Are You Ready for Some Over-Eating?

It's that time again.  Two teams take the field.  One will emerge the victor; the other....

Honestly, I'm indifferent to the teams involved, but the ritual is wonderful.  People all over the country get together and enjoy the most glorious exhibition of television advertising and gastronomic over-indulgence.  This is the most American of all celebrations!  That is the part I love.

I've recounted the legend of our previous game day adventures to a land so distant (we have to drive for more than an hour, so that makes it distant in Colorado) and a home so wonderful (it truly is a lovely home with beautiful hosts) and all of the bounty laid before us (e.g., lobster, crab legs, mannicotti, key lime pies, flowing beverages, and dozens of snacks) that a Roman Saturnalia would pale in comparrison!  I am certain this year will be no exception, I will offer a recap soon.

(For those of you concerned about my diet, I enter into today guilt-free.  I will try not to over indugle, but rather I will enjoy to my heart's contentment.  Then I will return happily to my life of watched calories and extra exercise.  Besides, I am still a glutton at heart.)

I also accept this day and this party as a challenge.  I like to push the boundaries of what I've done before and create something bold.  To that end, I present to you:

Mac and Cheese Bites
3/4 cup shredded Gouda
3/4 cup shredded Sharp White Cheddar
3/4 cup shredded Fontina
1 14oz bottle of Guinness (less a sip)
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 tablespoons Flour
8 pieces of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
12 oz of Shell Macaroni, cooked and drained
many Won Ton Wrappers
Canola Oil for frying
Egg wash

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Over a low heat, stir in the flour and salt to make a roux--a thick paste.  Stir in the Guinness and the milk.  Stir in the cheese, a 1/2 of a cup at a time, allowing it to melt completely before adding the next next 1/2 cup.  The sauce will continue to thicken.

Stir in the bacon bits and the macaroni.

Pour the mac and cheese into a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.  Allow the casserole to cool completely.

Heat oil to 375 degrees in a large Dutch oven or fryer.

This next part is best when you do it with a friend.  Taking 1 spoonful at a time, center on a won ton skin.  Brush the edges with an egg wash and seal.

Place no more than 4 or 5 won tons in at a time or the oil will cool too much and the food become greasy.  Cook until golden brown on all sides.  Let drain on an elevated rack.

To rewarm, place in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes.

This recipe makes a somewhat bitter mac and cheese.  You can change the cheeses to something sweeter, or you can compliment with great sauces.  I am going to serve warm with dipping sauces.

The Party for the Event That Must Not Be Named

Every year there exist 2 days which celebrate all things gluttony.  Thanksgiving ranks #1 for sheer food consumption, and is indeed my favorite holiday, but the day of the National Football League Championship is a close numero dos and you don't usually have all those pesky vegetables to get in the way.  (The title of said Championship is copyrighted and therefore cannot be used without permission.  And since I am entirely promoting myself and in no way have an interest in waiting for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to get back to me on this, I'll be providing alternative descriptors that I hope catch on.)  (And if this is successful, I'll have a go at the Mouse That Must Not Be Named and the Sort of Checkmark Logo for Shoes and Other Sports Apparel That Must Not Be Named.) (And as a third aside, unrelated except that it points to the remarkable nature of "ownership," everyone in the world will have to change our email accounts or pay royalties.)

As you may recall from last year, we went to a new Super Concave Vessel Party .  Like Moses going to the Promised Land, we journeyed for what seemed like 40 days, and then came upon a land of plenty, complete with mana falling from Heaven (funny story, our hostess actually did drop a key lime pie from her heavenly hands, so to compensate she made two more pies by halftime).  Joy filled our hearts and taste buds.  But we had no idea of what to expect and as a result we were not prepared. 

So this year things have changed.  We are still driving for forever (it's worth it), but for this Uber Bowl Party I'm making Duck Sliders and wearing expandable pants.

. . . . . . . . . .

Post §º¤ Bowl Party:  Green Bay has won, Cheeseheads celebrate in snow-covered streets and I am once again uncomfortable with how much I had to eat.  The generosity of our hosts continues, as you can see from the pictures below.  But the Duck Sliders were well received.

 

Duck Sliders

1 large Duck (Pekin is preferrable)

1 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

For the Brine:

approximately 1 1/2  gallons of Water
3 cups Salt
1 California Bay Leaf (or 2 Turkish Bay Leaves)
2 tablespoons each, Whole Cloves, Juniper Berries, Allspice, all lightly crushed
1 can of Cola

Combine the ingredients for the brine and stir until the salt is completely dissolved.  Rinse the duck thoroughly and submerge it in the brine.  Let stand in a cold place (35 degrees), overnight. 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Remove the duck and rinse it well, inside and out.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Season with black pepper, inside and out.   

Roast the duck on an elevated rack in a roasting pan for 1 hour.  When the skin is crispy, pierce it with a sharp fork or point of a knife.  Flip the duck in the rack and drain the liquids from inside the body cavity.  Roast for another 2 hours.  Prick the skin again, flip and drain, as before.  Increase the heat to 400 degrees and roast for 30 minutes to crisp the skin (to aid in easy removal).

Let the duck cool completely and remove the skin.  Tear the meat from the bones and shred by hand or with forks.  Combine with a sauce of your choosing, heat and place in warmed and buttered dinner rolls or slider buns.  Serve hot.


Homemade Duck Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons Honey
all the containers of sauces that we collected from the Chinese food delivery we still had in the fridge
1/4 cup Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Cider Vinegar, as needed

Melt the butter in a saucepan set to medium high heat and add the honey, stiring constantly.  Add the other sauces, stirring and tasting.  If needed, add vinegar. 

Stir until the flavors have combined.

A Super Bowl Party to Remember

It was a great game and I'm pleased as punch that the Saints won. But the real story for us was the party we joined.

We were grossly unprepared.

Our friends invited us to their aunt and uncle's home. A long way out, east of town, nearly an hour's drive by interstate. "Bring an appetizer to share," we were told. I made a kind of chicken skewer with 3 kinds of dipping sauces. Something simple and somewhat out of the ordinary.

When we arrived, the spread was already laid out. Peeled jumbo shrimp, chips and dip (a great layered dip, btw), vegetable crudites, brownies, cookies, candies, flowing wine, bottomless beer and sodas. Our chicken fit in well, but already paled in comparison to the shrimp. Oh! if we had only known!

We ate for an hour before the game. THEN we were informed that dinner was going to be served. Roasted lobster tails, king crab legs, rigatoni al pomadoro, two kinds of salads, homemade pizza . . . there was probably more, but that's all I could get to.

Now, my brothers and I have a training ritual for events like this. For a Thanksgiving feast with the family, for instance, we will start eating a few days in advance, stretching our stomachs as best we can. Each day we'll eat a little more than the last. Then the day of, we'll fast until the big meal. In this way we can maximize our caloric intake in one truly glorious bout of gluttony.

How woefully unprepared for such a Super Bowl party. Pity.

Next year will be different.

Chicken Skewers

8 large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
Bamboo Skewers, soaked in water overnight

Marinade the chicken in the soy and olive oil for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the chicken length-wise into 1/2 inch strips. Skewer the slices and lay on a cooling rack on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Buffalo Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon Tabasco Sauce
2 tablespoons White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, over medium high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients in order, stirring as you go. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Best served hot and in an open area. It will sting the eyes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves of Garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup old Jellies or Jams you have laying around (I used am apricot jam and grape jelly)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, over medium high heat. Saute the garlic until just soft. Add the jellies, stirring quickly until they are thoroughly dissolved. Add the vinegar and soy sauce and continue to stir and simmer until reduced to a slightly thicker liquid. (You can use a little more vinegar if you like it a little more tangy.)

Serve hot or cold.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 tablespoons ground Chimayo Red Chili Powder
1/2 cup smooth Peanut Butter
2-3 dashes of Tabasco
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

Heat the oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Stirring quickly, add the garlic and chili powders. Stir until thick and smooth. Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir in the peanut butter, Tabasco and soy. Keep stirring until smooth. Best served warm.