Matt-man's Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

Oh man. My mouth starts watering everytime I think about these guys burning a hole through the roof of my mouth. Another game-day favorite from Lubbock, TX, courtesy of Matt Jones.

Ingredients:

Fresh Jalapenos
Cream cheese
bacon

Cut to top off the fresh jalapenos, and use a paring knife to remove all of the seeds. Take a small spoon (I think teaspoons work the best) and fill the jalapenos with cream cheese. Wrap the jalapenos with bacon and stick a toothpick through the pepper to hold the bacon in place. Now, put the peppers on the grill at low heat. Grill for about 15 minutes, turning the peppers regularly so that the bacon doesn't burn. That's all there is to it. Make sure you have plenty drinks to cool yourself with after eating a few of these guys.

Mamacita's Guacamole

My dear sainted mother called me the other night completely outraged at how I had butchered her guacamole recipe. She quickly sent me a corrected version which I now will place on here so that she can sleep better at night and won't be cranky when deciding whether or not to disinherit me. Here it is direct from the oracle herself:

Dear Jake,

As shocked and dismayed as I was at having my date of birth broadcast nationwide, 1684 being a conservative estimate, it was nothing compared to having that disaster of a guacamole recipe attributed to me. What will people think if they actually try that thing? Here it is - the real deal.

3 medium to large avacados moderately ripe mashed with a fork
2 medium sized roma tomatoes diced
mix these two together then add the following

(here's where things usually fall apart - you really have to know what it tastes like in order to make it and most people miss the boat)

onion very finely minced (to the point of almost being a pulp) to taste
lemon juice (none of that bottled stuff please) to taste
salt to taste

A FEW HINTS I usually add the onion one teaspoon at a time or less keeping in mind that you really don't want the guacamole to have an oniony taste so go easy on the onion. In all you might use only 2 tsp or 3 tsp max depending on the size of the avacados involved.
The lemon on the other hand is usually under done. It may easily take the juice of one whole lemon.
Go light on the salt you don't really want to be able to identify it either.

The best guacamole is very mild and very subtle.

Serve over lettuce leaves as a salad or as a dip with tortilla chips.

PS no garlic, no chili or pepper of any sort, and guacamole should never be sent through a blender. And it was not a little old Mexican lady it was one of my Mexican friends from college which come to think of it she probably is a little old Mexican lady by now. Oh well.

ORIGINAL POST:

My mom claims that she learned this recipe from a little old mexican lady when she lived down in Kingsville, TX. All I know is this is guacamole as I love it best.

Ingredients:

2 Ripe avacados
1 Roma tomato, diced
1/4 Cup Diced white onion
1 Lemon
1 Tsp salt

Skin the avacados and mash with a fork in a mixing bowl. Be sure to leave the avacado pits in the bowl as they keep the avacado from browning while exposed to the air. Add diced tomatoes and onions. Squeeze lemon juice over the guacamole, add salt (to taste) and mix together. For best results, put the guacamole in the fridge and let it chill for at least 15 minutes. This lets the flavors combine well, and makes the guacamole completely irresistable (or so I think).

Spaghetti Sauce

I've been in college a long time now, so you can rest assured that I've had to survive off alot of spaghetti in my day. Here's my favorite way to make a good chunky meat sauce.

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground beef
1/2 Large white onion, chopped
1/2 Green bell pepper, chopped
2 8 oz. Cans of tomato sauce
1 Can of tomato paste
1 Tblsp Minced garlic
1 Tblsp Olive oil
1/2 cup Red wine (I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tblsp oregano
1 Tblsp Basil
1-2 Bay leaves
1 Tsp Crushed red pepper (for those of us who enjoy a little heat)
Salt

Sautee the garlic, onion, and bell peppers in a skillet. Add ground beef and brown. Once the ground beef has been browned add the cans of tomato sauce and tomato paste, the red wine, and the oregano, basil, bay leaves, crushed red pepper, and salt to taste. Add water until you have the desired consistency. I prefer my sauce thick so I tend to add little to no water. Allow the sauce to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Voila! You're ready to pour this over some spaghetti.

My Chili

Ok, I like eating spicy things. I blame all those Mexicans I ran around with all that time in Lubbock. Here's an old staple of mine that I can whip up in around 20 minutes or so and the heat can be adjusted to one's tolerance.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground beef (the leaner the better)
1/2 White onion, chopped
2 tblsp Minced garlic
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Can of diced tomatoes
1 Can of Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilies
2 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 can of Kidney beans
3 Tblsp Chili powder
1 Tblsp Ground comino
1/2 Tsp Salt
Cayenne Pepper


Sautee the garlic, onions, and bell peppers with olive oil in a medium soup pot. Once the onions and peppers are sauteed, brown the ground beef in the same pot as the onions and bell peppers. Once the meat is browned, add both cans of tomatoes, the tomato sauce, and kidney beans, and mix with the beef. Mix in the chili powder, comino, salt and cayenne pepper to your taste. Allow the chili to simmer for 5-10 minutes to thicken. The chili can be served on its own or over Fritos with shredded cheddar cheese (my preference). Enjoy!

Bratwurst Beer Prep

This is one of the simplest thigs a person can do in my opinion to make good brats taste great. While one can purchase beer brats at the store, I find that soaking the brats in beer (any ol' beer will work for this, so don't waste the good stuff) for a day before grilling or even freezing gives the brats a little extra flavor that they would otherwise be missing.

Put the bratwurst into a bowl and add beer, (typically Miller Lite in my house), until the brats are submerged. Put the brats into the refrigerator overnight. Once this is done the brats are ready for grilling (make sure you grill them over a low heat--slow cooking these guys is the best way), or freezing for storage.

Pico de Gallo

This is by-far one of my favorite recipies. Cesar Calderon used to make this for a grilling events that we used to have to "pre-game" before a Texas Tech home game. It's a great Mexican salsa that is simple to make, tastes great and can easily induce second degree burns in your mouth if properly made.

Ingredients

6 Roma tomatoes
1 White onion
2-3 Serrano Peppers
2 Limes
1/2 Cup of fresh cilantro
1 Tsp Salt

Dice the the tomatoes and onion and combine with the cilantro in a bowl. Adjust the amount of serrano peppers to suit your tolerance for heat. Dice the peppers and add to the bowl. Squeeze the limes over the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and peppers. I personally like to dig in the limes a little and make sure I get a little extra pulp into the mix. Add salt to taste. I prefer to use less salt than others as I enjoy a little more zing from the limes.