Shut up and eat

Three day weekends. Get that yardwork out of the way,
let's make some cocktails...
Today's drink recipe is courtesy of my friends Alma and Greg who call this the Italian Stallion. Let's just say, his name is not important.

I. Stallion
ingredients
Brandy
Amaretto
Tuaca
ice

method
mix equal parts (aprox 1.5 oz each)of Brandy, Amaretto and Tuaca in a cocktail shaker. Pour over ice and serve.

According to the drinkmixer the real thing is made with Frangelico in place of the Brandy. But with so much alcohol, does it matter?

Here in the kitchen for exploring childhood food, I am reminded of why too much of a good thing equals gluttony. Thank you Wienie Burritos. I can’t remember who volunteered this recipe to me – I think maybe my sister’s husband.
Regardless, two of said burritos are now lodged in my gut, causing me to feel as though I have swallowed a watermelon, whole.

If you care to indulge your inner child with one of these concoctions and suffer along with me, do the following:

Heat 2 hot dogs in 3 cups of boiling water for 2 –3 minutes or until franks are plump and heated through.
Grate ¼ cup of cheddar cheese and set aside.
Heat 2 burrito sized flour tortillas in your microwave using your own personal knowledge of how much time it takes to heat breads without petrifying them.

Place one dog in the middle of a tortilla, sprinkle with ½ of grated cheese, add a squirt or two of mustard. Then, here comes the tricky part – fold sides of tortilla towards center over the ends of the hot dog. You should have a tortilla that looks like a rectangle with open top and bottom. Take edge closest to you and begin rolling this up over the dog in the middle to meet the opposite edge.
Set on plate, edge side down and repeat process for other hot dog and remaining cheese.

Eat. Have favorite antacid nearby.
Serves one.

Tomorrow I pack up the car for a short road trip up the coast to hang out at the New Camaldoli Hermitage. I'll be visiting with the Camaldolese monks who live and make fruit cakes at their Big Sur monastery. It should be a calm, peaceful retreat without the distractions of road noise, gardner's leaf blowers and ringing telephones. No, I do not plan on making any fruit cakes.

I don't much care for them but I like the notion that this is one of the ways the monks make a living. I've heard from reliable fruit cake connoiseurs that the Camaldoli Fruit Cakes are among the best.

In the lopsided way my brain functions, I seemed to have monasteries on my mind today and was thus compelled to purchase a bottle of Chimay Ale - beer brewed by Trappist monks in Belgium to re-test the beer batter recipe I tried last month. The resulting batter was a little on the thick side. So far, I like the previous attempt a bit better. But the ale is good to drink. My suspicion is that cheap beer probably works the best.

Monk Ale Batter Fried Chicken

ingredients
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup ale
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon paprika

2 - 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons flour
vegetable oil or Crisco
salt and pepper

here's what you do...
To make the batter, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and cover with a dish cloth. Set aside on counter to rest for at least 4 hours.

10 minutes before batter is done resting, Fill a deep fryer or high sided pan with aprox 2" of oil or Crisco. Oil should be around 375 degrees.
Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and cut into 1 1/2" strips (each breast will yield aprox. 3 pieces). Place 2 tablespoons of flour in a plastic bag along with chicken strips, hold bag closed and shake to coat chicken. Shake off excess flour and
dredge chicken pieces in batter. Coat well and places pieces in small batches into the hot oil. Fry for about 15 minutes, until outside is brown and crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serves 2 - 3