Plaidophile

Whenever I go to Cash And Carry (a local restaurant supplier) I always feel like such a tourist. There's a handful of things they carry which could potentially be useful for me and then a whole bunch of stuff which I'd like to get if it were in smaller quantities, which you don't normally see in smaller quantities at other grocery stores.

So I bought a whole bunch of chocolate-covered espresso beans (which I'm already way too high on), a case of Red Bull, a really nice restaurant-quality (meaning, well-made, but inexpensive) santoku, some blackcurrant syrup, some soymilk, and four avocadoes. I also found out that the exact same seedless baby watermelons I paid $2.50 for one of at Ballard Market the other day was only 95 cents at Cash And Carry.

One thing I've been trying to find for a while which nobody seems to carry are those cases of a dozen filets mignon. I used to see them in like every grocery store and now that I actually have a proper grill and a taste for that sort of thing I can't actually find them anywhere.

Anyway tonight I'm going to try grilling a chicken breast marinated in olive oil, paprika, and some infused vinegar I made a while back (white wine vinegar infused with sage, thyme, and serrano pepper), served with a side of beans and rice which I made last night which was really good. Here is the recipe:

• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• Half a pound of sausage such as andouille, cooked and diced
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained
• 1 4-ounce can of diced green chili
• 1.5 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• 3 cups water or chicken broth
• 1 tsp turmeric

In a pot, heat up some olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper. Stir until the garlic is slightly browned. Add the onion and stir until translucent. Add the sausage and brown it. Add the beans, chili, water, rice, and turmeric. Bring to a boil for a minute, stir, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for half an hour or until the rice is soft.