Thursday, January 31, 2013

What are you doing for Super Bowl?


What's in your chili??
OK – Super Bowl Sunday is coming in just a couple days. What is your favorite part of the Super Bowl?  Is your favorite the game, the commercials, the food, the friends and fellowship?  Please let me know.  Mine is probably the food (combined with the friends and the fellowship); however this year I am in a dilemma and need your help.  What should I make for the Covenant Baptist Church Souper Bowl?  For years I have entered a chili in the chili cookoff.  I have actually won a few times and got my name etched on the proverbial chili pot, however this year might be the year I break from the chili path and bring something different.
Today, on The Chew, (if you haven’t seen it, it is a pretty good daytime talk show centered around cooking, featuring Michael Symon, Mario Batali, Daphne Oz, Clinton Kelly,  and Carla Hall) was about recipes for Super Bowl.  Michael had the 49ers and prepared some chorizo burritos and Mario had the Ravens and prepared Baltimore crab cakes.  Both of these looked delicious and I am putting the chorizo burritos on my list of items to choose from for Sunday’s feast.  Oh, the feast will be at Covenant Baptist Church located at 5440 SW 37th Street in Topeka.  If you want to enter chili in the contest you need to have your chili in the kitchen by 4 p.m.  If you don’t want to bring chili, you may bring a side dish or dessert to share.  This is where you come in.

Please let me know what your favorite football game snack is.  Right now my list includes the chorizo burritos, bacon wrapped jalapenos, bacon wrapped smokies, smoked chicken wings, spicy buffalo wings, and shrimp filled wontons.  I will be picking one – please help me decide which one to pick.  Comment below and pick one on my list or suggest something else.  If I use your suggestion you may win a Pampered Chef product. 
Everyone is welcome at the Souper Bowl Chili Cookoff.  Please join us.

Thanks for reading - Please come back.

Chow and Chow Down
Blessings to Ya'll
Share with your friends

Kevin

 

 

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Back at it - Finally - Bonner Springs, KS BBQ

Well the couple that started it all, Roy and Annette, and Betsey and I went out for BBQ last night.  As you may remember in an earlier post Roy was the one that said "You should start a food blog".    And that started on a trip to BBQ in Lawence at Biggs BBQ which needs to get to the food channel somehow.  I think Biggs could be the best in the area for BBQ.

Last night was Papa Bobs BBQ in Bonner Springs, KS.  This happens to be the closest restaurant to Topeka (where we live) listed on Foodie Pie (except for BoBo's in Topeka) which is a wonderful site "For Foodies Only! Find the foods and restaurants as seen on The Food Network & The Travel Channel."

Wow was there a squirrel in here?  Something distracted me - could have been that 49ers Falcon game.  Good ending. 

Back to the BBQ last night.  The ride there and back was marvelous - well the ride back had a little snoring from the back seat and it wasn't Annette.  The atmosphere at Bob's was great - small and quaint but what one might expect from a roadside bbq spot on a Kansas secondary highway.  Miranda was our waitress and she took very good care of us - but we might have been one of her only tables.  Not too busy on a Saturday night. 

The appetizers that we had were good - the Deep Fried Cauliflower and the Deep Fried Okra were both very good but I dont think they were prepared in house.  But they came out extremely hot and were good.  Sweet tea was disappointing - could have been a mix and not sweet tea or could have been sitting around awhile.  I know what you all are thinking "Sweet tea in Kansas???"; yes there are some restaurants that have sweet tea figured out.



I had ribs, sausage, pulled pork; Roy had ham and beef; and the ladies both had the burnt ends.  To me the highlight of the meal was the sweet and sour cole slaw and the beans.  The beans had almost as much meat in them as beans.  Burnt ends were a smaller cut than the gals were used to which could have attributed to their dryness.  Roy said the ham was good and the beef brisket was ok.  The ribs were the highlight of my meats and the sausage was good as well.  Pulled pork was average. 


Ask them for some of the "crummy" sauce.  Bob came out with a little and it was quite tasty - had some cinnamon in it.  A newer taste for the BBQ sauce field.

As I read what I wrote it sounds like I wouldn't recommend this place or go back but I will.  The service, hype, and the fact that Adam Richman lost the challenge for the Ultimate Destroyer of which you get 45 minutes to eat it brings us foodies in.  Don't think I would attempt the Ultimate Destroyer.  Papa Bobs is reasonably priced and good bbq. 

Oh, and if you are looking for a good pulled pork recipe just put a rubbed (I use Corkys seasoning) pork shoulder butt roast (whatever you want to call it) in a baking dish with 3 cups of root beer and cover with foil - 325 degrees for about 6 hours - check in 5 and if you can stick a fork in it and it pulls apart easily it is done.  Take it into the living room put it on a tv tray and use 2 forks to pull it apart.  Make sure you have a good meat bowl and a bad meat bowl because you will want to discard some of the fat.  Let me know if you like it.