The Boys Of Summer

Put Me In Coach!

  (Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)



Take me out to the Ballgame! Nothing like heading to the ball park, having a drink, grabbing some grub and soaking up the sun. Love it! Although, the food choices are usually a little suspect. But hey, nothing wrong with a hot dog and a beer. 

Today we're gonna kick it up a notch. This is not your usual ball park offering. How about fixing up a big plate of "Ultimate Nachos", a Cracker Jack Cocktail and some good ole Ballpark tunes. 

It just doesn't get any better than this... 
As Yogi Berra says - "Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too". 

The pots are on!

The Plate... 

Ultimate Nachos

Well for those of us who have spent time at the old Ballpark we have probably eaten our fair share of "concession stand" nachos. You know, the stale ships covered with the "glow in the dark" neon cheese and maybe a few jalapeños. Never trust cheese served from a pump. 

Now, if your like me you like your nachos with a little bit of everything and they need to have some kick to them. Ready... let's get started.

What you need...  

Tortilla chips

1 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 lbs Ground Beef (80/20 please... none of that lean stuff)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp salt & pepper

1 can (14 oz) Pinto beans

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

6 whole Roma tomatoes, diced

2 jalapeños, diced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Juice of one lime

1 avocado, diced

Sour cream

What you do...

In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and half the onion.
Cook it until starting to soften, then add the ground beef.
Cook the meat until it's totally browned, then drain the fat.
Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
Add the beans and hot water and stir.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

To make the pico de gallo, combine the other half of the onion with the tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Stir it together and set it aside.

To build the nachos, place a layer of tortilla chips on a platter or plate.
Top with a layer of the beef/bean mixture, then all but 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese.
Add another layer of chips, another layer of the beef/bean mixture, and the Monterey Jack cheese. Add a final small layer of chips, then a small layer of beef and beans, then a final sprinkling of cheddar. 

Place the platter into a 325 degree oven if it's heatproof.
Just leave it in until the cheese is melted.

Immediately sprinkle on the diced avocado and plenty of pico de gallo.
Top with sour cream.

And there you have it... dig in!

The Playlist... 

The Boys Of Summer

          The "Playlist" runs on Spotify- Click on the link to listen toThe Boys Of Summer

The Bar... 

7th Inning Stretch

What you need...

2 oz Bourbon

1 oz Frangelico

1 oz Amaretto

1/4 oz fresh lemon juice

4 oz soda water

Handful of Cracker Jacks, Crushed

What you do...

Rub a lemon wedge around the rim of a glass.

Turn upside down and twist into a plate of crushed Cracker Jacks.

Combine the Bourbon, Frangelico, Amaretto, lemon juice in a shaker.

Mix and pour into glass and top off with soda water.

Take a big sip and sing along. Take me out to the ball game...

Baseball Is Ninety Percent Mental...

The Other Half Is Physical!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly 

& 

Keep On Cookin'!