The Stock Pot

We had some good stuff for the stock pot last night: Leeks, celery, carrots, onions, and, of course, yard bird.

The Whole Enchilada

Growing up in San Antonio, I had a love-hate relationship with the enchilada. (Think: Wednesdays, public school lunchroom, canned chili and cheap cheese.) Great stuff, until track practice at 2:30. Then you're out running on the track, no shade, hottest time of the day, sweat rolling off your temples.

Anyway, this is how I work the enchilada these days.

Home Fry Debate of 1998

Me and my Texas crew used to argue about a variety of important topics--like how to make homefries. I used to boil, then cool, cut, and fry my potatoes. Others (like my friend Mateo) chose the "high impact" method, where the raw potatoes and onions were thrown into a hot skillet, then cooked with a lid on to steam them. The high impact method had the advantage that you could skip a step (boiling the potatoes), and the disadvantage that you had to stand at the stove and monitor the situation. Brief lapses in attention would lead to burned homefries that stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Here's how I roll these days: the potatoes and onions (and in this case, whole cloves of garlic) are chopped and coated with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I then heat up the skillet on the stovetop...


Then pop the whole pan into the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. The potatoes come out great every time, and you don't have to hover over the stove while they cook.

All About Lava

Megan and I went to Lava Hot Springs for St. Valentine's day. On our way to the bar, Roy gave us a tour and history lesson.