Get Up! Stand Up!

Sooo....how bout them apples!?

Mrs. Hullabaloo hereby takes back some of my sad, sad thoughts from last December's presser announcing our new head coach, because without having won a single game Coach CJ has given us some of our groove back. Lawd. That presser, thankfully, feels like centuries ago and Mrs. #1 Drama Queen here can now eagerly do my summer pre-season tailgate shopping with much anticipation and excitement. Hoo-ray!

intersperced here are some pictures I took at the Tulane Camp hosted for Greenwave Fans at the Hertz Center. It was kinda boring, other than the new Sand Volleyball Coach opening up his trap to ask who Riptide was.  OMG, Talk to the hand!!  Anyways, dontcha just love the Green and Blue bathroom tile and omg, the Green and Blue carpet!?!

You know those coupon hoarder shows? (who has time for all of that clipping and spreadsheet business, really.  I admittedly tried it out last summer.  But lawd have mercy, all of the hours and hours that all takes and most of the coupons are for science experiment pre-packaged food anyways, which I don't eat.  I mean have you seen the size of most of those women? hello, look at what you are eating, even if it's free doesn't mean you should put it in your mouth).  Anyways, my point: summer time at Chez Hullabaloo is when I stockpile for tailgating: game day dresses, napkins, plates, new tablecloths, etc.  So now, I am merrily on my way!

And the reason for my gaeity this summer is that, as I'm sure you've read from the breathless accounts by the media and heard the audible gasps from corners of the state used to having their way with Louisiana recruits, Coach CJ has landed multi-star players left and right. Yessir!  It's like raining commitments around here. Including: the grandson of Bob Marley! Holy Facundus, right? Seriously, I am so ready for the red stripe and jerk chicken themed tailgate! with fried plaintains, oh yeah....

....and so Ladies and Gentlemen of my cyber following: our proclivity on the recruiting trail means that The Greenies are at #32 and dropping as far as our recruiting class grade.  From hundred and whatever of years past to top 50.  And we had triple the number of recruits attend our camp over last year alone. For reals, y'all.

I welcome the crowds with open arms, I am so excited about this trajectory! I also realize that I have been somewhat complacent and comfortable in my congenial little Greenie Dat world. Now that we may have impending hoards, it's like Game On, Y'all. Competition!  It is quite the game changer.  It means I'll have to raise the bar that much higher as master tailgatress with new competition on the horizon. And that means spending more of Coach Hullabaloo's money. 

Plus the cuter the tailgate, the more I hope to annoy the unfun Audubon Boulevard Matrons (can you be-lieve those cheap-o's demanded that they be given free season tickets for their inconvenience?! the nerve of those people! talk about entitled.).

Just look at what I found on Etsy today and also during my Eastern Seaboard Shopping Trip earlier this week...

and Gentlemen, the perfect Tulane Green and sky blue check from Brooks Brothers.  It is so very Tulane, you have to have this.

And then this adorableness I found at the Gap.

I just love the little string bow detail around the waist, and it fits suuuuuper cute! Don't pay no mind to the lame model they used on the website, I assure you that it's very cute on.  Yes, I know I have a zillion green dresses that mostly look the same.  But like the hoards of black heeld loafers that I owned for my career girl days in our nations capital, each one is distinctly different okay. Maybe not to the male eye, but other tailgatresses would appreciate my affinity for having options on gameday.

and Yes. I know. I went all the way to the Eastern Seaboard to shop at places I could very well find back home. But at least I didn't have to gag at all of the purple and gold crap normally stocked here while I tend to my shopping.

Anyways, getting back to all of the recruiting hubbub....Mrs. Hullabaloo is a realist, so I'm holding my booty shaking down to an absolute minimum until after our game in Aslut this September.  Which, by the way, Mr. and Mrs. Preacher Man have indicated that they might geaux check things out in Oklahoma for the game and have asked us to reconsider our boycott. They are such a sweet and fun couple, we may consider thinking about it. Maybe.

So yes, I'm remaining cautiously optimistic about our upcoming season.  Give me some time here, I'm just now warming up to this ridiculous pre-dawn games we have to participate in.  I am guarded just in case we should go back to business as usual of embarassing ourselves. I would like to retain the right to remain blissfully in denial through the rest of tailgating season.  Because really, having to decide week to week whether I should proverbially hang on to my ankles or to the bed post in order to endure yet another heartbreaking game is a major downer..... Yes, I did just write that.

So to get our minds off such possibilities, I have finally decided to post some triple dog, super secret society recipes given to me by some friends years ago that I am finally getting around to sharing.

Coach Hullabaloo has a friend who turns out is married to a sorority sister!  Small world?!  Anyways, Elle, as I shall call her - is just wonderful and sweet and she has this amazing rib cooking recipe that she and Mr. Elle picked up from a cab driver during a trip they took to Memphis (you can brush up on Peggy's super easy rib recipe here if you'd like, which is also quite tasty).  Elle and her hubby had gone to the Land of Elvis and went about sampling various rib joints and were never quite blown away like they had anticipated they might be.  Being the serious grill foodies that they are, they rode around in a cab after a disappointing meal, bemoaning the situation.  So the cab driver let them in on his secret to cooking the perfect ribs and Elle generously has shared it with me.  Elle claims that this is a serious rib recipe and has made them King and Queen of the Grill in their neighborhood.  I am going to try it this summer finally.

ELLE'S FAMOUS RIBS

Lather your rack of ribs with dry spice rub of your choice and place onto a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil with a second sheet to lay on top of the ribs. Gather and seal edges to make rectangle around the ribs. If you can refrigerate the seasoned ribs at least an hour or overnight it's even better...Preheat and bake at 300 for 3 to 4 hours. Elle does 3 hrs. 30 min or less. Remove ribs and grill for 15 minutes over medium heat while basting with your favorite BBQ sauce.  How easy is that for perfect ribs?

DILL VINEGAR POTATER SALAD

I just love this tater salad.  Not that I'm judgemental or prejudice against certain tater salads.  I love them all with a boundless heart!  But this one is particularly tasty when it's hot and lawd you know how hot it gets on that superdome parking lot.

2-1/4 lbs new potatoes (about 10, depending on size)
1/3 cuppa olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
saltnpeppa and half teaspoon sugah
*using white pepper might be interesting here
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1-1/2 t dried dill weed

Wash the taters, but do not peel. Steam until fork-tender. Slice or cube when cool. Meanwhile sautee minced garlic in olive oil over medium to low heat.  Do not brown.  Remove and let cool.  Mix in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and then add to potaters and mix.  Cover, refrigerate and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Happy Summer ya'll!

Inspired by Brunch Tailgating

Yes! ..... when God closes one door, it's because there's another door, full of wonderful surprises, that's ready to be opened for you.  Although, we, in the Greenie Dat Nation, have been waiting patiently about what that means as far as the actual Gridiron, but in the meantime, with respect to tailgating: Mrs. Hullabaloo is in a much more exciting place!

I hereby begrudgingly admit that these red eye football games that Tulane will be playing in the fall in front of a Ukranian Television Audience have actually been an inspiration.

Indeed.

I feel like Matt Weiner (creator of my other obsession, Mad Men), in that I awake suddenly in the middle of the night with a gasp in order to jot down my latest tailgating menu brain storm:  Chicken and Waffles!!!

How could I have overlooked such an idea!?!  My tailgatress soul sister, Anna from South Carolina got on that idea for their game against Auburn.  Doesn't Anna sound like a Kindred Spirit?  I love her intros, wanting to punch holes dry wall and call to the heavens, "Why!? Why!? Why!?" - wanting a win so bad she can taste it, but then taking a cleansing bath, dreaming up recipes for next week's tailgate and soldiering on.  I love her!

I also found this simpler Mancave-y version of serving up Chicken n Waffles at your tailgate...Not quite "walking tacos" (guh-ross!), but quite efficient.




Of course Mrs. Hullabaloo will jazz up our waffles a bit other than going the Eggo route. So while we'll most definitely pre-order chicken strips from the awesome downtown Rouse's on Baronne - I will probably make some cornbread-ish inspired waffles to heat up on the grill. And possibly top with green onions and pralines or something.  Also, I need to figure out how to get my hands on the waffle maker in Bruff that allegedly makes waffles with the Meanie Greenie on them.  How cuuuuute would that be?!

Genius, right!  So I've updated our Revised 2012 Tailgate Menu to include Chicken 'n Waffles, Hashbrown Casserole, with Booty's Berries 'n Cream and Sweet potato pie.  I think the chicken 'n waffles will be awe-some with some sausage gravy or pepper jelly syrup and some kind of pecan, praline inspired topping.  Can't wait, Can't wait, Can't wait!

and then while I was perusing chicken 'n waffle recipes, I ran across this!  Squeal!!!

HOT REUBEN DIP

• 1/2 cup cooked corned beef diced or shredded
• 1/4 cup sauerkraut, drained and dry
• 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 4 ounces (half a pack) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup Russian dressing*

Ok, are you ready for these instructions?  It's so hard.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Toss all the ingredients in a baking dish or foil pan. If you can handle it, mix em around a bit.  Bake in an oven for about 20 minutes until bubbly and the top is golden brown.

*Now the complicated thing about this recipe is the Russian Dressing bit.  True Russian Dressing is vinegary based and made with beet juice.  The reuben version of "Russian Dressing" means the mayo-ketchup variety.  The easiest version I found to whip up is Heinz Chili Sauce, Mayo, Horseradish, minced onion.  Almost like a new orleans remoulade kinda, but sweet.

The reason I am so excited about this discovery is that back when our Rutgers game was announced, I was completely torn, as an obsessed hostess is (Anna from South Carolina would understand!), about all of the fabulous New Jersey inspired menu options that could be served.  My very first thought was REUBENS!

Mrs. Hullabaloo had a wonderful friend from my junior semester abroad in college, who was from an adorable hamlet in New Jersey.  Ironically, while I was a very enthusiastic and social Tulane co-ed, I was a bit cloistered amongst a very Southern Newcomb crowd, so I didn't much venture too much into Northern food except for discovering Matzoh Ball soup, Bagels and Knishes from this little deli that used to be on Carrollton.  The farthest North I ever even ventured in the dating world at Tulane was a boy from St. Louis.  Anyways, when Daddy asked what I wanted as a graduation gift, I immediately told him I wanted to take a road trip to New York and visit my New Jersey friend.  I'd never been past Virginia before then!

The two genius things my New Jersey friend did was to introduce me to Ice Hockey and NJ Sloppy Joes, which are turkey meat and coleslaw versions of Ruebens. and from there it sparked an obsession with "true" deli sandwiches.  Stein's Deli on Magazine makes turkey version of Ruebens and calls em Rachels.  When Graff hosts radio shows from Tracey's on Magazine, their cooks will make turkey reubens for me without looking at me sideways, ha!  However you wanna free-style em, I love, love, love them: Grilled up some juicy deli meat, add sauerkraut, melted swiss and russian or thousand island dressing.  and Rye bread to hold and soak up all the juicy delicousness. Awesome!

But the downer is how do you keep tailgate-served Reubens from getting all soggy if you do a make-ahead batch? Or do I chain Coach Hullabaloo to the grill as a short order cook to make em "to order"? 

Here, the awesome Anna dishes out a Southern Inspired Reuben version with po boy bread, jazzed up saurkraut, vidalia onion dressing and a fried green tomater. Sounds awesome, right?

Anyways, so for Rutgers I opted for roastbeef cheesesteaks because we can deconstruct the parts easily and serve in chaffing dishes. Have some hollowed out po boy loafs that the Hullabaloo Huddlers can just grab buffet-style and assemble themselves a proper Cheesesteak.

 
I mean really Cheesesteak sandwiches are just basically a twist on New Orleans roast beef po-boys, but just adding a provolone bechamel and some carmelized green peppers, onions and mushrooms for garnish.

So I am very excited about this Hot Rueben Dip that is basically fool-proof in preparation, dontcha think?

Anyways, too good not to share the recipes for, so I hope you enjoy these tailgate recipe ideas!

BOBBY FLAY'S PROVOLONE SAUCE (for the cheesesteaks)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk, heated

1 cup grated aged provolone cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Start by making a blonde roux: melt ya butter in a sauce pan, whisk in the flour and stir, stir, stir for 1 minute until you have a cream consistency. Slowly whisk in the warm milk (see, now you're making a bechamel!) and simmer, whisking constantly until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the bechamel mixture from the heat and whisk in the provolone and Parmesan until combined; season with the salt and pepper.

BOOTY'S DRUNKEN BERRIES

Blackberries, Blueberries and Raspberries
Splash of Chambord and Vodka
Whipping Cream
Kahlua
Marascino Cherries

Put your berries in a bowl  (I know, don't be discouraged! Bowl entry can be an uphill task for Greenie Dats). Add a generous splash of Chambord over the berries and a sprinkle of vodka. Let your berries marinate for a few hours in the fridge.  Meanwhile take your whipping cream, add a splash of kahlua, and whip the cream up until frothed, keep the cream fridged up til serving. Add a scoop of drunken berries, top with some whipped cream, drizzle some berry juice over the whipped cream. Top with a maraschino cherry as garnish.

HASHBROWN CASSEROLE

1 (10 1/2 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup butter, melted
salt and pepper
1/2 cup minced onions
2 cups shredded colby cheese
2 lbs frozen pre-made hash browns, thawed
pinches of nutmeg for good measure! (I love me some nutmeg in these types of recipes)

Preheat your oven to 350. Mix together the soup, butter, salt, pepper, onions. Fold the thawed taters with this high fat goodness in a foil baking pan.  Maybe add a dash of tabasco across the top (this is Louisiana afterall).  Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Okay, who's ready for tailgating!?

Summer Shake Up

Word! TPTB has gone messin with our tailgating schedule in order to accommodate televised games. and this has now caused much consternation in the Hullabaloo Huddle Household, up in here!

Hold on cause I plan to be a cry baby in this post, so brace yourself.

....I have to pause here to insert that Peggy has discovered that the "NO IZD" yard signs being distributed from the Team Shop are - are you ready for this? - in purple and gold.  INSULTING!

Anyways:  11am?!?!  What could I possibly serve at 8 or 9 in the morning that will be worth dragging my wares and being out at the dome by 7am?  For all the TV coverage will be worth, we'll all be needing a nap. I get that this is part of TPTB plan to drum up our TV ratings that have been neglected for a decade. This neglect having caused a big ole screeching halt on our dancing with the Big 12 last spring, but, but, but, I still don't like it.

How cute are these!?!

Yes, another obscenely expensive pair of game day shoes. Available here from Mod Cloth.

The last time we had a televised 11am home game was the 2007 game in the dome against, gawd I actually have to type this, LSU.  Coach Hullabaloo and I were in our infancy of mastering the art of tailgating and so we had a Green and Blue kingcake I had picked up from Martin's Wine Cellar and Bloody Mary's.  It was very fun and carefree....and much less arguing while packing up the car that's for sure! ha!

But it's an odd time in the morning and you can only be so creative with breakfast options.  Who wants catfish and remoulade at 9am? Or hamburgers and corndogs at 10am?  And I was really, really looking forward to doing corndogs in a nod to the Texas State Fair since this is our swan song game with SMU now that we've had a "hip replacement."

But back to my story: in that '07 game I was absolutely famished by halftime and Superdome food is famously horrid. Plus you practically need to sell your plasma to pay for it.  While I was riveted with the game, I had few options that warranted me to actually get out of my seat - or to uhh, dispatch Coach Hullabaloo rather, so I had a monster migraine by the time it was over. So you simply must understand my consternation with proper feeding before kick off.

The other 11am game this summer is in Tulsa and as exciting and fabulous a metropolis as Tulsa is, with heavy hearts, we decided to skip a soujourn in the land of corn eaters.  Coach Hullabaloo and I really shed a tear on that one.  So now thankfully, we could possibly organize a gathering with lunch appropriate gameday food during that game to enjoy....Even if we should happen to have to listen to it FDR-style on the radio if the game ends up on some satellite Fox Channel only broadcast in the Ukraine as is sometimes the case in these obscure television deals that TPTB settle for.

As you can surmise: I'm really having a hard time about these game times!  Booty Judy tells me this is not a travesty and I just need to get over myself (I know, I know, I know - I am grasping at some center of the Universe attention here).  and Coach CJ has been gangbusters on the recruitment front with 7 solid players committing - and all locals (!). It's been quite exciting to watch, but I digress from my pity party here....

.......Couldn't us long suffering fans have gotten a bone, a morsel, for at least ONE MORE home game at 6 or 7 elsewhere in the schedule to make up for this miasma ruining my carefully orchestrated tailgating menus? On top of the fact that we're bidding adieu to this mediocre conference to have to face an even worse set of conference affiliations in 2013? All due to our short sightedness.  (am I laying it on thick enough?) 

Afterall, I believe I've been an exemplary member of the Greenie Dat Nation. Sucking up 2:30 kick offs for the past several years, despite feeling like we were tailgating on the surface of the sun.  At least we could serve tailgate appropriate food and enjoy this time honored American tradition, even though it always felt like we were packing it up early. With this middle of the day gametimes, Coach Hullabaloo and I would be just plum exhausted afterwards - emotionally and physically. But we soldiered on without complaint.

At the very least I think we merit at least TWO 6 or 7pm games as just compensation for all my letter writing to the City Council, sitting in at City Hall, putting up with petulant matrons and having to look at attorneys with bad hair. I feel 6 or 7 pm kick off should be a fair trade off....Ima just saying!

So - sigh - here now, are some ideas for the REVISED 2012 HULLABALOO TAILGATING MENU

Rutgers: Roastbeef Cheesesteak Po Boys, Tortellini pasta salad, mini meatball appetizers, Hot Reuben Dip+ rye melba toast, Peggy's red pepper dip and Italian breadsticks, pesto dip, stuffed artichokes, pretzels and mustard, amaretto cheesecake. (no change, yay!)

Ole Miss: BBQ Shrimp and Grits, Deviled Eggs, Praline Bacon, Apples with caramel and heath bar dip, White Lace Inn Blueberry Creamcheese French Toast Casserole, Mimosas, Brandy Milk Punch and Zing Zang Bloody Marys. (ok, ok, okay. this sounds pret-ty awesome)

ULM: Gumbo, meat pies, bacon wrapped shrimp skewers, jambalaya, biscuit sandwiches, dip, and bananas foster squares (no change, yay!)

SMU: Updated! Chicken n Cornbread Waffles with Sausage Gravy or Pepper Jelly syrup, Hashbrown Casserole, Booty Judy's Berries n Cream, and Sweet Potato Pie.

UAB: BBQ ribs and chicken drummettes, cornbread, Priscilla's potato salad, mac n cheese, green beans, and banana pudding and pecan pie

Rice: Greek-Mex! Tex Mex Brisket and gravy, Jalapeno Popper orzo mac and cheese, Grilled lamb sausage with BBQ sauce, 8 layer Greek dip and pita chips, warm spinach and feta dip and tortilla chips, lettuce, kalamata and cucumber salad with Nell's awesome cilantro dressing, Apple cinnamon tamales with dulce de leche.

ECU: Cochon du Lait with carolina vinegar sauce, Shrimp Sliders, cole slaw, baked beans, broccoli and grape pasta salad, lavender cheesecake and pumpkin fudge

Well, what do you chickens think? Should I buy the shoes?

Summer Break

We were this, this, close to getting into a baseball regional (in Waco it was gossiped), but then that minor detail of actually winning games during the CUSA tourney kinda put a damper on things.

And of course, it helped that ECU had their AD on the selection committee so they got picked over us even having beat them senseless 4 times (hey! novel idea. when is the Greenwave TPTB gonna smarten up and figure out those kinda home cooking arrangements?)

So I bought me these boots instead of having a pity party.  Retail therapy, cures all that ails ya.

I found them on a birthday trip to Austin the same weekend of the Cusa Tourney which was taking place in Pearl, Mississippi.  I found these at this lovely boot scootin shop called "Allen Boots" located amongst the Hippie dives of South Congress.  (Serious. Austin is sooo weird. and I say that as a New Orleanean.)

Here's a link, don't look at the price, just buy them because they are fabulous. And get them in a size larger because they run small.

......So, now, am I ready to go pitchforking Coach Rick Jones like some of the haters? ....Uh, No Thank You!  Lawd have mercy.  Could you imagine all of the extraordinary drama that TPTB at Wilson Center could invent in their effort to derail yet another head coaching search?

During the football head coaching search, there was all kinds of drama. And I mean: all kinds.  I got grey hairs from all of it and worse: it was interfereing with my ability to hostess proper tailgating parties! And that is serious y'all! 

The Football Head Coaching Search which was conducted was such an absurd tragi-comedy that Hot Wheels renamed the thread on the topic on GoTula.net as the "Head Coaching Search Hostage Crisis Day {insert number of days}" lmao!  It was like a countdown, and each day it would be updated with the newest day.  Of course TPTB just hated that and even mentioned it underhandedly at the announcement presser, but whatever. Laugh with us, or cry with us.

It's sad that this was actually funny to us, but seriously - this search could not have been handled in a more absurd manner.  It got to the point that the only thing a random candidate needed was an offer from Tulane in order to parlay that into getting a better gig at a better program.  Scott Cowen had even schockingly opened up the coffers to the limit, above and beyond what other schools were offering to pay and nobody, I mean, nobody, dared accept.  Every candidate pulled a Todd Graham on us, accepting our overtures in order to use our offers to sweaten the ones they really wanted.  It was embarassing, excruciating, undignified.

Tulane started out at the front of the pack in the coaching search in October and we offered everybody with a living pulse before finally thankfully drawing the charade to a close in high December with someone not but 3 miles away from campus. I cannot make this up.

And then to top that drama, we now have the withering away of CUSA right before our very eyes - which was a joke of a conference to begin with. Titanic imagery and all. And second-guessing TCU for conference hopping.  And making Louisville and Cincinnatti promise to schedule CUSA games as an exchange condition for bolting. (!!!!!!)

We, as in Tulane, have managed to identify, along with CUSA, some additions of schools whose names even I can't even wring out of my skull or point out on a map.  Seriously.  The indiginity of even recalling these "new" additions to CUSA is so embarassing to me, that I can't bring myself to even type them until I absolutely must because they happen to be on the schedule.

(Please Buddah or whoever, Great One Up Above, please, pretty please help us get into a for real college conference?  If you could find it in your heart. We've suffered enough.....)

So in short, I'll get back to my point with respect to Coach Rick Jones: We all deserve better treatment than what would most certainly ensue in a "search" should we fire him. The foreseen possibilities that this course of action would promise causes me to have post-traumatic stress disorder in advance.  And by "we" who deserve better: I mean the entire Greenwave family: fans, players, and most of all Coach Rick Jones who's given us more wins than any other coach in the history of the Greenwave. and yet, has stuck around.

I do, however, acknowledge that RJ does need to do some hard thinking about the lineup of his coaching staff and how long he lets pitchers marinate on the mound. And then Dickson needs to do some Rise Up TM thinking about proper scholarship arrangements for baseball so that we can do what Rice figured out to do long ago.

Maybe we'll get these wishes in time for Christmas. Dare to dream.....

It was funny to us in Section 110 at the time, but we threatened to take matters into our own hands and do a Forrest Gump.

As in commandeer signal calling away from the third base coach.  Sending players around 3rd when they wouldn't make it in time, giving them the signal to stop when it was too late for them to cool the momentum of their jets, running into players running for home.  And lawered knows how many botched stolen bases that would doom innings.

Anyways, that's all I gots to say about all of this.  Onward to the food and shopping portion of my post today.

I have found these cuuu-te football party gear and hope ya'll love them too.

Cute tailgate glasses from Glam Glasses.  Adorable, non?

and Yummy recipes too...I think I'm gonna serve this at the Rice game this season

RACHEL RAY'S TEX MEX BRISKET 
Spice Rub
1/4 cuppa light brown sugar, packed
3 tbs paprika
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs mustard seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Braised Beef prep  beef brisket (5 to 6 pounds), liposuctioned, but leave 1/8" of fat on top
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive erl
4 cloves chopped garlic
2-3 stalks chopped celery
2 chopped carrots
1 large chopped oignon
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons pureed seeded chipotle in adobo
2 tablespoons tomater paste
1 bottle dark Mejican Cerveza
2 cups beef stock
One 32-ounce can tomater puree

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine spice blend ingredients, reserve 2 tbsp of blend for another use.

Bring the brisket to room temperature. Sprinkle with black pepper and some of the spice blend onto the meat.

Heat 3 tbsp of erl in a skillet and brown the brisket on both sides and then remove from heat onto a separate plate. Don't cook thru.

To the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, sautee the veggies for 5 mins, seasoned with salt n pepper. Stir in the chipotle puree and tomato paste and let simmer for a minute. Add the beer, stir and simmer for another minute. Add the beef stock n tomato puree and bring to a low simmering boil.

Add the brisket back in, cover the skillet and braise in the oven until fork tender, about 2.5 to 3 hours. Very carefully, remove the brisket and slice it up.

Puree the braising gravy left in the skillet with an immersion blender and add sliced brisket back into the sauce.

serve with Jalapeno Orzo Mac n Cheese (yum-o!)

JALAPENO POPPER ORZO MAC N CHEESE
Kosher salt
1 pound orzo
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
4 jalapenos seeded and finely chopped
2 jalapenos, sliced with seeds
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups cheddar
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups panko
2 Fresno chile peppers, sliced

Cook orzo in berld salted water for 6 mins. Until al dente. Drain orzo.

Sautée chopped jalapenos, garlic and onions in 4 tbsp butter until soft. Add the flour and make a roux. Add the milk and stir until the sauce thickens (you've made a bechamel!). Season with salt n pepper. Add cheddar and cream cheese, stir until melted delicious goo-eyness.

Combine the orzo with your cheesy sauce in a casserole dish.

Melt 4 tbsp of butter and toss with panko to coat. Sprinkle buttered panko over the casserole and top with sliced jalapenos and Fresno chiles.  Yum, tastes just like a jalapeno popper!  With the Orzo, it's a perfect Houston inspired menu with the Greek and the Tex Mex and the American all coming together.  Can't wait!