Hominy
Dried or Canned
Soak and cook according to source. Start ahead of time if using dried and do give hominy a hard covered boil for at 30 minutes.
Adobo
1 guajillo
5 cascabel
5 ancho
4 new mexico
1 onion
10 garlic
Wipe chilies with damp towels. Cut off stems, shake out seeds and snip roughly into smaller pieces. Toast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 4 min. Soak for 30 minutes minimum barely covered by boiling water. Puree everything in a blender.
Meat
salt
cumin
1 lb pork neck or spare ribs
1 lb ham hock
2 lb pork shoulder/butt
Stock
1 onion
4 garlic
chicken stock or water
1 bay leaf
Fry onion and garlic until fragrant and slightly browned. Return meat to pot, add adobo, and cover generously with liquid of choice. Bring to a boil, then leave on high simmer partially covered for maximum 3 hours.
Sides
lime
mexican oregano
avocado
radish
cilantro
vinegar cabbage slaw
- The bag of dried Rancho Gordo Hominy was a disappointment - kernels were very desiccated in the middle, discolored and misshapen. Nothing like the photos of the product they have online. It took at last 16 hours of soaking and 5+ hours to cook. About 45-60 minutes of cooking was at a hard boil with the cover on. Flowering took much longer than expected and the results were not as tender/juicy or sweet/corny as I would like.
- Meat was soft at about 2.5, but at about 3 hours the meat was melty, which I prefer.
- One way to get the timing right is to cook the hominy separately and add to posole at the last moment so you can control the textures. In the latter scenario, blending a cup of hominy and adding to the pot thickens and adds a bit of corn flavor back into the soup. My preference is to give the dried hominy (depending on quality) a head start for at least 2 hours in the stock water.
- Feel free to use a different combination of chilies. Nopalito uses about 6 oz of ancho chilies.
- Feel free to use a different composition of meat. The pork foot gives the soup a rich, thick texture. Limiting to only pork shoulder results in a finished texture that is clean.
Half eaten Noodle Soup and Papaya Salad.
Spring Rolls (tested/licked by Teddy)
Taro Cake
Cinnamon or Green Onion Fried Rice Balls
SMTM is about my favorite reality game show ever, pairing known hip hop artists with rookies or up and coming pro rappers for the title of best rapper. I started watching since Season 3 and am an avid fan of the personalities, dramas, and talents. While there have been some fun songs and performances in the past, notably by Bobby and Oltii, Season 5 has showcased a handful of truly notable stages where the producers really brought out the best in their contestants.
ONE - "Be Comfortable", SMTM5
Rapping about overcoming obstacles in a personal way is a staple K-pop trope and extremely effective with audiences, but, in a word, Boring. This performance was atypical in that the standard emotional rap was paired with a surprisingly sexy backing track and a breezy rather than tortured delivery. While this performance didn't bag One a win, the laid back combination of gentle beats, the producers' (Simon D!) r&b crooning, One hitting his stride finally without being outshone by Simon D (Simon D!), cleverly turned the anti-idol rapper bias on its head.
C Jamm and Reddy - "Wanted", SMTM5
To be frank, C Jamm was a solid contender during SMTM3, but he just wasn't that fun to watch - overly serious, closed off with harsh songs and a hard attitude. Not a lot to differentiate him from many other competent rappers flow-wise or visually. And Reddy, he's got a lot of style but a limited repertoire. Seeing C Jamm open up this time around feels like a gift. The pairing was a stroke of genius on the part of the producers. The beat is wicked and the rappers absolutely killed the performance like a pair of panthers.
BeWhy - "Forever", SMTM5
Compared to his previous appearance on SMTM, it is obvious that BeWhy has not only improved, but more importantly, found, committed and delivered his own voice. He adjusted his register and vocal tics to his advantage. He delivers shotgun style with a musicality that diversifies the monotone with layers of inflection. He uses complex time signature warps and shifts easily through difficult beats. He's cleaned up his mannerisms. BeWhy has got style now. Taking a notes from Kendrick, BeWhy served a rapper's rap performance that doesn't pander or alienate the audience. In "Forever" he moves progressively, effortlessly through cold and moody to jazzy freestyle - each zone a showcase of technique.
BeWhy - "Day Day", SMTM5
I didn't think anything could top BeWhy's "Forever" performance, but then THIS happened. In a similar way to One's "Be Comfortable" track, "Day Day" subverts the oft told story of "overcoming/being true to oneself/making it" by taking elements that usually don't go together to re-frame familiar sentiments. Musically, the genre is unusual for the material (fun! funky! is usually reserved for party lyrics), but BeWhy didn't dumb down to cater to the happy vibe, nor did his flow take a backseat in delivering the emotions. To underscore the narrative, the arrangement and staging segued from BeWhy's typical introversion to an gregarious expression of joy - pure and celebratory and shared. I have "Day Day" on repeat in the car - a first for a song out of SMTM - because it feels inspirational. Preach to me BeWhy.
ONE - "Be Comfortable", SMTM5
Rapping about overcoming obstacles in a personal way is a staple K-pop trope and extremely effective with audiences, but, in a word, Boring. This performance was atypical in that the standard emotional rap was paired with a surprisingly sexy backing track and a breezy rather than tortured delivery. While this performance didn't bag One a win, the laid back combination of gentle beats, the producers' (Simon D!) r&b crooning, One hitting his stride finally without being outshone by Simon D (Simon D!), cleverly turned the anti-idol rapper bias on its head.
C Jamm and Reddy - "Wanted", SMTM5
To be frank, C Jamm was a solid contender during SMTM3, but he just wasn't that fun to watch - overly serious, closed off with harsh songs and a hard attitude. Not a lot to differentiate him from many other competent rappers flow-wise or visually. And Reddy, he's got a lot of style but a limited repertoire. Seeing C Jamm open up this time around feels like a gift. The pairing was a stroke of genius on the part of the producers. The beat is wicked and the rappers absolutely killed the performance like a pair of panthers.
BeWhy - "Forever", SMTM5
Compared to his previous appearance on SMTM, it is obvious that BeWhy has not only improved, but more importantly, found, committed and delivered his own voice. He adjusted his register and vocal tics to his advantage. He delivers shotgun style with a musicality that diversifies the monotone with layers of inflection. He uses complex time signature warps and shifts easily through difficult beats. He's cleaned up his mannerisms. BeWhy has got style now. Taking a notes from Kendrick, BeWhy served a rapper's rap performance that doesn't pander or alienate the audience. In "Forever" he moves progressively, effortlessly through cold and moody to jazzy freestyle - each zone a showcase of technique.
BeWhy - "Day Day", SMTM5
I didn't think anything could top BeWhy's "Forever" performance, but then THIS happened. In a similar way to One's "Be Comfortable" track, "Day Day" subverts the oft told story of "overcoming/being true to oneself/making it" by taking elements that usually don't go together to re-frame familiar sentiments. Musically, the genre is unusual for the material (fun! funky! is usually reserved for party lyrics), but BeWhy didn't dumb down to cater to the happy vibe, nor did his flow take a backseat in delivering the emotions. To underscore the narrative, the arrangement and staging segued from BeWhy's typical introversion to an gregarious expression of joy - pure and celebratory and shared. I have "Day Day" on repeat in the car - a first for a song out of SMTM - because it feels inspirational. Preach to me BeWhy.
My new favorite creperie
Cheese and smoked salmon
Blackberry sauce with storemade caramel
French Onion
Disney Waffles
4 eggs, separated
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
¼ cup (half a stick) of butter or margarine, melted, cooled to room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Beat egg yolks and sugar until yolks are thick and sunny colored. Add milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
4 eggs, separated
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
¼ cup (half a stick) of butter or margarine, melted, cooled to room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Beat egg yolks and sugar until yolks are thick and sunny colored. Add milk, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix to until just incorporated.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into the batter.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into the batter.
Overnight Waffles
0.5 cup warm water
1 tbsp active-dry yeast
1.25 cups milk, lukewarm
The Next Day
6 tbsp butter, melted
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon salt
Add liquid ingredients in steady stream to dry ingredients slowly. Fold at the end, rather than overmixing.
The Next Day
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs, whipped to stiff 2" peaks
Next day, mix baking soda and fold egg into batter. And waffle.
Quick Waffles
0.5 cup warm water
1 tbsp active-dry yeast
1.5 cups milk, lukewarm
6 tbsp butter, melted
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, whipped to stiff 2" peaks
Add liquid ingredients in steady stream to dry ingredients slowly. Fold at the end, rather than overmixing. fold egg into batter. And waffle.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/belgian-style-yeast-waffles-recipe
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-overnight-yeasted-waffles-recipes-from-the-kitchn-199052
Green Tea Ice Cream
1.5 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
2 tbsp matcha, scant
1.5 cup cream
opt. kinako "toasted soybean powder" or Madeleines
Warm milk and sugar until dissolved. Temper eggs with milk mixture and heat again till it thickens - about 170 degrees or passed the spoon test. Strain. Stir in cream and cool overnight. Churn and freeze overnight. Serve scoops dusted with kinako or madeleines.
1.5 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
2 tbsp matcha, scant
1.5 cup cream
opt. kinako "toasted soybean powder" or Madeleines
Warm milk and sugar until dissolved. Temper eggs with milk mixture and heat again till it thickens - about 170 degrees or passed the spoon test. Strain. Stir in cream and cool overnight. Churn and freeze overnight. Serve scoops dusted with kinako or madeleines.
