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Food Thread: Armadillo And Buzzard Are On The Menu!

Independence Day means very little to some people, and parts of our society are quite pleased with that turn of events. But it means a great deal to a great many people, because it is the most important symbol of our freedom from tyranny and our quest as a unified people for self determination and the simple liberty to do what we wish, free from the control of others.

Please; enjoy your family barbecues...I certainly will (Baby-backs, cole slaw, elote, salad). And laugh and ooh and ahh at your town's fireworks display...or your own (that's my plan!). And relish the time off from work and the day-to-day responsibilities of life.

But perhaps we can also take a moment and consider the sacrifices that millions of people over four hundred years have made so that we have the freedom, the wealth, and the leisure to lounge in our back yards and drink beer (No Bud Light!) and chat with friends and family and eat good food and sleep in air-conditioned homes and drive nice cars.

We are here because of those great men in our past who decided that freedom and liberty were more important than safety. That the pure joy of self determination was worth fighting for and dying for. They laid the foundation for American Exceptionalism...something that lives today in spite of the best efforts of evil people around the world and, sadly, here in our own country.

It is something of which we can be proud, but it is also something that we need to remember and perhaps defend. So when you look up at an American flag flying on Independence Day, remember what it represents...the sacrifice of all of those greats who plunged into the vast unknown to come here, and then their descendants who fought and beat the greatest power on earth to solidify their hold on the greatest nation on earth!

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How To Make The Best Beanie Weenies

More than five minutes? Unacceptable! She can improve her speed tremendously by using better cutting technique, and definitely turning on the heat underneath the pot as her first step. Using a spatula to get the beans out of the can will also save several seconds.

I give her an A for effort, but a C+ for speed and planning.

[Hat Tip: Weasel...obviously]

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Some things are technically possible but should never, ever be done.

Pepsi unveils first-ever condiment, 'Colachup'

Ketchup is fine. Cola is tolerable about once every three years. But mixing the two is profoundly wrong...an affront to all that is good and fine and pure about food. It is dancing on the "Maple Syrup and French Toast" line!

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Stephen Price Blair is quite a scholar of old and classic cook books and cooking. He has shared many of his discoveries in the comments, and here is his web site with a current article on A Bicentennial Meal for the Sestercentennial. Scroll down to the first recipe, which is faintly horrifying, but the picture is the best part!

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So...here is a photo from a regular lurker who has sent me a fair number of interesting and delicious looking photos of foods.

This is his latest. Can you spot what he did correctly and what he did incorrectly?

Rack of lamb, basil pesto and bacon-wrapped asparagus with balsamic glaze

Obviously he didn't french the lamb ribs, which is the mark of a serious cook. Anyone who would knowingly give up so much luscious meat is a knucklehead.

However, he also didn't invite me to dinner, which is a huge mistake!

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The oyster imperative remains in effect, especially now that we are entering the summer months. Yup, I'm not afraid of oysters in the summer! (Except that my usual source was sold out, so I am an oysterless Dildo, and you know how bad that is!) And send pork rib roasts from the front end of the pig where all the good and fatty meat lives, carrots that don't taste like stalky chalk, garlic...lots of garlic! (but no basil!), well-marbled NY strip steaks and elk backstrap to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

And don't think that the rest of you are off the hook with maple syrup and French Toast: I'm still watching you! And I am watching you perverts who shake Manhattans and keeping a list for the Burning Times.

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.