Willie Lyles vs. The Big Lebowski

For those college football fans out there I am sure by now you have heard the name Willie Lyles.  He has been all over ESPN and sports talk radio explaining his side of an NCAA investigation of improprieties by The University of Oregon  in the recruitment of some players (RB Lache Seastrunk in particular).  Real quick, here are the main points. 

1. Willie Lyles knows and "mentors" many high school football players in Texas (RB Lache Seastrunk was one of these players)
2. Willie Lyles also runs a recruitment service, where he provides footage and stats of players to college football programs for a fee
3. Lache Seastrunk signed to play football at the University of Oregon
4. The University of Oregon paid Willie Lyles $25,000
5. The University of Oregon did not ask for any footage or stats for a year after the payment to Willie Lyles
6. It is unclear if Lyles was paid for his recruitment service or if, in his roll as a mentor, he "steered" players to the University of Oregon for money
7. Steering players to a specific school for pay, at best designates someone as an employee of the university which is highly regulated and requires transparency, and at worst designates them as a booster, and recruitment by boosters is a big no-no in the eyes of the NCAA
8. There are no allegations that any student athlete was paid to go to the University of Oregon
9. Willie Lyles denies that he steered any students to any school
10. Lache Seastrunk "Redshirted" last year, meaning he practiced and was on the team but never played in a game, so he retains his 4 years of college eligibility
11. The University of Oregon is cooperating with the NCAA investigation and has made no further statements on the subject, and the silence is deafening

Ok, those are "the facts" up to now.  NCAA investigations being as they are, this issue is going to be out there for a while and we might not see a resolution for months or years.  So in the mean time, why not have some fun with it...?

YouTube legend and friend of The Polymouth keeerrrttt has put together some clips of various news outlets discussing the situation.  And since all things must and do relate back to The Big Lebowski, he created a hilarious comparison of the two.  It is a little long, but well worth it (keep in mind The Big Lebowski has some rather coarse language, and might not be appropriate for the office or around children).  Take a look...  Willie Lyles vs. The Big Lebowski

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Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is exotic.  Quinoa is not widely known, but it is gaining popularity.  Quinoa looks a little strange.  Quinoa is hard to read phonetically (pronounced Keen-Wah).  But, all that being said, Quinoa is delicious, it is supremely versatile, and this side dish is the perfect way to try it.

First off, what is Quinoa?  It is oft referred to as a high protein grain.  Which is a good description, though it is inaccurate.  While quinoa resembles a grain it is actually a seed (most closely related to beets and spinach, but from a different part of the plant than either of those).  Originally from the Andes it is a staple of South American, particularly Peruvian cuisine.  It is considered a "Super Food" because it can be applied like a grain (this recipe is great warm as a pilaf style side dish, or cold as a salad), but since it is a nut it is really high in protein and essential amino acids.  It reminds me most of a couscous size brown rice, which means you can do all sorts of things with it.

There are basically 3 steps:

1. Cook the quinoa
2. Select and prepare any "Add Ins" you desire
3. Mix the add ins to the quinoa

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Corvette Corn on The Cob

Here is a twist on an old favorite.  I originally came up with it as a dish to represent Bunny Lebowski at my Big Lebowski party.  It was later brought to my attention the Bunny wasn't actually driving a Corvette, but I liked the name so I kept it.  There are a few different options when it comes to cooking: grilling, roasting, or my favorite under the coals of a camp fire.  But here is how I rev up this classic...

1 Ear of corn
2 Tbsp of Butter
1 Tbsp Honey
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1)  Break the ear of corn in two pieces, measure out foil pieces large enough to wrap the corn
2)  Mix butter, honey and spices in microwave safe dish, microwave for 10-20 seconds, stir to combine
3)  Drizzle the melted butter over the corn till covered and wrap in foil
4)  Cook how ever you choose (NOT in the microwave), grilled or roasted (in the oven at 350 degrees) should take around 30 minutes

Open foil and enjoy (careful, its HOT).  Obviously this recipe is fairly scalable, the above procedure will make 2, but you will probably want more than that so plan on at least doubling.  This corn is just racy enough I'm sure Bunny would love it (even after She's seen Karl Hungus)...

(Extra points to whoever can tell me what car Bunny was driving...)

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The Stranger's Sarsaparilla Pulled Pork Sammies

This inspiration for this recipe includes many of my favorite things: Pulled Pork, The Big Lebowski, Slow Cooking, Sam Elliott, Sarsaparilla, Sam Elliott's Mustache, and BBQ sauce.  Basically as I was putting The Big Lebowski Party together, I knew I had to come up with something referring to The Stranger (played by both Sam Elliott and his mustache) ordering a Sarsaparilla.  After poking around the Interwebs I found a couple delicious ideas, and came up with a recipe that took influence from a few different sources (a couple examples both here and here).  Since Sarsaparilla is more difficult to find than it is to spell (which ain't exactly easy), root beer was employed (but find a good root beer).

3 things are going to make this uber-tasty: good ingredients (pork, root beer, spices, and buns),  2 step cooking process (searing, then slow cooking), and time (they call it "slow" cooking for a reason).  So please don't skimp on any of these.  You can use any sort of rub, and BBQ sauce that you like, I'm just going to keep it very basic through these steps since it is a fairly involved process.

1 (2 lb) Pork Loin
1 (12 oz) can of Root Beer
1 (18 oz) Bottle of BBQ Sauce
2 bags of Dinner Rolls (Hawaiian Sweet Roll are great for this)
Salt and Pepper (or your preferred dry rub)

1)  Rub the Pork Loin with Salt and Pepper
2)  Sear the Pork Loin in a hot pan (lubricate with cooking oil, but be careful not to hit the smoke point and burn the oil, peanut or safflower oil have nice high smoke points, and you only need about a Tbsp), give it about 2 minutes on all 4 sides, try and move it to the hottest part of the pan to get the best sear
3)  Place the seared Pork in the slow cooker (if you don't have a slow cooker, get one, they are worth it and open up so many different recipes that you can not duplicate without one)
4)  Pour Root Beer over the Pork in the slow cooker (this is a good point to season with some more S&P if you wish).  Try to get as much of the pork into the root beer as possible
5)  Cover and walk away*.  Go do something.  Don't touch the cover, just leave it be.  The pork can sit in there for 5 hours to over a day (8 hours is just about perfect).  The more time you give it the more the pork will fall apart
6)  Using a couple forks "pull" the Pork apart (if it is fighting you too much, let it cook a while more)
7)  Add a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, stir in with the pork (it will be stringy and soft and as you stir it it will begin to look like the pulled pork you know and love).  You could serve now, but another hour or so will help the flavors blend
8)  Fill Buns with the pork mixture. 1 or 2 forkfuls should fill them just fine.  (if the sauce is still a bit loose let drain for a moment or two before you fill the bun)

They might need a moment to cool, but they are ready to serve (I actually like to add some Caramelized Onions too).  And they actually hold up alright even after they cool if you are serving at a party and they are going to sit out for a few hours (I doubt they will last that long).  I hope these little achievers would do Sioux City proud...

*walk away within reason- while I do from time to time leave my slow cooker unattended, don't leave it within reach of your dog, or plug it in the baby's crib (the point is to be patient and not open the slow cooker every few minutes).  Also, don't use your hairdryer in the shower...

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The Dude's Very Own Caucasian

One of the best running jokes through out The Big Lebowski is The Dude and his special relationship with his favorite drink "The Caucasian".  There is the cream shopping scene in the beginning where he is writing out a check for $0.69 with cream dripping off his mustache because he tasted it to make sure it was fresh.  There is the classic line "Careful man, there's a beverage here!" when at one point the Dude was concerned about spilling his little friend.  And my favorite, when put in a situation where cream was not available The Dude made a Caucasian with non-dairy creamer.

Now, Dude, "Caucasian" is not a name one would apply to their cocktail where I come from.  In fact it isn't, the Caucasian is known worldwide as a White Russian (where The Dude got his nick-name for them we may never know).  And According to Mr. Boston, this is what it is comprised of:

1 oz. Coffee Liqueur
2 oz. Vodka
Milk or Cream

Pour the first 2 over ice, and top off with the milk or cream.   Just one taste and you'll understand why the Dude loved them so...

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The Big Lebowski Party

A while back I was shocked to find that my friend had never seen The Big Lebowski.  It wasn't because I'm some nut who thinks that "Everyone should see The Big Lebowski!", but because the movie is exactly her sense of humor, it is filled with some of her favorite actors, and she loves the Coen brothers.  Plus, I'm the kind of nut who thinks that everyone should see The Big Lebowski. 

It is, in my opinion, the funniest movie of all time.  But the best part about it is that it gets funnier every time you see it.  The humor is so subtle and complex that many of the best jokes are missed upon a first, second, and even third viewing.  (But I digress, this is a party idea not a movie review.) 

Imagine my concern over the next few weeks when I found out that 2 different buddies girlfriends, my cousin's girlfriend, and another buddy's sister had never seen the movie!  "That's it!"  I'd thrown my fist down on the table, "...We're having a viewing party!"  And just like that, we were planning the next free night we all had to get together and watch The Big Lebowski.

The Big Lebowski is not so much a movie, as it is a lifestyle (just ask these people).  I would be remiss to have people over for a viewing and not go all out.  So here's how it went down: people came over (in costume of their favorite Lebowski character if they liked) for Caucasians early in the evening, a full menu of Lebowski themed nosh, and we started the movie around 8pm.  Party achievied!  Check out the menu below and I hope to have it linked to full recipes soon.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think (just like the movie, you might have to try this more than once)...

The Dude's Caucasian
Oat Sodas
Sarsaparilla

Quintana's Nachos
The Stranger's Sarsaparilla Pulled Pork Sammies
Bunny's Garden:
     Corvette Corn on the Cob
     Grilled Asparagus
     Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Lingonberry Quinoa Salad
Maude's Artisan Roasted Chicken
Pigsh'n Blankshitz
Walter's Coffee Cake (Store bought I have to admit)

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