This week guest chef Jay Brown comes along with a lamb recipe that looks like it might be good enough to make you hit your grandma. Now I don’t cook a lot of lamb myself. Mostly because I’m not a huge fan of it. I don’t mind an occasional chop or leg of lamb if highly seasoned and cooked well. I love curried lamb and ground lamb but most of the time I stick to the three that made us free, beef, pork and yard strutter with a little fish thrown in. Of course I don’t have an allergic reaction to lamb and I don’t treat it like I would a French leper. Besides, Mrs. Smilin’ Paul loves lamb and so it is not a completely foreign element in the happy Hacienda.

Having that background in mind then, I give you this dish, courtesy of the ever talented and usually reticent Jay Brown.

MINT DIJON LAMB

2 lamb chops per person. My butcher cuts them about 2" thick for me
1 White onion diced small
1 ea. red and green bell pepper diced small
fresh mint for garnish
Dijon Mustard (small jar)
sliced mushrooms
vegetable stock
heavy cream
butter
(mint jelly)
Mrs. Dash original

Pre heat oven to 350`
Cut excess fat from chops, and place in hot cookware with 1 tblspn olive oil.
brown the fat real well, and remove from pan. (flavor for the sauce)
lightly salt and pepper the chops and place in cookware, and lightly brown on all sides and edges (about 30-45 seconds per side)
remove the chops from cookware, and place in oven safe cookware
place in oven while you make the sauce.
Add onion, (garlic if you like), bell peppers, ½ tsp Mrs. Dash, saute until well cooked. *deglaze the cookware with 1 cup white wine, and after well steamed, add 2 cups vegetable stock, and small jar of Dijon Mustard. Simmer for about 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup heavy cream, mushrooms. and 2 Tlbsp butter.
(I have used both fresh mint, and mint jelly for this dish) Those of you who like mint jelly with your lamb, can add about 1 heaping Tblsp of jelly to the sauce at this point, or ½ cup fresh mint. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes.)
I have made a roux to thicken the sauce. (equal parts butter and flower cooked in small saute pan, stir constantly until you achieve the desired color and consistency or it will burn, burnt roux rouxins your dish…)

The total cooking time for the chops in the oven is about 25-30 minutes for medium rare. (unless you over browned them)

Serving: place pasta, or rice in middle of plate, place two chops on top, spoon sauce around pasta or rice, and a small amount on top of chops. garnish with sprigs of mint serve with any vegetable.

*deglaze. To release the flavors stuck to the bottom of the cookware*

"Good Eaten on Ya"

Jay


Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Well we're knockin' them stiff. Even in a grim week for football, I managed a 2-1 record so if you're making book off the calls here at WKWR you'll note that the Mexican, the Pollack and the Texican are burning it up at 9-4. Now I didn't forget about the promised recipe but guest chef Jay Brown is going to preempt me. Seems he's got a lamb dish to share and since I rarely cook lamb, I thought it'd be a nice change for you all. Look for that tomorrow. Of course I'll drop in Friday with more picks for the faithful in our never ending quest to keep America's economy strong. Lastly, you heard it here first.

Election call. The Republicans maintain both the House and Senate. On Monday I'll explain why as I count up my winnings from the weekend.

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Well sportsfans, this is a tough week to make any calls so I've relied heavily on the Pollack, the Dago and the Texican for guidance. I warned you all that it would be slim pickin's and indeed it is.

Love Mizzou, give the points, they're at home against Ohio U. and have a cupcake on deck.

Love my Longhorns at home, give the points against a game but overmatched Iowa State team.

I think Louisville is here to stay, they want to make a statement and Kansas State is in the way, take the Cardinals and give the 14.5 even on the road.

Thats about it, I've got some other action going on but nothing I'm proud of. Now that the non-scandal with the Pope's twisted words is blowing over, I can get back to our regularly scheduled programming of rant and recipe on Monday. Remember to tune in for Redneck Chicken Cordon Bleu...

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Of course some of you all must be young, Republican and financiers so naturally today you oughta be counting up your winnings. For those of you keeping score on the Pancho Palica Pick of the Week, we're stronger than rent with a 7-3 record against the spread this year so far. Keep the American economy strong and reinvest that money in sports futures. Which of course I'll get back at y'all with the picks of the week later. Gotta tell you though, it looks like a grim week for easy pickin's.

Speaking of grim, seems like the islamofascists are going to upset my regularly scheduled prediction on the election. I'll get back to you on that because first I need to address the growing similarity between your garden variety islamofascist and your average seditious lib'rul. First off, neither of them can laugh. Ever notice that about libs? They can't take a joke and they're perpetually offended when you tell a funny one. Let's face it, the best jokes are directed at ethnic groups and disadvantaged folks like Cajuns and Aggies. Now I can sit around with a bunch of Cajuns and tell Cajun jokes all day and we'd all be laughing our fool heads off. That is until some lib'rul shows up and decides that the poor Cajuns are offended. Hell you can't even tell a good Polish joke anymore. Let's face it, unless the joke is about commiting capital felonies against President Bush, your standard democrat isn't about to crack a smile.

Of course, the same is true with your committed islamofascist. You never see anyone laughing on the news and I bet if Iranian President Ahmadinejad tried, he'd herniate his cheeks. That boy is wound a little tight. But that does explain why you never hear the feminists sniveling about islamofascism. Despite the fact that radical islam seeks to keep women in roughly the same social status they enjoyed 1400 years ago. Islamofascists and feminazis have enough in common that the feminists will refrain from attacking them despite the obvious hypocrisy of ignoring a group determined to enslave them. Of course I think I've demonstrated over the past three years that hypocrisy isn't a concern for democrats, it's a modus operandi.

None of which addresses the central issue of today's rant. Seems a lot of folks are having a little sport at the Pope's expense. Well if I were the Pope, I'd be issuing a press release telling islam that I've already apologized once and if it didn't cut it well tough. Oh and by the way, I'm changing my name from Benedict XVI to Urban V. See how they like that. Of course I can only dream of that in today's politically correct world. Now the Pope doesn't need me to speak for him, he did it already and he is being vilified for using the words of a 15th century Byzantine Emperor that none of us ever heard of, to illustrate a point which the jihadis are now proving. Radical Islam is a violent religion bent on conquest by violent means. Conveniently forgetting that the Pope clearly stated this was a quote before he uttered the now infamous lines, and also that he has since apologized for the troubles his words may have caused, some less than stout hearted folks want him to apologize unequivocally.

From my lips to the Pope's ears...no way Hoss, do NOT apologize. The islamofascists and their lib'rul enablers want you to apologize for a twisting of your words and intentions. Words that are not only taken out of context by the islamists but which are not even your own. Where are the so called elder statesmen of the left? Where are sometime Catholics Jean Kerry and Teddy "Breaststroke" Kennedy in their defense of the Pope and free speech. You all remember free speech don't you? It's that right listed in our Constitution, (a document which most lib'ruls would rather never existed) under First Amendment. The damn thing is, the left only likes the First Amendment when it involves the profligate waste of American tax dollars to support semi-pornographic and anti Christian displays in alleged art exhibits, or when ILLEGAL aliens are demanding more rights in their adopted country. All of which guarantees me the right to have a headache.

I'll have to get back at you tomorrow folks with my take on chicken cordon bleu...

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Hey there sportsfans. I need to recover from last week's embarrassment on ye olde football front. I would love to spend some time here raging against the latest democrat antics but why bother? They're oh so entertaining those folks. At least as entertaining as sedition and an utter absence of common sense can be. But I digress. I'm compiling my latest line on the election and of course next week's recipe so look for those come Monday. In the meantime, it's time for Pancho's Picks of the Week, part of our commitment here at WKWR to stimulating the economy the old-fashioned way, and without the gubmint stickin' their nose in it.

Now then, lotta big games this weekend so here's the best picks.

My beloved Longhorns comeback with a vengeance and poor ol' Rice plays the part of the French Army trying to stop the German Army. Take UT and give the 32 pts...

Virginia Tech, give the 35 against Duke. Duke would be better off sending their basketball team out to play against the Hokies.

Gotta go with Auburn at home, give the pts against a tough LSU squad.

I wouldn't touch it, but it'll make Bull happy, take OU against Oregon and grab the 5 pts.

Green Bay and New Orleans, take the over...

Now get it done and hopefully some of you all will be waving some fresh yankee dollars come Monday morning. If not, well you can always blame it on President Bush, like me, he's a Longhorn fan...

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Wow, where do we begin in a week so crowded with lib’rul hypocrisy? Well how about a mea culpa from yours truly, something you never see from the left. I hope none of you all raced down to your local sports books or bookie on the corner with Smilin’ Paul’s picks of the week. Big loss for my beloved ‘Horns and Tech didn’t cover either, at least I can blame my niece for that one. Damn rocket scientists are too worried about tests in advanced physics, how the hell can you expect them to play football to a high caliber? Well I did call Georgia and Missouri right so I’m off to a light start at 2-3. I’ll get back to you all later this week after I consult the Palica and Stanfield Sporting Concerns. Just in case y’all feel like getting the economy jump started.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. In case you’ve been under a rock this past week, we’ve been treated to the sight of IMPEACHED ex-president Clinton and his minions sniveling over a docudrama which allegedly did not portray the former philanderer in chief in the most flattering of lights. As they say in the Russian Marines, toughski chitski. Now I didn’t watch this particular docudrama, trying as I do to provide as little revenue to Hollyweird as I can but according to reports, it portrayed Mr. Clinton as somewhat disinterested in the fact that islamofascists were trying to kill his countrymen, bomb our embassies and generally conduct war against us. Of course his primary constituency wasn’t harmed, swooning post-pubescent girls with self esteem issues, so why bother with a nagging issue like terrorism. So of course, when the contents of the docudrama became known, the IMPEACHED ex-president threatens a lawsuit. At least now we have more conclusive proof that like most of his democrat and lib’rul brethren, Clinton has never read or more likely fails to grasp the concepts and freedoms enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. Of course should he ever find his way to my blog he can always avail himself of the opportunity to read that document that he swore to uphold, not subvert. So where was this concern for truth when Michael “Dirigible” Moore released his faux history movies?

Next up we have the admission from Washington insider and State Department flunky Richard Armitage that he was the source of the leak in the non-scandal surrounding Valerie Plame. Plame is the glorified analyst at CIA who claims to have been America’s answer to James Bond although no one recalls her ever leaving her desk. Plame married gadfly and loudmouth Joe Wilson who in delusions of grandeur insists on being referred to as Ambassador for his service in some African country most Americans can’t pronounce much less locate on a globe. Together they’ve provided us more comedy than Ricky and Lucy although to be fair, Ricky and Lucy never undercut National Security in order to get their ratings. The upshot of this entire mess is that office of the Vice President, Special Assistant to the President and the Special Prosecutor have all been tarred. Scooter Libby remains under indictment for an act that someone else is now confessing to and of course, the libs maintain that it is all an intricate plot by Karl Rove. Worse, the Special Prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald knew of Armitage’s leak and continued his investigation wasting millions of tax dollars. So where are the New York Times, Washington Post and the alphabet soup networks with the apologies to the American people for their (ahem) thorough investigative reporting? Don’t hold your breath waiting for an apology.

Since today we mark the 5th Anniversary of the attacks by islamofascists against us, I hope you all take a moment to remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our great nation since then. Please say a prayer for all of those who died on September 11, 2001 and all those who have gone since in our defense.

Now then, since the theme of late has been seafood, let’s get back to guest chef Jay Brown and his take on beer-battered cod tacos and Cajun Coleslaw…

Rock Cod is also very versatile. Any beer batter, deep fried, served with a Cajun Style Coleslaw.
Rock Cod in any fish soup, is very delicate white meat, and almost becomes part of the liquid.

CAJUN COLESLAW MADE 24 HOURS BEFORE MAKING THE TACOS

2 ½ Cups shredded green cabbage
2 ½ cups shredded red cabbage
1 Cup shredded carrots
3 tablespoons finely diced green onions
1 ½ cups peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
2-3 of the Serrano chilis along with 2 tablespoons of the juice (the little carrots too)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 Cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons fresh, or 4 ½ tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 ½ tsp course grained mustard

Combine the green and red cabbages, carrots, and green onions in a large bowl.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Add to cabbage, cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish and mustard stir until smooth and blended. Add to the above cabbage mixture, and refrigerate overnight.

BEER BATTER FRIED ROCK COD TACOS W/ CAJUN COLESLAW

Oil for frying
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more) :)
1 tblspoon vegetable oil
1 cup dark beer
½ tsp hot sauce (or more) :)
Cod Filets for the number of people eating (about 6 oz each)
2 tblspoons Cajun seasoning
Large soft flour tortillas

Heat the oil in a deep fryer, or large saucepan to 375 degrees

Sift 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper together into a mixing bowl center and add the oil, beer, and hot sauce. Stir until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Season with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Cut each fillet into 1 ½ inch strips. Combine the remaining Cajun seasoning. Dredge the fish strips, making sure the fish is completely coated. Allow excess to drip back into the bowl. Lower the fish slowly into the oil, and cook until golden brown and crispy. (about 4-5 minutes). Place the fish on a plate in a warmed oven (200 degrees) along with the tortillas in foil.

Place the fish in the bottom of the tortilla, the coleslaw on top of them, add any hot sauce you like, and enjoy and remember….good eatin’ on ya!!!

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Hidy folks, as you can all see I have returned to the land of dust and lust (as noted Texas author Daniel Stanfield once referred to Nevada) and am prepared to take my lumps for the poor call of Cal over Tennessee. I violated the Villa principle of College football betting. Never, NEVER take a PAC 10 school over an SEC school unless it's USC, and especially in week 1 when teams are still shakin' their legs out. In any event, week 2 is here and the Big Daddy of games, #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Texas. Now Texas is giving 2.5 pts which is the home field advantage figured by the bookies. I love it, take the 'Horns give the points and while you're at it, parlay that game into taking Texas Tech (-7.5) over UTEP and Georgia giving 3 at South Carolina. There, I've just done more to jumpstart the economy than any democrat since Truman took us into Korea.

I know I promised most of you a new take on beer battered cod this week with an appearance by Guest Chef Jay Brown but I'm putting that off. Reader Connie Anderson, hailing from the Great State of Montana provided an intriguing method for making omelets that I thought worthy of mention here. Maybe someone can try this out and lemme know if it works. If so, I'll be much obliged because I can get on the outside of an omelet and this would free up the skillet for swine parts.

Speaking of swine, the Best in the West Rib Cook Off just hit town and it was my pleasure to have to unleash on some bones. My own People's Choice award would go to Sutphen's Texas Thunder BBQ Team. Nice spicy ribs. The Smokehouse BBQ from Dos Palos, CA. also put out some mean ribs and great hot links. Lord it's great not to be a vegenut. (Although dating them can be fun, if you have the constitution for it.) Now without further ado, here is Connie Anderson's omelets made easy...

This works great !!! Good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet !!!)

Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.

Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece.

Now thats some good eatin' on ya!!

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family