Havin' a great Sunday - great Soup too

OK -
This may very well be my oddly favorite soup ever. I'm not certain if it is because of the flavor - or the surprising flavor despite the ingredients.

Kierland Stew
- Ham and Potato with Cabbage (sounds simple enough huh?)

OK -the only issue here is that I made a Pork Stock, and used that for the base of the soup. You should be able to use a nice Vegetable base, but don't make it too strong, or salty, as the ham will carry that.

In a large sauce pan - heat 1 gallon stock (pork or vegetable, but not chicken) to a rolling boil.

Next, add 1 1/2 # medium diced Potatoes. I suggest Red Bliss as the tend to stay firmer a little longer.

1# Diced Ham - use a deli type if you like, or scraps from a bone in

2 t Nutmeg (you know I love this stuff, and this is the perfect application)

2 T Fresh Parsley

3 C Shredded Cabbage

1 t Fennel Seeds, or if you have it, 1/4 C thinnly sliced Fennel Bulb

Bring it all to a nice boil, and then simmer for about 20 minutes until the flavors blend

- Really nice and simple - great flavors


Pork Stock:

I also use this for the base to my posole - nice subtle flavors, not as distinct and strong as Chicken or Vegetable

In a Medium Sized Stock Pot:

1 Gallon Water
1 C Chopped Red Onion
1 t S/P
1/2 Cup Parsley
1 C Orange Juice
2 T Chopped Garlic
1/4 C Cilantro
1/2 # Pork Cushion - you can add this to the soup if ya want, but I'd prefer making little carnitas out of it
- bring it all to a boil and let it reduce and simmer to about 3/4

Come by next week and try out some of our Soups for Soup Sunday at El Gato. Also, our new web page is coming soon that will have recipes, videos and all sorts of fun stuff! - Have a great week!

Great brownie Recipe ... more texture than Chocolate

These are great ... but you don't wanna eat a ton of them. Almost like an old fashioned molasses (sp?) brownie ... my grandma used to make something very similar to this ... great for a cold stay at home project to pass the time:


3 C Sugar (yeah, three)
6 T Cocoa Powder
1 C Melted Butter

6 Beaten Eggs
2 t Vanilla

2 1/4 C Flour
1 1/2 t Salt
1 t Baking Powder

Combine: Melted Butter, Cocoa, Sugar and Vanilla - just use a spoon - mixer if ya wanna

Add: Eggs to mixture

Next add: Flour, Salt and Baking Powder

Cook in a buttered and floured 18 x 12 pan - 375 for 20 minutes

Sides will get a little bubbly, and the center will sink just a bit, but when it cools - really nice texture.

I driizzled White and Dark Chocolate on mine - worked out well. Enjoy! Not gooey - but really abd for ya - which means ... tastey!

Mas pics ....

This is day Three of the "storm" - and yes, that is Simon outside with PJs - he was helping unload the van this morning - he had boots on - and it wasn't as cold as it looked - for a few minutes anyway.

(Oh yeah, this is not my favorite sign - one you should most likely heed)

Opened up the hill in front of The Elks, they've actually done a great job of keeping the roads pretty clear - don't wanna know what that might have cost.

Looking forward to a Saturday with a little less weather, and more customers - hopefully the "I wanna see snow" crowd from Phoenix will fill the place - we all know that true Preskitonians stay home in any sort of weather.

If you are at home, I'm posting a great old fashioned brownie recipe I found the other day in just a little bit. I drizzled mine with White and Dark Chocolate - called 'em Messy Brownies ...

If you have any pics -send 'em to me and I'll post 'em here.

Weather pics - but not the worst of it!

Missed the ones of the creek near cresting - but just a few shots - more on the way tomorrow.

Storm Results - The Flood ... almost

What a mess, but we got through it so far! Gato survived the impending Granite Creek. The creek crested sometime over night and is now back a near normal levels. This, after we took all the patio furniture in etc.

Lots of excitement yesterday. Spent most of the day bailing out Monk's, climbing on the roof to clear gutters (not ours), and knee deep in freezing water - I have some pics which I'll post later.

The day started really great - I got up at 4am to fill the pastry case at Monk's and make desserts for 129 1/2 and Gato - only to have very few diners - then the rain startedin earnest ... then the roof started leaking, then the courtyard filled up and began to come in the back doors at Monk's - not a pretty sight! Took all day and night to get it under control.

With the weather cooling the water has stopped, but now at least we are prepped and ready for the deluge once it decides to start melting again.

Hope all are safe, warm and dry! By the way ... we're open if you wanna stop on in for a warm cup O' Joe and vittles!

Pasta Phundraiser

Great turn out last night for our Pasta Phundraiser for Haiti! Thanks to everyone who came out! Be sure to Join us nextg week - $5.00 for every entree goes to the American Red Cross for Haiti assistance. 129 1/2 An American Jazz Grille - 443-9292

Wednesday Night Pasta Night Phundraiser

Join us, Wednesday, January 20th & 27th for our Wednesday Night Pasta Night - with a twist.

We're donating $5.00 from every pasta dinner sold to the American Red Cross to help the people of Haiti.

You can also make additional donations to the American Red Cross by writing a personal check, which we will be delivering to the ARC.

So ... Wednesday, 1/20 & 27 - 5 - close.

Great food, and an easy way to make a difference.

Six (6) pasta dishes at jstu $9.95, plus a few more for a little bit more, and our full dinner menu!

129 1/2 An American Jazz Grille - 443-9292

Great Weekend!

Thanks to all for coming in and making the weekend hop!

Lots of stuff going on as always - more recipes on the way and some great new menu options.

Tonight, I'm sittin' in with Ramon and I'm buyin' the first round when you tell your server you read my blog!

Have a great day, and week!

- Barry

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Ready to start the week fresh! Got some cool stuff planned for this week. New dishes at 129 1/2 - Cowboy Surf & Turf, Cornmeal Catfish, and a great Spinach Fettucine and Smoked Salmon Dish - sounds comfy no?

Gato - Soup Sunday was a hit - all Vegan Soups this week - here is a great simple recipe that was by all means my favorite:

Butternut Squash & Carrot Bisque
1 medium sized Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and rough chopped
6 nice size carrots - peeled and rough chopped

- Saute in Olive Oil for about 6 - 8 minutes until the begin to soften with a dash fo Salt & Pepper

- Once Softened, dust with 1/4 C Flour and create a roux

Season with 1T Chinese Five Spice (I actually rarely use this, but it worked great here)

Add 1 qrt Vegetable Stock, and 1 can Coconut Milk

Simmer for about 15 mintues, and puree, or leave it nice and chunky - kind of a hearty winter soup

You can also sub the Chinese Five Spice with Curry, or Nutmeg, Cumin and a dash of Cloves

- Enjoy!

It's Thursday in January

Hard to believe it's January, and the weather is great out! Just got done making some eclairs, and prepping batter for tomorrow - actually pretty easy - time consuming though!

Looking forward to the weekend - Ramon and Denny tomorrow night, Rosemary & Frankie on Friday - then me and Ramon on Sunday.

Have a great one and stop on in!

Happy New Year!

OK -
I'm gonna try real hard this year to keep the blog a little more up to date, and accurate.

First things first:

Incredible New Lunch and Dinner Menus at El Gato Azul - Plus daily happy hour from 4 - 6!

Monk's is doing fantastic - and now has Dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday Nights!

129 1/2 opens daily at 5:00 for Dinner, and music Fri / Sat & Sunday
Fridays - Ramon Dana and Denny Garr
Saturday - Rosemary and Frankie Chavez
Sunday - Ramon and Myself (Barry)

Have a great Year, and hope to see ya in soon!
- Barry