The Fiery Hell, The Wonderfill Bliss

The fiery hell that you see before you is the wonderful bliss that my taste buds crave.  Some of you may not be able to eat spicy foods, for this I will not call you weak.  Just like some of us can sing like a nightingale and others can make numbers tap dance, some of us can handle the heat.  We not only tolerate the pain that ensues from an oily substance that spreads like wild fire in the presence of water, we crave it.  There are cuisines that harness the chile within.  They take such a beautiful, painful entity and make it part of my own little infinity.  These are bird's eye chiles that will make most of your mouths foam and scream in agony.  Yet, they are simply, beautiful, bright, burning, vibrant red with a hint of green to contrast the blinding coloration.  Why post a picture of these fruit?  Simply to show the beauty of nature in the raw.  From these angels of agony, spawns a delicious Thai basil, chile, and garlic paste that I lovingly toil with in the kitchen.  What can you do with these beauties?  Add just a pinch to grandma's spaghetti sauce, a sprinkle into babushka's borscht, a smidgen to your egg white omelets, and a heaping spoonful to your award winning chili cook off recipe.  The tingle, the depth, the ever so slight floral notes, will delightfully elevate your cuisine.  I never commanded you to be a masochist like me.  Give it a try.

While I Was Out

I decided to go on an adventure to Tennessee with some friends of mine.  We came across some awesome food while we were out and about.  I love to go to new places and try new foods.  The experience lights me like a kid in candy shop.  The 1 inch thick, dinner plate smothering, buttermilk panclock at Aretha Frankenstein's was awesome as always.  Well that was not a new find, Mandi and I found these gems on our last road trip. This whole in the wall cafe, in a residential area of Chattanooga, never displeases me with their fluffy pecan cakes of divine greatness.  We stopped by a place called Merchant's in downtown Nashville and I was pleasantly surprised by the country fried chicken dish I ordered.  The chicken was tender, the breading crispy and light, the potatoes creamy and buttery, and the spinach wilted perfectly.  With a splash of gravy on top, I was in artery clogging heaven.  The other morsels I had here were delicious as well.  The fried green tomatoes were tangy sweet with light breading and cooked until tender.  If you know me well, you know that duck fat fried tater tots is something I had to try out.  Sweet and simple, they were heaven in my mouth.  I can only eat out so much before I body starts to scream at me to stop.  When I crossed the line, I suggested we make a dish from scratch.  My friends Jared and Allison have this awesome kielbasa and fennel soup they shared with us.  It was hearty, healthy, and refreshing.  The next dish was a creation of my own doing.  Right before bed one night the idea popped into my head for a seared pork loin chop with apple, bacon, jalapeno jam served with roasted golden beets and sweet potatoes.  Unfortunately, none of us thought to take pictures of the dishes we made as we all started to dig in without hesitation.

Jared and Allison in front of Aretha's

Tiny hole in the wall right?

Yes I am handsome I know!

The pecan panclock of greatness

The Old Hotel

Flavored popped corn to wet the pallette

Fried Green Tomaters

The tots that got fried by the duck.  Get your own tots.

The chicken that clogged my left ventricle.

I forgot what this was.  Pork chop with a bourbon sauce I think.  It was good too but my chicken had my brain tied up.