So I’ve been playing with spices and sprucing things up a little, as I’ve never much been into heavy spices in recipes, and I think that this recipe works out nicely- Not blazing and indiscriminately hot, but rather a subtler, more flavorful spice, with a little heat for fun. I emulated Middle Eastern and Caribbean cooking, picking a little from Jamacian jerk recipes, while adding what seems like good things to it. I’m sure there’s some other great things that can be thrown into this one, a little saffron powder, smoked salt, things like that. This is a really great recipe to play with and just have fun!

I named this recipe for fun for one of my favorite actors, John Barrowman. He’s a super talented British actor, but spent his formative years and was raised right close to me in Joliet, Illinois. He still visits sometimes, and I hope to bump into him on the street, or see a live performance here in Chicago! Wouldn’t that be so exciting?! Anyhow, this recipe is spicy and beeeefy (if you wish) like Mr. Barrowman. (heheh!) He also has a new CD of showtune covers coming out in just a few days, on March 1, 2010. He’s also playing a guest role in the last six episodes of this season’s Desperate Housewives on this side of the ocean, too! I also have to gush over the cufflinks made by Ian Flaherty that he’s chosen for his site- They’re all so wonderful!

Anyhow! After the jump, Onwards with the recipe!

Supplies: Bamboo skewers, Olive oil, Cast iron skillet or cookie sheet, lightly oiled.

Into The Meat:
1 to 1.25 pound of ground meat (Beef, Turkey, Chicken, Pork, Tofu substitute)
3 large cloves of garlic, microplaned or minced
1 tablespoon powdered Ginger
18 drops Tabasco
1/4 teaspoon Mustard Powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 cup, minced Onion (Preferably sweet! I like the purple ones, or even better, Vidalia onions if they’re in season.)

Note! If you’re leaning closer to a pound of meat, you might have some issues with the meatballs holding together for you. That’s fine! Just add an egg, and that will help to bind it together for you.

Over the top:
Couple dashes of Soy Sauce
3 or 4 Lemon wedges (optional, but an excellent touch!)
Saffron Flowers, red chili pepper, any suitable garnishing spice. Not necessary, of course.

In-between: Green pepper, onion chunks (if you do this, cut out the onion in the meat) Whatever you like on your kabobs, really! I usually just use one or two kinds of vegetables, these get pretty meaty!

Preparation: Pretty straightforward. Just mix up the spices and meat, make little meatballs, and slide them onto the skewers. You’re bright, you can do it

On the side: Wrap up a piece of naan or pita bread in foil, with a thin coat of butter on a side, throw it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about three minutes. A dollop of plain yogurt goes very nicely as well, and helps to salvage over-cooked and dry meat.

Vegetarian notes: I am quite sure that there’s an excellent meat substitute out there for this recipe, and it seems an easy and delicious replacement.

… bake at 350, 25 minutes, and will feed two in a big way, or four light eaters. There’s no need to flip them halfway through, either. Also, I like to put some slices of lemon on top, the juice helps to vary the flavor in a pleasant manner. I usually get about four kebab out of quantities like this. Enjoy!

All five episodes, magically being shown at Chris’s house. No commercials, Exactly as shown during world premiere in Britain.

Saturday; July 11th, 2009 Time: Based on Consensus – Put aside five hours

Non-Alcoholic beverages & really good popcorn provided.

Well, you could have a go at that bottle of Chardonnay I have, and those two little bottle of Merlot. I’m never going to drink them, but they’ll desperately need a dusting. Send an email.

“It’s like rice cakes for Doctor Who fans”

Trailer after the tuna fiss and onwion wings.. jump..

1. I love cigars. I love tobacco! I don’t drink alcohol, so, I guess that’s my one vice, unless I take up crack smoking, guns, or smut. So, the first thing for me to do, would be to move my 4 large “coolerdors” (Read: Cheap cigar storage) with several hundred well-aged premium cigars to something nicer. I’d want something upright, and able to display the often beautiful art in cigar boxes and bands. This would do the job nicely. Great display piece, and includes an electronic humidifier- I use one in my ‘real’ humidor and have never been let down- Sure, it was pricey, but considering that just one of the cigars in the box of 75 is worth half of that, I considered it to be a good investment. So, Upright humidor, Check! I also own the best cigar ashtray, in my opinion: The Stinky Ashtray. Of course, with all this smoke, You’re going to need something to keep things nice, and prevent smoke damage. I like this one, just on form factor & finish: Csonka Super Smoker Cloaker. Also, it would be prudent to run ozone, too. But, Lucky me, good at electronics, can build the perfect one to conceal in the right place. Also, a good table lighter would be excellent. I have antique ones, but let’s dream a little, no? This one, in any thing but black or chrome, really appeals to my steampunky kind of tastes.

2. Furniture. This is rather tough! It would be nice to have a futon for guests and laying out, but it would damage the overall antique aesthetic I’m wanting. So, perhaps a nicely done black leather sofa? Room for two to cuddle on, indeed, and leather would not hold in stale cigar odor as much, and it’s a breeze to clean. I’d also like a particular few tables: Something like this would do great for holding the small collection of Roman antiquities & coins, silver rounds and art bars, and other small, precious items (family things, you know what I mean) that I’ve collected over the years, and do hope to add to! My current display, a bell jar with a custom made metal platform, will hopefully need to be upgraded! Add to that a good coffee table, too. I would also like to set a large hunk of glass on top, to keep it clean and nice.

3. Chess. It’s no secret that I love Chess. I play, I study it, and have an average of three games going at once. (Want to play? Contact me!) Another dream is to have an heirloom quality chess set in my ‘dream den’. Something I can pass along to the younger generations, and prize. And, as a side thought, It would be nice to have a table of sorts, that I could stack multiple chess sets on, and simply slide out the one I wish to address. Anyhow, I find this one to be very striking- My favorite color of blue! It might not fit into the overall decor, but I think a little slip is okay. Of course, I could also give in to my adoration of Doctor Who and go for this bad boy.. ultra rare, and 4,500 in US dollars. And there’s a wooden TARDIS! But, that would be something more for me, and I could easily see it not lasting as an heirloom long after my passing! Crazy Uncle/Father Christopher and his Doctor Who obsession.

4. Art: I feel I’ve got this pretty well covered already. Not that there aren’t people I’d love to have pieces from, But that all comes in time. I shy away from sculpture, but I feel the right one will find me. But for painting, I’d like one of Auburn Lahoski’s new works. I went to high school with her, and have seen her work just get better and better. I do hope she gets an online portfolio going, but I assume she’s busy. Other than that, check my links for other wonderful art.

5. Entertainment. Oh, bookshelves! Several will be needed! I would like to drive back to my hometown (more than 1000, less than 2000 miles) and retrieve the books and records that I have in storage. There’s a lot, and Lori has a lot, so it’s a big undertaking But, A nice record player, with a good tube preamp would be great, with it going into the requisite sweet television and surround sound. Also, A Victrola would be an excellent addition- Unless, of course, I got a record player that could play those great old 78’s. I had one very similar demonstrated to me yesterday, and I was amazed.. the aesthetics, the totally analog approach, all of it- It was really an ingenious thing.

6. Finally, we have FOOD. I have an antique gumball machine I’ve restored, which would be nice, but I would be more inclined to fill it with seashells or marbles, because I simply can’t eat that much candy before it spoils! Or, I could fill it with cigar bands- not a bad idea. But, it would still be nice to have a small fridge, for a copious supply of Virgil’s and ginger beer. A sweet little popcorn machine would be a nice addition, But I think the espresso machine belongs in kitchen.

Wow.. now it just all seems excessive!