A Full Belly

Homesick Texan's Basic Black Beans Recipe

Homesick Texan: Austin and basic black beans.

This is my basic black bean recipe. It takes little effort and has a rich smoky flavor that comes from chipotles instead of the usual ham hocks or bacon. And, of course, if you’re bored by black beans at least now I have something to point to when I write in the future about really fun things, such as black-bean salsa, corn and black-bean salad or that Austin late-night staple, Mag mud.

"The proof is in the eating"

Adam has his truth hammer at the ready:

Depending on how well Sceral trains the team, it's not going to matter if that oven burns at 1,000 degrees, rotates in a circle, shines my shoes, or calls me a cab in the morning. The proof is in the eating. And we'll see how that goes both while Sceral is at the helm and when he's not.

South Indian Restaurant Menu Decoder Ring

South Indian Restaurant Menu Decoder Ring - Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories:

So you need a decoder ring! Or at least a wallet card. With a little help from Wikipedia (check out their page on curry!) and the glossary in my copy of 1000 Indian Recipes, we've put together a South Indian Restaurant Menu Decoder Wallet Card (800 kB PDF) for your enjoyment, education, and dining pleasure. You can print it out-- single sided so no hassle --and it compresses to standard business card size: 3.5" x 2". You can also not print it out, and just view it on your iPhone. (And if you've never been to a South Indian place, isn't this a good time to try one?)

[Via Not Martha]

Benton's Red-Eye Gravy Recipe

The Church of Allan Benton, John T. Edge:

....Those encounters reminded me to take a second look at a recipe that Allan shared with me a while back. It’s his take on red-eye gravy. And it’s as straightforward as the man himself, as honest as the cured pork that emerges from his smokehouse.

This recipe includes one of my favorite ingredients: "Hot biscuits, for sopping."

You Never Know What You Might Learn @ Serious Eats

Serious Efforts: Whole Deer Neck | Serious Eats : Talk

I am going to receive a whole deer neck via FedEx tomorrow. It has been skinned and frozen solid, but is otherwise pretty much intact. I would like some advice from anyone here experienced with taking deer apart. I would like to remove the muscles from each other and from the bone in as large and unmolested pieces as possible. . . I plan on consulting some books and websites on the matter, but was hoping I could get some pointers from the community. Thank you!

10 Steps to Gardening from Scratch

10 Steps to Gardening from Scratch « Straight from the Farm:

These 10 steps are best applied to a garden being created from scratch.  However, a few of them are good to repeat with an established garden once in awhile.   

It’s only fair to add a bit of a disclaimer here too:  these steps are a tad idealistic and presume you all have plenty of time and resources on your hands.   Reality may not allow you to take all of these steps.  Don’t let that discourage you.  These steps are just what I’d do if I were starting over from scratch.  Use the ones that make sense for you and learn what you can from the others. 

Bird Houses: Using Nature to Control a Farm Pest

Bird Houses: Using Nature to Control a Farm Pest.

John Bansen, a third-generation dairy farmer, demonstrates one of his techniques for using nature to control his fly populations.

To Eat: Minetta's Black Label Burger

Secrets of Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger | A Hamburger Today:

The finished burger looks so simple, completely belying the rigorous preparation involved in bringing it to table. Although the bun might appear too large, it is so light and airy that as it compresses and conforms around the plump patty the beef-to-bun ratio is actually spot on. The acridity of the onions balances the subtle sweetness of the bun, allowing the flavor of the beef to be fully realized. The Black Label is simply ethereal—tender, succulent, and brimming with the flavor of dry aging: that musky, Roquefort-like tang that is so intoxicating.

I'm skeptical of any $20+ burger, but Nick's DVD extras-esque post about Minetta's $26 Black Label Burger has swayed me. *Added to To Eat List*

Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez's Chana Punjabi Recipe

The Wednesday Chef: Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez's Chana Punjabi Recipe:

This recipe comes from Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, who runs darling little Lassi in the West Village and has a way with Indian food that makes me weak in the knees.

Creamless Creamed Spinach Recipe

From the Diner's Journal Blog: The White House chef's creamless creamed spinach recipe, "one of Michelle Obama's favorite healthful foods."