Dinner In A Bowl

IT'S DINNER!  IN A BOWL!

Nothing will take you back to your childhood (or happy altered-state college days) like eating a meal out of a bowl.  You can't help but smile a little thinking about being the first one to open up a new box of Fruity Pebbles and pouring that nice cold milk over those rainbow colored crispy bits of happiness.  It is amazing however that kids these days have NO FREAKIN' IDEA who the Flintstones are - and yet they sell the crap outta that cereal.

Other GRRREAT!!!(pardon my Tony the Tiger) things come in bowls: ice-cream, chicken noodle soup,and chili just to name a few.  Let's turn it up to 11 here and have Dinner In A Bowl!

One of the ideas we like at home is the burrito in a bowl concept which I BORROWED from a restaurant chain that rhymes with Chip-Oh-Tlay.  But, check this out, you can change up the flavors and make it Mediterranean or Italian or Whateverian.

So typically you will have a starch like rice - well change it up amigo!  Change it up!  (But Doug, change is hard...)  Yeah, I know, change is hard - dollar bills are soft.  Which one do you like?  Uh huh, thought so.

Burrito = rice, beans, meat, cheese, onions, etc.

Dinner in a bowl turned up to 11 = tater tots, grilled steak, blue cheese and red wine, mushrooms sauce.

Or how about couscous, shrimp, cucumber, tomatoes, with dill and white wine-dijon dressing.

I am so doing this!!  And I am serving it to friends and they are going to love it and you will too!  (Shit Doug, calm down now...)  pant, pant, pant... okay Dude, sorry...  calming down.

Hey, if you like this stuff, and you like chicks digging you (and who wouldn't?)  subscribe to my blog!  If you're the first new subscriber, send me an email and I will send you a free copy of the book.  (I know, it's crazy how much I care about you!  I'm getting all emotional...)

You've Got To Be Kidding

Fall is here and I'm getting back into the kitchen.  Learned some new stuff that needs to be shared.  It's about soup.  Making soup from scratch versus opening a can.  Specifically you should know that opening a can is NOT going to get you chicks.

I have searched through numerous cookbooks and recipes online and discovered something amazing.  There are no recipes for soup.

"Shut the hell up Doug, I know for a damn fact that soup recipes exist."

Yes, my friend you are right, and I'm curious about your inner rage, but never mind that.  What I learned is that there is no ONE recipe for soup.  This was astounding to me.

Here at Chicks Dig Central there was a request for "Butternut Squash Soup" from Mrs. Chick.  Knowing that the Digging Me One would be quite happy to have butternut squash soup show up on the table on a cool autumn day, I decided to look for some ideas.

My usual modus operandi is to fire up all things Google and see what looks good (and what we might have in the fridge).  Imagine my surprise when the recipe lists for butternut squash soup contained anywhere from three ingredients to twenty-three ingredients!  Some of the recipes even had duck feathers!  Just kidding.

Looking at all the different options for making one soup was a bit puzzling, but it didn't take long to realize that some chefs put their own spin on a dish (or in this case a bowl).  I looked at other recipes for varying soups and found the same thing.  But, (here's the cool part) there are some common approaches to making one soup base and changing it up to be several happy endings in a warm, comforting bowl.

The Test Kitchen at Dig This Headquarters has been all abuzz with the institution of "Soup Sundays".  Starting with leeks, potatoes and chicken broth, we have made: Leek and Potato Soup (duhhh...), Watercress Soup, Spinach Bisque, and the afore mentioned Butternut Squash Soup.

Want some?  It's pretty easy...  Start with trimming 3 leeks (just the white or lightest green part) and 2 medium sized peeled potatoes chopped up.  Saute those in oil for 5 minutes, then pour in 64 ounces of chicken broth.  Simmer that for 20 minutes and blend it all up to make it nice and smooth.  Put it back into the pot to simmer for another 20 minutes so all that flavor can get happy together.  Taste it and you'll see it needs salt and pepper.  Add a little bit (teaspoon of salt, couple dashes of pepper) and taste it again.

You just made leek and potato soup.  It's really good.  You're getting veggies and comfort.  Serve it with bread and you can make that a meal.  I did the leek and potato soup and added shredded cheese and crumbled bacon to the bowl and it was freakin awesome!

Add peeled butternut squash before you do the simmer part and you've got butternut squash soup.  (I cut up the squash and scooped out the seeds.  Then put it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes first.  Makes it easier to deal with.)

It's easy, it's tasty, and chicks dig that.

Lemme know what you think...

A JuJu - ectomy

I have had an unbe-frickin-lievable run of bad luck lately.  Car repair bills, broken bones, tax increases, blah blah blah.  You name it - it's happening.  Life is just kicking my ass right now.  Not that one can expect to have NO bad news, NO bad days, NO surprise bills in the mail.  That wouldn't be life - that would be bad Disney-esque television scripting.  That would be a different kind of hell.

We need to be thankful every day, but it's difficult when life kicks you in the teeth.  I believe the more we complain about the crappy things that happen, the more we invite crappy things to happen.  We cannot get down about this stuff - it's not life or death - mostly life.  Negative thoughts are not going to bring punishment into your life -  rather they invite more negativity.  It feeds upon itself.  A whirling vortex of lousy luck sucking us into the toilet of unhappiness. 

There is a force in the universe: call it God, call it karma, call it The Force.  I refer to it as JuJu.  I believe that the JuJu rewards positive thought and behavior.  Once upon a time my mantra was, "Things just tend to go my way."  It's a good mantra.  It offers up a happy reinforcement to Good JuJu.  A little thank you, if you will.  A little fist-bump to the fates. 

In high school I recall being in a really foul mood one day.  I couldn't even tell you what it was all about.  The only room that truly offered any privacy was of course the bathroom, so I ducked into the loo (funny word - those Brits are hilarious) and closed the door.  Took a long look at myself in the mirror and decided that  punching the reflection of that goofy-looking jerk smirking at me would not help at all.  Two minutes of mocking that angry face and suddenly I was laughing at how stupid I was being.  A bad mood turned into a good laugh.

That was my first lesson in the JuJu-ectomy.  I needed to excise the bad shit and replace it with Good JuJu (sure you can call it an exorcism if you like).

I am going to give my self another JuJu-ectomy.  Here's my plan:
   The last ten people that I encounter today will be the recipients of a genuine THANK-YOU.  There must be something nice about these people that have been drawn into my life.  I have to assume I will not be bumping into Manson, or Hitler or Casey Anthony. 

    Next, given my run of bad luck lately, it is likely that one or more of these people did something to piss me off.  They will be forgiven.

    Finally the person or persons who made me happy or made me laugh will be told how awesome that was for me.

Maybe I will even cook for them.  But that's a blog for another day.  http://www.chicksdigyou.com/

Up In Smoke

There are of course many fans of baseball who like to cook.  Some of these fans are even hot women, so here at Chicks Dig Headquarters we are ever vigilant to monitor issues that affect you: "Guy Who Aims to Impress Chicks"!  AND at the bottom of the page is a grilling idea to help you elevate your backyard culinary skills.

A couple of rules here to get us started.  First, baseball is best enjoyed in the movies.  "The Sandlot."  "Field of Dreams" ("The man's done enough.  Leave him alone.")  "Bull Durham".  "A League of Their Own".  (A little shout out to my home of Rockford - nice.)

Second, the Chicago Cubs are awful.  Enough said.

There is a baseball issue in the news that irks me : July 2, 2011 Tampa Rays (formerly Devil Rays - what's up with changing the name?) versus St. Louis Cardinals.  Watch the throwback jerseys the Rays will wear.  They will be sporting the jersey of the Tampa Smokers.  Keith Morelli of The Tampa Tribune reports that the image of the lit cigar in the underscore of "Smokers" will be eliminated.   Click here for the whole story .

Notice the updated jersey STILL SAYS "Smokers"!  Duh!  Take out the cigar and you change the message!  What?  Are you kidding me?  It says "Smokers"!  Choose your own side of the smoke-free debate.  (I'm pro-choice.)

photo: Tampa Bay Rays

This is ignorant on the part of the Tampa Rays organization.  Dabbling in revisionist history is dangerous.  The very idea that we can promote "smoke-free" and safe-guard our children's children for the future is another bone-headed politically correct notion that lazy parents (and legislators) cling to.  They look to goofy acts like this to teach people, old and young, that you don't need to get facts and make decisions appropriate to your needs.  Just trust Big Brother to take care of all your needs.

Do we really think there will come a day when we have eradicated the very idea of smoking?  When an image of a lit cigar will invoke a tiny voice to ask, "Daddy, what's that?"  No.  The choice of smoking is a discussion that every parent must have with their child.  It goes something like this: "Well little Tommy, smoking has been shown to be a habit that can make people very sick.  Some people still like to do it.  I choose to have a cigar once in a while because I like them.  I looked at the risks and decided to smoke only occasionally.  Someday you will have to make your own choice."  (Actual discussion with my own guys.)  Click here to say hi to Dennis

Now don't get me wrong.  Not all smoking laws are evil and off-base.  (Baseball reference!  Ha!  Get it?  The Cubs are evil!)  wait for it, wait for it... okay.  Moving on.  I like the smoking ban in restaurants because I like to taste my pork - not your Camel. 

I promised you a grilling idea.  You got it exhalted Barbeque BigWig!

Here's a way to make smoking work FOR you.  A tip for summertime grilling for ya!  Think of a fresh spice that would complement your grilled meat.  Fresh thyme and chicken.  Fresh chives and beef.  Whatever.  Next time you step out to the grill grab a bunch of fresh herbs from the produce section of the grocery and place six or seven sprigs right next to the meat on the grill and close the lid.  Check it later and you'll see the charred remains of herbal yumminess - yeah go ahead and add some more!  You've got nowhere to go, right?  The smoking herb will infuse the meat with a flavor that you can't get out of jar.  Use this in addition to your regular spices and you'll find combinations that will get you noticed.  Chicks Dig You!

Silence of the Limes

Mark Zuckerberg, this one's for you!

Mr. Zuckerberg founded Facebook (you did see The Social Network, right?  good movie).  Mark has taken to eating only meat that he himself has slaughtered.  The goal of this is to make him more thoughtful about what he is ingesting and thankful for the life of the animal.  He reportedly started with a live lobster and has since killed and eaten other animals: pig, chicken, goat.  When he is not eating meat (because he didn't take them down himself) he eats a vegetarian diet.  Which brings to mind the obvious question:  Who kills the vegetarians that he eats?

Ooooh.  Sorry.  Bad taste.  (Get it?) 

In all seriousness, we here at Chicks Dig Citrus Ranch (home of the Happy Fruit) applaud Mr. Zuckerberg's efforts at conscientous consuming and wish to further his education by offering the proper way to slaughter limes.  Limes are an important part of any health-conscious consumer of... BEER!  Corona plus vitamin C equals nutrition.  Hot women on TV are seen drinking beer - so that means it's true.

We must take proper care to get this delicious vitamin into our diet in a respectful, responsible fashion.

WARNING -  the images presented are graphic in nature and may be disturbing to some... (wussies!)

Click video HERE

What does one do with all those dead but delicious limes?  Make Lime-Tequila Wings baby!

Lime-Tequila Wings

Sweet, Salty, Juicy, Yummy - you get it!  Fan-Freaking-Tastic!

Here's the recipe:



Get your package of chicken wings and make sure they’re thawed.  Put them in a large Zip-type bag and pour in a cup of tequila.  Squeeze the juice from two limes in there and throw in the carcasses.  Sprinkle sea salt (2 Tablespoons or so) on top.  Seal it up and let that marinate for a couple hours.  You are brining the chicken with the salt and adding flavor with the tequila!  God!  How cool is that?  Remember to turn the bag over every once in a while.  Drink some tequila in the mean time.

Heat up the grill to medium-high and space the wings evenly apart.  Sprinkle on a little seasoned salt and grill the wings for ten minutes on each side.  Now turn down the heat to medium-low and finish ‘em off low and slow until they are golden brown and crispy.  This part takes about an hour so take your time.  Every 10 to15 minutes during the low and slow part squeeze a little more lime over the wings.  It's important!  The lime is going to carmelize to a sweet, sticky, yummy glaze!  When your are done, sprinkle on a little sea salt.

Tell all your friends how hard you worked and how much the ladies dig you!