To Remember

Awesome:
NY Times Moroccan Herb Jam:
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017742-moroccan-herb-jam
Make with carrot tops, kale, spinach, fennel, parsley, cilantro, etc etc etc. Spread on bread with hummus or eat on toast with harissa and a fried egg. 

Awesomer:
Quick Banh Mi:
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014140-shortcut-banh-mi-with-pickled-carrots-and-daikon
(Slice chicken thighs thin and marinate in all the stuff you're supposed to cook with the pork, then cook on a hot grill pan. Add a splash of fish sauce and sriracha to the pickles and a splash of soy to the marinade. Skip the Mayo.)

Awesomest:
Xi'an lamb burgers (A cross between this and this.)

1lb ground lamb
2 whole star anise
at least 1tbsp ground cumin
toasted Szechuan peppercorns or peppercorn oil
Sriracha or chili flakes
Small red onion, sliced thin
garlic, minced
pinch sugar
pinch cinnamon
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp rice wine (or mix of sake and vermouth)
Cilantro leaves
Chopped scallions

1) Cook the lamb in a pan with some oil and the star anise until just brown but not crispy. Add everything else and give a good stir. Cover for a few minutes, then take off the lid and let the liquid cook down. When nearly done, mix in the chopped scallions, and cook a minute more. Taste for spiciness and cumin - it should taste strongly of both. The meat should be wet like a sloppy joe but not swimming. If too wet, keep cooking.

2) Serve on flatbread, over rice or thick flat wheat noodles, or on a roll, with cilantro leaves scattered on top.

I love avocados more than life itself

So here are some things I've been doing with them:

Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich
I got one of these at Pret a Manger in the DC train station a while back, so here's my version. It tastes better on a good buttery baguette, but is far less messy as a wrap. Your call.

Avocado
Finely sliced red onion or shallots
Chopped black olives - for christ sake use the good marinated herby kind, not that crap out of a can
Hummus
Spinach
Tomato slices
Cucumber slices
S&P to taste
A few shakes of cayenne
Drizzle of olive oil

Put all of the above on a baguette or wrap. Bring napkins

Guacamole
I know everybody has their own guacamole recipe. This is mine, and it's really good. If you're a purist who says guac should contain only avocados, lime juice, and salt, then I have nothing to say to you.

Avocados
Garlic, roughly 1 clove per avocado
Cumin - 2 shakes per avocado
Salt
Lime juice - 1tsp per avocado
Cayenne - 1 shake per avocado
Chopped tomatoes.

Slice ripe avocados into a bowl. Add minced or garlic-pressed garlic, salt to taste, lime juice, cayenne, and cumin. Mash well (fork or pastry blender, or food processor if you like it totally smooth, which I don't.) Taste, preferably using a tortilla chip, so you get the context. Add more of whatever it needs, probably lime & salt. Mix in the chopped tomatoes at the end.

Bacon Burgers
I had burgers the other day made with bacon ground into the meat, and they were awesome. I put avocado on top.

Mix two parts ground beef to one part finely chopped raw bacon. Mix in shredded sharp cheddar and a dollop of bbq and/or Worcestershire sauce if you're feeling adventurous. Grill. Admire drippy cheese stalactites. If you're me, top with sliced tomato, mashed avocado, ketchup, bbq sauce, pickle flavored potato chips, and more cheese on seeded rye bread. Drool.

On Toast with Eggs
My favorite breakfast ever. Slow-scramble an egg or two (egg + salt + black pepper + a splash  of water/milk/almond milk/cream; beat; cook over the lowest heat you have the patience for so they're nice and soft, stirring often). Toast some sourdough bread. Find one of those avocados that's about two hours short of being overripe and spreads like butter. Toast + thick layer of said avocado + scrambled eggs + a little more salt & pepper on top. Also good with a few strips of bacon if you're feeling decadent, and/or melted cheddar, salsa, seasoning of your choice. But no embellishment required.


Etc.
And in that same vein, here's a link to bacon guacamole grilled cheese, which I can't believe I didn't think of sooner:  www.closetcooking.com/2012/01/bacon-guacamole-grilled-cheese-sandwich.html

Also I ate camel sausage this past weekend. Check that one off the life list. And thanks to my little sister for a spot-on birthday present.

Saturday Morning Grilled Cheese

Today I finally got to try the Cheese Truck from Caseus. I was at the Wooster Square Greenmarket, on a mission to bring back three quarts of chocolate milk for friends too busy to go themselves. So maybe 10:30 was a little early for lunch; whatever. The point is, this stuff's good. Sausage of the day ($5) was kockwurst, and the sandwich special was a grass-fed patty melt, but I decided to go for the classic. (According to the website: "a blend of provalone, swiss, comte, gruyere, gouda, and sharp cheddar on sourdough bread," though the online menu also says they have sandwich add-ons and salads, none of which were in evidence today - so that may be more of an approximation.) The sandwich itself was made to order, crunchy and gooey and not too greasy. Solid if not terribly exciting, in need of some acid to cut the fat. (Cornichons and grainy mustard are available for those of you who like such things, which I emphatically don't.) Dipped in the tomato soup, however, the sandwich went from good to outstanding. I think Judies may still have the edge in the best-tomato-soup-in-New-Haven competition, but the Cheese Truck comes in a close second. Overall, a satisfying lunch, and a well-spent $7.

thecheesetruck.com
Check website and/or twitter (caseusgrilled) for hours & current location.