Friday, July 4, 2008

Fireworks and Hamburgers...with a twist!

UPDATE: Later on today, Morgan's giving up his "homemade hot wings recipe" ...don't miss it!

It’s the day after the Fourth. We had a great time at sister J’s (no, we didn’t go to a convent; I have 4 sisters!). Mom was there and was touched by your comments to her regarding how proud and happy she is being a naturalized citizen (in the post just below this in case you didn't read it). She asked that I send you her thanks and best wishes.

I got to thinking about you all having hamburgers and hotdogs and potato salad and chips and beer and watermelon. We had hamburgers, too, but they were Armenian hamburgers, or at least we call them that. Mom takes a blend of lamb and beef and adds shredded onion, very finely chopped green peppers and tomatoes, and adds a little garlic and parsley, S&P. J’s husband grilled the burgers and they were DELICIOUS. They were culturally American but had an ethnic Armenian flair for this great American holiday, right? Multiethnicity is good…multiculturalism is bad.

Our potato salad is lemony versus pickly, another ethnic touch because Armenians from the Mediterranean area like lots of lemons. Our appetizers beforehand included “tarama”, a Greek/Armenian delicacy of red fish roe (a type of inexpensive caviar) and lemon and bread… and hummus, and kalamata olives, served with pita triangles, AND potato chips, of course! The beverage was Pimm’s Cup, a traditionally English drink, prepared by the barbecuing brother-in-law…maybe that was a nod to the Brits from whom we gained our independence, come to think of it!!

We had an American picnic with an ethnic twist yesterday. The thing we shared, first and second generation Americans at our barbecue yesterday, with those of you, some of whom have ancestors who were among the first settlers, was simply being in an AMERICA loving frame of mind. Patriotism. Beamish, on Gathering Storm yesterday, said something about how patriotism was loving America through thick and thin. (I hope I got you right here, Beamish) You don’t have to love everything America does, but you love her through her challenges and her successes. I believe Always on Watch compared it to a marriage. You support, you help, sometimes you have to compromise, but you keep on loving.

Don’t forget that others love America, too. Look at Aurora and MK and Otto, all from Australia, all with terrific blogs showing their appreciation and admiration for America! Look at the Iraqi who killed himself to protect our soldiers last August (our buddy Elmer's Brother brought that to my attention, did you hear about that in the media? Of course not)…….And, we all complain and moan that there's a terrible racial divide in this country and we forget there are people like Namaste who wrote a piece which made my heart swell with joy and appreciation for her and many like her who we don't hear enough about! ALL these things and so many more wonderful pieces I saw on some of blogs yesterday helped to put me in a great mood in which to celebrate our country!

We have so much to be proud of and the Fourth is a great day to revel in that pride. Most of us know how lucky we are to live in America and thinking about her and writing about her many issues every day helps us remember that. It shouldn’t take fireworks and hamburgers to feel great about America, no matter what you put in your burgers, but it sure is a fun way to do it!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

66 comments:

namaste said...

z,

your burgers sound very tasty. i season mine with onions, bbq sauce, garlic powder, adobo, parsley and oregeno.

sad story about the iraq citizen who made that sacrifice to save our brothers.

thanks for the mention once again. you are lovely!

~maria

Ottavio (Otto) Marasco said...

And I hope you had a good one to Z ...

The Merry Widow said...

Sounds yummy, Namaste.
We have deferred our 4th meal till my son can be home(he's working), ribs, potato salad, bbq beans, salad, Texas toast, and ice cream.
I like to make my burgers with worschester sauce and celery salt.
Will have to try the variations, variations are delicious!
Hope everyone had a wonderful and fun day yesterday!
Good morning, G*D bless and Maranatha!

tmw

Steve Harkonnen said...

We didn't see any fireworks this year. My wife said we were unpatriotic so I said something back to her in Russian!

Happy 4th to you and the family!

nanc said...

a fine and fitting tribute to the day!

i could handle everything but the fish eggs - i leave those to pop.

we're having our big celebration today, but from where we sit you could easily see four huge firework displays and all the neighbors were shooting some off, but tonight...

patriotism is like a marriage - if people abandoned their spouse every time they did something unpleasing, NO marriages would stay together.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post Z! I'd like to try the Armenian burgers because I LOVE lamb! Carmen and I eat it a few times/month at least.

Generally speaking I think people overdo it when making burgers. Start with some good ground beef and add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Don't overdo it.

My kids are out west with my sister in Chaco Canyon, so it was just Nanette and I and the dogs this 4th. :-) Ponte Vedra Beach had a fireworks show on the golf course here at Sawgrass, then our neighborhood had a great show of it's own. I started it off and then some others supplied the finale!
At the end of the show Nanette did something very touching. She asked that everyone say a prayer for our troops overseas and in harm's way. All agreed and said AMEN! It was a good 4th.

Morgan

elmers brother said...

We had a family BBQ...watched two movies....including The Patriot..then Mrs. EB and the kids went to watch fireworks. I've always loved the Fourth of July.

Z said...

Graet comments and great ingredients, folks! thanks.

TELL ME MORE INGREDIENTS.....how do YOU make your burgers. Any unusual potato salad ingredients are welcome, too.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Z,

Do you know the difference between a hamburger and a ground beef sandwich?

A ground beef sandwich is cooked without the 3-5 drops of Louisiana hot sauce on the patty.

Anonymous said...

Z I'm taking the day off, so before discussing food (one of my favorite subjects) I'm gonna go get a workout. When I come back I'm going to give up my homemade hot wings recipe. And then I'll indulge myself! This will be 1 1/2 days off in a row!

"A ground beef sandwich is cooked without the 3-5 drops of Louisiana hot sauce on the patty."

Beamish I didn't know that.

Morgan

Z said...

beamish..is that known only IN Louisiana? So you splash the hot sauce on top of the already cooked burger? Did you ever throw it into the ground meat mix before cooking it? WOW! That could be good!?

Morgan..I'm putting up an UPDATE on this piece so everybody gets the benefit of your recipe...don't let me down now! I can't wait to get it....thanks SO much!!

CJ said...

Hope you all had a happy 4th. I don't do holidays much, stayed home for this one as usual. Didn't even hear any fireworks noise for some reason.

I have a thing about Black Angus beef lately, and if I do it as a hamburger I slice and simmer 3-4 big fat cloves of garlic in a half inch of water with butter in a separate pan while the meat is browning, and then deglaze the meat pan with the garlic butter water, mashing up the softened garlic with a fork and cooking it down to a yummy lumpy glaze which I then pile on top of the burger. Fortunately I'm a hermit.

Z said...

CJ...the GARLIC GIRL. Sounds utterly DEEElicious! And yes, good thing you live alone!

Z said...

Z MADE SOMETHING NICE YESTERDAY:

This is Giada De Laurentis' recipe but I didn't write down amounts when I heard her give it on TV, so the amts I give below are roughly what I used yesterday. I call her show "Cooking with Cleavage"..those of you who watch her will understand, right?!

This was very good and can be made with what you have in the house...it's very low fat, no sugar...and tasty served with celery sticks or any other veggie you happen to like..or a bunch of them!

Blend together:

2 cans black pitted olives, drained
The juice of a whole lemon
Grated lemon rind...maybe 3/4 of the lemon?
1 clove garlic (or more if you like)
S&P
About 2 T of fresh chopped parsley
About 3 T of olive oil

Blend till thick and dippable. I liked it!

Z said...

by the way....you could throw in some red pepper flakes, too...

just build on the recipe any way you want...cheap, tasty and healthy.

Papa Frank said...

Ground beef mixed with ground deer
salt
pepper
minced up portabella mushrooms
shredded cheese
louisiana hot sauce

Papa Frank said...

By the way Z, there's nothing wrong with cleavage while you're cooking. It gets men to help out more!

Z said...

"Ground deer". uhoh.

UHoh. BAMBI? I'm a city girl..go easy on me, Pops!!! (Smile)

I had to eat RABBIT at someone's house in France. that was tough..(in every way, I might add!)

The rest of your ingredients sound fabulous! Thanks!!

By the way....just for discussion sake; does the deer add fat/tenderness to beef, or is it more lean than beef and just adds a different flavor?

Z said...

Pops..re the cleavage? ya..that's probably true! I've got a husband who does the dishes pretty often ...maybe I'll start noticing if it's only when I'm a little more 'cleaned up and cleavaged' than usual!? HA!! naaa

I'm sure it keeps 'em watching Giada, right?

Those two gay cooks lasted about 3 months on the Food Channel.

pssst! no cleavage.

nanc said...

put grated cheese into your ground beef and mix it well with that and all your other ingredients - VOILA CHEESEBURGER! and NEVER mash your burgers with the spatulator - makes them too chewy.

does morgan have a good recipe for parve bleu cheese to go with the hotwings? madze won't give his up!

Anonymous said...

Z, I wish you'd publish your recipe for "lemony" potato salad. It sounds fascinating, but I can't imagine how you'd do. I love to try new things, so please share.

The food here yesterday was plain straightforward "Merkin" ––– Cheeseburgers seasoned with S&P, two slices of American cheese, garnished with thin slices of Vidalia onion, a splash of Hunt's Ketchup (NEVER Heinz! ;-) and a slice of fresh tomato.

Also had plain ol' hot dogs with Dijon mustard (the only kind in the house as it so happened) and sweet pickle relish. Very ordinary, but it sure tasted good.

We also had baked beans and my Quik 'n EZ potato salad.

If anyone's interested, you just take 3 or 4 well-scrubbed red potatoes. Microwave them on high for 4-5 minutes. Let 'em cool slightly, then cut in slices.

Add

1/2 halved and thinly sliced red onion
1 green pepper chopped coarsely
2 hard-boiled eggs sliced
2 strips of crisp bacon crumbled
OR a hot dog or two sliced up
S&P to taste
Fold in 2 or 3 heaping Tbs of Hellman's real mayonnaise.

Chill and serve.

I like it, because you don't have to boil and peel the potatoes, and it tastes good.


But LEMOINY potato salad sounds like a rare treat. Please tell us how you do it.

~ FreeThinke

Z said...

FT: I love the idea of adding bacon to the potato salad...thanks! And for the tip that avoids boiling and peeling!

I am a Best Foods mayo and French's mustard girl, and I do like Heinz!

You just take mayonnaise and add lemon juice. She boils Idahos, peels them when they've cooled...adds finely chopped celery, chopped hard boiled eggs, and the dressing....Mayo, lemon juice, S&P. It's fabulous.

Z said...

nanc..what a better way of getting a cheeseburger than throwing a slice on top and letting it melt ...and it moisturizes the beef too, I'll bet.

I've had hamburgers with feta cheese in them and that's great, too.....i'm getting hungry!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Z!

Simplicity is a virtue, isn't it?

I've got your mother's recipe coped, pasted and filed for future use. Can't wait to try it.

Heinz Ketchup is perfectly delicious, but I just hate the associations since Long John Kerry ran for POTUS. So I used Hunt's.

Best Foods and Hellmann's are one and the same product, I'm pretty sure. I think we went though this once before. I believe It's sold as best Foods out West and Hellmann's farther east.

My cousin once worked for Best Foods in New York–––this was AGES ago–––and she mentioned then what I just told you.

I'd never do this on July 4th, but some time for a new twist on an old theme try my:


Chinese Hamburgers

Chopped beef
Finely minced scallion or two
Two cloves garlic pressed
OR use 1 tsp Garlic Powder
I Tbs peeled and finely minced ginger root
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Creme Sherry

Blend all ingredients together. Let marinate (preferable overnight)

Make individual burger patties

Charbroil till medium rare.

Serve with steamed rice cooked in chicken bouillion and and lightly stir-fried salad of Chinese cabbage, sliced water chestnuts, snow pea pods, thinly sliced carrots, bok choy, and fresh bean sprouts.

Sprinkle with a light dressing of rice vinegar, soy sauce, a little garlic and peanut oil.

It's a fun meal when you want a change of pace.

~! FreeThinke

Z said...

FT!!
UPDATE ON MOM'S POTATO SALAD....i just spoke with her....

for 5-6 lg. potatoes, ALSO add about 1 1/2 T of dried mint and 2 T French's Mustard!! (who knew?)

"Lots of lemon" she reminds...

So..mayo, fresh lemon juice, mint and mustard and S&P...just keep tasting and adjusting till you like it, you know?

good luck!

Papa Frank said...

Z -- the deer is much leaner than beef and far better for you. If a deer is field dressed correctly and processed well then the difference in taste to beef is very minimal. It makes a wonderful meatloaf and the tenderloin steaks on the grill are awesome. As for rabbit being tough to eat in every way it was probably cooked wrong. Rabbit, to me, is best cooked up like fried chicken in a cast iron skillet and then cooked in rice and cream of chicken soup in the oven. Squirrel is best cooked the same exact way and is a little better tasting than the rabbit. Part of my fondness for hunting is my love of cooking and my lifelong search for better and fresher ingredients.

Anonymous said...

Hope you are having a blast this weekend. I had some sad news today. My dear friend's husband died. He was sick for awhile and they both are much older than me, but still it was upsetting since when I called her all chipper today she broke the sad news to me.

Weird, my oldest son and Caryl have the same birthday together, and Brad, her husband died tuesday on my dear hubby's birthday. Just weird.

Well, do not mean to be a damper, guess I am just sort of at a loss today since I cannot fly home to Chicago - the funeral was over Thursday.

Sigh.......

Z said...

Pops..Okay. I'd try deer based on your delicious sounding recommendations. But I will NOT EAT SQUIRREL... NO way, Jose. Not after watching them run up and down our pine trees here in our front yard!

Z said...

Layla, I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend....may God, after this initial grief, give you all peace and happy memories to lessen the pain. really so sorry.

Brooke said...

I'm totally coming over next Fourth, Z! :)

Anonymous said...

Morgan's Miraculous Hot Wings!

Why are they miraculous? They're SO good that you'll eat too many, and MIRACULOUSLY a little troll will appear in your toilet tomorrow with a Bic lighter!

Prepare the Sauce in a medium size glass bowl:

*6 tblsp. butter or Smart Balance
(Why Smart Balance? Every extra 10 minutes counts, right?)

*3 tblsp. Pace medium salsa or any good salsa, medium heat is best

*1/2 cup ketchup (Hunt's, not the commie stuff)

Combine ingredients in bowl and heat in microwave for 45 seconds. Stir well. It's important not to overheat if using butter, just warm it up.

ADD:

*2 tsp. garlic

*1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

*2 1/2 tblsp. hot sauce (Tobasco)

*1 tblsp. white vinegar

Stir everything well and heat again for 30-40 seconds in the microwave. Stir! Sit! Stay! :-)
Taste the sauce. If it's too hot, add a little bit of garlic, ketchup, and butter. Just a little. If it's not hot enough, add a little Cayenne and hot sauce.

Nanette and Carmen like it a bit cooler, Marcus and moi like it hotter.
Moi? That an Appalachian mother.

Let's prepare the wings!


*thaw chicken wings and dry excess water (important if frying in oil)
-don't buy Tyson chicken, they gave millions to the Clintons

*deep fry in peanut oil (tastiest)
OR
*bake wings in the oven on non-stick pan (it's those ten minutes again!)

*OPTIONAL: thinly coat cooked wings with sauce and cook at 450 degrees for 7 minutes (and 20 seconds)

*heavily slop the sauce on the wings and enjoy!


Morgan

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the mention,z. You know we Conservative Aussies love America! Your Armenian burgers sound fantastic! We eat lots of Greek and Lebanese food and some of the flavors you mention sound just like that...mmm
Next 4th, we should have our house fully renovated and I'm already inspired to have a 4th July winter celebration for our expat American friends. I'll have to be creative!
It can't quite be the same as yours over there though. I hope it was fantastic. This time I contented myself with playing Mariah's Star Spangled Banner to my American mom (living in Australia) over the phone...heh.

Anonymous said...

You sound like my kind of person Aurora!

Morgan

Anonymous said...

Namaste I went to your blog and read your story. It was wonderful! I tried to comment, but have a Blogger problem of some sort and can only comment as "anonymous." Keep up the good work.

Morgan, aka JINGOIST

Z said...

Morgan, thanks so much! Am looking forward to trying these...Mr. Z LOVES HOT FOOD! Me, not so much...so I'll maybe do half and half!?

Aurora...I didn't know you had an American mother..tell her HELLO from me! What State?
Morgan's right; you're OUR kind of girl!! Thanks for your words.

Anonymous said...

Z, my mouth is watering here.
I love Greek food, all food Mediterranian.
I would simply love to let you cook for me...bwahahahaha!

I'll have to check out the blogs you linked that are new to me.

Blessings to you.

Z said...

Morgan...so in your first option you don't cook the wings WITH the sauce on them?

And is 10 min in the oven long enough? sounds sooo good!

I love your political asides in the recipe...that would make a hilarious Conservative cookbook, wouldn't it?!

The WordSmith from Nantucket said...

We had an American picnic with an ethnic twist yesterday.

One day, I want you to cook me an American hot dog with an Armenian flavor.

MathewK said...

mmmmmm food, good thing i had barbecued lamb for dinner. That's something you folks over there don't get much of. Nothing like lamb folks, especially Australian lamb. That's the best.

Anonymous said...

Z wrote:
"Morgan...so in your first option you don't cook the wings WITH the sauce on them?"

Right. This is a way to get some of the sauce cooked on there.

"And is 10 min in the oven long enough? sounds sooo good!"

Only after they're cooked. This is additional if you liked the sauce cooked on instead of just slathered on top.


"I love your political asides in the recipe...that would make a hilarious Conservative cookbook, wouldn't it?!"

We have a whole list of stuff we won't buy. Progressive Insurance tops the list since they contribute tens of millions/year to radical leftist causes.

I hope you like the wings Z!
BTW we southerners have always put mustard in potato salad, now I gotta try the mint.

Morgan

Pat Jenkins said...

the burgers sound delish z, seriously!! (my racheal ray impersonation there!) and no matter what you put on it, the GRILL is american so there you go.... the "melting pot" of bloggers who have moving tails of this land, truly define the character and meaning of this country. and that is somethng to celebrate!!!

Z said...

wordsmith...I'm such a hotdog nut, this really has me thinking. I swear I'll get back to you somewhere, somehow, if I don't get a great idea before this post is too far down the scroll to catch your eye again!
I guess the idea of altering the traditional great dog on a warm bun with French's mustard and sweet pickle relish has me questioning the idea BUT, I am intrigued.


MORGAN..would you believe I"m STILL confused about the cooking/sauce thing? HELP! Tell me again the best way to cook IF you love 'the more sauce the better', okay?

Pat! TRY THEM!>>>it is good. The Aussie's barbie, too, of course...matter there's a cute little joke I normally wouldn't tell on the site, but we're all adults! "fire up the grill and put another KEN on the Barbie!" (oops!)!!!

Pinky, you come here and I will DEFINITELY cook for you. Of course, it'll be the very first time I do cook for someone with lavender hair, you understand!!!! But, I'm open to it! (Smile)

Anonymous said...

Sorry for the confusion Z.
Cooking the wings:

1. Bake to medium or medium-well.
OR
2. Deep fry in peanut oil (tastiest method)

*Here's the option, which comes AFTER the wings are cooked:
You can slather some sauce on the wings and throw them back in the oven at 430 degrees or thereabouts until the some of the sauce has turned a bit crispy. Usually 10-15 minutes.

THEN

Load the rest of the sauce on the wings and eat em up!

Morgan

Z said...

WORDSMITH...I've got it. But you have to BEG me (heh heh).. deeelicious!


MORGAN...it was I who was confused. THIS sounds fantastic! THANKS...perfectly understood now (duh)

Anonymous said...

While I'm giving up recipes I'll tell you a good recipe for homemade French Fries.

Slicing the fries:

1. Buy some taters and slice your own fries. Wash potatoes thoroughly. Get the big, looong potatoes, cut them in 1/2, and then start cutting your own fries. Don't make them tiny, think of a short and fat cigar.

Prepare the sauce, combine:

1 1/2 cups Hellman's Mayo
2 tblsp. warm water
1 to 1 1/2 tblsp. curry powder
1/3 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. of hot sauce

*Stir well and add hot sauce to taste. It's a wonderful addition to add bite to what SHOULD be a strong curry flavor.

* After the sauce is made, deep fry the potatos until they are golden brown and remove all excess grease with paper towels. Dip them in the sauce, it's ADDICTIVE!

Morgan

Anonymous said...

Z I sure hope you enjoy the fattening recipes that I've developed. On the fries I was inspired by the mayo and curry sauces they sell for fries in Antwerp and Denhelder! I really enjoyed what the vendors made there, but KNEW that the sauce was missing something. The garlic added a touch of something for the back of the mouth (it's hard to put a finger on) and the hot sauce REALLY livened up the curry flavor. My kids and I LOVE to experiment with sauces and such.

Morgan

Anonymous said...

Just LOVE all this wonderful politically-incorrect food.

Morgan, thanks so much for sharing your secrets. I'm glad to know that SOMETHING really good came out of Belgium in recent years. ;-)

Long live experimentation with sauces and fun with food.

God bless! It's been a good Fourth if July weekend, even if it is raining cats and dogs here right now.

~ FT

Anonymous said...

You're welcome Jin! Food IS fun and GOOD food hits the same spot in the brain as...well you know!
It has been a good 4th, and rainy as hell here too.

Morgan

Z said...

Morgan, thanks SO much!! Am eager to try these, tho the Z's don't eat a lot of potatoes (i could LIVE on them..I never met a potato I didn't LOVE)....just sounds GREAT.

I'm thinking about passing the recipes out to my nephews and nieces..and I WILL credit YOU!!!

Thanks a million!!

FT and Morgan: RAIN? In FLORIDA !!

Gotta admit it's pretty darned perfect around here today.....the June Gloom's gone (I love rain!)

Z said...

WORDSMITH and MORGAN and FT:

I'm going to give up a recipe I just invented after having been spurred on by Wordsmith for an Armenian HotDog recipe! I was taking off on what I could put on a 'normal' hot dog then realized that's not Armenian enough:

Here goes: Ground lamb mixed with as much minced garlic as you like, ground cumin, a little tomato paste, grated onion and parsley and maybe some cayenne.. Blend til just mixed then make into a hot dog shape.

Bake or grill......

Take a pita pocket and carefully open it up....spread on there some hummus OR plain yogurt that has chopped fresh mint in it..or ALL that stuff? Maybe some fresh chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce?.then wrap that around the cooked lamb 'hot dog'..I think that COULD be a winner!!?> (I should try it, too!!!)

wordsmith...what do you think? You asked for it!!!

Z said...

MORGAN..ever tried baking those fries?

Anonymous said...

I HAVE baked them! Non-stick pan sprayed liberally--ooops! Sprayed copiously with butter spray, and baked at 450-470 degrees. Check on them every five minutes or so.

Morgan

Anonymous said...

I almost forgot, sprtasy the potatoes too. That's why you want ther butter spray. I'm going to try the last thing you wrote about because Carmen and I LOVE lamb!

Morgan

Z said...

Morgan..let me know! I haven't done it yet myself, but I can't imagine they won't be good. I have had the ground lamb with cumin and that is one heck of a combo. OH!! Fried eggplant in that wrap would be great. What's better with lamb than eggplant?

mmm

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Z,

No, you put the Louisiana hot sauce on the patty as it is cooking. Just a few drops.

Try it the next time you're tired of eating ground beef sandwiches and actually want a hamburger.

I'll boldly say it.

If you have never cooked Louisiana hot sauce into your ground beef patty, you have never actually had a hamburger.

You've been fooled by a vast leftist conspiracy to subvert your understanding of all things right, proper, decent, and American.

Hamburgers without Louisiana hot sauce?

Next you'll tell me there's a such thing as a pizza with less than seven toppings.

Ludicrous!

Z said...

Beamish....TABASCO? Is that what you mean by LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE?

Okay..I'm ducking the frying pans you're throwing and No, I AM NOT STUPID..so STOP THAT! PUT THAT PAN DOWN!! :0)

We California girls just can't know EVERYTHING, ya know! have another beer.

Anonymous said...

z said Aurora...I didn't know you had an American mother..tell her HELLO from me! What State?
Morgan's right; you're OUR kind of girl!! Thanks for your words.


aww...I'm honored! Thanks Morgan. :)

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Tabasco sauce is too hot.

Louisiana hot sauce is "just right."

Why it's even good on grits and scrambled eggs :)

Z said...

beamish, is this a trap? that sounds WAY hotter than Tabasco!!

Mr. Z would LOVE that stuff..and I believe he might have had some of that sauce on a scrambled egg dish he had out for bkfst yesterday morning.."Louisiana Scramble", they called it......hmmm

Anonymous said...

The lamb concoction sounds really delicious, Z, but maybe it would be more practical done burger fashion? Just a thought!

I know ground lamb has a high fat content (at least where I get it) and can easily disintegrate,

But oh what lovely flavors you've dreamed up!

FT

PS: I took down your mother's revisions on the potato salad. Haven't grown mint here, but used to have a great PATCH of the stuff up north. I LOVE mint. Really miss having if for iced tea.

Z said...

FT...it has to be dried, VERY finely crushed mint!

And, the 'hot dog' shape is the traditional shape of the lamb "kebab" when it's ground..no worries on that...Long, tubular shape is the way to go.

it's the stuff (sauce, etc.) around it, and serving it on a pita which I invented in the request for an ARMENIAN HOT DOG!!

Z said...

RE: MORGAN"S HOTWINGS RECIPE:

That 'GARLIC' is GARLIC POWDER, folks.

I might put this recipe up as a post soon...stay tuned. Sounds fabulous!

CJ said...

I love to read about food. I'm wondering, Z, if you would put up your family's favorite recipe for hummus? I know it's done many ways but I bet you do it with lemon juice and mint? Also, is Tabbouli part of Armenian cuisine?

Z said...

Hi, CJ....Tabouli is Middle Eastern. Armenian food's divided into three camps: Russian Armenian (lots of yogurt, rice, pomegranites with meats, and more Russian style savory pastry stuff) I have a Russian Armenian aunt whose family's been here for years and the food is great!

Turkish Armenian food is a mixture of Turkish and Armenian, of course...Armenia was once a huge empire encompassing Turkey, then the muslims got busy and pushed and pushed till Armenians were left just occupying villages throughout Eastern Turkey (Dad's side was in Marash, the 'ice cream capital' of Turkey!!? who knew?! and, of course, those villages were pillaged and the people were massacred in the early 1900's)...that's more rice (pilaf), green beans steeped in tomatoes, lamb, more lamb, stuffed veggies, ground lamb dishes, and "Armenian pizza", whose recipe I MIGHT give up to Morgan if he begs!! So, I had this cuisine through Dad's side. Also, you've all had bakhlava with nuts; well, you haven't LIVED till you've had it with a CUSTARD concoction where the nuts normally go...a thick, gorgeous custard between those hundred layers of filo dough (my grandmother actually made her own and I believe they had something like 100 layers in her pakhlava!) you pour a sugar water over that and GO TO HEAVEN!


Mom's side lived for years in Constantinople (the elite, dontchaknow...so much so that her uncles went to University in Munich and Paris/funny that I'd come to live in both cities in my life, huh?)....that food is the food that has hummus, tabouli, lots of olive oil, lemon etc. (she moved to Cairo most of her upbringing and so some of that cooking is what I'm familiar with, too). Lots of fresh vegetables...

Hummus recipe;

Throw into a blender (cuisinart)

drained canned garbanzos
as much garlic as you like
tons of lemon juice (the key..most people don't put enough)
S&P
TAHINI sauce (from Middle Eastern stores, usually)
NO MINT.
just keep tasting and you'll get it right!

I should put up a few recipes, that would be fun! Stay tuned. thanks for asking, sorry for the long-winded answer, but you know me and food!

CJ said...
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Z said...

By the way, Wordsmith..ANY time. You let me know. You must live 10 minutes from us.