We went to LA and San Diego to meet up with Mandi’s parents and nephew, go to a wedding, do some work, and whatever else we could fit in. In LA we stayed in Santa Monica so I wandered around there a bit. There’s a nice path along the beach that I walked south to Venice Beach and back. We had beer and other things I don’t remember for dinner at a place on the Third Street Promenade and then more beer and sausage at the Fifth Amendment Alehouse.
We expected traffic on the way down to San Diego, but it wasn’t bad. Somewhere along the way we got thirsty and stopped at a place called Cafe del Sol that’s right off of I-5. I just got iced tea, but the bubbling vats of mystery meat caught my eye.
The iPhone camera isn’t all that great by itself. Fortunately, there are a bunch of great photo apps that can make your photos look better. My new favorite is TiltShift Generator, from the same person who made QuadCamera, another fun photo app. TiltShift Generator doesn’t really turn the iPhone into a tilt-shift camera – what it does is closer to digital “miniature faking” – making regular photos look like staged miniature models. Here are a couple of examples:
…and a couple more from San Diego:
The app makes it very easy to position and configure the sharp spot. There are also color and vignette controls that I like to use to give photos a sort of “toy camera” appearance.
I have most of a bottle of tequila in the cupboard, probably left over from making margaritas a long time ago. Clearly it’s not getting consumed as a beverage, so I decided to try some in a marinade for chicken. It’s excellent mixed with lime juice, salt, pepper, hot sauce, oregano, and cumin. Let the chicken marinate for as long as you can, up to overnight. I’m not sure what it really does, but the chicken seems to take on a nicer golden brown color, and maybe there’s a little of that desert-cactus flavor from the tequila. I first tried it with wings, but it’s great on all bird parts.
Eggplant dip isn’t very pretty, so no photo…it is delicious and easy to make though!
Ingredients:
1 big eggplant
2 garlic cloves
basil
about 2 T olive oil
about 1/4 cup goat cheese
about 2 T lemon juice
salt, pepper, maybe hot sauce
One big eggplant makes plenty of dip for two. Peel and slice it into about 1/2 inch thick discs. Salt lightly and grill or roast until brown outside and soft inside. Put the ‘plant in a sealed container for at least a few minutes to steep.
Put the garlic and eggplant in a food processor and whiz a bit then scrape down the sides. Add some olive oil and lemon juice, whiz and scrape. Add the basil and goat cheese, whiz and scrape. It should look like dip – whiz more and maybe add olive oil, lemon juice, and/or goat cheese if it’s not smooth. Taste and season. Serve with celery sticks, pork rinds, or your favorite dip deliverer.
Lots of the ingredients can be substituted: crème fraîche for goat cheese, lime juice for lemon, different herbs.
1/4 cup crème fraîche, heavy whipping cream, sour cream, etc.
1 big onion, sliced
1 pound ground beef
chili powder
1 cup salsa
cheese, such as pepper jack
First, make or acquire a pie shell. I make mine out of almond meal mixed with water, pressed into a pie pan and baked at 350 F until crisp. You could just get one of those frozen things if you’re not into making pie shells. Preheat your oven to 350 F if you’re not making the pie shell while making the chili mixture.
To make the chili mixture, start softening the onions in some butter or olive oil and a little salt over medium heat. You could throw in other vegetables, such as peppers. Add the ground beef when the vegetables are pretty soft. Add your chili powder – I use a mixture of ground cumin, oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper. It’s up to you how much to use. If you want more color but not heat, add mild paprika. If moisture develops, increase the heat a bit and cook it away. Add the salsa when the ground beef is mostly cooked and cook away most of the moisture from that too. Taste the mixture and season as needed – add salt, hot sauce, black pepper, etc.
While you’re cooking the onions and beef, whisk together the eggs and sour cream. Grate some cheese into the bottom of the pie shell and pour in a little bit of the egg mixture. Add the chili mixture and egg mixture in layers with grated cheese, topping the whole thing with a final layer of cheese. Bake at 350 F for about an hour, but take a look at it after about 30 minutes to see how it’s going. When it’s done it should be fully set and the cheese should be golden brown.
Lazy tip: If you don’t have a pie crust and don’t want to make one, make a chili cheese frittata instead! Make the chili mixture as usual, but dump the egg mixture right in the pan once the liquid has cooked off. Stir it around a bit, top with cheese, and bake at around 400 F until it’s puffy and set. Let it rest a little while for easier removal if you used a stainless pan – if you’re lucky it’ll slide right out of your well-seasoned cast iron pan.
