Land Ho!

Greetings from sunny and warm San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

El Condado, to be precise. 

A Starbucks to be exact. 

So, im sorry if the 5 of you feel abandoned. But ive been rather busy. Done with my English class for this semester, so technically im supposed to be done with this blog, but i dont think i can. Especially since I am back home for the holidays and there is SO much food to be destroyed. I thought id let you know about some of the neat foods that i grew up with. 

This is Mofongo.  

Its effin great. Check out the link.

And this is a Cuban Sandwich.

It too is friggin awesome and if u ever make it down to PR, the best place to have one is at the Espan~a Reposteria in Carolina.  

Well thats it for now. Ill try to keep posting as often as i can. No internet tubes connected to my grandmothers apts leaves me having to walk down to the closest starbucks. its a bit of a walk. 

anyways, have a lovely day and as always, 

Mahalo. 

Lil research paper for ya'lls.

Propane in all its glory.  

What is propane? Most of us don’t really know how to answer that question. All we care to know about it is that we cook with it outside on the grill and that Hank Hill, the star of Mike Judge’s animated classic King of the Hill, is a proud and ardent provider of propane and propane accessories. Proposed in the following pages are a few examples and a short history of the manufacture of propane and of its use in homes, food service industries around the world and as a short term solution to the environmental problems caused by gasoline and diesel.

Propane was discovered by a U.S. chemist named Walter O. Snelling who worked for the United States Bureau of Mines. According to the Propane Education and Research Council:

Propane is a hydrocarbon (C3H8) and is sometimes referred to as liquefied petroleum gas, LP-gas, or LPG. Propane is produced from both natural gas processing and crude oil refining, in roughly equal amounts from each source. Most propane used in the United States is produced domestically, with about 15 percent imported from overseas. It is nontoxic, colorless, and virtually odorless. As with natural gas, an identifying odor is added so the gas can be readily detected (PERC).

In order for propane to be stored and transported, it is kept under extremely high pressure so that it stays in liquid form. It has a boiling point of about −44C° to 0C° or (−47F° to 32F°). Because of the high pressure in which propane is kept, heavy steel containers are needed to store it. Besides cooking, some of propane’s other uses include heating, powering vehicles and even outdoor lighting. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia states that LPG is an attractive fuel for internal-combustion engines; because it burns with little air pollution and little solid residue, it does not dilute lubricants, and it has a high octane rating (CEE 6^th Edition).

In an article appearing on LP/Gas, contributing editor James E. Guyette writes, “Hot demand for outdoor living products such as propane-fueled grills has 20 pound cylinders rolling off the exchange racks and several companies are now serving up tank delivery services (28).” As the increase in the use of propane products rise, the demand for a more convenient way to exchange empty tanks also rises. This leads to more companies setting up exchange racks around. Some of them have even gone to the lengths of offering propane delivery services. All the consumer has to do is call the number and they will dispatch a truck with full and empty cylinders to your house and their trained employees will exchange and set up your new tank.

Propane also has a place in the transportation field. An article about the tax advantages of a propane fueled school bus fleet in an effort to go green, published in the CPA Journal, authors Bruce A. Leauby and Jack Zook, write that “The recent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel prices is wreaking havoc on the transportation budgets of school districts and independent bus contractors. Rising fuel prices, coupled with new emissions standards scheduled to take effect, present a challenge for fleet managers (51).” A new “propane powered” bus introduces the chance for school district as well as operators to take advantage of the tax credits being awarded by the government for upgrading their fleets to meet the new emissions standards that have taken effect or will take effect by the end of the year. They continue to write that according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies show that propane “produces 30%-90% less carbon monoxide and 50% fewer toxins and other smog-producing emissions” than gasoline. Propane is also non-toxic. That means that its not harmful to humans and it wont contaminate soil and water sources. It also has a higher octane rating (104-112) than gasoline (87-92) and due to this, the engine’s efficiency is raised, the “service life” of the engine is extended. In turn fewer trips to the garage for engine maintenance are made.

In another example of how propane is in line to help small businesses become “greener”, Ron Hall, editor at large for Landscape Management, writes about a small landscaping business in one suburb of Chicago who’s owner, Eric Hansen, has been field testing propane fueled hand held gear and mowers for the past 3 years. Mr. Hansen sees “Four benefits to propane versus gasoline” when it comes to landscaping equipment. Lesser amounts of emissions from the mowers, burns cleaner than gasoline and there is less maintenance, less noise pollution from his equipment and finally money is saved (Hall 15). Hansen continues to suggest that “Landscape companies should be looking for green initiatives that they can adopt. Using propane is something that we can do (Hall 15).” This makes perfect sense if you happen to use the services of a landscaping company in your home town. Less noise coming in from the outside and since the company is saving money then they can afford to charge less for their services and pass on those savings to their customer base.  The article continues to state that “Texas is the hottest market in the U.S. for propane mowers for several reasons (Hall 22).”  Mainly because most of the LP gas that’s consumed by the U.S. comes from Texas and there is a $1000 dollar incentive offered by the Propane Council of Texas, for the purchase of new factory-direct LPG, zero-turn commercial mowers or a conversion of a zero-turn commercial mower  with less than 200 hours of operation (Hall 22). This gives the opportunity to landscape business owners and consumers alike, to save money while they take one step forward in curbing toxic emissions from gasoline or diesel powered equipment.

Propane is not the answer to all of our energy needs. We know that. Fossil fuels, like petroleum and natural gas are not going to last forever. There is plenty of evidence and studies that have been pointing that out for years now. But what propane does offer is a shortening of the gap from fossil fueled based transportation and heating needs to a complete source of renewable energy.  There will still be a need for propane once our dependency on fossil fuels decreases over the next few years and decades.

            Well then why do we still use propane for grilling if we know its not a renewable source? The answer is simple: Convenience. It is convenient for me to use one of the two propane grills at my home. That’s part of why I have been grilling most of my meals for the last 30 days. My meals have been less greasy and they taste better. What ever it is that makes our lives here a little bit easier, that’s always what we are going to choose. We use charcoal to grill also, but in the end, it always takes longer than with propane. Unless you want to get dirty with the coals or perhaps risk the loss of arm hairs, stirring the coals over and over just to get the heat evened out, propane is the way to go. Temperature control is a breeze, most modern gas grills today look like something designed by NASA space engineers, with extra countertop burners on the side and all sorts of other fancy things. No ashes to clean up afterwards either. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the gas grill is 1 button push ignition. No more looking around for that long lighter or rolling up a piece of newspaper to light the burners with. Just turn the knob, push on that fantastical little red button and in 4 minutes you can begin to enjoy the art of grilling.

Works Cited.

1.      “The Basics of Propane.” Propane Education and Research Council.        <http://www.usepropane.com/what-is-propane/propane-basics/>. 25^th Oct 2010.

2.      Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition; 7/1/2010, Masterfile Premire. Web.     25^th  Oct. 2010.

3.      Guyette, James E. “BBQ Cooking with Cylinder sales and delivery.” LP/Gas;           Aug2007, Vol. 67 Issue 8, p28-28, 2/3p, Masterfile Premire Web. 25^th  Oct. 2010.

4.   Hall, Ron. “Can Gas Remain King?” Landscape Management, Aug2010, Vol. 49 Issue 8, p14-25, Masterfile Premire Web. 25^th Oct 2010.

5.   Leauby, Bruce A., Zook, Jack. “Going Green with Propane School Buses Offers Great Tax Advantages.” CPA Journal; Mar2010, Vol. 80, Issue 3 p51, Masterfile Premire Web. 25^th  Oct 2010.

Reflections and Conclusions.

Over the last 30some days, Ive been doing something that I always enjoyed. Cooking. I've worked in many a kitchen but always enjoyed my kitchen over the rest. The only drawback was that at home, I didnt have access to all that fancy commercial kitchen appliances. Salamander grills, flat grills, ROBOT food processors, a crepe station. But working in a restaurant kitchen wore me out. Too much stress, too much caffeine, too many dumb wait staff. I quit doing that line of work years ago and with that, I quit cooking at home. Granted I still had to eat and I sure didnt not have an extravagant budget to eat out every night at my favorite place, Chinese Homestyle Cooking or CHC for short. So I settled for menial but tasty meals, ranging from hamburger helper to hot ham and cheese sandwiches.

In the past month, I went from cooking at home once or twice a week to almost 4 times a week. And not just for myself either. I have roommates now and at some point or another they all tried something I conjured up out on the grill. So far the most popular item was the Boston Butt Roast. Those were what I see as my successes. I did have some failures too. Like the fact that I wanted to cook more things, but one of our bills was an outlandish amount due to the fact that our sub pump was still running like crazy all the time the previous month. Another observation I had the other day is that I only went to CHC a few times last month and did fewer trips to the Wendy's down the street from where I live.

Its been an interesting month. Im sure the neighbors were wondering "why that guy is grilling at night or why is he taking pictures of his food! What kind of crazy person lives next to us and should we be alarmed enough to arm ourselves?" The answers to these questions are as follow: Because I sometimes work in the afternoon, because Im trying to document the cooking process, not crazy but a little unstable at times and no, there is no cause for concern or loaded weapons.

In the end, I realize that food does indeed taste better when its cooked out on the grill, it can be less expensive than eating out on a regular basis and that it can be balanced out evenly with fresh steamed or grilled veggies. Also I think that I may have lost a little weight. Which is always a plus. Ill keep doing this as long as people keep reading it. Remember im always open to suggestions so feel free.
Until next time,
Mahalo.

"This is the end, My only friend, The end."

 "Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane"-Jim Morrison. 

Im just kidding, Im not gonna stop doing this just cause the assignment is over. Cooking is something Ive always enjoyed doing but I lost the love to do it for others a while back ago. People are just too damn picky.  So lets go out with a bang shall we? I give to you, Surf and Turf at its finest. You will need the following:

2 Chuck eye steaks or New York Strip steaks 

1/2 lb of medium sized shrimp, peeled.

1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.

4 small red potatoes and 4 small golden potatoes.

1 bottle of spray butter substitute. (it was on sale! 2 for 3 bucks). 

2 stems of fresh rosemary. 

1 cup of lemon juice. 

1 tbsp of minced garlic.

Remember the hobo pack from a few posts back? Well its the same concept with the potatoes. Cut each potato into four pieces, place on the foil, spray with the butter. Take off the leaves of the rosemary stems and chop them up nice and fine. Sprinkle over the potatoes, add some salt and pepper if desired. Wrap that up and place it on the grill ahead of time. Next up, place your peeled and cleaned raw shrimp in a bowl, mix by hand with the lemon juice and garlic, cover with wrap and place it on the fridge. Season your steak with whatever makes your little heart content and shove that in the fridge as well. After about 20 minutes, place your steaks on the grill. Cook them normally for about 7 or 8 minutes. Place the shrimp on top of the steaks, drop all your burners to low and close your lid. Come check on your grill every 3 minutes until the shrimp are nice and pink, then sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top. Close the lid again. Give it another 2 or 3 minutes and then remove from the grill. Be careful when you open your potato pack. Hot steam will rise and could potentially burn your fingers. Plate and enjoy. 

My roommate's cousin was fortunate enough to be around the house that afternoon so he joined me for this late late lunch. After wards he passed out on the recliner in the living room with a grin on his face and both hands on his distended looking stomach.

Until next time, 

Mahalo.  

Practice for ThanksBacon

 Tis the season to give thanks. Thanks for all the good things that make life great. In short, thanks for bacon. My silly friend, who's protected identity I have brought up before, and his lovely but equally silly wife are having an event on the 20th of this month, ThanksBacon Day. A day to celebrate and give thanks for all things bacon. Including and not limited to Kevin Bacon movies. We will be watching Tremors at some point.
Heres what I got for you today. Bacon wrapped scallops with whole garlic cloves skewers. Yep. Dont bother inviting any shimmering vampires for dinner. Ive never cooked scallops before so this was new territory for me. Wash your scallops in cold water and place them in a bowl. Take 6 large cloves of garlic and peel them. Wrap bacon around the scallop and skewer then follow the wrap with one of the cloves of garlic. Be careful not to stab yourself in the palm of the hand. The clove will probably split in half but dont worry, when you place the next wrapped scallop, make sure to squeeze it together to keep the garlic clove in place. Repeat this process 3 more times.

The meat counter had some Kansas City fillets on sale so i picked up a couple of them. I had 2 extra cloves of garlic peeled and since I did no want them to go to waste, I placed them in the middle of the fillets. Once you place them on the grill, you have to watch them carefully. The fillets are pretty thick, so they will take a little bit longer to cook, depending on how you like your meat cooked. The skewers can cook REAL fast of you dont watch them. Once that bacon grease starts to drip, flares will lash out at your skewers and are likely to ruin your meal.

Heres a special treat! While walking around the produce isle at hyvee i noticed that plantains were 99 cents a lb. Feeling a bit homesick, I picked up a pair and fried them up as Tostones! Heres what you do, heat up a fry daddy or just a pan of oil in your stove to about 350 degrees. Dont try to use ripe plantains for this, too much moisture and they wont hold together well. Anyways, peel your plantains, and cut in 1 inch diagonal segments, soak them for 15 minutes in 4 cups of water with 2 crushed and minced cloves of garlic and 2 teaspoons of salt. After the 15 minutes are up, remove them from their bath and drain them well. Fry for 7 minutes in the hot out and remove. Drain them on a paper towel and when they have cooled off enough, take them one by one, place them between 2 paper towels and gently push down on them with the palm of your hand until they take a flatter shape. Repeat this with the rest of them, dip them again in the water and garlic bath, let them drain quickly and carefully place them in the fryer for another 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Season with garlic salt and dip them in a Fancy Sauce.

Enjoy and as always,
Mahalo.

Remember Remember The 5th of November...

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I Know of  No Reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should Ever be Forgot.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day, every one! I have some entries for you this week, 3 of them to be exact. Ive been busy making them and documenting them but i havent had the chance to post them so were gonna start with this simple chicken wing recipe. All you need is a pack of wings from your local grocery store, and some Creole Seasoning like the one found below.

I was looking around the kitchen pantry for a mix of different spices and stumbled upon this one. It had all the spices I was looking for and more importantly it contains NO MSG's. Those are bad...mmmkay!

This is a simple as it can get for back yard grilling. Throw your wings in a plastic container with a lid, add a few shakes of your seasoning and then close the lid and shake it. Shake it like a Polaroid picture. Once they are evenly covered, toss em on the grill and close the lid. Crack yourself a beer or a can of pop, Maybe do a small load of dishes. Come back in about 3 minutes and turn your wings. 
Now once again i found myself rummaging through our fridge looking around for some sauces to mix together and coat the wings when I found the Holy Grail of sauces. Iron Chef Sesame Garlic sauce and glaze! I LOVE this show. I cannot stress enough how much of a fan I am of Iron Chef. Not the American version, but the Original one. Its the english dubbing that does it for me. Im not sure why. Maybe I find it hilarious. There could be something wrong with me! So, once your wings are ready to take off the grill, grab a brush and pour half a cup of the glaze into a bowl, step outside and brush half of your wing bounty. Basically you just want the glaze to warm up and caramelize just a little bit. So glaze, close the lid, wait a minute, open lid, turn wings, glaze again and close the lid. You can go ahead and turn the burners off too, so the glaze does not burn.







Once your wings are ready to bring inside, go crazy with your choice of dipping sauces or little side dishes or whatever. Im more of the Old School and like my wings without any dipping sauces like ranch of blue cheese. To me, those are salad dressings not dipping options. I will admit, I have found myself from time to time dipping chicken nuggets in ranch dressing but thats probably because Ive been living in Iowa for WAY too long.
Enjoy and until next time,
Mahalo.

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

 Holy crap Im stuffed! I just ate a plate of country style pork ribs and corn bread! Heres how you too can stuff your pie hole with deliciousness. Brown sugar, all spice, garlic salt and apple cider vinegar. Dont mind the cumin. I thought about using it but in theres cumin in the all spice so it would have been too strong. I also made a double batch of corn bread cause theres gonna be other uses for that in the future. Ill show you in the next few days. So on to the ribs. Sprinkle them with the apple cider vinegar, and sprinkle with the all spice and garlic salt. Grab a quarter cup of brown sugar. Grab half of it and spread it over the ribs then pat them down. Flip them over and repeat the steps above. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Prepare your corn bread mix according to the instructions on the box. Light up the burners on your grill and let it warm up. By this time your corn bread mix should be ready to go, so pop that in the oven. After your corn bread is done, let it sit and cool down for about 10 minutes. I did not do such thing and it crumbled on my plate as you are about to see. Grill your ribs for 20 to 25 minutes, while keeping an eye on them so they dont char. When they are done, serve them up with your corn bread and perhaps some hot sauce. In the end your ribs will have a nice and sweet after taste that will leave you wanting another round. Hope you enjoy this simple meal and share it with the ones you love and care about.
Until next time,
Mahalo.