FRED'S Makes TOP FOUR in THE BATTLE OF THE BURGERS

1. Kincaid’s vs. 2. Fred’s

■Winner: Fred’s

Are you Republican or Democrat? Conservative or independent? Comparing the Fort Worth institutions Kincaid’s and Fred’s — which deservedly were seeded numbers 1 and 2 in our Fort Worth bracket — reveals as much about your personal ideology as it does about your taste in beef. Kincaid’s leans conservative: It offers up a no-frills, unassuming burger. The buns are standard issue. The cheese is inoffensive. Yet the burger works, in part because it’s so appealingly old-fashioned. Fred’s, on the other hand, is wildly, even recklessly independent. Applying chipotles to anything can be overpowering but on the Diablo Burger they blend with the tasty beef and melted Swiss cheese perfectly. The bun barely holds together. You need about 300 napkins to clean up your mess. The exuberance on display finally proves infectious. So which is it. John McCain or Barack Obama? Rick Perry or Kinky Friedman? Kincaid’s or Fred’s? Call us a bunch of left-leaning pinkos if you must, but we’ll always pick the trailblazer over the guy that opts to stay the course.

Speaking of pizzas....

The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium will offer $60 pizzas

This article was changed within hours of the initial post listing the pizza price at $90. I imagine it happening something like this:

Jerry Jones, sitting behind his mammoth mahogany-burled desk, says, "Find out who leaked the price changes, and fire them. Find out who changed the prices, and fire them. Drop the entire menu prices back to Texas Stadium days - we'll give them Drew Pearson prices and we'll see who whines then."

I thought even $6o is outrageous, figuring that is was a pre-made "What Do You Want On Your Tombstone" type of deal. But an old Food & Beverage friend from Aramark (Legends will handle F&B at the new Stadium) said they hand-made the pizzas at the Texas Ranger's Ballpark, but said no hand tossing was involved...

It just proves that GOURMET PIZZA NIGHT at FRED'S is still the best deal going!

Gourmet PIZZA Night!!!

Wednesday is GOURMET PIZZA NIGHT with Magee & Friends!!!

Come on out and test your SCOVILLE THERMOMETER!!!

Maybe it was the mariachi...

But I got whetted for some Chorizo. Did it in a "skillet lasagne" style that I'll drop on you later. I cooked the Chorizo separately because I thought it would be too oily, but I should've saved the juice as I had to add olive oil at the end. Easy, quick, and delicious.

Baked Pasta with Chorizo and Cheese

• 11 ounces penne, ziti, or your fav pasta
  
• 15 ounce Ricotta
• 6 scallions, thickly sliced
• 9 ounces chorizo sausage, cut into chunks
• 7 ounces sliced Manchego cheese (For Topping)
  
• salt and ground black pepper
• Olive Oil
  

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water. Preheat the oven to 400F. Drain the pasta well and return to the pan. Mix in the Ricotta and coat the pasta. Stir in the scallions, chorizo and season; when the chorizo is done turn the mixture into an ovenproof dish. Top with the cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes until the top is crisp and golden brown. Drizzle olive oil upon serving.

Is It Just Me, Or Is This Getting Out-Of-Hand?

Chocolate Covered Bacon Among State Fair Attractions

Vendors are excited to peddle their goods again this year, especially fried fare."There's just everything out here -- fried green beans, fried pizza, fried Twinkies," said vendor John Cook, who is anxious to try chocolate covered bacon.

Sheesh, Italo............

Wotta blowhard - thought that guy was just gonna pick up empties around here... gotta temper that diatribe with some lite entertainment....

Primero.....

'Writing is not a profession
but a vocation of unhappiness.'
Georges Simenon, in Paris Review, Summer 1955

Right. Well, although I am subject to alternating fits of impotent rage and maudlin self-pity, that is not my job here. Despite the internal groundswells upon which my nature is affixed, I'm just here to make sure things remain peaceable. It is in that spirit I humbly submit my first post:

How To Make One's Domicile Temporarily Uninhabitable

Rainy summer days, scarce here in Texas, often find me attempting chores outside the realm of my expertise or skill level. Cleaning out my pantry, for example - well, not for example; to be exact: I was cleaning out my pantry. Upon which I discovered several jars of roasted, dried chile peppers. A jar each of Ancho, Jalapeno, Cayenne, and Serrano peppers that, by my admittedly faulty memory, might be from around 2001. And just like that, POOF, I blew off that boring pantry-cleaning gig and started prepping for a big pot of CHILI. I rinsed a few each of the peppers off and placed them in a pot of warm water with a plate on top, to hold the peppers down to soak. I filled with those warm fuzzies one gets from preparing comfort food that placate the mind into thinking that you're back on stable ground, master of your domain, in control and in charge. Yet I did not want to stare down at a bubbling pot for a couple of hours. American ingenuity and American "I Want It Now" would prevail: by using a pressure cooker I could probably shave about an hour off the cooking time. The peppers were now soft and pliable, their soaking liquid blood-black and aromatic with heat and potential. The meat browning, I chopped some roasted onions, jalapenos, and a couple of habaneros from the fridge. All into the pressure cooker, the peppers and their liquid, with a can of beer to appease the Chili Gods. After 10 minutes, the cooker hissing its vitriol into the air, my eyes started to water. In another few moments, the decision to move to the backyard was inescapable - you could not literally breathe in there. I had effectually MACED MY HOUSE. Days later, my abode still tinged with capsaicin, I reminisce about the chili that you had to cut with rice or potatoes to get it in you - replete with running nose and a good head sweat.

Which brings me to the subject of my first post: The Scoville Scale

Turns out an American chemist, Wilbur Scoville, devised a sort of "Pepper Thermometer" to measure a pepper's burn back in 1912. May The Heat Be On You!

• Tabasco's Scoville Page
• The Hottest Sauces In The World
• Pepper Chemistry from Uncle Steve's Hot Stuff