Air Travel in the Archival Profession

I've been to a fair number of conference since joining the archives profession.  On occasion I have flown to these meetings.  There is often the discussion that if the "archives charter" went down the DC archives profession would be devastated.

There was one conference that Mrs. BA and I were returning from (it was New Orleans the week before Katrina hit that city), we had a very young LBA with us.  We got to board first and as our colleagues filed onto the plane, we were afraid that LBA might not hold it together for the flight.  But he is a very good flier.

Here's a list of "54 Thoughts You Have When Flying With A Colleague." It appears to involve drinking to get through the experience.

1. Great, another business trip.
2. I can’t be a wreck when I travel. Must keep it together. 
3. Although, chances are, Colleague X is also a wreck when traveling. 
4. Maybe this will bring us closer together? 
5. Hmm. Should probably avoid being a mess all together — very unprofessional. 
6. Yes. I will be totally professional. I will have my fancy carry-on and my hair will look perfect.
7. Will be like Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air.
8. Should I ask Colleague X to go to the airport together? Is that weird?
9. It’s not like we carpool to work together…why would we ride together for this? 
10. What should I definitely NOT talk about?
11. What mistakes have I made at work recently? Definitely don’t reference those.
12. Should I suggest we get a drink before the flight?
13. Everyone needs alcohol before a flight.
14. Even at 11 a.m., right?
15. Just one drink. Do not get too drunk.
16. I mean, but drinking is OK, right? We have happy hour after work all the time. This is no different? 
17. Except it is. Because you are traveling with your work colleague.
18. We are representing our company.
19. This is actually kind of fun. We’re having an alcoholic beverage, discussin’ THE BIZ like COOL BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS. 
20. Do I admit my fear of flying? 
21. No, no. You want to seem very impressive.
22. Just one more drink, maybe.
23. OK. Boarding time. Do I ask if we’re sitting together?
24. Is it weird to sit together? 
25. No, you are technically traveling together, so you should sit next to each other. 
26. Oh shoot, we’re in different aisles. Do I ask if we ask someone to switch? 
27. This is awkward. If it were a friend or S.O., of course we’d be sitting next to each other on a plane.
28. OK. Now we’re sitting next to each other. 
29. These seats are…close.
30. Do I look straight ahead while talking? Or turn to look at my Colleague? WHICH IS MORE PROFESSIONAL? I AM TRYING TO BE A MODEL EMPLOYEE.
31. Time for takeoff. Just be calm. Don’t talk now. Now is not a talking time. Do not make that bad joke about the CEO’s wardrobe.
32. It’s not a funny joke. 
33. Except we’re both not talking now and I don’t like this airplane because it is very bumpy.
34. Ugh, of course you just made that joke about the CEO’s wardrobe. Dumb.
35. The beverage cart is coming through.
36. I could sure use another drink. But should I…?
37. FUCK IT. Yes, I would like a vodka tonic. ::Avoids all eye contact with Colleague:: 
38. Act natural. You are not being judged. 
39. Now I’m just going to pretend to go over those notes for the meeting. VERY SERIOUS NOTES. 
40. Maybe I should try and sleep? 
41. No. What if you snore. 
42. Do not sleep.
43. Oh god, TURBULENCE! 
44. Do not freak out. You cannot look like a little baby when you are hoping for a promotion.
45. You must show calm under pressure.
46. This is all a test. 
47. And I have failed. I will never get promoted again. 
48. OK, stop it. We are all just human. 
49. It is OK to be a wreck while traveling, right?
50. Just smile and talk about how excited you are to meet VERY IMPORTANT CLIENT. 
51. Ignore the bumps. 
52. This isn’t so bad, right? 
53. And it’s only a few days. 
54. You can make it.

Thin Fries

A perfect complement to her Onion Straws.  From the Pioneer Woman.

Thin Fries
Prep Time: 3 Hours
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 whole Russet Potatoes, Peeled 
• Vegetable Or Peanut Oil For Frying 
• Salt 
• Ketchup, For Serving 

Preparation Instructions
Peel and rinse the potatoes, then slice them into thin pieces. Next, stack a few pieces at a time and slice them into thin sticks. Place the fries in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Swish them around to get off the extra starch, then pour off the starchy water and replace it with fresh. Do this once more, covering with fresh water and setting them aside to soak for 2 to 3 hours.

When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay them on baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot them with more paper towels to dry them as much as you can.

Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 F (use a deep fry thermometer to make sure the temperature is accurate).

In 3 or 4 batches, use tongs to place a small amount of fries into the oil and until the potatoes are soft but not at all starting to brown, about 2 minutes per batch. Remove each batch and drain them on new/dry paper towels. They won't be done at this point! This is just the first frying.

Now, when all the potatoes have had their initial frying, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 F. And when the oil's hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again until the fries are golden brown. When they're all done, sprinkle them generously with salt and dig in!

Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars

The Pioneer Woman Rocks.  That is All.


Chocolate Butterscotch Caramel Bars (from the Pioneer Woman)
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cup All-purpose Flour 
• 1-1/2 cup Regular Or Quick Oats 
• 1 cup Packed Brown Sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt 
• 1-3/4 stick Cold (salted) Butter, Cut Into Pieces 
• 2 cans (13.5 Ounces Each) Dulce De Leche (I Used Nestle La Lechera) 
• Spanish Peanuts 
• Butterscotch Chips 
• Mini Chocolate Chips 

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9, 8 x 10, or 9 x 13-inch baking dish with baking spray. (Or you can line with aluminum foil.)

Note: If you use a rectangular pan, you may need an additional can of dulce de leche to cover the surface.

Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture into the pan and pat lightly to pack it slightly.

Bake until light golden brown on top and done in the middle, about 30 to 35 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Spoon the dulce de leche into a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for 45 seconds, just to slightly soften it. Scoop it on top of the oatmeal base and use an offset spatula to spread it out to the edges and into an even layer. Sprinkle on a layer of peanuts so that they completely cover the caramel, and use your hands to gently press them into the caramel. Sprinkle on the butterscotch chips and the mini chocolate chips in generous layers.

Note: The warmth of the cookie base and the caramel should slightly soften the butterscotch and chocolate chips. When that happens, use your hands to very gently press the chips just enough to anchor them together (but not enough to misshape them.) If the pan isn't warm enough, pop it into the oven for 30 seconds or so and gently press the chips to anchor them together.

Chill the bars for 2 to 3 hours to make them easy to slice. Turn them out onto a cutting board and use a long serrated knife to cut into small squares (they're rich!)

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Beef Stroganoff

I remember many times growing up, the Brave Astronaut clan would head to my aunt's house for a New Year's Day visit - she lived in NJ, about 2 hours from where we lived on Long Island.  I also recall that she would sometimes make beef stroganoff - something not in my mother's wheelhouse.  I liked it - I can still get a version of it at Noodles and Company. I just saw this recipe and may have to convince Mrs. BA that it's worth the time and effort.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
from Crock Pot Girl

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. beef sirloin tip, cut into 1" cubes 
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 8 oz. package mushrooms, sliced 
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves 
• 1/8 tsp. pepper 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1 1/2 c. beef broth 
• 1/2 c. red wine 
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce 
• 8 oz. carton sour cream 
• 2 T. mustard 
• 1/4 c. flour 
• 1/4 c. water 

Preparation 

1. Combine everything except sour cream, mustard, flour, and water in a 3-1/2 quart slow cooker. 
2. Cook on Low heat for 8-10 hours (high for 4-5 hours). Remove and discard bay leaf. 
3. Combine sour cream, mustard, flour, and water in medium bowl and mix well, using a whisk. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid from the slow cooker to the sour cream mixture and stir until combined. Return this mixture to the crockpot and stir well. 
4. Cover. Cook on high for 20-30 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Taste test; you may want to add more salt, pepper, marjoram, or thyme. 

Serve over hot cooked egg noodles.

NOTE: If you have a new hotter cooking slow cooker, check the beef at 6 hours on low.

Happy Crocking!

Time to Make the Doughnuts

I really, really, want a deep fryer.  Mrs. BA says I can't have one.

But then I see recipes like this one (from the NYT Magazine) and I think but these would be so easy to make with a litte fry daddy, right?  Wouldn't they have been great for Easter Sunday breakfast yesterday?

Doughnuts
Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups milk 
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (one package) active dry yeast 
• 2 eggs 
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled 
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough 
• 2 quarts neutral oil, for frying, plus more for the bowl.

Preparation

1. Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes. 
2. Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is too wet. If you’re using an electric mixer, the dough will probably become too thick to beat; when it does, transfer it to a floured surface, and gently knead it until smooth. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. 
3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters or a drinking glass and a shot glass (the larger one should be about 3 inches in diameter), flouring the cutters as you go. Reserve the doughnut holes. If you’re making filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the middle. Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork, and let rest for a few minutes before repeating the process. 
4. Put the doughnuts on two floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they are slightly puffed up and delicate, about 45 minutes. If your kitchen isn’t warm, heat the oven to 200 at the beginning of this step, then turn off the heat, put the baking sheets in the oven and leave the door ajar. 
5. About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 375. Meanwhile, line cooling racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels. 
6. Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, a few at a time. If they’re too delicate to pick up with your fingers (they may be this way only if you rose them in the oven), use a metal spatula to pick them up and slide them into the oil. It’s O.K. if they deflate a bit; they’ll puff back up as they fry. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they’re deep golden all over. Doughnut holes cook faster. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared plates or racks, and repeat with the rest of the dough, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 375. Glaze or fill as follows, and serve as soon as possible.

For "classic glazed doughnuts" - see the NYT recipe here.  Boston Cream doughnuts are here and jelly doughnuts are here.


Then there's this list (from BuzzFeed)if you're not content to make your own - I guess it is easier to just go pick up a dozen.  Great, now I want donuts.

33 Doughnuts You Have To Try Before You Die
You do-nut want to say no to any of these. Unfortunately, I have not partaken in any of these except the Krispy Kremes.

1. The Apple Cider Fritter from Blue Star Donuts, Portland, Oregon Why you knead it: The Apple Cider Fritter is made from the leftover holes from the doughnuts made throughout the day, so you’re basically eating a decadent fritter that you can slowly and easily pull apart one bit at a time. Other prized doughnuts include the Crème Brûlée and the Coffee & Coconut Cheesecake doughnut.
2. The Nutella Doughnut from Hurts Donut, Springfield, Missouri Why you knead it: Uh, hello, a Nutella-filled doughnut dusted with a generous helping of sugar?! Need I explain more? If you’re looking for a spicy challenge, Hurts makes their famous “Fire in the Hole” donut holes filled with jalapeño cream cheese and topped with a sriracha glaze. Hurts, don’t it?
3. The Cafe au Lait Doughnut from Dough, Brooklyn Why you knead it: If you want your coffee and doughnut together, the Cafe au Laut doughnut is made of roasted coffee beans and is topped with pecan brown sugar with their signature glaze. If you’re more into the tea lifestyle, Dough has a chocolate glazed doughnut with a hint of Earl Grey tea.
4. The “Evil Elvis” from Hypnotic Donuts, Dallas Why you knead it: Amongst the fried chicken doughnut sandwiches and decadent fritters lies the Evil Elvis, a traditional yeast doughnut topped with peanut butter, bacon, bananas, and a honey drizzle. It’s enough to put you in a food coma after one bite.
5. The Chocolate Orange Old Fashioned from Stan’s, Los Angeles and Chicago Why you knead it: Starting your day off with a traditional cake doughnut topped with zesty orange and semisweet chocolate sounds like a good plan. If you walk into the Chicago location, you can grab a scoop of traditional gelato to have with your doughnut.
6. The Bacon Maple Apple Doughnut from Dynamo Donut & Coffee, San Francisco Why you knead it: Made with fresh apples and thick-cut bacon included IN THE DOUGH, this amazing treat is topped with a maple glaze and crispy diced bacon pieces. With this doughnut, you can feel like fall all year long. Also, if you have a gluten-free friend, there are options for them!
7. The Salted Caramel & Reduced Balsamic Vinegar Doughnut from Sublime Doughnuts, Atlanta Why you knead it: Out of all the insane doughnuts from their Oreo Burger to a Frosted Croissant, the sweet and tangy Caramel and Balsamic doughnut stands out, because it’s so damn unique and will trip out your taste buds. The traditional doughnut is topped with salty caramel and finished off with a tangy balsamic vinegar.
8. The Malasada from Leonard’s Bakery, Honolulu Why you knead it: Malasadas are basically doughnuts without the hole taken out of them so they’re super crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. They’re then either filled with vanilla, chocolate, or fruit, and rolled in sugar. Essentially, they’re everything.
9. The Oreo Doughnut from Mojo Donuts, Hollywood, Florida Why you knead it: Honestly, with doughnuts like Snickers and Shoestring Potatoes and Cranberry Walnut Orange fritters, the Oreo sandwich is rather tame, but it’s so damn good. The sandwich is a classic doughnut with homemade cookies and cream filling topped with vanilla icing and crumbled Oreos.
10. A traditional cake doughnut from A Baker’s Wife, Minneapolis Why you knead it: This doughnut is a traditional no-frills or experimentation type doughnut, but it’s done perfectly. Although the pastry shop offers cookies, cakes, and kolaches, their sugary doughnut is second to none and provides the perfect amount of crunchiness.
11. The Hulk Hogan Fudgie Wudgie from The Cinnamon Snail Food Truck, New York City Why you knead it: Vegans rejoice! The Cinnamon Snail has a 100% vegan menu, and it might take you a few doughnuts to realize it. They even have gluten-free items. The Fudgie Wudgie is a chocolate-filled, chocolate-frosted, and chocolate-cookie-topped masterpiece. Other unique doughnuts include Raspberry Lavender, Speculoos Cookie Butter, and Mexican Hot Chocolate Twists.
12. The Driftwood from Cops & Doughnuts, Clare, Michigan Why you knead it: Owned 100% by police officers, Cops & Doughnuts has been making treats since 1896. The Driftwood is a driftwood-shaped long john filled with coconut cream and topped with chocolate ganache and toasted coconut. They also have insanely amazing Paczkis, HALF-POUND doughnuts jam-packed with fruit preserves and rolled in powdered sugar.
13. The Strawberry Doughnut from The Donut Man, Glendora, California Why you knead it: The Donut Man only uses in-season produce like strawberries, peaches, and pumpkins for his specialty doughnuts. The strawberry flavor is a regular fresh doughnut stuffed with handpicked berries from THAT MORNING and then drizzled with a generous portion of his homemade glaze. As an added treat he dips the leftover strawberries in chocolate to take home.
14. The Purple Goat from Glazed, Charleston, South Carolina Why you knead it: Everything at Glaze is made by hand, from the dough to the jam. The Purple Goat is a little savory and a little sweet, stuffed with berry goat cheese filling and topped with lavender icing. Your bougie level will quickly go from zero to 60 real quick after ordering this. If you want a challenge, order the Monte Cristo: melted ham and cheese, topped with strawberry jam, sandwiched in between a sliced glazed doughnut.
15. The Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch from Union Square Donuts, Somerville, Massachusetts Why you knead it: The Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch Doughnut is a classic doughnut glazed with buttery smooth sweet icing and topped with crushed hazelnuts and a crispy crunchy crumble. Union Square has locally brewed coffee and taste tests each doughnut over and over to achieve their perfectly unique flavors.
16. The Maple Bacon Bar from Varsity Donuts, Manhattan, Kansas Why you knead it: The traditional long john is topped with maple icing, then a generous amount of crispy bacon, AND THEN MORE icing. These things are so insane, people line up before the sun rises just to get their hands on them. Their doughnuts are ranked by their extreme flavors from JV to Varsity, and you can even get cream-cheese-filled doughnut holes and Funfetti doughnuts.
17. A traditional Glazed Doughnut from The Amish Baking Company during Bonnaroo, Manchester, Tennessee Why you knead it: The elusive Amish Baking Company can only be found at a handful of festivals, the most popular being Bonnaroo. These authentic Amish doughnuts are hand-rolled and shaped, deep fried, dunked in icing, and set on polls to dry. Your concept of a glazed doughnut won’t ever be the same after trying these.
18. The Apple Fritter from Randy’s Donuts, Los Angeles Why you knead it: Randy’s employees have been operating out of the same doughnut-topped tiny shack for decades, and you can even go through the drive-thru if you’re really feeling lazy. Their classic Apple Fritter miraculously creates the perfect balance of soft and crunchy. Each and every corner is a crispy golden-brown bite and you slowly get to the doughy center with every bite. 
19. The Texas-Sized Doughnut from Round Rock Donuts, Round Rock, Texas Why you knead it: This small bakery creates insanely big doughnuts. Just one Texas-sized doughnut takes up the entire traditional dozen-pastry box, and still tastes insanely good. If you know anyone from Texas, their first answer to the best doughnut around is Round Rock Donuts just outside of Austin. 
20. The Coconut Glazed Doughnut from The Downyflake, Nantucket, Massachusetts Why you knead it: Although the Downyflake serves breakfast and lunch, people flock to the restaurant for the doughnuts, especially the Coconut Glazed flavor. Instead of just getting toast with your breakfast, every meal comes with a doughnut. The Coconut Glazed is their homemade cake glazed doughnut sprinkled with a generous helping of fresh coconut flakes. 
21. The Cinnamon Caramel Doughnut from Rise ‘N Roll Bakery, Fort Wayne, Indiana Why you knead it: These doughnuts are called “crack doughnuts” by anyone who goes to Rise ‘N Roll. Their traditional yeast doughnut is topped with caramel icing and then sent out to swim in a sea of cinnamon sugar until they’re perfectly coated. The bakery also has a special doughnut of the week, ranging from peanut butter to chocolate coconut filled. 
22. Blueberry Crumble Doughnuts from Art City Donuts, Utah Valley, Utah Why you knead it: Operating out of a tiny food truck, Art City Donuts serves some mean tiny doughnuts. Every day the truck serves a handful of different flavors, ranging from Strawberry Shortcake to Maple Glaze with Coconut Crumbles. Their Blueberry Crumble mini doughnuts are topped with homemade tart and creamy berry icing and buttery crumbles. They’re perfect for sharing and have a diehard following. 
23. The Frosted Angel Cream Doughnut from Paula’s Donuts, Buffalo, New York Why you knead it: First of all, any doughnut place that caters weddings deserves an A+ already. Paula’s claims to use a super secret ingredient that “you won’t find in any of the big chain store donuts,” so they have to be amazing. Their Frosted Angel Cream is filled with homemade whipped cream and topped with a layer of fresh icing and glittery sprinkles. You can even order it to be the size of an actual cake. 
24. The Doughnut of the Month from Krumpe’s Do-Nuts, Hagerstown, Maryland Why you knead it: Krumpe’s has a brand-new flavor every single month to fit perfectly with the season and holiday celebrated during that time. Part of the appeal is the surprise, the other part being deliciousness and creativity. Their flavors range from September’s Caramel Apple Doughnuts filled with fresh apples to October’s S’mores Doughnut topped with marshmallow cream, crumbled graham crackers, and chocolate bars. 
25. The Maple Bar from The Original House of Donuts, Lakewood, Washington Why you knead it: Locals have kept this place as their go-to doughnut shop for generations, and can be as old as fifth-generation customers. Their maple bars have been handmade since the 1950s and are topped with fresh maple frosting. They’re also known for making any custom doughnut you could ever ask for, ranging from special Seattle Seahawks colors to unique flavors like banana and orange. 
26. Honey Doughnuts and Fried Chicken from Federal Donuts, Philadelphia Why you knead it: Doughnuts and fried chicken. Need I say more? Federal Donuts prides itself on its homemade doughnuts and quirky flavored fried chicken. With every order of fried chicken you have a choice of having your doughnut naked, seasoned, or full-on glazed. 
27. The Spa Doughnut from Little Bigs, Portland, Maine Why you knead it: Little Bigs is owned by a couple who share a love of sweets. The two create new and noteworthy flavors, one being the Spa Doughnut made with house-made nut and berry granola, Greek yogurt, and drizzled with honey. This doughnut will trick you into thinking you actually made a healthy choice. Many of their doughnuts include the excess doughnut hole as an added bonus of a topping. 
28. The Chestnut Glazed Doughnut from The Doughnut Vault, Chicago Why you knead it: People wait for HOURS just to get their hands on one doughnut. Each location only makes a handful of perfected flavors to make sure each doughnut is flawless, so they’ve been said to sell out in under an hour some days. Their Chestnut Glazed doughnut has nutty notes to counterbalance the sweetness of their classic icing. Really, any choice is a good choice at the Doughnut Vault. 
29. The Heavenly Hash Doughnut from Gourdough’s, Austin Why you knead it: All of Gourdough’s doughnuts are served with a fork. The Heavenly Hash is made of your kindergarten dreams: “Marshmallow With Chocolate Fudge Icing Topped With Fudge Candy.” If this just seems a little too sweet, you can build your own with toppings like jalapeño icing, gummy worms, Oreos, and cake mix. 
30. The Daddy Dearest from Glam Doll Donuts, Minneapolis Why you knead it: Glam Doll Doughnuts never fails to go full glam with flavors like Peanut Butter & Sriracha and Spiced Mexican Chocolate & Cayenne Pecans. If you’re feeling like pregaming your work day, the Daddy Dearest is a SURLY beer cake donut, with SURLY BENDER glaze, topped with bacon and a buttery crumble. 
31. A Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwich from Peter Pan Donuts, Brooklyn Why you knead it: Summertime in NYC can be anything but enjoyable when it comes to the heat. The owner of Peter Pan Donuts created the perfect solution by slicing her traditional cake doughnut in half and putting scoops of either vanilla, cookies and cream, or strawberry ice cream in the middle. You can even have it with a red velvet doughnut. So now you can get away with ice cream for breakfast. 
32. The Chipotle Caramel Doughnut from Pink Box Doughnuts, Las Vegas Why you knead it: Doesn’t the name just say “Vegas”? You have to start your day with a Vegas-style doughnut before hitting the Strip. The Chipotle Caramel Doughnut will wake you up with its surprising spice and calm your senses with its sugary sweetness. If you’re not feeling up to the challenge, you can nab a chocolate doughnut topped with Cocoa Pebbles. 
33. A piping hot fresh glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme, Everywhere, ‘Merica Why you knead it: That’s right, I said it. Come get me.

About Food

Today is Good Friday, the day on the Christian calendar that we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as we prepare for Easter Sunday.  It is also a day where Christians are supposed to fast, and of course, refrain from eating meat.

Here's a list I saw a while ago, for you to peruse while your avoiding that pepperoni pizza you want for pizza / movie night tonight. My comments in italics (Via BuzzFeed).

1. Chocolate milk was invented in Jamaica.
See here.  Chocolate milk is a big favorite of LBA (not so much SoBA) and the Brave Astronaut.

2. Before 2013, the biggest buyer of kale was Pizza Hut. They used the kale as a garnish for their salad bars.
Well that just makes me want to eat it even less - article.

3. Some Canadian dude invented the Hawaiian pizza.
Something else I don't want to eat.

4. Pepperoni was invented by Americans.
Illicit meats, really?  

5. The most shoplifted food in the world is cheese.
Mrs. BA could likely get picked up for this.

6. Sylvestor Graham invented Graham crackers to help suppress sexual desire.
C'mon, I give these to the boys in their school snacks.  I'm not ready for that talk yet.

7. It’s estimated that the New York Harbor once was home to half of the world’s oyster supply.

8. At the time, Ellis Island and Liberty Island were known as Little Oyster and Big Oyster, respectively, because of that.
And there is no amount of money in the world that would get me to eat an oyster hailing from New York Harbor.

9. There are 19 billion chickens on Earth.

10. That means chickens outnumber humans 3:1.
Is that why chicken is so inexpensive?  Good old supply and demand?

11. China has the most pigs in the world. They have so many that they have more than the next 43 countries’ pig populations COMBINED.
More bacon please

12. A janitor at the Frito-Lay plant invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Definitely a story of being in the right place at the right time.

13. An 11-year-old invented the popsicle when he left a stick in some soda water, left it on the back porch at night, and found it was frozen in the morning.
His obituary makes no reference if he, too, was frozen after his passing.


14. The technology used for microwaves was created during WWII to track Nazi war planes.

15. The people who built the Egyptian pyramids were paid in bread and beer.
One of the first uses of the "Will Work for Food" signs.

16. At the turn of the 20th century, lobsters were considered “garbage food.” Railroads changed that when they started offering it as a fancy meal on luxury transcontinental trips.
If they're such garbage food - why are they so damn expensive?

17. One of the original owners of Domino’s Pizza sold his share of Domino’s for a used Volkswagen Beetle. Today his portion of the company would be worth about a billion dollars.
Yeah, not so smart.  But then again, the Beetle may taste better.

18. The guy from Tyson’s chicken, Don Tyson, tried to win over McDonald’s for 14 years to put more chicken on the menu. They finally did.


19. Salt may be responsible for the Americans’ defeat of the British in the Revolutionary War. When the war first started, the British stopped importing goods into the states. Consequently, settlers’ supply of cod was rotting. So, they built a saltworks along the coast of Cap Cod. That worked, settlers got their cod, and they eventually won the war.
That's right, George Washington? Not a factor.

20. The ice cream sundae was invented in the late 1800s as a way to get around a law that prevented the sale of ice cream sodas on Sundays.
Followed quickly by the Wednesday is Sunday at Carvel.

21. The first written recipe found in the world was from Mesopotamia and it was for beer.
And still they got all that stuff done?

22. Baby carrots are just large carrots whittled down into miniature versions. They were invented when a farmer got sick of throwing away his less attractive carrots.
I knew this one.

23. Before modern refrigeration, people put LIVE FROGS in their milk to help preserve it.
Ribbit.

24. Honey doesn’t go bad.
And isn't it nice to always have a honey?

25. Astronauts eat tortillas instead of bread in space because the bread crumbs can be problematic.
Mice?

26. In Japan, it has become wildly popular and a “tradition” to eat KFC on Christmas.
That sort of balances with all the Jewish-Americans eating Chinese on the same day?

27. Europeans basically don’t eat peanut butter. They eat about less than a tablespoon a year.
Hey, more for me.

28. In the 1800s, they fed lobster to prisoners and it was considered cruel and equivalent to eating rats.
Stop picking on the lobsters!

29. Ruth Graves Wakefield, the inventor of the chocolate chip cookie, sold her recipe to Nestle and in turn received a lifetime supply of chocolate.
Another poor choice.

30. Ninety-six percent of U.S. households have ketchup.
I don't want to be friends with that other four percent.  Bigger question - is the ketchup in the fridge?

31. That’s more households than those that have salt and pepper.


32. The man who invented Pringles was buried in a Pringles can.
Not from the Onion.

33. One of the founders of Ben & Jerry’s can’t really smell anything, which is the reason why their ice cream is so rich. He suffered from a condition called anosmia.
I was under the impression it was called amnoseia.

34. SPAM is short for spiced ham.
That's nice, still not going to eat it.

35. Technically, white chocolate isn’t actually chocolate.
Yes, yes, I know.

36. Doritos were invented at Disneyland.
How magical.

37. When the inventor of Doritos died, his friends and family tossed Doritos onto his casket.

38. In 1943, sliced bread was briefly banned.
So if something is "the best thing since sliced bread, it's how old?

39. Cheddar cheese is sometimes orange because it’s dyed that way.
Doesn't make it any less delicious.

40. Orbit gum began production during WWII when Wrigley sent all of its Juicy Fruit gum to soldiers overseas. As a result, Wrigley started selling Orbit in the U.S. The gum was discontinued after the war but brought back 30 years later in the ’70s.

Pork Chops (and Applesauce?)

Recently, SoBA did a project at school, where he identified certain aspects of his family.  When it was requested what his favorite meal was - he wrote down pork chops. This was news to Mrs. BA and I.  We've had them before, but didn't realize they were at the top of SoBA's menu items..

So then I saw this list on BuzzFeed of 23 Budget Friendly Pork Chop Recipes and decided I may need to work some of them into the rotation.  Here's my favorite of the list.

Crockpot Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Sauce
Via the Crockpot Gourmet
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork loin chops
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• ½ small yellow onion, diced (or about ¼ cup) 
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme 
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• ½ teaspoon dried mustard powder 
• ⅛ (or up to ¼) teaspoon pepper, depending on taste 
• 1½ cup chicken broth 
• ¾ cup heavy cream 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 1 teaspoon freeze dried parsley 
• 1 teaspoon freeze dried basil 

Instructions

1. Sprinkle each side of pork chops with thyme, salt, pepper and mustard 
2. In large skillet over medium high heat melt butter with olive oil 
3. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes 
4. Move onions and garlic to side of pan and add seasoned pork chops 
5. Saute for about 2 minutes on each side until lightly browned 
6. Transfer contents of pan to slow cooker 
7. Add chicken broth 
8. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 
9. Remove pork chops and cover to keep warm 
10. Add cream to slow cooker and whisk 
11. To thicken sauce pour into small saucepan and whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
12. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes until thickened to desired consistency 
13. Add additional salt and pepper to taste 
14. Pour over pork chops and garnish with freeze dried herbs

DIY Tagalongs

Yesterday would have been my mother's 85th birthday.  She was involved with girl scouting for most of her adult life.  And for many years, that meant being the cookie mother.  And the living room would be full of boxes of Thin Mints, Trefoils, and of course, Tagalongs.

These might have to be made in her honor. Via Spoon University

Girl Scout Cookie Upgrade: Tagalongs with Bittersweet Chocolate and Sea Salt 
Prep Time: 60 – 80 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: about an hour and a half
Servings: 32 cookies

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup confectioner sugar 
• 1 cup butter 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla 
• 2 cups flour 
• Pinch of salt 
• 1 cup peanut butter 
• 1/2 cup confectioner sugar 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate morsels 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening 
• 3/4 cup bittersweet morsels (I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate, but anything that has a 60% cocoa content or more is a good option) 
• 1 tablespoon shortening 
• Sea salt for sprinkling 

Directions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together confectioner sugar and room-temperature butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Add vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. 
3. Add salt then slowly add flour until combined. Dough should be crumbly but not over-mixed.
4. Press cling-wrap gently onto surface of dough then refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. 
5. As dough refrigerates, preheat oven to 350ºF. 
6. After 20-30 minutes of chilling, form dough into a large ball then place onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness.
7. Use a a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or if you lack such a thing like me, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup) to cut out the cookies and place rounds 1/2-inch apart on a baking sheet. Re-roll leftover dough and continue to cut out until all dough is used. 
8. Place cookies into preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges. 
9. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
10. As the cookies cool, heat peanut butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches the consistency of a thick milkshake: it should be liquefied but not runny.
11. Reduce heat to low and add confectioner sugar, butter and vanilla to saucepan. Stir to combine.
12. Remove from heat and using a knife, spread approximately 2 teaspoons of peanut butter mixture onto each cookie. Try and spread it out as smoothly as possible so the surface is even for dipping in chocolate.
13. Place peanut butter-topped cookies in the refrigerator for the topping to set (approximately one hour). 
14. To melt the chocolate for dipping, start by combining the milk chocolate morsels and shortening in a microwave-safe container.
15. Microwave on half power for 30-second intervals, stirring after each time until chocolate has completely melted.
16. For dipping, place cookie peanut-butter side down into melted chocolate. 
17. Submerge into chocolate so that the edges are completely covered and the chocolate begins to get on the bottom of the cookie (but do not completely dunk the cookie).
18. Remove from the chocolate and continue to hold cookie upside down so excess chocolate drips down back into the bowl. 
19. Flip cookie over and place on baking sheet or large, flat surface lined with wax paper.
20. Continue dunking in milk chocolate until half of the batch of cookies are coated. 
21. For the second half, melt the bittersweet chocolate with shortening following the same method as the milk chocolate.
22. Once the cookies have been dipped in the bittersweet chocolate, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each.
23. Place all cookies in the refrigerator and chill until chocolate coating sets!
24. Choose your side: milk chocolate or bittersweet chocolate. Or just eat them all.

Shepherd's Pie

Tomorrow will mark St. Patrick's Day and the birthday of my sister - Happy Birthday Peg!  She often laments the years of birthday parties with green cake.  As for food, my mother wasn't a big fan of corned beef and cabbage - so my father would usually have to get his fix at lunch time.  Irish food did not play a big role in our home growing up.

One dish that we had frequently going up - though it's probably more British than Irish - is my mother's take on Shepherd's Pie, or Hash, as she called it.  We had a lamb roast a few weeks ago and I made up some Shepherd's Pie, which was pretty tasty, and as I remembered it.

Mom's Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• The remnants of a roast (beef, lamb, pork), about 2 lbs, ground, or chopped finely.
• Mashed potatoes
• Peas (Mom used to use canned, I used about 1/2 cup of frozen)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• Worcestershire sauce
• Beef stock

Preparation

1. Prepare the mashed potatoes, set aside
2. Saute the onion in a skillet lightly
3. Mix the meat, onion, and peas in a large bowl
4. Add beef stock and Worcestershire as needed if mix is too dry (you want there to be some moisture in the mix)
5. (Optional) Place some mashed potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish
6. Spoon the meat mix into the casserole dish
7. Spread mashed potatoes on top of the casserole dish

Cook in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until heated through.  In the final minutes, place a few pats of butter on top of the mashed potatoes and broil for a nice crust.

March Madness Bakeoff - Round 1 - Cookies!

As you know, my dear readers - Mrs. BA knows her way around the kitchen, particularly when it comes to baking.  This year, her office is running its annual March Madness Bakeoff.  Last year, she won it all!  She was back to defend her title this year.

Round 1 is, as usual, cookies.  Here's the submission she went with.  However, the title defense ended prematurely.  This cookie did not advance to the next round.

Buttered Popcorn Cookies
From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman
Recipe via The Dirty Oven

Makes about 24 large cookies

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels 
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt 
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted 
• 1/2 cup butter, softened 
• 1/2 light brown sugar 
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 and 1/4 cups of all purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

Preparation
To make the popcorn: Pour the oil over the bottom of a large saucepan that has a lid, and add the popcorn kernels. Move them around in the pan so they are in one layer. Cover the pot, heat it over medium high heat. Once the kernels begin to pop, keep the pan moving until all of the kernels have popped. About 5 to 7 minutes. Toss the popcorn with the salt and melted butter, then transfer to a bowl. Make sure to pick out the unpopped kernels. You should have about 4 to 4 and 1/2 cups of popcorn.

To make the dough: Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a large bowl cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In another bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda together. Stir the combined dry ingredients into the butter sugar mixture. Fold in the cooled popcorn so that it is evenly distributed through the batter. It is no big deal if the popcorn breaks up a bit when folding.

Scoop a large tablespoon size mound onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches space in between cookies. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are light brown. Let them sit on the pan for a few minutes to firm up before transferring them them to a rack to cool. Enjoy!!

The Ballad(s) of Billy the Kid

I've started reading the new biography of Billy Joel (that was a gift to me from my sister).  A few weeks ago, the list below appeared on Vulture, ranking the complete works of Billy Joel.  Of course, I've seen the Piano Man in concert several times, most recently last year at Nationals Park.  It is my goal to make it up to Madison Square Garden for one of his shows, where he is the "artist in residence."

From the Vulture article, it points out that "by the measure of hit-making, his stats are staggering." A profile in The New Yorker last year "pointed out that he's had 33 songs in the Top 40. That's about a quarter of the songs he's written and recorded. Most of those charted in the era when you had to sell a lot of records to get there, too."

The author of the article points out (and stipulates), "this is all one listener’s opinion. But the ranking draws on 30 years of soaking in these songs, plus multiple repeat playings of every one over the past three months. That said, appreciation does not mean blindness, and Joel himself would agree that not every song on every album catches fire (though he did light it, and we tried to fight it). A close listening to the Joel-ian canon reveals a couple of generous handfuls of greatness, forgotten cuts that deserve to be resurfaced, familiar hits that have aged poorly, and flat-out clunkers."

He further establishes the following "Ground rules: I’ve limited this to the 114 songs Joel wrote and recorded on his 12 studio albums, from Cold Spring Harbor (1971) through River of Dreams (1993), plus seven additional singles he has released over the years. (As fans know, Cold Spring Harbor was butchered on its release; I used the remastered boxed-set version to give those songs a fair shake.) I omitted Fantasies and Delusions, the wordless neoclassical album Joel released in 2001, because another pianist does the playing. I also left out his covers, a few songs he’s written that other people sang, and his recordings with the Hassles and Attila, his early Long Island bands. You gotta stop somewhere."

I've not had a real opportunity to focus on this, until now.  My comments in italics.

121. “The Mexican Connection” - An instrumental that sounds like the rights-free music people use in YouTube videos. Fills up side two of the album, and does no more.

120. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” - The biggest problem song for the Billy Joel apologist, because it is highly popular and inescapably bad. So much is wrong here: boomer-generation narcissism, the tri-state-area-news myopia (“hypodermics on the shore”? Bernie Goetz?), the iffy rhymes (“James Dean” with “winning team,” among many others), the double mention of the Dodgers. Why didn’t I put it dead last? It gets one point for its classroom value: I will admit that I had to look up who Syngman Rhee was, and I learned interesting things.
I used this song in my teaching days.  Take that for what it's worth.  It's also fun to see live - when Billy will admit up front, "this is either going to work . . . or it's going to be a train wreck."

119. “You Look So Good to Me” - A corny ballad, justifiably forgotten. The weakest song on an album even Joel doesn’t think much of.

118. "A Room of Our Own" - The staple standup-comic territory of “Hey, men and women are different, you know?” in convenient pop-song form. Pretty bad, and on a pretty good album to boot.
The first song on the list from the Nylon Curtain, which I feel is one of his best albums and most underappreciated.

117. “All You Wanna Do Is Dance” - One a few songs on this list with misplaced reggae inclinations. Yes, everyone was doing it in 1976, but that doesn’t make it right.

116. “Root Beer Rag” - Yeah, it maybe sounded cool when your friend was banging it out on the music-room piano in the eighth grade, but put it next to the gnarly chords of some actual ragtime, and you quickly realize that a rag built mostly on a C-major triad is pretty weak sauce.

115. “Worse Comes to Worst” - Title tells you most of what you need to know. An album ballad, not worth resurrecting.

114. “You Picked a Real Bad Time” - Very slick, not very good white-guy blues. Sounds like it was cut from River of Dreams.

113. “Shades of Grey” - "Dad rock” is a cheap label, but this is pretty much it; sounds like a lot of session musicians without a center. A song that exemplifies a recurring problem on this list: memorable hook paired with dull verses.

112. “State of Grace” - After more than a few listenings in the past month, not a single lyric from this song stuck with me. Literally forgettable.

111. “Getting Closer” - Repetitive and plodding.

110. “Temptation” - A schmaltzy torch song. Lyrically slack.

109. "C'était Toi (You Were the One)" - Oh man. You hear the first verse, and it’s pretty square but okay — and then he sings it again, in French, and you cringe. (The Beatles’ “Michelle” has the same problem, by the way.)
If you're listening to Billy Joel to learn French, you're doing it wrong.

108. “Running on Ice” - Petulance on parade: “I could never understand why the urban attitude is so superior.” The piano-playing is virtuosic and showy, but the song’s ultimately a less interesting “Pressure.”

107. “The Great Suburban Showdown” - Not-terrible vision of suburban anomie, but the references — crabgrass, sitting around the kitchen — are just too unoriginal. Might’ve been a lot better with a rewrite.

106. “Stop in Nevada” - Why is a guy from Long Island writing a fake-Western song? Inauthentic, and it shows.

105. “Nocturne” - Quasi-Chopin instrumental — though there are unrecorded lyrics — that absolutely refuses to stick in the mind.

104. “Tomorrow Is Today” - Two minutes into a rather quavery M.O.R. song, a bizarre vocal break — he drops an octave and throws in an R&B turn, then snaps back to the sensitive-guy voice — feels like it fell in from Mars.

103. “Turn Around” - Another first-album ballad, probably not worth reviving.

102. “House of Blue Light” The flip side of the “We Didn’t Start the Fire” single is bar-band blues, not much more.

101. “The Great Wall of China” - Another one with a really polished hook and dull verses. Lyrics about broken friendships have a little kick, given that Joel’s had his share.
I don't mind this one

100. “Code of Silence” - Co-written and sung with Cyndi Lauper. Another one that I keep listening to, over and over, trying to like it; can’t tell you a word that stuck with me. A really solid performance of a not very interesting song.

99. “Falling of the Rain” - Screams 1971 in a weird, Pippinish-hippie way that doesn’t seem to come from a natural place for Joel: “misty satin dreams” and “wooded glades”? What would Mama Leone say?

98. “You Can Make Me Free” - An undistinguished song, and then the wildly oversung bit at the end leaves you with a flinch.

97. “The Night Is Still Young” - An odd and unique one-off recording, with Joel’s voice multi-tracked. Very typical big-’80s sound, with synths and echo that haven’t aged well.

96. “Blonde Over Blue” - Nicely written first verse about being lonely at night, but it goes boring after that.

95. “When in Rome” - I’m surprised this didn’t click as a radio hit, because it hits every mainstream note of that era — leaving it sounding a little generic today. Could be Steve Winwood; could be the Traveling Wilburys; could be almost anyone.

94. “That’s Not Her Style” - Another dated-sounding track, but the lyrics are actually pretty okay — this is (presumably) one of his Christie Brinkley songs, several of which are more charming. Might benefit from a remix.
Billy has had many muses, some of the Christie ones are the better ones.

93. “This Night” - A strong vocal performance on a mostly excellent album, but borrowing the Beethoven “Pathétique” for a melodic line was a terrible idea — it reads like a pointless play for respectability — and it weighs down the already-somewhat-leaden lyrics.

92. "She's Right on Time" - Punchy performance, but the lyrics are thin, without much staying power.

91. “Why Judy Why” - Another very early song that sounds like it was made by an entirely different person. Recording is wavery and soft, and I’d be curious to hear a cover version that perhaps brings out whatever the song has in it.

90. “Two Thousand Years” - He’s reaching for something philosophical and trying for a big idea, but it doesn’t quite get there, and the lyrics wander.

89. “All About Soul” - Another from the Depression Series that had many of the ingredients to be a hit but didn’t have the snap to get there.

88. “A Minor Variation” - Somewhat similar to “All About Soul.” More white-guy blues, decently sung, but ultimately, there are so many better blues singers that it’s hard to get excited about this one.

87. “Storm Front” - Surprising that this one didn’t end up in Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out, because it’s got a punchy, big sound that would translate well to a Broadway pit. Goes on forever, though.


86. “A Matter of Trust” - Closest thing he’s ever made to a Queen-style stadium anthem to play at sporting events, with a chorus that benefits from a lot of people singing along. Hard not to get swept up, even if it’s kinda bombastic on the album. Fun song in concert; cheesier at home.
Because it really is a matter of trust.

85. “Roberta” - Lonely guy wants to save a stripper who won’t talk to him. Surely that scene could’ve produced a song more interesting than this.

84. “Los Angelenos” - He really didn’t like L.A. very much, did he? Not terrible, but loses a lot of points for the awkward “no one ever has to feel like a refugee,” and the weird rolled-R delivery of “Mexican rrreefers.”

83. “If I Only Had the Words (to Tell You)” - A familiar genre: the longing song. This one doesn’t hold a candle to his other songs on the same turf, like, say, “Just the Way You Are.”

82. “Ain’t No Crime” - Elton-ish record with a lot of backing vocals. Not terrible, but ultimately not very interesting, either.

81. “Easy Money” - Unfortunately evokes nothing so much as Rappin’ Rodney. An extremely commercial song of the ’80s, recorded as a movie theme. An artifact of its time and place.
I agree - the co-optingby Rodney Dangerfield hurts this otherwise good song.

80. "Don't Ask Me Why" - Not bad at all, and very, very, catchy, but makes you wonder: What does this tropical-hotel setting have to do with anything? Was he on vacation?

79. “52nd Street” - Sounds like one of the Ray Charles duets without Ray. Sax licks are a little cheesy, too. But it holds its place on the album — barely.

78. “Somewhere Along the Line” - An early song from his Depression Canon, this one seems to be about anhedonia — “it’s all going to catch up to you” — but it’s musically a little flat. Might be fodder for the right cover artist.

77. “You’re My Home” - Warm, but also dull.
This was a song that helped me get through some homesickness when I was in France in 1983.

76. “Modern Woman” - Spirited, and sorta fun — you can really picture this as the music behind a quick-cut montage in an ’80s Danny DeVito movie — but the cheese factor is very high. Possibly saved by the “modern woman” throwaway at the end.

75. “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” - One that people argue over. Comes from a good place — Long Island fishermen do indeed have it tough; he probably knows some of those guys, going way back; the whole scene feels honest — but the synths and production have aged terribly. It’s 60 percent of the way to being a great Pete Seeger song, which is not a knock; a lot of people never get close to that.
As a Long Islander, I would like to see this song ranked better on the list.

74. “Christie Lee” - Yeah, it’s dated, but c’mon: If you were reading gossip columns in the heyday of Page Six, the Christie Brinkley songs (of which there are several) are pretty nearly irresistible fun.

73. “Careless Talk” - An album cut that doesn’t rise above, but it has nice bounce. Would be curious to hear it in a cabaret setting.

72. “Tell Her About It” - One of what I refer to as Joel’s Instructional Songs: records aimed directly at young people who need a boost in times of trouble. This one tells guys to risk rejection and be honest and vulnerable with their crushes, and even though you know it probably didn’t go well for some of those nerd-boy listeners, it’s a hard song to hate.

71. “Leningrad” - Yes, it’s kitsch — of course Russian people live ordinary lives too — and the music is gooey. But “We were sold a bunch of nonsense” is a thoughtful lyric in this context. (Benefits by comparison with Sting’s “Russians,” a similar, cheesier record.) Deserves to be revisited.
This song doesn't flow well for me - but I do like its message.

70. "Pressure" - You do, in fact, have to deal with pressure. Unimaginable that it’d be a hit today — this is another one that's totally out of style — but it's a particular weakness of mine, even though it’s not about much of anything besides, y’know, pressure.
One of Billy's songs that is absolutely better live.

69. "Through the Long Night" - Has a sewing-machine piano line that gets sleepy, but a nice ballad.

68. “Until the Night” - A precursor to An Innocent Man’s doo-wop songs, reaching for Elvis territory. Would have been better shorter — loses steam as the title repeats.

67. “Zanzibar” - A lot of people like this one, and would have ranked it higher. I get mostly overreach here: straining for Steely Dan complexity, in several different directions — jazz, fusion, atmospheric-cinematic — without reaching greatness in any of them.
I'm another of those that would have ranked this one higher.

66. “Souvenir” - Joel’s shortest recorded song. Nice little prelude to ... something.

65. “Travelin’ Prayer” - Another one that feels like he’s on weird unfamiliar turf, but taken as a product of the early seventies, it’s not bad at all. Fast piano, banjo, even a jaw harp. The false ending is a little cheap. A charming if dated song.

64. “You’re Only Human (Second Wind)” - Another buck-up-kid Instructional, and another one that’s got some charm. Not a song you want to turn off.
This and "The Night is Still Young" appeared on one of Billy's Greatest Hits collections.  This one is better and its ranking shows that.

63. “Famous Last Words” - “These are the last words I have to say”: Joel’s last song on his final studio album, apart from some one-off releases. A friendly, affectionate thanks-and-bye-for-now song, and, well, all right, it’s not side two of Abbey Road, but it’s not hateable either.

62. “And So It Goes” - A better song on Joel’s weakest album, maybe because the sentiment isn’t very complicated. Kind of a shrug, in the end, but a pretty one.

61. “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” - Nicely sung, presumably for his daughter Alexa, who was about 7 when this was recorded. Sweet if not deep; a little out of place on the album, but that’s okay.

60. “Shameless” - No piano! What? Better known, perhaps, for the Garth Brooks cover version, and if you don’t hate that Nashville sound, a good one.

59. “Get It Right the First Time” - Joel calls this the weak link on one of his best albums, and I’ll admit that it sounds like the theme to a funny-cops sitcom that never happened. But it’s no embarrassment, either.

58. “You May Be Right” - Good straight-up power pop song. “Even rode my motorcycle in the rain” is a pretty dumb line, which pulls it down on the list, and it loses a couple more points for the repeat-and-fade.
This is insulting to have this one in the middle of the pack.

57. "Sometimes a Fantasy" - He gets major points for trying to write a great phone sex song, but the result has a high ick factor, maybe because “make love long distance,” followed by pervy breathing, comes off gross rather than sexy. The unintentionally hilarious video may be affecting my judgment a little here.

56. “I Go to Extremes” - As catchy as a single ever was. Not a very interesting idea — essentially “Yeah, I can sometimes be an ass, but I’m fun, too” is a sentiment that covers about three-quarters of the population — but a well-wrought song if you accept that up front.
I would put this one in my Top 10.

55. “Uptown Girl” - It’s shlock, but — as my colleague Jody Rosen has persuasively written — there’s a place for shlock, particularly if, as mentioned above, you were there for the ’80s heyday of the Billy-and-Christie tabloid show. (Never mind that it was reportedly written about his previous supermodel girlfriend, Elle Macpherson.)
Wait, what? It's not about Christie?

54. "Surprises" - One of several Beatles tributes he’s recorded. Does that minor/major/minor/major step-down chord progression that Paul McCartney made his signature, with added George Martin shimmer. Not a song many people think of, but I like it.

53. "Where's the Orchestra?" - The performance on the album is a little low-energy, but it has interesting lyrics, with an unexpected callback to “Allentown” buried in the last verse.
There could have been a single with "Send in the Clowns" on the flip side.

52. "Scandinavian Skies" - A junkie song by a non-junkie: As far as I know, a unique idea. Points for its complexity and opacity; points off for the blatant “I Am the Walrus” echo.

51. "Allentown" - A lot of people think this is a terrible song. I disagree. Yes, the arrangement is heavy, and kind of thuds along; yes, the vocals are weirdly processed, and that shh-ooh-ah quasi-beatbox thing should go. The line “they threw an American flag in our face” is a clunker, badly misaligned with the music. But stare down the rest of the lyrics: They’re plainspoken and pretty okay. “Iron and coke / Chromium steel” is vivid, the change from “we’re living here” to “I’m living here” is thoughtful, and the last line of the verse (“I won’t be getting up today”) takes you out with a strong image.

50. "All for Leyna" - A pretty intense, pretty good stalker song. Electric and well sung, especially on the bridge.
This would be higher for me that the middle of the pack.  And no I'm not a stalker.

49. “Elvis Presley Boulevard" - An offcut, rarely heard and better than you’d think; worth seeking out for a listen.

48. “Half a Mile Away” - As tight a commercial-radio song as ever recorded. Sits well on the album, though not super-interesting when taken on its own.

47. “Honesty” - Heart-on-sleeve vulnerability. I kinda like this one, but it does feel like a song a lot of people could have written.

46. “Big Shot” - Arguably the most pissed-off record he ever made, and about what? Hanging around with Bianca Jagger? Seems out of proportion to the problem. Falls down our list for that “nonononono biiiiig shottttttt didnja” line he sings toward the end, which is just ridiculous. But play it in a room full of music snobs, and they know every. Single. Word.

45. “Everybody Has a Dream” - Joel says “Get It Right the First Time” is the weak link on this album, but this is the song nobody remembers. Anthemic, a little soft. Might benefit from a less-dense arrangement with fewer layers.

44. “Weekend Song” - Another one with echoes of Elton John. Not bad at all.

43. “The Entertainer” - The Piano Man finds success! And hates his record company, and writes about it. The synths sound terrible now, and the petulance is creeping in, which does him no favors. But “Gotta have a hit / So they cut it down to 3:05” is clever, for sure.
I would put this much higher on my own list.

42. “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” - Is the end of the song, when he inserts himself, cheesy or charming? Could make a case for either; I like it. The big piano breaks are old-fashioned but not bad. Another one that’s quite a bit better in the live recordings than in the studio.
One that you need to add 10-20 notches for seeing (or hearing live)

41. “Got to Begin Again” - Another small but nicely wrought song that someone should dig up and rerecord.

40. “No Man’s Land” - A guy watches the suburbs rise around him, hates them, but stays there all the same, hating himself. Irritable Billy makes an appearance, but it’s still a solid song.

39. “Keeping the Faith” - A friendly, bright song about his teenhood. Better than you may remember, mostly for the lyrics and the enthusiasm in the vocals.
I would swap this with "The Longest Time."

38. "Goodnight Saigon" - Another argument about authenticity appears. Alright, it’s arguably bogus: He didn’t actually go fight in Vietnam. But it’s a vivid, thoughtful song about guys he clearly knew well. Can we knock it for portraying secondhand experience? It feels honest to me. Wish he’d left out the helicopters, though.

37. "Laura" - A highly conflicted mom song, and the darker counterpart to “Rosalinda’s Eyes,” as it gets at the crueler, more difficult side of Rosalind Joel. Another Beatles tribute, too, this one a gesture to the Magical Mystery Tour era.

36. “James” - Admittedly a little watery, but in the end, it’s a small, personal song about a mysterious broken friendship. Wonder who it was?
Having just started the Billy Joel biography - I can tell you who it was.  

35. "Close to the Borderline" - Just about the hardest rocking-out he ever recorded, and he did it pretty well. Does not fail on the angry-young-man front. Mostly avoids the oversinging that hurts songs like “Big Shot” — he sings with more of a straight growl here, and it’s a bit better.

34. “She’s Always a Woman” - People ding this song for being schmaltzy, but I don’t think so — it wouldn’t seem out of place on several Bob Dylan records, and you’d probably think more of it then. The arrangement could, admittedly, be a little crisper.

33. “Rosalinda’s Eyes” - Just about every male singer-songwriter records a mom song; this is a good one. Doubly poignant because his mother didn’t have it so easy, and their relationship was not always smooth (cf. “Laura,” a much less affectionate view).

32. “My Life” - Chipper, maybe a little defensive, impeccably bouncy pop song with dark undercurrent. First verse is the best.

31. “Nobody Knows But Me” - A kids’ record, made for a CTW compilation album. It’s about an imaginary friend, and it’s much better than you’d ever guess.

30. “Big Man on Mulberry Street” - Is he a GoodFella, a restaurateur, just some shmo? Maybe a little too much production going on here, but a memorable, fun, remember-that-guy-Vinnie-we-used-to-know song.

29. “Everybody Loves You Now” - Super-catchy, bouncy piano, sneery. Pretty strong cut for one that few people remember.

28. “I’ve Loved These Days” - One of the better songs on this album, and I’m surprised it hasn’t become more of a standard. Bring it out at your high-school reunion, and watch the couples start to slow-dance.

27. “Summer, Highland Falls” - Everyone but me seems to single out this song as one of his very best, maybe the best. I just don’t hear it — I think it’s pretty but not great. I’ll admit that the live recordings are way better than the studio version. I’ll also give you that the piano performance is among his best. I still say “choose between reality and madness / it’s either sadness or euphoria” is pretentious undergrad stuff. We may have to agree to disagree here.
That these three songs are grouped together is a big "tell" by the author.  They are very similar and personally three of my favorites.  I agree with him - they are even more extraordinary live - but they should be higher, collectively.

26. “Last of the Big Time Spenders,” Streetlife Serenade A baby “Baby Grand,” unjustly ignored. Soars nicely in the chorus, especially.

25. “Captain Jack” - Piano Man Joel has said he’s tired of this one, and it does go on for too long. You can also knock ten points off for that uncomfortable “sit at home and masturbate” line, which has been filling arenas with uneasy giggles for 35 years, especially when “pick your nose” comes along a few lines later. But the big chorus is undeniable — it’s hard not to be swept along when it starts to crest.

24. “The River of Dreams” - Has more of that Innocent Man lightness and exuberance than most of the stuff on his later records, and benefits from it.

23. “Baby Grand” - The big Ray Charles duet, a bookend to “Piano Man.” A great, heartfelt performance from both of them, but the song itself is a weird extended metaphor that doesn’t entirely come off (the only one who sticks by you is your piano … or whatever it is your piano represents).

22. “Stiletto” - Another energetic R&B song. Joel’s recording is not bad at all, but if only someone like Bobby Womack had given it a whirl!

21. “She’s Got a Way” - Is it a little gooey? Is it very pretty? It’s both, and these things can comfortably coexist. A Great American Songbook song, written 20 years too late to have made it into the canon.
One of those songs that Joel wrote about his first wife, the one who took all his money.  Still hard to think of anything else, when it comes on.

20. “This Is the Time” - Another ’80s-prom anthem, and I think you have to be a real churl to hate it.

19. “Prelude/Angry Young Man” - That hammered-keyboard intro is one for the ages among show-offy high-school piano students, and the song itself is a slightly more settled guy’s look at his snotty younger self. I like this one, probably more than most people do. I’m guessing that Joel also does because, even though it was never a hit, he still performs it regularly.
This is a signature Joel piece - one he uses regularly to open his shows.

18. "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" - Most fans would put this one much higher on the list. It does have about the purest, cleanest production he ever had. But that whole “Hey, what about me? Why are all those CBGBs acts getting all the love?” attitude is off-putting. It’s saved (of course) by the fact that it’s funny and, here and there, pretty sly (“dance craze / anyways” is a rhyme most people would be afraid to write).
If you listen to this while cruising on the Miracle Mile, move it up 10 notches.
 
17. “Streetlife Serenader” - Maybe a little too long, and yes, it’s about the emptiness of pop-star-hood — “shoppin’-center heroes” — but, hey, write what you know. A sequel to “Piano Man,” once the protagonist is out of the crummy bar and has a couple of albums under his belt.

16. “The Stranger” - A little self-conscious, a little arty (that whistled intro). On multiple re-listenings, I half-expected to find it annoying, but it’s not. Has aged better than you’d think.

15. “Piano Man” - Scoff if you will, but you’ve probably just heard it too many times. “Real-estate novelist” is a great, vivid three-word characterization. (Although I recently had an argument with someone who claimed that line was junk. I, of course, was correct.)
Add one for every time you've heard this one live.

14. “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” - Poorly recorded — the bass overwhelms it — and the studio cut sounds weak and wan, but underneath all that, there’s a well-wrought pop song in hiding. (He really hated L.A.) Much better in live later recordings, where the piano sounds cleaner, the violins are gone, and he sings it better.

13. “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” - Only the goofy-awkward “heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack” keeps this one out of the top ten. Anthony and Mama Leone and Sergeant O’Leary are New Yorkers of a certain age, people we know well, and this is a fine three-and-a-half-minute radio drama about them.
I disagree here - I think the "ack-ack" are essential to this song and would have pushed it a few notches higher.

12. “All My Life” - The coda to his singer-songwriter career. A mature guy, doing the standards thing — except it’s a standard he wrote himself. No more chip on his shoulder, secure in his talent, out Tony Bennett–ing Tony Bennett. A keeper.

11. “Leave a Tender Moment Alone” - This is a really sweet song that nobody pays attention to. Also, arguably the best vocal recording he ever made: His voice is really supple, midway between his early quavery thing and his later baritone. Holds up, and you should go listen to it again.

10. “The Longest Time” - The most retro song on a retro album, and another affectionate tribute to the doo-wop he heard as a kid. Not profound, but a superior piece of pop craftsmanship. Not the most ambitious song; simple structure, simple lyrics, and there’s nothing bad about it.

9. "I Don't Want to Be Alone" - How’d everyone miss this? It’s an amazingly accurate (and completely unexpected) Elvis Costello pastiche, missing only the organ part. A great next-phase–New Wave pop song, one that deserves to come out of the trunk.

8. “Vienna” - A pretty song, a long metaphor for finding yourself at a crossroads in life, with a nice lilt and a restrained bit of whimsy. Unusually oblique. As a musician I know neatly put it to me the other day, “It’s what I want from him, with few Billy problems.” Cole Porter would have nodded and smiled at a line like “You can get what you want or you can just get old.”

7. “Just the Way You Are” - The straightest of straight-up ballads, I grant you, but this is Billy Joel’s “Yesterday,” and “clevah conversation” makes it all his own, because Long Island.

6. “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” - That date sounded deep in the future back in 1976, didn’t it? New York was, everyone thought, dying; amazing to think that a song could be written from the point of view of a retiree in Florida, remembering when the city collapsed. So he got the future wrong, but something about New Yorkers’ toughness still applies. And wait two years for the be-all-end-all live performance of this one, probably at Sun Life Stadium.
I agree with the author here - I would want to be at the concert in 2017 when this song gets played.  Not one you hear a lot on the radio, although one of my favorites

5. “An Innocent Man” - Hard to think of a rock star as an innocent, but he really was — don’t forget that he was repeatedly conned out of millions of dollars by his managers and handlers. Another great vocal performance, on an underrated album that contains several of his best songs.
I like this song, even if he has trouble hitting the high notes anymore

4. "Sleeping With the Television On" - The best Billy Joel song that was never a hit. He still plays it in concert now and then, and has been known to introduce it as “kind of an obscure song”; it shouldn’t be. Clean power, vivid image, supple singing, tight rhythm, well-made, and bulletproof. The TV-sign-off sound effect at the beginning is the only bit of corn here; lop that off and it’s perfect.

3. “New York State of Mind” - Every era produces a couple of standards about New York City, and this one more than holds its own, between Comden and Green on one end and Jay Z and Alicia Keys on the other. Sinatra could’ve recorded it; Tony Bennett did; many others will. Impeccable.

2. “Only the Good Die Young” - None of that sour petulance here; it’s a song by a happy warrior in love and romance. Maybe Catholic girls start much too late, maybe they don’t, but either way, it’s funny as hell.

1. “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” - His longest song — it’s really three songlets, intertwined, a little seven-minute operetta — and, yes, his best. A century from now, if you want a wry but ultimately affectionate look at Long Island middle-class life circa 1976, you could do a lot worse than Brenda and Eddie, their paintings from Sears, and the Parkway Diner.
I can live with this at #1.

Chocolate Pie

As I noted a few weeks ago, by her own admission, Mrs. BA is not a pie maker.  A fabulous baker, yes, but she doesn't do pies (it's a crust thing).  Maybe that could be her 2015 resolution.  Cuz, I'd like this pie - for which she wouldn't even have to make the crust from scratch.  From the Pioneer Woman.

And fair readers - take notice - the March Madness Bakeoff has begun.  Stay tuned for winning recipes - you'll remember that Mrs. BA is defending her crown this year!


Chocolate Pie
Prep Time: 4 Hours
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 1 whole Pie Crust, Baked And Cooled (or Can Use Oreo Or Graham Cracker Crust) 
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar 
• 1/4 cup Cornstarch 
• 1/4 teaspoon 
• Salt 
• 3 cups Whole Milk 
• 4 whole Egg Yolks 
• 6-1/2 ounces, weight Bittersweet Chocolate, Chopped Finely 
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract 
• 2 Tablespoons Butter 
• Whipped Cream, For Serving 

Preparation
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir or whisk together.

Pour in milk and egg yolks, and whisk together.

Stir over medium heat until the mixture just barely comes to a boil and becomes thick, about 6-8 minutes (maybe less, maybe more; just watch it!) The second it starts to bubble and thicken (note: It should be thick like pudding!) remove it from the heat. Add the chocolate, vanilla, and butter, and stir until everything is beautifully combined.

Pour the pudding into the pie crust (if there is extra, spoon it into small dishes) and place in the fridge to chill for 4 hours uncovered.

Cut into slices and serve with whipped cream!

Rotisserie Chicken

Always with the best of intentions, I will usually buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store when I shop over the weekend.  I have grand plans, sandwiches for me during the week, chicken quesadillas for the boys, or making use of it in tacos.

Sometimes the chicken gets used, sometimes it doesn't.  Here's a post from BuzzFeed with 32 ways to use that rotisserie chicken.  My favorite recipe of the lot is below.  Although Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup would be a really, really, close second.

Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese
(from Damn Delicious)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pasta shells 
• 3 cups broccoli florets 
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 1/4 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes 
• 6 ounces Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges 
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

Instructions 

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Add broccoli to the pot 3 minutes before pasta is cooked through; drain well. 
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in milk, sun dried tomatoes and cheese wedges, until smooth, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add pasta, broccoli and chicken and gently toss to combine.
• Serve immediately. 

Notes
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Sunken Apple Cake

Both LBA and SoBA have developed an addiction - to the Costco Apple Pie.  And why not?  It's tasty?  Now you all know what a fabulous baker Mrs. BA is - but even she will admit, she doesn't do pies well.  So she lets the fine folks at Costco provide.

For Christmas this year, we did receive a great gift from our friend (and resident babysitter) - a Smitten Kitchen cookbook.  As I have admitted here before, I really, really like her recipes and then I spotted this one, and believe this one would be no different.  I think it's funny that she notes the cake can be consumed at room temperature for up to five days - like it would last that long at the Launchpad.

Sunken Apple and Honey Cake [Versunkener Apfelkuchen]
Adapted from Gourmeted.com, which adapted from the German cookbook Unser Kochbuch No. 1.

Serves 8 in standard wedges, up to 12 in thinner ones
Topping

• 4 tiny-to-small apples, halved, peeled and cored
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Batter

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (125 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup honey (any variety you like to eat)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 good pinches of salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Glaze

• 1/4 cup honey
• A good pinch of sea salt

Preparation
Heat oven: To 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform with butter or a nonstick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.

Prepare apples: Place peeled, halved and cored apples cut-side-down on a cutting board. Use a knife to create parallel thin slices, but only cut halfway through each apple so that the apples stay intact. Don’t fret if you cut through, however; you can just reassemble the halves on the cake in a few minutes.

In a bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and 2 tablespoon granulated sugar.

Prepare cake base: Beat butter and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar together in a bowl with electric beaters until fluffy. Add honey and beat until combined. Add vanilla and egg yolks, beating until just combined. Sprinkle salt and baking powder over cake batter, and mix for just 5 seconds, until they disappear. Add flour, half at a time, mixing only until just combined.

In a separate bowl with cleaned beaters, beat egg whites until stiff. Stir 1/4 of them into the cake batter, to lighten it a little. Fold in the rest in three additions. It will seem impossible to fold in at first because the batter is so stiff, but it will loosen with careful folding. Only fold the last addition of egg whites until it has mostly disappeared (a couple faint streaks of egg white are fine).

Spread cake batter in prepared cake pan, smoothing the top. Arrange apple halves facedown over the cake batter. To warn, 4 tiny/small apples will definitely fit over the cake batter. When I made it with 4 small-almost-medium apples, I could only fit 3 1/2 of them. No need to press the apples into the batter. You can pour any extra lemon juice and sugar in the bowl over the apples.

Bake cake: 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let rest on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then cut around the cake to make sure it’s not sticking to the pan at all, and unhinge the sides. Let cake cool completely. You can store it at room temperature at this point, or after you add the honey, for up to 5 days 3 days at room temperature. After that, a fridge is best for longevity. The cake is lovelier on day 2 than day 1.

Before serving, if you’d like the glaze to look glossy, or whenever the cake is cool, if you don’t mind if the honey sinks into the cake: Warm 1/4 cup honey and a good pinch of sea salt until it liquefies to the point where it makes a thin glaze — this will take less than 30 seconds. Brush honey-salt mixture over cooled cake.

Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

The other day, I had some bananas that were past their prime and was going to make smoothies for LBA and SoBA.  I didn't really have any other good smoothie fruit in the house, other than a can of pineapple.  Presto, pineapple and banana smoothies.  But neither of them could guess the pineapple was in there with the banana.

Then I found this recipe from The Pioneer Woman and I am again reminded how much I love good pineapple and need to find more ways to get it into the things we eat more regularly.  Granted, this recipe is WAY more involved than Mrs. BA or I tend to get when making quesadillas for the boys, but one could probably substitute canned pineapple (Pioneer Woman uses fresh here) and rotisserie chicken (she cooks boneless breasts for these).  We also tend to tone down the heat at the launchpad and would probably hold off on the jalapeno.

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 8 whole Flour Tortillas
• Butter or Margarine
• 2 cups Grilled Pineapple, Sliced 
• 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 
• Salt and Pepper, to taste 
• 3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated 
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced Cilantro 
• 3 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce 

Instructions
(To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.)

(To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness.)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.

To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. (You'll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)

Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and lime wedges.

Mini Blueberry Galettes

First, this Public Service Announcement - Today is Groundhog Day / Candlemas Day and you should have eaten crepes today.  Did you?

Before you know it, it will be time for Mrs. BA's March Madness Bakeoff!  This could make a good showing.  From the Pioneer Woman.


Mini Blueberry Galettes
Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 package Pie Crust (2 Rounds Of Dough) 
• 2 cups Blueberries (generous) 
• 1/4 cup Sugar, Plus Extra For Sprinkling 
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch 
• 1 whole Lemon 
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 
• Pinch of Salt 
• 1 whole Egg 
• 1 Tablespoon Water 
• Whipped Cream, For Serving 

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Stir together blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, juice of half the lemon, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Set it aside once it's all combined.

Unroll the two discs of dough. Using a 5-inch round pastry cutter (or you can trace a knife around a 5-inch bowl) cut three rounds of pastry from each disc. Re-roll the scraps and cut 2 more. Place them on 2 baking sheets lined with a baking mat or parchment (4 rounds each pan). Evenly distribute the blueberry mixture between the six discs (approximately 1/4 cup per round).

Gently fold the over the edges of each crust, folding the dough in on itself to create a small rim of crust.

Make an egg wash by beating together the egg and water. Brush edges of each pie with the egg wash and sprinkle the crust with sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow pies to sit on the pan (they will leak a little juice while baking, but this is fine!) for 5 minutes. Remove to a platter and allow to cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

I'm Baaack!

Missed me?  Yes, I've been away from the blog for a while - I've missed Recipe Mondays for the past two weeks.  The Brave Astronaut and the clan had a great Christmas season and I hope you had the same.  2015 has gotten off to a good start - though I was sick for awhile, including a sinus infection and then a bad reaction to the anti-biotics I was on.

This past Saturday, Mrs. BA and I went to an Anniversary Gala at the American Legion here in town - it was a grand affair and we had a great time.  This Saturday will be Casino Night at LBA and SoBA's school, where I will be tending bar.  It's an eighties theme and I am making four signature cocktails for the evening.  One is a distinctly eighties drink and the other three are ones that I found on the Internet with eighties-themed titles.

Which one would you like?

Purple Rain

• Vodka
• Raspberry Liqueur
• Blue Curacao
• Lime juice
• Grenadine
• Pineapple juice
• Garnish: purple grape

Long Island Iced Tea

• 1 part vodka
• 1 part tequila
• 1 part rum
• 1 part gin
• 1 part triple sec
• 1 ½ parts sweet and sour mix
• Splash of coke
• Garnish : lemon wheel 

Pretty in Pink

• ½ oz vodka
• 1 oz pineapple rum
• 1 oz Blue Pucker schnapps
• 1 oz peach schnapps
• ½ oz grenadine
• ½ oz sweet and sour mix 

Thriller!

• 1 ½ oz brown liquor (whiskey / bourbon)
• 1 oz green ginger wine
• 1 oz orange juice

Bust out the Slow Cooker!

Is is one of Mrs. BA and my New Year's Resolutions to be better about menu planning and dinner prep.  To that end I think the slow cooker may be getting a workout during these winter months.  And I need to shop smarter at the grocery store.

Here's a recipe I spotted a few weeks ago in an article (of several crockpot recipes) from the Huffington Post.  We will see if we can get this into the rotation.  On the menu this week, so far - Taco Tuesday and Baked Potato Soup one night, then pizza / movie night on Friday, as usual.

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken
via Recipe Girl
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 4 hr

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds of bone-in chicken pieces (drumsticks, breasts, thighs) 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 medium sweet onion, sliced 
• 8 large garlic cloves, halved 
• several sprigs fresh thyme 
• 1 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is good) 
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium- high heat. Cook the chicken, skin-side-down, until the skin turns golden brown (about 4 minutes).
2. Combine the onion, garlic and thyme in a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Top with chicken, skin-side-up. In a small bowl, whisk together wine and flour until smooth and pour it over the chicken and into the slow cooker. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender- 3 1/2 hours on HIGH or 7 hours on LOW.
3. Serve chicken topped with sauce. Serve over rice, couscous, polenta or potatoes. 

Tips

• This recipe is gluten-free adaptable- substitute gluten-free flour or tapioca starch for the all-purpose flour.
• A delicious accompaniment to this dish is polenta. Prepare instant polenta as directed, substituting milk for 1/2 of the water and adding in 1 tablespoon of butter and a spoonful or two of cream cheese. 
• If you would prefer to cook this in the oven, brown the chicken in a Dutch oven, then add remaining ingredients plus 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook at 350 degrees F. until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 40 minutes.