Succulent Saturday: Ice Cream Edition

While today is supposed to stay a relatively mild 85 degrees or so, I couldn’t resist sharing my all-time favorite dessert that may or may not happen to be frozen.

You can keep your red velvet and your Ben & Jerry’s. I do not want your Godiva chocolate or 12 layered trifles. Elitist confections need not apply.

Give me ice cream. And Snickers. Some Butterfingers too.

This was the dessert of my childhood. We had it frequently, but I best remember it as my birthday “cake.” Mom always asked if I wanted cake and I always said no. This dairy delight was always my preference.

So, let’s make it. Shall we?

Ice Cream Dessert

• 36 Oreo Cookies
• 3 large Butterfinger bars, frozen
• 1/2 gal. Vanilla Ice Cream, softened
• 1 stick Margarine, melted

Crush cookies and candy bars. Combine with melted margarine. Spread on bottom of 9×13 pan, saving some for for garnish. Spread ice cream over crumbs. Garnish. Freeze. Soften a little before cutting.

There you have it. My all-time favorite dessert and my preferred last meal should the grim reaper come with a warning..

Enjoy!

Succulent Saturday: Sloe Gin Edition

We’re going to depart from food today as it’s a scorcher out there and I want to share one of my all-time favorite drinks and one that goes down nice and easy on a hot day.

I forget whence I originally found this drink, and it saddens me that all too few bars or restaurants will serve it. That, however, should not deter you from acquiring the ingredients and making your own. It’s so darn easy, it almost makes itself.

I’ll admit that this cocktail is a bit on the fruitier side, but if it makes you feel more manly, you can listen to the sweet sounds of Aerosmith’s Rag Doll as they sing: “Sloe gin fizzy / do it till you’re dizzy / give it all you got until you’re put out of your misery.” Or; if Sammy Kershaw is more your thing, there’s always the lyrics to the classic Queen of My Double Wide Trailer: “We sat there talkin’ by the lobster tank / I ordered her a sloe gin fizz / And when them chicken-fried steaks arrived / She said, ‘I like living like this.’”

But enough musical history. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Sloe Gin Fizz

• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 tsp simple syrup
• 2 oz sloe gin
• club soda

Shake lemon juice, sweetener, and sloe gin with ice and strain into chilled highball glass with two ice cubes. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Enjoy!

P.S. Alternatively, you can replace one ounce of sloe gin with an ounce of dry gin to cut the sweetness just a bit.

Succulent Saturday: Black Bean and Rice Salad

Today’s recipe is an old one that originally appeared in Bon Apetit circa 1991, long before I was enjoying much more than PB&J sandwiches. Nevertheless, it is another favorite in our house. Though I must admit that I make two versions of this as my wife isn’t keen on all the “stuff.” Hers is rice and seasonings only, which on second thought would actually make a fairly good side dish. *files away for later use*

This recipe was given to me by mom who in turn got it from Helen, who I wrote about briefly here. Part of me likes knowing that this recipe was originally enjoyed by one of my favorite people. But enough of that.

This salad is great with summer barbecues, apropos of almost everything as this is the July 4th weekend, but is great on its own as a main dish and one that I often eat for lunch in the summer. The black beans pack enough protein punch that I’m not left starving at 3pm. The orange juice provides just enough sweetness that the vinegar is not overpowering and complements the spiciness of the cilantro nicely. Feel free to substitue orange and/or yellow peppers as well as suits your color palette.

• 2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1-pound package long-grain rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained, rinsed
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 medium bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Fresh cilantro sprigs

Bring chicken broth and water to boil in heavy large saucepan. Add rice and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.

Combine olive oil, orange juice, red wine vinegar, cumin, and chili powder. Mix into black beans.

Transfer rice to large bowl and fluff with fork. Mix in black bean mixture, bell peppers, red onion, and chopped cilantro. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

It’s the ABI, stupid.

The latest report from the Architectural Billings Index should cause concern:

On the heels of a sizeable decrease in April, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) slowed even further in May.  As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the May ABI score was 47.2, a slight decrease from a reading of 47.6 the previous month. This score reflects a continued decrease in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).

Then file this under “duh” from the Consumerist:

While some of us have managed to go back to our pre-bust ways of eating gold-dusted diamonds and speculating on real estate, the Federal Reserve said today that the overall economic recovery hasn’t moved as swiftly as it had previously expected. In the immortal words of Milli Vannilli, the Fed says you can blame it on the rain… and earthquakes, and tsunamis and other disasters.

This is a recipe for disaster.

So why does a performance indicator for construction matter to you? Why should you feel bad for architects (a trade I personally despise)? Put simply: if architects and engineers are not designing buildings, there are no buildings to be built. Owners need cash not only to fund construction, but to pay for design services prior to even considering coming out of the ground.

But why does this matter? Who cares if a few architects,  itinerant carpenters, and masons are out of work, right?

Not so simple. Residential construction alone accounts for roughly 5-10% of our GDP once you factor in design services, new construction, remodeling, landscaping, roofing, pool boys, and all other associated services. Add the commercial sector and you’re talking 15-20% of GDP. That is an awful lot of our economy to eliminate or reduce and considerably more than the 3-4% that our “too big too fail” auto industry contributes.

While none of this is exactly new news, it bears repeating as discussions about the debt ceiling and higher taxes continue on Capitol Hill.

In a nutshell, nine to twelve months from now will see an awful lot of people out of work or working extremely reduced hours should this trend continue. I’m frightened, and you should be too.

Succulent Saturday: Muffins

Henceforth, Saturdays will be known as Succulent Saturday (thanks to @wbdnewton for the name suggestion) wherein I post some of my favorite recipes. They may or may not be familiar to you, but all are Zarf tested and approved.

This recipe is certainly not one that our family lays claim to, but we’ve made it for as far back as I can remember. I have very fond memories of burning my fingers as a kid trying to get the muffins out of the tins and buttered as quickly as possible. This was a necessary hazard as my dad and I always fought over them and the quicker you were, the more you got to eat.

I try and keep a batch of these in the fridge at all times. They are so simple to make and last almost as long as you’ll let ‘em.

So without further ado, I give you a sinfully easy muffin recipe that is great for breakfast on its own or epically awesome with pea soup at dinner.

Six Week Muffins
15 ounce box Raisin Bran or bran flakes (plus a handful of extra raisins)
2 1/2-3 cups sugar
5 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
4 cups buttermilk

Combine the first five ingredients, mixing together until large lumps remain. Add oil, eggs and buttermilk. Stir together well but do not over mix.

Place in a sealable plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use. (Batter will keep for several, read six, weeks in refrigerator.)

When needed, scoop out the amount required and ladle batter into greased or sprayed muffin tins. Fill any unused muffin wells 1/4 of the way with water.
Bake at 375°F degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. (I cook them at 350°F in a toaster oven for about 12 minutes)

Makes four dozen or so muffins.

Enjoy!

P.S. As a matter of fact, I’m probably mixing up a batch as you read this.

OMG…Delta!!1!

I was going to write something about how much of a fail twitter was about Delta last night, but I’d rather you go read this post by Steven Frischling in which he destroys any and all arguments that Delta hates Jews. Oh, and he’s a Jew.

Also read this entry from Delta’s blog wherein they say the following:

“ like all international airlines, are required to comply with all applicable laws governing entry into every country we serve.”

So how ’bout we all save our breath for more important fights?

Location. Location. Location.

Or how to torpedo a Presidential campaign before leaving port in three easy steps…

1. As she demonstrates here, Sarah Rumpf was kind enough to let us know where Huntsman first erred and why one should ALWAYS register one’s own domain when considering public office (though I think it’s wise as a general rule).

2. For those of you not in the know, it would appear that Huntsman and Harry Reid are more than a little chummy.

3. Now we see that Mr. Huntsman apparently has Reagan-esque dreams in more ways than one. (h/t to Bearing Drift)

Really? Launching your campaign from the same spot as Reagan? This is akin to Mike Tyson announcing a comeback from the “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I guess there are worse choices than “Eye of the Tiger” for campaign theme music…