Thanks to the above-referenced Tucson institution, I have converted the Gastro Kitchen at Hamilton Dining to the way of the Sonoran hot dog.

We had a case of beef hot dogs in the freezer, and this being the week before finals, it's time to use up the food we have rather than buy more. The chef was talking about yet another chili dog when ( Read more... )

...because we ate it too fast.

Whole cauliflower roasted in olive oil and salt, green beans sautéed in brown butter with three peppers (white, black, and hua jiao), whole roasted heads of garlic with olive oil and thyme. Vacuum-marinated teres major steaks from the irreproachable Bright Oak Meats on Main Street, grilled over hot coals, rested well ( Read more... )

Beef and lamb patties (with GF bread crumbs and egg) wrapped in mhkrabat's bacon asterisk and roasted for a very long time. Red onion with sumac. Leftover al-Khabsa rice. Whole-milk yogurt, diced tomato and cucumber, granulated garlic and onions, pinch of salt, and a bunch of mint in chiffonade. Very tasty. I could sell this.

Oh, man. Four ears of fresh sweet corn, local and in season. Sweet onion, same thing. Minced garlic. Frozen diced roasted green chile, Six zucchini just off the stalk. One can of evaporated milk. Four flour tortillas. Grated sharp cheddar and crumbled cotija.

Kevin had wanted calabacitas, and we had a sweet, fiery, tender, crunchy pot of it. YUM.

Nearly a week since I put anything here? Wow. Must've been busy ( Read more... )

Despite the fact that I got a couple of the recipes for last night only a couple of hours before service, our Mardi Gras went well. I had Dusty and Bryan in the kitchen producing the hot food while I stood in the dining room at the "shrimp po' boy slider" station producing sandwiches and schmoozing the crowd. We served them our much-beloved mac n' ( Read more... )

During the day we did nothing for Shrove Tuesday. We serve French toast on Tuesdays and pancakes on Thursdays, and if we'd been on the ball, we could have done pancake races this morning. Ah well, next year ( Read more... )

Making some really nice food can make my whole day. So much of what we serve is, while safe and wholesome, such monotonous pre-processed dreck, and the kids and staffers get into SUCH food ruts -- ordering the VERY same chicken quesadilla EVERY day, or eating burgers, burgers, and burgers or pizza, pizza, and pizza ( Read more... )

Quite enjoyed work today. It was the annual xmas-called-Holiday Dinner, in the newly restored Hargreaves Hall. Prime rib for 300 in a big high-ceilinged room, the university's former library. Worked on salad prep and then stood and smiled and carved prime rib and schmoozed and wore the big hat and the trophy jacket. Served the university president ( Read more... )

Take six whole flat bottom round roasts. Whack them into four chunks each. Do not trim at all. Put 5 pounds of stew vegetables (mirepoix in one-inch chunks) in a 400 pan. Place the pieces of one bottom round on top of the veg. Sprinkle with salt. Pour a half gallon of beef broth and some wine into each pan. (In a higher-class joint, here you would ( Read more... )