Gen. Applewhite

I had a good meal at Monello in 2016, but no idea how it compares to other Italian places nearby. Some outstanding non-Italian spots in that same neighborhood are Ironside (seafood), Juniper & Ivy (American), and Crack Shack (fried chicken).

That was me. Sorry I didn't see this in time to help dispose of the diddlies in question. Looks like the pics on Shaggy don't work anymore, so I'll repost below. You can use pretty much any crawfish pie filling recipe you find on the internet, but you'll want to tweak if necessary so that the end result has a consistency of refried beans. Basically: make a light roux; add finely diced trinity, garlic and cajun seasoning; stir in cooked rice, green onions, sharp cheddar/cream, and crawfish meat; cool and roll up in store-bought wanton wrappers; deep fry and serve with remoulade.

Just ate there tonight and every dish we had was fantastic. I want to go back to try several things we didn't order. Wish they had liquor/cocktails.

Yeah. The chalkboard on the first tee had them listed as 11.5 over Memorial Day weekend. I went off without any practice strokes on Sunday and basically left everything short all day. It's crazy to call that slow, but compared to how they were running the last few months it was an adjustment. I need to mix in some rounds at the munis here in SA to remind me that not everything is glass.

Escondido greens have been running slower than usual since they micro punched a few weeks ago, but they are bringing them back up to speed slowly.

Dropped it in before playing 18.

Ribeye, pork chops and sirloin, cut into chunks so everybody can have a bit of each. Had to do some QC on that missing bit sirloin to see how it handled 6 hours of sous vide at 130 before a quick blast on the grill.

I say it every time the LA question comes up: Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica.

I was Ubering my way back to DT from Clay Pigeon on White Settlement when it hit. That was intense.

Instead of garnishing with a paprika, I use this. Try it. You'll love it!

I once tried to make drunken beans using the Cooks Illustrated advice to use a shot of tequila instead of a bottle of beer. I said tried because it was an unmitigated disaster. If it's Kosher, I could repost the baked beans and cassoulet recipes that were on the old site before it went to shit. But elfenix rocked my world with his Cajun cassoulet Frankenbeans a few months ago. I am still in awe and will defer to him on that. I'm currently scouting dal makhani and rajma recipes. I won't stop until my wife demands separate bedrooms.

As Cooter mentioned, salsa works. I'd be willing to bet that just plain old tomato sauce would work too (honestly, that's pretty much what Pace is). If all I had was pico I would sauté it with the onions to soften the chunks, and not count it as part of the liquid ratio, so just add more stock. Also, I would not expect it to impart enough orange color to make it look right.

Good call on the salsa if you don't have sofrito on hand. I have used it myself in a pinch and the results were indistinguishable. I like mine to taste mostly like chicken, and will sometimes add a scoop of Better than Boullion to an already strong homemade stock. I think the sofrito mostly just adds a pleasant orange color to the rice, as I can't and don't want to taste the tomatoes. As for the rice, one of the reasons I always cook two cups is because I have zeroed in on the precise ratio and process that works for me. If I had to cook it on an electric cook top (which can't go from high to low heat instantly), or with something other than my 3 quart sauce pan, I'd probably fuck it up. Once I figured that out I got rid of my rice cooker because it was always mushy by comparison, and I like it fluffy and chewy.

Goya brand. The constant 2:1 water to rice ratio is a pernicious myth. You have to play around to find what works for your particular cooking setup and type of rice. Here is a good explanation from Cooks Illustrated.

elfenix, that Mexican rice looks whack as hell. Here is how my abuelita from the Westside used to make it. Start with some sort of fat. Any fat will do, but some are better than others. I had leftover chicken skin, so decided to render out a bit of schmaltz: Remove and eat the crispy skins, then sauté half an onion and scrape the pan. Deglaze with a splash of water if you have to: Once the onion is soft, toast two cups of rice: Two cups of rice gets 2 1/2 cups of liquid. I use 2 cups of very strong chicken stock and a half cup of sofrito. Warm it all up before adding to the rice so that it will come to a boil almost instantly. Once it does, cover and turn the heat all the way down: After 20 minutes, turn the heat off but don't touch the lid. Let it steam for another 10-20 minutes. Then fluff it up:

Inspired by Rimbo, I had the good fortune of having some charro beans on the stove this morning as the storm rolled through the Tone. Everything was on hand already. Not pictured is a quart of chicken stock out of the freezer: Had to use the quick soak method on the beans, which is to boil them for five minutes and then steep off the heat for an hour. That's just enough time to prep the rest. Start by browning up a pound of bacon: Remove the bacon, then fry up the onion and jalapeño in the rendered fat. Once they are soft, add a few cloves of minced garlic and a teaspoon each of cumin and oregano, along with the bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Then a chipotle with some sauce, and a can of Rotel: Add the beans and 4 cups of chicken stock, bring it to a boil and then simmer for an hour until the beans are tender and it's as soupy as you like it: Don't forget to dump the rest of the bacon back at some point. That's all the garnish this bowl needed:

That's what I'm talking about, although some Mexican rice cooked in nearly equal parts butter and chicken stock would take it to 11. I came off a whole30 diet a couple weeks ago and have had beans as the primary component of a meal at least once a day. I enter a room with my own fanfare these days.

I was just about to rec this. It's like a mini Buc-ee's for rich people.

Crawfish étouffée:

Stateside

Leftover pulled pork/queso fresco griddled tacos:

Good day for a round.

Salt, pepper, and 12 hours in a low oven turns this: Into this: The salty, crispy desiccated crust is the best. I thought about carnitas, but ended up making a nice Vietnamese-style rice plate:

Help me up my game. That's why I started a new thread.

First tip: get the right cut of meat. A well-marbled chuck roast is where it's at. This one was 3.5 lbs that HEB tied up into a nice little package: Second tip: brush it with this stuff before you liberally coat it with salt, pepper and any other spices you deem appropriate: Then sear the hell out of it. Don't be shy. At least five minutes a side, if not more. Look at this crust: Third tip: go in dry. It's a pot roast not a braise. Do not add water, stock or any other liquid: Cover it with a lid, put it in the oven at 275, and resist the urge to check it for three hours. Trust me little dude, it's still there. I promise: Although you started dry, you now have a beautiful roast sitting in a good amount of undiluted and extremely flavorful au jus: Now, and only now, add the vegetables to the bottom of the pot and place the meat on top. I leave the garlic cloves whole because I fish them and the celery out before serving. Cover the roast and put it back in the oven for another hour: You may have noticed there were no potatoes, and that's the last tip: roast them separately because crisp potatoes. Eventually the meat will be tender enough to twist a fork in it, and that's when it's ready: