Month: January 2018

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A Little Corny

We joined a lovely CSA  last summer, run by some seriously solid human beans, Agua Dulce Farm of San Diego.  Kelsey and Ben sweat it out in Chula Vista, but also keep it hyperlocal as well when they started the Bancroft Center For Sustainability, which I’m fired up about because that’s ma hood. In our last box we received a bag of corn meal.  Oaxacan Green Dent corn to be precise. Already seeing a Facebook post about it, I knew what it was immediately but was still excitedly surprised. We mulled over how to use it because we really wanted to highlight the corn flavor. Not just use it…but really taste it. We settled on cornbread and it was a good decision. It had a lovely blue green hue and tasted like corn, not cardboard; I know, shocking! 

With our remaining corn meal we made Johnny cakes for breakfast. If you’ve never had Johnny cakes, they are cornmeal pancakes and they are rad.  Below is a recipe and some pictures for you to make your own. Do it, because they are super bomb-omb.

Johnny Cakes

1/2c cornmeal
1/2c water
1 egg
1T oil
1T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3-1/2c buttermilk
1/2c flour
1/4tsp baking soda
3/4-1tsp baking powder

Whisk the water and cornmeal then let sit for a minute. Whisk in the oil, sugar, egg, salt and milk. Dust over the flour and leavening, stir until combined. Cook like pancakes with equal parts oil and butter…don’t skimp on the fat. and serve with something sweet.

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San Diego Grilling Season Is Here

Happy New year and if you live here, happy grilling season. A 365 day grilling season is convenient and I try not to take it for granted. I want to build a big outdoor grilling station, but right now my time and moolah is required elsewhere.

That doesn’t change the fact that a grill was needed. Not anything I want to drop coin on, but not a piece of crap that I’ll regret. After researching new grills, there was nothing worth buying under $250, but $350 was at my peak. Being a charcoal enthusiast, I had needs. Being married to someone that appreciates the simplicity of gas was also important. I wasn’t torn, I just new my parameters and was confident there was an answer.  And there was…

The  Char-broil, Gas2Coal Hybrid Grill. At $250, it had a good rating, good company history, easily found parts, heavy iron grates, a side burner and the option to use charcoal. The only question was, did it produce the heat to suit my needs and did the charcoal insert work as advertised.

Aside from the lame red stripe and the needed panel modifications, I’m very happy.  Back burner rages away nicely, the grill grates retain heat, the charcoal insert is easy and awesome. It is the easiest lighting and cooking of charcoal I’ve ever dealt with.  No flare ups, and I was cooking fatty hamburgers.

The aforementioned panel mods entailed unscrewing some bolts and attaching a magnet as the front panels are not designed to open.  Forcing you to access the grill from the rear. Super inconvenient and irritating but easily fixed.  I did the same with the red panel.  I highly recommend this grill for anyone not wanting to invest long term and, wanting a charcoal option.