What's Cookin'

You didn't think I'd go to Texas for a week and not come back with a recipe? It seems what's hot on Thanksgiving in Texas isn't fried bird anymore, it is cranberry salsa. I'll share the recipe the way I'm going to make it at the end of this blog, as well as links to different ways to spice up the sauce.

First, the area of Dallas that I would show you is uptown and downtown. This area is home of some of the best upscale steak and mexican restaurants in the country. You can also find versions of some of New York City's finest restaurants, like  Bice. Who knew Dallas could also serve good Italian? Dallas was also where I ate my first sushi. I still haven't found a better "Devil roll."

You can also drive 20 miles to Plano, and experience that area's "restaurant row" which includes more than a hundred upscale and chain places to eat at, one after another.

And then you have your fast food. I wouldn't bring this up except being back in Dallas and watching the news you see commercials. The first one that made me scream with laughter, but also think, "Hmmm, a healthy version isn't a bad idea," was the Dairy Queen Jalitos Ranch Hungr Buster. It's a hamburger. But with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno ranch dressing and fried jalapeno strips. I thought it also had sliced jalapenos, that must have been a different burger commercial.

The next is an insane version of a Frito Pie. Several people in Connecticut and New York have told me they've never heard of this delicacy. But if you've ever been to a Texas high school football game, you go wanting one like you crave a dog at a stadium in New York.

You take an individual size bag of Frito corn chips, hold it lengthwise and cut off the top. Plop a scoop of meat-chili inside and sprinkle with shredded cheese; onion if you like. Hmm, did we add jalapenos? Probably.

So one of the new fast food creations is taking this Frito Pie creation and rolling it up in a wrap. Add tater tots and, well, you better not eat the rest of the day. It just so happened that after seeing the commercial I went for a walk outside the trendy Dallas confines to see where the artists are living as well as the up and coming "it" spots. Here I show proof of the Frito Pie Wrap.

No Frito Pies at the Stars game at the American Airlines Center. It was my first time at the 420-million-dollar arena that opened in 2001. It was also a first to cheer against the Stars at one of their games. I had to root for the Islanders. Several former Bridgeport Sound Tigers were on the ice. But back to food. Choices at the arena, at least on the first two floors, include bar-b-q sandwiches, quesadillas, some kind of pulled pork dish, and, of course, foot long dogs and fries. I went for the jalapeno coleslaw. It had little slivers of cheese in it.

So having to start a diet this Thanksgiving, I'm making cranberry salsa. Just take a bag of cranberries, a jalapeno or two, maybe a clove of garlic and a few slices of onion and chop in a processor or blender. Add a little lime and orange juice and some cilantro and process a few more seconds. Some recipes say you need honey or a little sugar. We'll see.

Here is a recipe similar to mine.

This one has you boil down the berries.