IowanChef.com

Late in the season..

Yes, I’ve been holed-up in the great state of Iowa (I heard that giggle, knock it off..) and spending lots of time at SunnyBruch Farms Headquarters, nestled in the hills, surrounded by nature. I’ve been building things (mostly shelves and planter boxes for my mom), foraging for the elusive and delicious morel mushroom.

I’m about ten days into my stay, and with a mere six days remaining, I’m already anxious to get back to Austin and dive full-force into my newest project, a food cart/trailer business.  I’ve secured the financing, drafted the menus, crunched the numbers, and have everything pretty much set to go aside from naming it.  Iowanchef?  Do I just go for it and call it that?  Perhaps..    Anyway, that’s the update from the countryside.  Stay tuned as I compile all my video footage for a morel-studded episode of Jrm Says..

Obviously, I took a break from the cooking show after I had my Flip camcorder stolen from the stage at a show I played with blues-rockers Dertybird a few weeks back. I took this time to remodel my condo a bit (mostly the kitchen) and picked up some gigs around town while WMMF is on break in preparation for the next album. Now that I’ve got a grip on my new Flip Mino HD, I present to you the fruits of my labor, and the animal of my nightmares; SHARK!

Having recently had my Flip camcorder stolen from the stage after a gig, I had to dig through the archives in hopes of finding a nugget of culinary magic buried in the What Made Milwaukee Famous ’08 tour footage.  And after sifting through vast amounts of immaculately-organized clips of dudes passed out with penises drawn on their foreheads, various Parking Lot Olympics, and things that would certainly make moms cry, I uncovered a very special day in Los Angeles while we were on tour with The Whigs and The Dead Trees.

I’ve been toying with the concept of the Honey Habanero Garlic Butter for a few years, and have put it on everything from popcorn balls (QUITE exciting) to tostones (fried plantain chips) with wild success.  On this day, it would be slathered on grilled corn and then rolled in parmesan.  And all would rejoice with sweet, salty, burning lips of buttery sweet corn goodness.

This butter is also perfect for any South By Southwesterners who may find themselves attending a BBQ during the festival and wish to contribute.  Cheap, easy, and takes no time to make.  Just show up with the ingredients and a dozen ears of corn and I guarantee you, you’re golden.

From the episode:

• 1/2lb salted butter, softened to room temp
• 2-4 habaneros, seeded, veined, and finely minced (use extreme caution and/or gloves)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and finely minced
• 1/4C (roughly) honey

Mash in a bowl with a spoon or better yet, a mixer if you’re equipped like that..

Keeps in the fridge like regular butter, and if you shape it in some plastic wrap, you can get it back to a butter-log shape of your own design, or you can spread it into ice cube trays, ramekins, your snoring roommate’s nostrils, etc..

Also good on grilled meats, seafood, popcorn (with Reese’s Pieces? you’ll die.), fried plantain chips, and used in popcorn balls for a very interesting treat indeed..  For fans of the sweet/salt/spice holy trinity, this one is a must for your arsenal.

Cheers,
Jrm

Episode 4.5

Ahhh… my first post on my own website.. Friggin’ SWEET. *cracks knuckles*

It’s 7:41am on Wednesday, March 11th 2009, and the 86 degree weather has been faced by the northerly cold front, giving Austin what will likely be its last frigid blast before spring fully sets in. And in this rare occurrence that I’m actually awake to see morning, the sunrise, hear the quiet streets coming to life, and all those other things I “miss,” according to my chirpy early-bird mother, I am actually taking a moment to breathe. I’ve been busy. It’s really amazing how much work you can get done when you’ve made Shameless Self-Promotion/Preservation your job. Sure, Jrm Says is just a cooking show, and a short simple (for now) one at that, but if you know me, you know that it only scratches the surface of my abilities and passion. So, with that thought in mind, I’ve been working on a way to get The Message to the people on a much more intimate and local scale.. I’ll not say much more while I spend the next few weeks buried in paperwork and revisiting my days coaxing fussy recipes into something more sexy, economical, and portable..

For the time being, I’ve finally got a scrap to throw to my fellow carnivores in Episode IV where I serve up marinated skirt steak fajita with a chipotle aioli, tomato cucumber avocado salad, and a Tex-Asian slaw. Everyone’s feeling the pinch these days and cutting costs, but that’s no reason to deny yourself the good things in life.. like steak. And avocados.

4-6 tacos
6-8 servings each of slaw and tom/avo salad

total food cost: $8.00
total preparation time: 20mins

Episode V filming this weekend. Hint: lots of girls, and lots of food being rubbed on them..

Be Good.
Jrm