Emporium of Uselessness

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. green pepper, minced
• 1/3 c. red pepper, minced
• 1/4 c. onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan
• 1/3 c. crabmeat
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (we used smashed ‘extreme cheddar’ Goldfish crackers)
• 24 white mushrooms, stems removed

Sauté peppers, onions and garlic in 1/4 c. butter until soft. (I don’t use that much butter!)
Remove from heat and add egg, cheese, crabmeat and breadcrumbs.
Melt the remaining 1/4 c. butter (you may need more depending on the size of the mushrooms)
Dip each cap into the melted butter and stuff with the crabmeat mixture.
Bake at 400 F until lightly browned on top.
Serve immediately.

Photos on my Picasa Web Albums.

Just like at Red Lobster. Serve with a nice warm buttery biscuit.

The recipe does not call for it, but we added some crab meat because it’s yummy. 1st thing to do for this recipe is to choose a white wine that you like to drink. Make sure to have some while preparing, since you’re opening it anyway.

Read on for ingredients and preparation instructions.

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Pulled pork makes awesome sandwiches, especially when served with a barbecue sauce flavored with Jack Daniels whiskey and cola. Plan at least a day ahead to marinate pork loin. The barbecue sauce is made separately and can be used with any meat. (We have  used the same recipe on back ribs before and it is excellent.)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 – 5 hours (3 hours for oven, 5 hours if using low setting on slow cooker)

Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Read on for full ingredients and preparation instructions.

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Does Blizzard  hate us?

I am finally logged in to the game and able to play as of late last night (16 days after purchasing it).

My theory is that there is some poor guy sitting in a server room somewhere, manually updating the problem database records one by one, and all the rest of the stuff they have us do is just to buy him time.

Here’s my experience, although it probably won’t help anyone.
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from Montana’s restaurant

• 2 pkg. cream cheese
• ¼ cup green pepper
• ¼ cup red pepper
• ¼ cup jalapeno pepper
• ¼ cup green onion
• 6 tortilla shells
• 1½ cup cheddar cheese, grated

1. Mix cream cheese with peppers and onions in a food processor.
2. Spread mixture over tortilla shell evenly. Sprinkle cheddar over top and roll up tightly.
3. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing into 1 inch pieces.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Erin says, “I minced the peppers and onions (since we don’t have a food processor) before mixing them into the cream cheese. Also, I waited until the antojitos came out of the oven to slice them – you get some oohy gooey cheesey goodness this way “

We made red and green ones with sundried tomato and spinach wraps for extra prettiness.

• 1 pineapple, skin and core removed and cut into chunks
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Sambal style hot sauce or your favourite hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1. Place pineapple into a salad bowl.
2. Whisk together the lime juice, soya sauce, hot sauce and brown sugar.
3. Add to the pineapple, along with the cilantro and red onion and toss well.

Erin made these and they are freaking awesome for a snack any time, and they were a big hit.

• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups mixed nuts (blanched almonds, unsalted cashews, pecan halves)

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the tamari, egg white, brown sugar and spices. Add the nuts and stir to coat well, 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Spread the nuts on the baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until toasted. Let cool, stirring a few times. Remove the nuts from the parchment paper (otherwise they’ll stick to it). Let cool.

I didn’t take my camera to BeerFest this year, but Erin did!

Erin’s 1st BeerFest Pictures