BEST sandwich

that's right, i'm declaring the best sandwich in the world (okay, one of the best). it's an extension of the BLT, and it's called the BEST: bacon, egg, spinach, and tomato. and i own that name. nobody else can use it without paying royalties.

as i like to say, "a sandwich is only as good as its weakest tomato." i own that too. seriously :)

of course, you can substitute turkey bacon or tofu or anything else you prefer. spread mayo on one slice of toast made from a tasty bread, preferably one with a nice crust. add the four layers, being sure to salt and pepper the tomato.

enjoy this seriously good sandwich.

and of course use this to your heart's content*.

* your real heart may not like it so much, but that's what exercise is for... to work off your foodie habits.

chocolate covered marshmallows

kristin made these wonderful treats over the holidays, and then again the other night. they're salty and sweet and my goodness are they tasty.you'll need:

marshmallows
dark chocolate
coarse sea salt
toothpics

melt dark chocolate in a double boil. stick large marshmallows with wooden toothpics and dip them in the chocolate. set out on a sheet of wax paper and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

sorry, no picture... we ate them to fast.

quality: 5/5
price: cheap!

ham and spinach frittata

made this this morning. tasty as heck, especially opposite a caprese salad.

6 eggs
1/2 to 2/3 cup grated cheese
1 to 1/12 cup of sliced baby spinach
1/4 cup ham, diced and browned
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

preheat the over to 375f. heat the oil in an oven-safe pan. mix all the ingredients in a bowl and pour into the oiled pan. let sit 5-10 minutes until it seems the bottom has browned. then move the pan into the oven for 10 minutes or so until the top appears to be settled. then switch to broil and place the pan in the broiler for 2-3 minutes until brown on top.

cut and serve, just like anything else.

ball drop

new drink. made tonight. fun.

1 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz sweet vermouth (mmm....sweet vermouth)
4-6 oz ginger ale
freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/4 or 1/8 of a lemon)

shake and serve in a martini glass with a maraschino cherry, two if you're feeling cheeky.

tomo

sushi. very fine sushi. slightly pricey, but filling, which is saying something for sushi. they have this japanese lasagna that will knock you silly. it does contain some cream cheese, so if you're not into that in your rolls, then maybe you should stick to the mt. fuji, the ex-girlfriend, or the eel.

here is the chowhound topic discussing the restaurant, corroborating and elaborating on my story. just about every review i've seen of this restaurant has put it in the top tier of sushi spots in austin, which i have to agree after two visits is spot on. on top of the great food, this place lacks the pretension of other places in town, places like uchi and (tho i like this place) kenobi.

but then again, it is in north austin, the least pretentious (and least expensive!) part of town...

beni di batasiolo bosc dla rei

this 2006 moscato will knock your dessert wine socks off. what, you say? you don't have dessert wine socks? ya gotta get a pair. slip 'em on then knock 'em off with this sweet wine.

there is nothing subtle about this wine, but with moscato, that's the idea, right? i won't use any winehead terms to talk about bosc; i'll let you find the words once you can get yourself to stop drinking this once you open the bottle. i bet it's empty before you get much of a word out.

next time, i'm gonna try this with some smooth, mellow vanilla ice cream. i'll let you know how it goes.

i think it ran us somewhere around $12. 4/5 stars, if stars are what you're after.

corn pancakes

finally made these the other day. my ad hoc recipe went something like:

1. cut the corn off its cob on 3 ears of corn.
2. heat some vegetable oil. yeah, we'll be frying these varmits!
3. start a mix of 3/4 cup of corn meal,
4. 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour,
5. 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
6. 2 teaspoons baking powder,
7. salt and pepper,
8. 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.
9. start a mix of 3/4 cup milk,
10. an egg,
11. the corn from 1 above.
12. stir dry into wet, stir well.
13. drop dollups into the frying pan from 2 above.
14. let dry on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
15. eat before they cool!

sorry, no picture. i ate 'em too fast (see 15 above)!