So boring.

Well, I'm none of those things, but today I became a home canner. I made a small batch of salsa and now have three jars sitting in my pantry. I have to admit, there's something amazing about canning. I didn't have to buy a lot of expensive equipment. I didn't have to take classes or practice. I just took some fresh produce, a few glass jars and a pot of hot water and made something that can sit in my pantry for a year.

Anyone who is still holding on to the lamp they made in wood shop knows what I mean.

I enjoyed my first canning experience, but I'm certainly not going to turn my kitchen into a canning factory. It was a lot of work and I have a big mess to clean up. Even so, I definitely have the canning bug, and I'm already thinking about what I want to make next. Jam? Zucchini relish? Kimchi?

Does that make me domestic? No.
A food lover? Most definitely.

Home Canning For Dummies

Okay, maybe not for dummies, but certainly for the person who has never canned before. My new Ball Home Canning Discovery Kit arrived yesterday, and I hate to admit it, but I'm really excited.

The kit comes with a basket you use to heat the jars in hot water, three cute little jars that I'll use for lemonade if this canning thing doesn't work out, and a recipe book. 

If you've never canned, here's the basics: You follow a recipe and cook some fruit, vegetables or meat. Then you put the food in jars, seal them up and heat them at high temperature in hot water. Once the jars are sealed you can keep them in your pantry for about a year. So if you love strawberry jam, you can make 10 jars of strawberry jam when berries are in season and enjoy it all winter long. 

Yes, you can also go to the store and buy strawberry jam, but what's the fun in that? 

The instructions that come with the kit are easy to understand, although phrases like "headspace" and "fingertip tight" are foreign to me. Whose fingertips are we talking about? Mine? My husbands? My 80-year-old grandmother? Thank goodness for 1-800 hotlines. 

The recipe book is also pretty decent. It has 12 recipes and covers everything from Bread and Butter Pickles, to Tomato and Apple Chutney and Zesty Zucchini Relish. I'm actually surprised that it doesn't have recipes for simple stuff, like strawberry jam. 

I think I'm going to start off with salsa. The recipe is not too intimidating and we can never get enough salsa in our household. 

The kit cost $18.45 with shipping and handling. I think it's perfect for people like me, who want to try out canning without investing a lot of money. If it works out, my friends and neighbors will find some canned salsa under their tree this Christmas.

Why We Chose Milwaukee For Our Summer Vacation (Hint: It's All About The Beer)

In August we're going on vacation to Milwaukee.

Yes, you heard right - Milwaukee. The land of Laverne and Shirley, Miller Brewing Company and Summerfest.  A lot of things draw me to this city - My old friends, the ball park, State Fair. But it's also the beer.

When I moved to Milwaukee back in 2004, I drank Coors Light. Hey, I'm from Southern California and the choices were Coors Light, Bud Light, Amstel Light and Heineken. Sure there were probably some craft beers on the shelf of my liquor store, but I didn't know anyone who drank them. There were no small breweries in my city. No trend. Just Coors Light.

But when I moved to Milwuakee, that changed. People returned favors with cases of Miller Lite. Supermarket shelves were stocked with beer I had never heard of. Friends drank beer that I had never tried. And yes, I became a born again beer drinker.

I toured the breweries and bought their beer. I tried pumpkin ales in the fall and summer ales in the spring. I embraced their beer culture and I'm so grateful I did.

While I still drink the occasional Coors Light, my fridge is usually stocked with beers that my California friends have never head of and never tried. I wish the supermarkets here in Las Vegas had more of a selection - Thank God we have Lee's Liquor.  

And in a few weeks, I'll be back in Milwaukee, shopping for beer like a kid in a candy store. If you want to find me, try starting at Sprecher Brewery. I'll be the one drinking the Black Bavarian. And who know, maybe I'll even tour the Miller brewing plant again. After all, it's all about the beer... even if some of that beer tastes like water :)

Found The Fukuburger Truck And I Liked It

I don't know if it's a new trend, or a trend I just discovered, but gormet food trucks seem to be the new thing in Las Vegas.

These aren't the trucks that wander construction sites, selling tacos and sodas to hungry workers. These trucks use twitter, blogging, and good ol' world of mouth to find their customers. They roam the streets in brightly colored trucks, stopping in parking lots, sending out tweets about their location.

The first truck that I really noticed is called Slidin' Thru. The guys sell sliders and fantastic sweet potato fries. If you're lucky enough to catch up with them on certain nights, you may even find yourself with french dip or pork bbq sliders. I have a hard time getting to these guys because they're only in my neighborhood on Sundays and that's the day I like to cook at home. But I have tried their stuff and it's really good.

There's also a new guy on the block. Fukuburger makes full sized burgers with a japanese twist. The guys are just getting started and haven't established a routine yet, but they've been hanging out in China Town which I love because it's right near my office. I talked to one of the owners and he said their goal is to feed the masses who work on the strip - Industry workers who only have a few choices when their late night shift is over.

When I found their truck this week, they had a good crowd of people hanging out on lawn chairs and listening to music coming from a car. It was definitely a laid back experience, although with temperatures near the triple digits, I decided to take my burger back to my air conditioned office.

I ordered the Tamago Burger which comes with a fried egg and crunchy onion strips. I love egg on just about everything and this was no different. After my first bite I had egg yolk smothering the meat and bread. Perfecto! The burger itself was medium rare and I was fine with that, but I know some people may want to ask for their meat to be cooked a little more.

Overall I love the concept. Good food without having to pay a bundle or sit down in a restaurant. At FukuBurger, burgers are $5 and fries are $2. At Slidin' Thru, you get three for $7, but can also buy one at a time for $3. And definitely get the sweet potato fries, which are also $3 (Thanks for the prices Justin).

If you have a couple bucks and see these trucks around town, they're definitely worth the stop. If anything, you may make some new friends.

Fava Beans Without The Liver And Chianti

Ever see fresh fava beans at the supermarket? Pretty unlikely in Las Vegas unless you're lucky enough to have more money than God and shop at Whole Foods.

So when my corner Smith's supermarket started carrying fresh fava beans last week, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Of course I had no idea what I was looking at in the produce section, and I definitely had no idea how to serve them (except with liver and a nice Chianti). But here's what I learned...

Fava beans come in a pod, much like green beans. But the pod is huge, like green beans on steroids. You have to open the pod and pop out the beans, one by one. Not sure why, but the inside of the pod is soft and furry - When I first opened them, it kinda grossed me out. Sorry foodies, I just wasn't expecting it. 

There were only about 5 beans per pod, so if you're gonna make some for dinner, make sure you get enough pods. 

I took out the old trusty Martha Stewart Cookbook at found a recipe for Stir Fried Fava Beans. First you simmer the beans for 10 minutes. Next, a nice ice bath. For those of you who don't know what that means (Heather) drain the beans and dunk them in ice cold water so they stop cooking. 

Next you peel the individual beans. Who knew the outer skin wasn't good? Thanks Martha. 

Then I added the beans to a hot pan with oil. I stir fried the beans for about 2 minutes and added a splash of fish sauce. Yes, I have that stuff in my pantry. After another minute, I tossed the beans in a little salt and some diced chives out of the garden, and served them up. 

They were surprisingly delicious. It's hard to explain, but they were meaty and heavy, almost like a meal. Now that I know about them, and their fuzzy pod insides, I'll definitely make them again. Although probably only when I'm trying to impress my friends or I'm having Anthony Hopkins over for dinner. 

And just in case you're wondering, it took me two days to get Hannibal Lecter out of my head. 

These pods are huge! 

The inside of the pod

What I got out of two pods

The beans after they were cooked and peeled

The final product

Keeping Basil Fresh: My Accidental Experiment

I would love to grow basil in my garden, but it's just too hot in my backyard.

So when I bought some fresh basil at a gardens market, I was really hoping to make it last. I had read somewhere that you should always keep basil in a vase of water, kinda like flowers. So I trimmed the stems and put my basil in a little glass vase on the kitchen counter.

Surprisingly it did great, and it was really nice to have some fresh basil at my fingertips. I just changed the water every couple of days, just like flowers.

About a week and a half later, I was cleaning out the fridge, when I realized I had put some of that same basil in my produce drawer (yes things stay hidden in my fridge for weeks).

So 10 days after I bought the fresh basil from the farmers market, here's what it looked like - Half was fresh and green. The other half not so much.

The basil in the vase lasted another three days or so, before I finally threw it out. Not bad, considering the alternative.

Specialty Cocktails Make Vegas Restaurant Shine

If you haven't figured it out by now, I love myself a good drink. Beers, cocktails, premixed margaritas out of plastic jug - You name it, I'll enjoy it.  

This weekend I was on a quest to find a new watering hole and I think I found it at Herbs & Rye on the corner of Sahara and Valley View.

There are three main reasons I love this place:

- The drinks were superb

- The bartender was fantastic

- It's close to work

Okay, so number three sounds like I need a quick alcohol fix on my lunch break. Nothing could be further from the truth. I need a looooong alcohol fix on my lunch break.

While the restaurant and bar serve pretty much everything, it's the specialty cocktails that make this place stand out. If your tired of the same crappy pear and raspberry martinis for $15, this is the place for you. The ingredients may seem unusual and unheard of... but the combinations were fantastic. Even the drinks based with scotch or gin, which I am not a fan of, tasted delicious.

The drinks are sepearted into eras.. like the "Old School Age of American Bartending" and "Prohabition". I started with a drink called the Clover Club, made with gin, lemon, raspberry Syrup and egg white. The menu says the drink was Created at the Bellvue-Statford Hotel in Philadelphia, and named after the men’s club in the city by the same name…… It was delish!

Later I tried the Aviation which is my new favorite drink, not that I'll ever be able to replicate it at home. The Aviation is made with gin, Maraschino liqueur, lemon, and creme de violette. It also came with a real Maraschino Cherry, not not those bright pink things soaked in food coloring.

The place is nice, but not stuck up, so you feel comfortable asking the bartender plenty of questions. Our bartender was great and explained each drink. He even showed us the bottles of liquor and mixes. It was certainly a learning experience.

If I remember correctly, the martinis were about $9, which considering you're actually getting a real drink and not some sugared down alcohol mix, it was totally worth it. And if you're local, it's a great place to take people from out of town - It's "away from the strip" but still close enough that people won't get bored on the drive there. And it truly feels like some hidden gem that only locals know about.

I will definitely be stopping by again, but after work of course. 

Pizza Dough: What A Pain In My ***

Do you ever have one of those moments in the kitchen, where you say to yourself... This is not going well. I had about seven of those this week.

I was on a mission to learn how to grill pizza. Everyone told me to just buy the dough from the store, but that's not my style.

I started with a pizza recipe that I found online. I mixed the flour and yeast in my stand mixer like the recipe called for. Then I added the warm water and... wait a second, a dough hook? I don't have one of those.

So much for reading the entire recipe first.

Hoping to salvage my dough and water mess, I "hooked" the dough by hand. The recipe said it should take about 10 minutes in the mixer and the dough should look smooth and elastic. My method went on for about 15 minutes and ended when my arms were tired.  I put the dough in the bowl, covered it and put it in the fridge. The recipe said it should double overnight.

First of all, this was taking way too long! I had to wait until the next day to enjoy my grilled pizza? This better be the best homemade grilled pizza ever!

The next morning, nothing. The dough was the same as I left it. Some blob that had been kneaded by hand and hadn't risen an inch.

In the trash it went.

I needed a new recipe. One that wasn't going to take 24 hours. I was getting hungry!

The second recipe was a little better. Put the yeast and water together. Add some flour. Put it on a floured surface and start kneading. Except the dough kept sticking to my hands. I mean, really sticky, like I just put my hands in a pot of honey.

I'm sure it needed more flour, but that's when everything went downhill.

With my hands covered in gooey dough, my toddler decides to open a container of bubble solution and spill it on the floor. Before I could even roll my eyes, my husband arrives home and the dog starts going crazy. My daughter tries to walk to the garage door, but keeps stepping in the bubble solution and falling on her butt - It was like watching an episode of The Three Stooges.  My husband walks in to find me covered in goop and the kid covered in slippery bubble solution and crying on the floor. Welcome home honey!

The good news was this batch of dough did what it was supposed to and doubled in size. A few hours later I was able to put in on the grill and topped it with fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. The dough was a little thick and needed some salt or garlic oil or something, but it wasn't bad.

I'm going to attempt to make another batch soon, but I may also check out the stuff at the supermarket. I know it's not my style, but making that dough was... well, you know.

California, Mexico and Rattlesnake Tequila

I've been on the road the past couple of weekends, vacationing and visiting friends. It's great to get away, but it's also great to try new food along the way. There's nothing worse than checking into a hotel and realizing the only restaurant they have is an Applebee's.

Over Memorial Day weekend we stayed with friends at the beach in Ventura County, California. We literally did nothing but drink and eat. There were at least three cookouts while we were there - A neighbor made elk burgers stuffed with American cheese and cilantro, I cooked up fresh rock fish and zuchinni from the local farmers market, and friends gathered down the street to share fish tacos with parmesan fried tortilla shells.

Those shells were fantastic! The guy who made them takes corn tortillas and fries them in a pan. When they're nearly ready, he shapes them into a taco shell and then dips them into a mixture of parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper and garlic powder. They were definitely the hit of the party. I've tried making them a couple of times at home, but so far they're not quite the same.

We recently got back from Baja Mexico, where once again, all we did was drink and eat (I'm seeing a pattern here). My three favorites were the roadside fish tacos, the fresh calamari steak and the tequila soaked in rattlesnake.

The fish tacos were perfect - A woman who barely spoke english served them with hot sauces, radishes, shredded cabbage and white onions that had been marinating in vinegar, salt and oregano. Of course, maybe I loved the tacos because were were allowed to bring our own beer!

The calamari was served at a place called Los Gordo's Bar. If you're ever in Ensenada, check it out. It's at a great location and the food was good and cheap. The night we were there, they were serving fresh calamari steak dinners for $6. It was fantastic! There's nothing like fresh fish!

As for the rattlesnake tequila, that was also at Los Gordo's. Yep, that's me! Take a drink, get your picture with the snake and they'll post it on Facebook for the whole world to see. You can't beat that deal. And as much as I dreaded it, the tequila was pretty good. Good enough to do a second shot later that night. Ouch.

Grocery Shopping in Las Vegas: An Insomniac's Dream

I just finished a trip to the grocery store at midnight. Yes, midnight. It's one of the many perks of living in a city that considers itself open for business 24 hours a day.

While the drunks on the strip aren't stopping by Albertsons to pick up some fresh arugula, there are plenty of people like me who don't want to wake up to an empty fridge.

No, not every store is open 24 hours and the ones that are have very little staff. Don't expect the butcher to be around. Or anyone to be around for that matter. I once showed up at the cashier stand only to find a note explaining how to use the paging system to get someone. Hello? I'm ready for checkout on aisle four. Is anyone there?

Okay, so maybe customer service isn't the number one priority at 2 a.m., but it's still great having full size grocery stores open 24 hours a day. No crowds, no lines, no clean ups on aisle nine. And imagine the parking!!

Oh, and did I mention those same supermarkets sell beer and liquor? Ahhhh... an evening of grocery shopping and I can relax with a fresh beer knowing that tomorrow morning the fridge is stocked and the grocery shopping is done.  Now that's living the life in Las Vegas.

Put Your Hands Up and Step Away From the Recipe

I like to consider myself a control freak who is spontaneous. I start packing for vacations weeks in advance but think it's funny when the airline loses my luggage.

In the kitchen, I can nail a recipe. I can bake, saute, brown, and roast. I'm a control freak. But take that recipe away, and I'm all scrambled eggs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sure, I know how to grill a piece of chicken, and I can make some rice and steam some veggies. But what do I do with that leftover ricotta cheese? Or the can of garbanzo beans sitting in the pantry? Seriously, I have a can of garbanzo beans that I just stare at.

I need to be more spontaneous in the kitchen.

I need to be able to look in the cupboard and come up with a dish I've never made before. This week, I'm giving it a try. I recently came upon a blog called Married... with dinner and over the next couple of months, the writer will be showing people easy ways to get dinner on the table. During a quick discussion on pantry staples, she mentioned how she whipped up a dish called Melted Leeks and Quinoa with a Poached Farm Egg and Parmesan Broth.

Seriously? I could never even begin to come up with something like that. That's when I realized that I need to let my guard down. The reason I'm not coming up with dishes like that is because I'm not even trying.

So while I already have a few dishes planned out for this week, I'm also going to try and make some dinners that don't come with instructions. I think in the end, it will make me a better cook and I'll probably save time by not having to search for recipes. I'll be sure to share my successes and especially my failures.

As for that Melted Leeks thing... well I had to try it and it was excellent. But of course, I had to follow the recipe.

Conquering My Food Fears

I'm not quite sure why, but up until today, I've never been able to make a good poached egg. Any attempt I've made in the last decade has just turned into a gross mess of egg whites mixed with swirling water, not those cute puffy poached eggs that you see in magazines. I had given up completely, until this morning.

After getting a little push, I decided to try poached eggs again. I broke out my trusty Joy of Cooking cookbook from 1974 and looked up the recipe for poached eggs. Just to make sure that poached eggs haven't changed in the past 30 years, I double checked my Martha Stewart cookbook. Certainly she would know how to make a poached egg. Both said the same thing... Amber, this is easy. Stop stressing and cook the damn egg already.

Boil then simmer water, check. Add some vinegar, check. Slip egg into water, check.

That's it? What have I been doing all these years, trying to poach an egg with a pizza slicer? I'm not sure why I've been failing so miserably. My guess is that I've been trying to hard - Using special pans, special spoons, special water. There's definitely some egg poaching devices in my cupboard that will be sold at my next garage sale.

So now that I have poached eggs down, what's next? Puffed pastry? Whole fish? Maybe fresh pasta? Okay, maybe I'll just stick with the eggs for now.

PS: Here's how I made my poached egg on the first try:

- Put about an inch of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Make sure there's enough water to cover the egg. I think that was one of my big problems in the past.
- Add about a tablespoon of white vinegar. I'm not sure what this does, but both cookbooks called for it.
- When water comes to a boil, reduce heat until bubbles are just breaking the water. I think that's another problem I had in the past. The water was simmering too much, causing the egg to jump around and break apart.
- Break egg into a small dish. Place dish in water and quickly slide egg into water.
- Simmer for about 3-4 minutes.