Light, Healthy, and Delish!

After enjoying stuffed grapes leaves at a local restaurant several weeks ago, I decided to try my hand at making them at home.  My recipe needs a little tweaking, but the stuffed grape leaves still ended up being really tasty!

Start with cooked barley.  To view a simple recipe for cooking pearl barley, visit http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-barley-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-198693

To your cooked barley, add olive oil, lemon juice, small cubes of feta cheese, and parsley.  Mix thoroughly and let the fun begin!

Grape leaves can be found at most Middle Eastern and Mediterranean markets.  They come tightly packed in salt water so be sure to remove them carefully from the jar so they remain in-tact.

 

Take a spoonful or two of the barley salad you prepared and place in the center of a grape leaf.  Begin rolling by folding both sides inward.

 Once the sides of the grape leaves are rolled inward, begin rolling the grape leaf from the back and moving forward.  The resulting stuffed grape leaf should look like a small cigar.  Place in a small glass container with the others you made and drizzle with olive oil to enjoy right away or later!

Simple Hummus

Most grocery stores sell pre-made hummus that is tasty and great in a pinch.  However, the best hummus is the hummus one makes her or himself from tasty, easily found ingredients.

To prepare a quick, simple hummus that fits almost any budget, you'll need the following ingredients:

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 heaping Tbs. tahini* (available at most Middle Eastern markets and many grocery stores)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lemon, squeezed with seeds extracted from juice
3 Tbs. olive oil

Instructions:
Mash the chickpeas either using a fork or food processor--mashing by hand takes longer but I think the resulting hummus actually tastes better :)

Transfer the mashed chickpeas into a bowl and add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.  Mix vigorously.

Serve with flat bread.

*tahini is sesame-seed paste 

St. Louis BBQ

A recent visit to St. Louis with several colleagues from Columbus State Community College afforded me the opportunity to come face-to-face with a culinary treasure the city is known for: St. Louis Ribs.

Fig. 1: Ribs from Pappys Smokehouse in St. Louis

While Louisianans have claimed that they consume the most barbeque, an article in St. Louis Magazine reminds readers that St. Louis in fact holds the crown for most barbeque consumed.  In the article titled "Who's the Sauciest," the author notes, "I called my old friend Erol Tan at Sweet Baby Ray's, the nation's best-selling sauce brand, and it turns out: 'You are correct,' Tan says.  'St. Louis does consume more barbeque sauce than any other area in the U.S.'  In fact, we're in first place by a mile."

The ribs I sampled were tender, had a good smoked flavor, and were covered in plenty of sauce.  I'd highly recommend trying them anytime you're passing through St. Louis!

-The Food Pope

See related article:
https://www.stlmag.com/dining/st-louis-sage-do-locals-consume-the-most-barbecue-sauce/

SPAM Scatter: A Poem

Start with cubes of SPAM.

Heat a cast-iron skillet to not quite screaming, but quite hot.

Carefully pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into the pan: it burns less quickly than butter, don't you know?

Toss the cubes of meat-amalgam into the hot oil, taking comfort in the searing sizzle.

Next, start searching your refrigerator for any leftovers that might get thrown out if not used soon.

Waste-not, want-not, my grandmother used to say.

Take the quarter of a red onion tucked way back in the vegetable drawer and the sad parsley, wilted from a week of neglect,

And chop them vigorously.

Add them to the SPAM, throwing the vegetables into the pan with reckless abandon.

Carefully take two free range eggs out of the refrigerator.

Yes they have to be free range eggs: they taste better because the chickens lead happier lives.

Crack them into a bowl and mix lightly.

10 wisks with a fork does it, then dump the eggs over the sizzling meat and vegetables.

Once cooked on one side, flip the entire mess over onto the other side, and cook a few more minutes.

Until you have a meal fit for a Queen, or even a King.

Cheap, bountiful, and unwasteful.

That's made even better with a Kraft single, splash of hot sauce and dollop of sour cream.

For more information on SPAM, click here: http://www.spam.com/

For more information on Kraft singles, click here: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/

Ode to an Old Grill

Ode to an Old Grill

Once shiny and majestic, the years have taken their toll on you.

You once held a coveted place in the backyard, waiting for the arrival of the evening or weekend.

When propane would flow through your arteries, expelled through the ports of your burner to combust in a beautiful haze of blue flame.

Oh how you served my wife and I well.  Before my wife and I married, she used you to prepare many of her meals.

Before I took over many of the cooking responsibilities.

Now a new grill has taken your place: shiny and black, but without the character that you had.

As I rolled you to the corner, I felt as though I was saying goodbye to an old friend.

No longer used, but not forgotten.