Is it just Me?

It was a tough week at the new job. I got the usual new guy pass on things for the first couple of weeks, but eventually the real people emerge from those smiling helpful folks that I was introduced to. Oh well. Nothing I haven't dealt with before, but it still wears a body down. So Wednesday I got my arm twisted into going to McBrides. There was serious twisting involved too, I'd passed on trivia Tuesday night and I never pass on trivia. McBrides is a perfectly grungy Irish Pub with perfectly greasy pub food a mere quarter mile from the condo.

Mmmm grungy pub!

So I'm in there eating my bacon burger, Mmm bacon!, when a few of the young ladies to my right order oreotinis. Seriously people? A martini is ice cold gin ( vodka if you must) with a swish, a soupcon, a tad of vermouth and an olive ( again, if you must). My Buddy ordered a cherry lager. Freaking cherry, are you kidding me? Consuming the stuff doesn't bother me. Knock yourself out. This is America; you can drink out of the toilet for all I care. I just don't think you can put a Dairy Queen drink in a martini glass and pretend you are a grown up just because you are drinking out of a big peoples cup. Ditto with the cherry lager. I was coerced into trying it. You don't call it beer when it tastes like Dr. Pepper.

Even looks like the guy serving it should be wearing a paper hat.

Gin, vermouth, olive;that's it!

Am I a crank because I want my beer to be beer flavored? Or my martini to not have a cookie floating in it? While I'm at it can I please have coffee flavored coffee? Vodka flavored vodka? Hamburgers made of meat? Is it any wonder that we are a nation of people that get Tapas at Denny's then get mad because they suck? Or worse we think they are delicious? What's up with crab rangoons while I'm at it? I didn't know the Chinese were such fans of cream cheese. If you are going to be all snooty about the food you eat shouldn't it at least be ... Food?

Well the Final 4 is this weekend. I will be observing from my couch with a fine beer flavored beer and multiple plates of nachos. Mmmm nachos! In the spirit of me yearning for food flavored food we will not be having bar style nachos. First off nachos do not ever include squirt cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped raw onion or any of the hundreds of other add-ons current America thinks are standard nacho ingredients.

Simple is good

 I have a very valid reason for eliminating the salsa, chili, guac, black beans etc. from the nachos. They are fine as an add-on after the nachos hit the table, but if you include them in the initial recipe they make the chips all soggy. Why make them crisp in the first place is you are just going to wet them down? Nachos should not be eaten with a spoon just as alcoholic drinks should not have a cookie floating in them.

1. Now a great nacho is all about the cheese so grate a block of cheddar and either a block of Jack, or a hunk of mozzarella. Mix them together. The reason I do this is because there are melty cheeses and cheeses the will clump when heated. If you combine the melty cheese with the clumpy cheese everything behaves and you don't end up with a solid impenetrable crust over your chips.
2. Heat the oven to 500 degrees.
3. Put a heap-o-chips in a 12 inch cast iron skillet or a casserole.
4. Add cheese. Just enough is too much so add some more.
5. 2 or 3 minutes in the oven should be enough to get them going.
6. Pull the pan from the oven, add another layer of chips, a bunch of jalapenos, the kind from the jar is fine, and more cheese. Just enough is too much so add some more.
7. Put them in until the cheese is just bubbly. Even with our safety cheese they will still seize from high heat.
8. Now if you want add-ons dip away. There is no chance of soggy chips anymore.
9. Repeat as needed until either the games are over or all the beer is gone.

Go Huskies! If that criminal Calaperi wins I'll know there is no justice in this world.