The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

Today we bid farewell to The Avett Brothers as the house band at The Greasy Skillet. In the next few days I'll announce the next house band. I'll be seeing The Avett Brothers next month in Kansas City, so there's a good chance they'll make a future guest appearance on this blog.


It's difficult to let go of The Avett brothers, but it's time to introduce you to a new band. For now watch the following clips of The Avetts performing at this year's Bonnaroo Festival. Their passionate performance will leap off the screen, but pay close attention to the fans. They're enthralled and hanging on every words. Thus is the power of music.

I want to do more with food and music in this blog. I've sturggled to match recipe with the music, but it will be easier to do it with the next band because one of the members has a food blog.

Anyway I'll leave you with one last recipe, green chile hominy. What's the connection with The Avett Brothers? The Avetts are Southerners and I think of hominy as a Southern food. Growing up I ate a lot of hominy. I don't know if this was common for most Kansans. Maybe some of my readers can weigh in on this topic. I first encountered this recipe at Perini's Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas. I usually serve this as a sidedish when I smoke a brisket. You'll find they get along well together.

Green Chile Hominy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion, sautéed
  
• 4 (15 ounce) cans white hominy (drain and reserve liquid)


• 1/2 cup hominy liquid


• 1 tablespoon juice from pickled jalapenos


• 1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
  
• 10 slices bacon, fried crisp and chopped (reserve drippings)
• 1 cup fresh seeded and chopped poblano or Anaheim peppers
• 1 or 2 pickled jalapenos, seeded and chopped (optional)
  

Preparation:

1. Sauté the onions in a little of the bacon drippings and put aside.



2. Heat the hominy in a separate sauté pan, stirring often. When heated thoroughly, add the hominy liquid and jalapeno juice, bring back to high temperature and add 3/4 of the cheese.



3. When the cheese melts, add half the peppers and bacon and all the onion.



4. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, bacon and peppers. (At this point it can be refrigerated or even frozen, if you want to make it in advance.)



5. Bake at 325 degrees F until cheese on top melts, about 15 minutes (or 40 minutes, if refrigerated).

Back-to-School Belly Dance Party

Perpetual Joy: Where I blog about little things that tickle me, and you'll just scratch your head.

In Kansas it's typical to the kickoff the school year with something like an ice cream social, watermelon feed, or bbq. However, there are unconventional celebrations out there, especially in Lawrence, Kansas. For example, last week at the grocery story, I spied the following flyer:

This seemed weird. I would never think of kicking off the school year with belly dancing. I'm not very well versed in the art and custom of belly dancing, but I always find it sexual. Chalk this up to my mind being in the gutter most of the time. I must research belly dancing.

When I read the flyer the 2nd time, I was almost persuaded to attend. Who wouldn't want to float across the floor wearing a veil and playing the finger cymbals? Hummus at the Back-to-School Belly Dance Party would have guaranteed my attendance.

What back-to-school traditions do you like?

Yalla!
muddy

P.S. I thought about attending and blogging about the event, but I would have been viewed as a pervert with a notebook and camera.

I looked up the definition of Yalla. I guess, it's Arabic for "Come on! Let's go!" I'm surprised the Ramones never used this word in a song.

Beermosa

Woody: Can I pour you a draft, Mr. Peterson?
Norm: A little early, isn't it Woody?
Woody: For a beer?
Norm: No, for stupid questions.

***From Cheers.

On a recent trip to Denver, we revisited Snooze, which bills itself as an "A.M. Eatery." Staring at Snooze's menu is like peering into a 64-count box of Crayola Crayons. It's full of possibilities that paralyze me with indecision and giddiness. I offer the following evidence, a partial menu of their breakfast cocktails:

Where does a fella start? Do I order the Booze Hound Dog or opt for the humorously named John Daly or maybe I get my coffee fix with the Cosmonaut? You see what I mean.

I know what you're thinking: Who does this muddywaters think he is quaffing alcohol for breakfast: Well, my friends, I normally don't order a drink with my meal because I must too cheap for such antics, but on vacation I live more unconventionally. I enjoy drinks on the porch of the Stanley Hotel. I eat pie for breakfast. I even wear a gas-station cowboy hat, something I'd never do in my real life.

Let's get back to that drink menu. After some enjoyable contemplation, I opted for the Beermosa, a mix of orange juice and New Belgium Trippel.

How did it taste? Wonderful. The flavors worked well together, and I can't think of a more "laid back" morning drink; it's much better than a bloody Mary. I'll be purchasing some New Belgium Trippel and making this drink a staple here at The Greasy Skillet. I hope it's something you'll enjoy too.

drink locally,
muddy