It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here, so I thought I’d give it a shot to break the silence. Today I woke up in a foul mood; I had a toothache, a headache, and I only got about 4 hours of sleep (I’m Evil Matt if I don’t get more than 9 hours of sleep — yes, I said nine.) My roommate, knowing me best, took me out to a new restaurant to cheer me up. Some people ply the moody person with sex (although that cheers me up, but food and sex are synonymous) and some become workaholics, others delve themselves in their hobbies. I’m all about good food, though.

Normally I’m not too fond of Mexican food, instead preferring Chinese most of the time, but that may be due to most of us Americans sticking with the Taco Bell staples, i.e. tacos, fajitas, burritoes, etc. I usually just order a chimichanga. However, since I try to make it a point to try something new every time I go out to eat, I instead ordered the carne de peurco con chile verde (recipe), or basically a pork stew.

It was freaking ridiculously good. I scarfed it down like there isn’t going to be a tomorrow, and I ended up paying for it later (stupid stomach!) The pork was tender, the broth was packed with flavor, and it was the perfect dish for a cold, rainy day. I even picked out a full bay leaf out of the stew; it was pure homemade goodness. One thing is for sure, I’m definitely going to try something new, and who knows, maybe I’ll become a big fan of Mexican food yet.

After seeing commercials for this hamburger from Wendy’s, I thought it looked good — keyword:  looked good.  In this day and age, we all know that what we order at fast food restaurants will look nowhere near the same as what you see on the menu, on commercials, and other forms of advertising.  It is really sad, and reminds me of the scene in “Falling Down“, where Michael Douglas confronts the cashier with a gun about how what he ordered didn’t look like what he wanted.

Here’s the shot from Wendy’s website of what the burger looks like:

This is what I got tonight:

It wouldn’t be such a big deal if it tasted good, but it didn’t.  Denny’s version of the jalapeno burger is many times better, although Denny’s burger costs a few dollars more.  Luckily Denny’s is closer than Wendy’s for me.

Update:  Here’s a picture of Denny’s jalapeno burger:

Going broke because you splurged for the weekend in the name of gourmet meals is quite cathartic. Last night I made tilapia broiled with sesame oil and kosher salt, and then topped with a coconut milk and curry sauce that brought a lot of flavor to a largely mild fish. Alongside it I made a homemade asparagus soup, and baked potatoes. It all turned out real good.

Tonight I plan on making homemade chicken lo mein and hot and sour soup. The hot and sour soup will include some exepensive imported Chinese dried mushrooms that is both medicinal and delicious in nature.

Tomorrow night will be the big event, with a huge 4lb. lamb roast that will be slow-grilled for hours, and include a merlot steam bath laced with fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs. It’ll be accompanied by fresh peas, and mashed potatoes topped with chives and sour cream. I am so looking forward to this, and hope to have some pictures of the cooking process, and eventually how yummy it feels in my tummy.

I spent a bunch of days in Jacksonville, spending time visiting family, going to the dentist, and just enjoying being back amongst civilization again. While up there, my dad bought me my first grill, and yes it is charcoal (I’m not a gas man) along with a bunch of accessories for grilling.

I’ve never grilled before, but I feel I’ll become a master with some practice and passion. It wasn’t until I got my first grill that I fully realized that getting one is a rite of passage for manhood.

While at the store, the cashier, a gruff man in the Garden section of the store, asked if it was my first grill. This is the conversation that resulted:

Me: Yep, my first grill. I’m pretty excited.
Cashier Guy: That is great, I remember my first grill. Oh, be sure you stack the charcoal in a pyramid to start the coals burning, then spread it with a tong. If you’re smoking wood chips, soak them for an hour or more to make sure they don’t burn, and …
Baggage Man looks up from bagging: This is his first grill?
Chshier Guy: Yep! His first grill!
Baggage Man to me: You’re going to love it, man! Don’t buy barbecue sauce, make your own. Start off with …
Manager of store idles over: His first grill?
Baggage Man and Cashier Guy together: Yep!
Manager of store: I remember my first grill. It was a Weber, and it served me well for many years. (Turns to me.) Take good care of it and it will give you years of happiness. You got a cover for the grill? Yes? Good, keep it covered and …
Another employee saunters over: That’s a great grill to get for your first time. Definitely cover it when you’re not using it.

All four men nod in unison and start going hardcore into grilling; tips, choices of meat, recipes, etc. Of course I joined in with the grunting Tim Allen-style and chest-pounding, but I was in a hurry and couldn’t stick around for too long. I guess my rite of passage into manhood is officially complete.

When I was a young kid, like most any kid, I hated vegetables. I wanted junk food, meat, and sweets. Every weekend, I would spend at my aunt’s house. I would enjoy going there to spend time with my cousins, Bobby and Kimmy. My cousin Bobby who was older than me, I looked up to him as a big brother, as I was the oldest and had no big brother. One day after having fun, we came inside to an empty house, really hungry for lunch. Bobby, looking for something to eat, decided upon vegetable soup. Needless to say, I told him no way, I ain’t eating no veggie soup. But he was so enthusiastic for the soup, all hyped up over it. He’d pour a ton of black pepper in it, yelling in a guttural, deep voice, “vegetable soup!!” as if it were the greatest thing Planet Earth has ever seen.

Somehow his enthusiasm wore off on me; suddenly my interest was peaked. I never had vegetable soup, so maybe there was something to it I was missing? After all, Bobby was so excited about it, so surely it must be fantastic. When it was finished cooking in the pot, he poured both of us a bowl. He dug into it like he never ate food before and was starving to death. I plunged in, a spoon slid in my mouth.

Wait a second, this stuff is actually pretty good, especially with all the pepper in it. So we both dug into the soup with gusto, Bobby grinning goofily, vegetables oozing out of his mouth, barely able to contain his glee.

To this day I still eat vegetable soup with fervor, all because of my cousin, Bobby. I don’t know if he did it to convince me to eat my veggies as a kid, or if he really loved vegetable soup that much, but whatever the case, it worked for me. I mean, it’s vegetable soup!!!!!!

Otherwise known as green gram or mung beans, these things are amazing. I’ve had them before, of course, mostly the canned variety, in stir fries (or what we Americans pass off as stir fry.) However, it wasn’t until yesterday that I had them fresh. My roommate’s brother came by with a dish full of them. They hadn’t sprouted yet. He watered them, drained them, and kept them at room temperature. He kept watering and draining them, and after about the third day, they were bursting, pressing up against the lid. It was pretty neat.

I couldn’t get over how good they were just plain, as a snack. They’d also be great with alfalfa sprouts (which I love a lot, too) sprinkled over a salad, or even included in a sandwich. I’ll definitely be buying these any chance I get.

I present to you the perfect cheeseburger (get a kleneex for the tears.)

From Chubby Hubby: