Dish and Sip

Recently, I’ve been pigging out on all the wrong snacks. A box of Gushers a day, a box of Salty Nuts, ooey gooey chocolate toffee cake, peach cobbler. The list goes on. And I haven’t been excising as much because of a pinched meniscus. So this week, I wanted a more refreshing snack to enjoy in this summer heat. Something that would not make me feel like pig. Salsa!  The great thing about salsa is that it can be made in thousands of combinations all freshly put together. I am normally a big fan of eating fruit and veggies. But my sweet tooth has been in over drive, and I have to put it to rest now. Especially since all of the blog posts next month will be desserts. I’m guaranteed to gain 5 pounds, and if you follow my blog, be careful.  I’m not responsible for your weight gain! Chunky Mango Salsa Ingredients : 2 mangoes 1 large tomato 1 lime 1/3 cup diced red onion 1/3 cup of red pepper with seeds Diced cilantro Directions : Peel mang...

Photo taken by: Chad Morgan For years I stood in the kitchen beside my mother and watched her become so flustered with the tedious duties of peeling eggs. Yes, peeling eggs are tedious especially when making deviled eggs. You never want the egg white to be broken or disfigured because that is an egg white that you will have to get rid of. I’ll provide you some tips to make this portion of your life a bit easier. Over the past 28 years, I have ate hundreds of these bite sized appetizers. Some with a strong mustard flavor, some topped with shrimp, bacon and paprika and some with sugar. But one thing remains the same, they could never top the deviled egg that my mother makes for every family event. It’s a given, that if there is any family event, my mother is bringing the deviled eggs. And they normally don’t last in the fridge longer than an hour. That is a true story. One year an aunt decided that she wanted to help make the deviled eggs. *dun, dun, dun. * She reall...

Chili cheese hot dog with mustard and diced onions.  The sound greets you from a block away and the aroma of the food intoxicates you. This is going to be a good day, that was my thought.  And it was. This weekend boasted a festival which featured great bands and a barrage of food trucks with varying cuisines. There was crawfish and jambalaya. Oven bricked pizza, pulled pork, Vietnamese food and Jamaican jerk. With my love for food, I could have gone broke. But the responsible adult that I am grabbed a Bacardi Peach beverage and set a budget. Many of the bands, I had never heard. But that did not s top me from enjoying the music or atmosphere. I picked up a hula hoop laying in the back of the park, and with 2 other people, we went at it. I was almost stuck by a freebie. And had to protect myself from kids running blindly around the park. Right before a New Orleans brass band went on to play, I went back to the food trucks. Yes, I ate twice. Once when I got there ...

Oxtails are interesting for a few reasons. The most obvious reason is that it's literally OX tail. This is a meat that can be prepared so many ways, and the longer it cooks, the more tender and flavor filled the meat becomes. Although I've had oxtails before, it was not until recent years, that I knew what an oxtail looked like. My mother is partly to blame for this. She is the type of woman that likes her food fresh. So fresh that if an Ox could be found within 5 miles of D.C., she would lace up her boots, put on some fatigues and go hunting.  With that being said, we ate everything as kids from deer to rabbit and scrapple to souse meat. For those that do not know, souse meat is usually pig ears, feet and head.  For this reason alone, I do not consider myself a picky eater. However you cannot ask me to try monkey brains and expect me to place a handkerchief in my lap. It takes some deception and creativity to get me to eat certain foods. And boy, was I dec...

Same dish; New Preparation     When I first began to cook, my mom started me with the basics. Bacon, eggs, grits, and grilled cheese. I literally ate breakfast for lunch, dinner, and snacks too. But it wasn’t until I moved out on my own that I learned to cook other things. Tacos, pastas and desserts were my favorite. Not only were they easy to make, but they were also easy to change up. The varieties were endless. I made shrimp pasta, chicken pasta, shrimp and chicken pasta. Ground beef tacos and ground turkey tacos every week. Amazingly, I never grew tired of the same mundane meals. However, in looking back, I do feel bad for the people that I invited to dinner because every week, same dish; new preparation. The one thing that each of those meals had in common was the lack of inventiveness.   Thus, hundreds of boxed tacos later, I think it is only fitting that I redeem myself of those seasoning packets, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream days. ...