It was a Dark and Stormy Night

I wonder when I'll run out of rain-themed post ideas?  Hopefully not for a while since I think we're in for some pretty significant thunderboomers (there!  another name for a thunderstorm!).

So, if you're keeping up my dear four readers, last night I was considering NOT going to "The Blind Pig" with the hubs to meet some friends because it was POURING outside.  Thankfully, the rain abated, I threw on some clothes and we headed over to the general area where we thought this little Speakeasy was located.  Now, there have already been some super clever blogs about this place that I couldn't (and wouldn't) attempt to duplicate.  If you're interested, you can read more about The Blind Pig here:

Mr. Delicous: The Blind Pig, Makati's Best Poorly Kept Secret

Enroute: Through the Dark and Into Blind Pig Speakeasy Makati

Maraisms: A Night at Blind Pig Speakeasy Salcedo

At least I can say that I am not the only one who has broken one of the cardinal speakeasy rules by letting the world in on this little "secret".  It's been done before and heck, is probably being done right now by someone else since one of our companions is a fellow blogger and our husbands caught us taking the same (flashless) photos of the menu and rules.  Lame?  Maybe.  But at least we're not alone in our lameness.

I don't want to turn this into a review but I loved this place.  The drinks, while expensive, were worth every penny and I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say husbear's gin and tonics were the best gin and tonics I've EVER tasted.  There is a menu you can order from and I think between the 10 or so of us, we managed to try one of everything but, like other bloggers have mentioned, you can also just tell the bartender what you're feeling and he'll throw together something that will knock your socks off.  For my first drink, I decided to let him do just that.  I wanted strawberries, mint, and vodka -- "not too sweet" I said.  Well, alas, they were out of strawberries but offered me a choice of blueberry or raspberry.  I chose blueberry.  What arrived was nothing short of perfect.  She called it a Blueberry Caipirorka and it like a mojito but less sugary sweet and more....well blueberrily bliss like.  As great as my drink was, the Gin and Tonic Zach had with a kielbasa-sized chunk of ice was like drinking spring in a glass. Yum!

For my second drink, I ordered off the menu.  I thought, given the night we'd had so far, it was more than appropriate to order the Dark and Stormy (dark rum, fresh ginger syrup, and fresh lime juice).  It was great but would have been better with some food probably.  I don't know what it was exactly but I kept wishing the popcorn we'd ordered hadn't already been demolished.  The ginger gave it a nice little kick and left my lips burning just a tad but it was missing some sort of munchie.  Maybe I was just getting the midnight snackies??  Who knows.

The Dark and Stormy

The only drawback to our evening?  With our group, they should have renamed the joint a "Speakloudly".  I love socializing as much as the next person but I think some of the vibe of the place was lost on us.  It seems a more appropriate venue for a couple on their third date or perhaps a party of four.   Our 10ish colleagues and friends gathered for a farewell party were a bit overpowering in the somewhat diminutive establishment.  I wouldn't trade the group OR the conversation;  I'm simply saying I'll be back Pig....and I will make it my mission to get my prohibition vibe on.

Dammit! I totally forgot that I was going to make this posting about The Blind Pig different by telling you why the hell they call it that in the first place.  A quick search will get you that answer but since I think it's super cool and reminds me of dry county rules in today's day and age, I thought I'd just tell ya instead of making you look it up.

So a Speakeasy was also referred to as a "Blind Pig" or "Blind Tiger" back in the prohibition era.  Much like happy hour specials on food that you see in dry counties*, in Speakeasies a customer would pay a fee to see an attraction (like a blind pig or blind tiger) and would then be served a complimentary alcoholic beverage thereby circumventing the law.

[*In some dry counties, happy hours are restricted to food products only.  Meaning, the establishment can discount food stuffs as a way to draw customers in but NOT alcohol.  It's a wacktastic law in bassackwards bible belt towns.  Too many southern euphemisms there?  Too bad.  :)]

Anyway, I think it's an all around super cool idea and in case you're wondering, it did take us a hot minute to find the joint but when we did, it didn't disappoint.

It's dark because I was trying to obey the rules - no flash photography!

The only marking that helps you identify the "pig".  Um... super secret awesomness much?!?!

Grubbin' in F'burg

No we didn't have a bucket o' wings.  That's just the menu people.

Doesn't the salad look yummy?  Love my new camera! 

Boneless wings - Atomic Style

On a side note, if you eat a plate of their Atomic Wings, you get a certificate and a bumper sticker but I already did that in Charlotte so I thought I'd go with the boneless chicken wings.  I honestly think this is the only place that the heat has actually challenged my constitution.  Way to go Quaker!!   Having said that, the chicken was a little dry under all that hot sauce and the bread was just....bread-like.

Now for the real reason I even bothered to write this post. Carl's Ice Cream shop!!! Wacka Wacka WOOOOO!

You know they've got the magic ingredient when your favorite ice cream shop has been declared "Historic"

mmmmmm...look at that custardy goodness!  If you're ever in F'burg, VA-- you MUST check it out!!

Here's the one in the Queen City.  And look!  It's my old sporty sitting next to his (at the time) Night Train. 

Also at the Charlotte location.   Look at that beard!  This was the visit where I earned my Atomic Wing bumper sticker and certificate!  :)

Healthy Stuffed Jalapenos (sorry Dave)

Ok, first a quick caveat.  My brother is the famed stuffed jalapeno maker o' the family and I ask for them EVERY time I get to home.  Having said that, it's a guilty pleasure and I don't do many guilty pleasures in my own house with the exception of...um..the occasional libation.   So, because I don't get to go home nearly enough yet I crave these ALL THE FREAKING TIME - I came up with a healthier version of my brother's very wonderful Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos.   As always, scroll to the bottom for the Hindsight is 20/20 bullets. 

Healthy Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

• 1 (8 ounce) package of fat free cream cheese (or reduced fat), softened
• 1/2 cup fat free or light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup rotel, drained
• 1/4 cup fat free or reduced fat Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fat free or reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1 TBSP Chili powder
• 1TBSP Cayenne pepper (or not...whatever you like)
• Hot Sauce - to taste
• Several jalapenos cut in half lengthwise and seeded with veins removed- leave the stem on if you can.  (between 20 and 30 jalapenos should give you the right amount of pepper/stuffing ratio)
• Enough turkey bacon to wrap each jalapeno

Mix cream cheese, mayo, rotel, Parmesan/cheddar cheeses, chili powder, cayenne and hot sauce.  Stuff each jalapeno with mixture.  Bake in oven at 350 to 375 until bacon looks crisp and cheese has melted(Depending on the size of your jalapenos between 12-16 minutes).

I didn't have very many jalapenos and they were small to medium size at best so I pretty much halved the recipe

I am not sure what that looks like but I can assure you it looks better in a crispy, perfectly cooked jalapeno.

That's a tomato corer.  It works really well in hollowing out the jalapenos.

You can vary the amount of stuffing you use.  Some people like more cream cheese, less bacon/jalapeno or vice versa.

I like some of my jalapenos without bacon so I left some of them nekked

You can use toothpicks to keep the bacon on the jalapeno but if you measure the bacon right, you ought to be able to flap it over without using a toothpick.

Bacon should be crispy but not burnt and any cheese you used should be melted.  Try not to overcook the jalapenos as they'll dry out.

Ready to eat!  YUM!

 Hindsight is 20/20

•  As usual, lighten up on the cayenne and hot sauce if you can't take the heat ;-).  Having said that, if you can't take the heat, best to stay away from jalapenos altogether!
• Some of my jalapenos were too small and got a little overcooked.  It would probably be better to use uniform jalapenos.  I was just using what I had on hand. 
• These were really pretty good.  I could tell they were healthy...the cream cheese mix was not quite as salty and no surprise, the turkey bacon didn't cook quite the same as regular bacon. But I'm ok with that.  I can eat all the stuffed jalapenos I want and still feel like efforts at spin class weren't cancelled out!
• If you're feeling froggy, you could add some shredded cheese on top of the jalapenos when you have about 2-3 minutes of cooking time left.  Just remember, they will be less finger-food-like.  You might actually have to get a fork out....bummer. 
• Speaking of finger food, the stems make the jalapenos easier to handle during prep and easier to eat later on.  Try and leave them on if ya can! 

Spicy Pork Chops

Le Creuset Doufeu Pork Chops (Spicy)

AKA Everything but the Kitchen Sink (EBKS) Pork Chops in either a Dutch Oven or a Crock Pot

Every good recipe starts with a nice glass of wine, duh!  Since the weather has gotten a wee toasty, I have been woefully behind in the red wine drinking department.  Something about the mercury rising leads me to prefer beer and fruity drinks over a glass of red.  Nevertheless, I decided to reverse that trend this evening with a crisp Pinot Noir, Domaine de Valmoissine.  Good but not great and therefore PERFECT for the unpresumptious meal I am about to make. 

-The EBKS label for these chops is because you truly can dump just about whatever you want in a dutch oven and you won't go wrong as long as your flavor combinations aren't too whacktastic.

(Before you set out to make this dish, please take a look at the "Hindsight is 20/20" bullets following the recipe.  There are definitely some changes you could/should make for this to turn out just a little bit better.  My chops were a little dry but that's mostly because of impatience....)

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees
• Coat the small dutch oven (I used the 6 QT Le Creuset Doufeu) with 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• Add about half onion to the bottom of the dutch oven (you can dice the onion or chop the onion into rings)
• Add half of a jalapeno, sliced into rings
• Sprinkle onions and jalapenos with Lawry's seasoning salt, paprika, pepper, and cayenne pepper
• Add the fat-trimmed pork chops (I squished four in my little Le Creuset.  It doesn't really matter how many you use as long as the chops lay fairly flat)
• Sprinkle the pork chops with the same spice mix as above, adding about a tablespoon more olive oil. 
• Add the remainder of the onion, half of a bell pepper, and another jalapeno - all sliced in rings.
• Dice half of a small tomato
• Add tomato, 1/4 can of rotel, and 1/4 cup water to dutch oven
• Sprinkle the whole mess LIBERALLY with paprika
• Cover and bake for an hour and 25 minutes
• Remove pork chops and bring contents of dutch oven to slight boil - pour this "gravy" on the pork chops and serve. 

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20

•  Dredge dredge dredge these puppies!!!  Mine turned out dry both because I didn't dredge/braise the chops and because I upped the oven temp and lowered the cooking time (silly girl!)
• I would recommend dredging the chops slightly in flour (adding dashes of salt/pepper to each side) and cooking them on medium high heat until they're just brown on both sides.  This should lock in the flavor and moisture.

• If you don't like to actually EAT onions, dice  them so they're just for flavor. Otherwise, they're kinda hard to avoid.  
• If you can't take the heat, get out of the....just kidding!  Lighten up on the jalapenos.  Most folks won't want two whole fresh jalapenos with their dinner.  We just have no taste buds left!

I used Old Bay but you can use Lawry's or whatever you like

Rings aren't necessary if you'd prefer to dice the onion/BP

That's ice in the recessed lid to kick up the moisture in the meat.

TA DA!!!  Just kidding....that's Cassie's dinner. ;-)

My presentation isn't so great (I was ready to eat dangit!) but somewhere under there is a slightly over cooked pork chop...I swear! Normally, I would make corn bread or some other side but I'm flying solo this week and just wasn't that hungry.)