skinny girls & mayonnaise

There’s a whole industry based on creating useless gadgets. I may have to get creative and come up with something myself. Get a piece of that business. Seems people actually buy these things.

I was embarrassed to discover some bad gadgets in my own kitchen drawers… must’ve been gifts.

A little brush to brush... uh, something off?

Your guess is as good as mine. An avocado slicer? (in case you don't have a knife)

Various spoons with holes. What purpose does a spoon with a hole serve?

Here’s a few interesting offers received recently in my in box from certain unnamed expensive kitchen stores. These came in a “Sale — Won’t Last Long!” email. You’ll soon see why  a) they’re on sale, and  b) why they won’t last long. The current zeitgeist in useless gadget design seems to involve a variety of bright primary and secondary colors ala the colorful iMacs of yesteryear. (If Apple’s done it, it must be a good idea, right?)

"Egg sorter". Wow, now I've seen it all.

a "pan lid holder". I usually just set my pan lid on the counter. How primitive of me...

In the “Good Gadget” column, I’ve got a couple of my favorite items for the preparation of Mexican food. And Mexican food being one of my favorites to prepare, these bad boys see a lot of use. You too can turn your kitchen into a Tortilla & Margarita factory!

Citrus juicers — quick and handy for juicing limes for margaritas

Tortilla press — nothing like homemade corn tortillas

Since I’ve now got you all excited about Mexican food and you’ve got your juicer, I’ll share my world-famous margarita recipe with you. Serve with queso fundido (recipe also below). And enjoy!

Margaritas
At our casa, we like ’em with salt and crushed ice. Use good quality liquors — no Cuervo or Triple Sec.

10 limes, juiced
water
1/4 cup sugar
good tequila (I use Cazadores reposada)
orange liqueur (Patron citron, Grand Marnier or Cointreau)

Place lime juice in a large glass, add sugar, and stir vigorously until dissolved. Fill remainder of glass with water.

Salt rims of four margarita glasses. Fill with crushed ice. Add 1/3 lime/sugar mixture, 1/3 tequila and 1/3 orange liqueur. Enjoy.

Queso Fundido
You will be amazed something so simple could be so delicious. In addition to the chorizo, you could use other condiments in your cheese. Sliced mushrooms or chopped jalapeños are good.

1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
1 tbsp. chopped Spanish chorizo
4 flour tortillas
oil

Place cheese in a small eartherware dish — a cazuela is perfect if you’ve got one. Sprinkle chunks of chorizo over the top. Place in a hot oven until it’s melty and bubbly. While the cheese is melting, heat a tablespoon or so of oil, any kind (lard would be really good) in a pan. Toss each of the tortillas in the pan briefly until they become soft and pliable. Stack, and when all four have been heated, wrap in a piece of foil to cover and place in the oven.

To serve, put the earthenware dish out on the table, let each guest tear off pieces of tortilla and scoop up the melted cheese.