Puerto Rican Tostones (really fb)

In fond remembrance of a business trip with Kubicek to San Juan we finally made some proper Puerto Rican "tostones."  Picked up some skirt steak from Morello's (best fajita meat in OKC) yesterday and noticed some nice, mostly black and yellow plantains.  These make an awesome appetizer or side for any latin meal.

Give it a shot:

Buy 2 Plantains (mostly black and yellow will give you starchy but with some sweetness that is awesome with the salt)

Peel the plantains and cut them into 1" chunks (like you would a banana)

Put some oil in a skillet and heat it up (375 deg or med-high).
 They don't have to float in it- just put 1/4" or so on the bottom of the pan.

Fry them for two minutes on each side then put them on a plate.  Using the bottom of a soup can press them flat - they'll be about 1/4" thick.

When they are all pressed put them back in the oil for about 1 minute each side.

Sprinkle with kosher salt

Enjoy the salty sweet goodness

We enjoyed with some home-made guac and beef fajitas.  Not a bad little Wednesday night throw together!

Oatmeal (on a lighter note) (fb)

Today was an oatmeal kind of day.  My British friends taught me to make the perfect oatmeal- it took oatmeal from "every once in a while" to "most winter days."  Enjoy.

1/3 Oatmeal (not instant crap, real oats)
1/3 Water
1/3 Milk

Heat until it begins to boil.

Finish with some combination of...

Butter
Brown Sugar
Honey
Cream
Fruit- especially dates

If you're doing it in the microwave it gets even easier.  Use "1/3" cup of each for 1 serving and heat on high about "3" minutes (but make sure it doesn't spill over).

Molasses Butter and other goodies from OK Horticulture (fb)

Had a wonderful (and wonderfully surreal) day on Friday at the 2010 Oklahoma Horticulture Industries Show in Tulsa.  I have a genuine excitement about the growing "sustainable agriculture" movement (slow food, locally grown, farm to table, buy fresh buy local, organic farming, etc.) in Oklahoma.  Hopefully Carlton Landing Farm will be the "belle" of that ball one day.  I can also envision the Eufaula/McAlester area as a major agritourism destination.  Why does all of this matter to me?

"Sustainability" is a good thing- it's good for our bodies, communities, and lifestyle
"Boutique" anything is so "third-wave" I just love seeing the future breakthrough in the present
Oklahoma can be a leader in this global movement, particularly in agriculture/ agritourism
It is a major value component and ammenity of Carlton Landing
Sustainable agriculture resonates with the hearts of young people in a very significant way.
I am a very food-focused person :)

Some menus are worth passing on.  Doug Walton at the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture did an awesome job coordinating with local farmers to put together one hec of an amazing lunch.  Did I enjoy the presentation on growing better tomatoes?  Sure.  Was lunch my favorite part of the day?  Absolutely!