Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

That is one hot pepper.

No sausage?

 

Tonight it is hot dogs and beer. Perfect baseball food. But better dogs and beer than typical ballpark offerings.

 

I am not a huge KY bourbon drinker. Knob Creek is about as fancy as I will go. For brown liquor I will buy cheaper ryes like Old Overholt for a Manhatten (I like using rye instead of bourbon) or a Boulevadier which is a negroni using rye instead of gin. The later is a really underappreciated cocktail.

 

My favorite is a very dry martini. My go to gin is Boodles but I like Hendricks as well.

And I make great margaritas. My recipe uses Espolon Blanco tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup and freshly squeezed lime juice. The basic recipe is 1 part lime juice, two parts Cointreau and four parts tequila with just the right amount of simple syrup to balance out the tartness of the limes after the addition of the Cointreau. That is the only "art" in making them. Limes vary. They are slightly better using Don Julio blanco tequila but I would rather sip that neat.

 

We were going to have friends over for a Midwestern comfort food dinner: meat loaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. But we have to delay that one day. Instead it will be a chopped salad.

 

Great idea about the hoe cakes. I need to get some corn meal for bird blocks anyway,

 

Leftovers before going to the game.

 

Some folks prefer a burger on a plancha or a cast iron skillet while I prefer my burgers over lump charcoal. Both are good. They will be tasty coming off your BGE. Some folks also get fancy with mixing different cuts of beef for their burgers but I find that using fatty chuck and grinding it myself is about as close to perfect as possible. You really want about 30% fat and not lean meat. A few weeks ago my wife bought some BOGO ground waygu and it was perfect for burgers. I think that I will now keep some of my fat trimmings to add to my burger grinds if the chuck is too lean.

And then there is the ongoing discussion on whether or not to press them. I don't.

And pork chops are WAY better over lump charcoal. I am with you there.

Do you oven fry, air fry or fry your fries in oil? I have done them the first and last way and while they are different they are both good. I don't have an air fryer.

All this discussion is making me hungry.

Tonight will be leftover meatloaf sandwiches on Publix bakery pumpernickel before going to the game. Quick meal before dashing off.

But tomorrow will be jerk chicken on the KJ after the game.

And I did get some more limes in anticipation of victory margaritas.