Smoke & Mirrors & Burgers

Here at Dallas HQ we have smoke.

And mirrors.

And hamburgers. It's not hard, make up some 80/20 patties, apply salt and pepper, and place on a hot, oiled grill. The meat should sizzle when it hits that grill. Yes, there is a rule.

Perhaps you drink a cold one as you watch heat work its magic on these burgers in potentia, well done, you've deserved it. But only gaze at the open grill for a minute as the meat sears, then cover and cook for two minutes. 

random grill shot

Inhale the magic aroma of burgers doing their thing on a charcoal grill. And then, two minutes over, remove the lid of the grill, admire your beautiful medium rare burgers, place 'em on a tray to rest, covered, and toast some buns.

That done, put it all together and fall upon your scoff, like a warrior.

Cheers,

LSP

Boxing Day Pie

 

Spot the Etonian flag :)

After the festive fun and family conviv. of Christmas, Boxing Day comes as pleasant "breather," time to relax and take it easy. 

Walk the dog to the nearest Pick 'n Steal, reflect on Stephen the Martyr, it's his Feast today, as you stroll down the boulevards of Olde Dallas, and return to HQ for an easy lunch. Warm bread, cheese, dates and grapes, raise a glass to the Incarnate Word, slumber over books on antedeluvia and then...

Return to the fray to make pie. Yes, beef and mushroom pie from the leftovers of yesterday's feast, it's not hard. Cut the beef off the bone(s), chop up an onion, some garlic and celery and saute in 3 Tbs butter till tender and fragrant. Add three Tbs of flour and stir it up, then add beef stock. Well done, you've got this far, but you're not there yet.

A typical Dallas Light Cavalry Mess scene. Keen-eyed readers will spot LL, WSF, Old NFO, drjim, Jim, Wild, 

Ed, Doktor Swankenstein, DOS, Ed. C, Mike C, Manhattan Infidel, Seamus, GenX, Paul M, 

RHT, Adrienne (out of frame) and so many more.

Let everything simmer and stir, like a faculty revolt at Harvard, and add the beef. This is key, obviously. While the meat's simmering in the mix, saute some mushrooms in butter till golden and add those too, along with some red wine, and let it all cook to desired consistency. 

That done, turn off the heat, add yesterdays cooked carrots to the mix and allow the delicious pie filling to rest and cool. Have a glass of the right stuff, listen to Handel, shoot some 5.56, sharpen a kukri, whatever, your call, no rule, and in God's good time roll out some pastry. Good work, fill a pie dish with its filling, cover with jolly old pastry and fire it all into the oven at 400.

Let that beast cook for 20 minutes or so until golden brown, you can even glaze the pastry with an egg yolk if you like, then fall upon your scoff.

Like a Warrior,

LSP

Touring the Grounds

Word to the wise. If you're fixing to have all your teeth out, don't plan on chewing anything for a while.

Making high quality custom infovideos? Different story.

Cheers,

LSP