The "Bell Beefer" Experiment

so, apparently Taco Bell served something called the "Bell Beefer" back in the 80s and it was delicious and i totally missed out. (hell, not the first time.) to make that up to me (and to satisfy a craving almost 30 yrs in the making) Russ decided to recreate the "Bell Beefer" at home.

The Original (sadly, none of ours lasted long enough for a photo)

it's all very exciting! (tho' truthfully Russ could tell me he was making gravel & rice cuz it is always good.) we went to The Dix and bought the ingredients together; him from memory and myself from imagination. although somewhere in our discussions of the recipe i missed the part about Hot Rotel, Hot Sauce, and Ground Chipolte Peppers. (say it with me children, SPICCCCCCCCCY! -- but you gotta say it "spi - SSAAAAAAYY")

even so, it did turn out delicious. (lol - and there you have the high point of my day. wow, being gay sure is glamorous.) and because i want to share our fabulous with the world, here's the recipe:

• 1 lb of ground beef
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1 cup of chopped green peppers
• 1 can of Rotel (tomatoes & chilis)
• 1/2 block of Velveeta cheese, cubed
• shredded lettuce
• sliced tomatoes
• hamburger buns

brown the ground beef. add the onions and green peppers and saute. season as desired.* Add Rotel and Velveeta and simmer until cheese is melted. Serve loose meat style on hamburger buns topped with lettuce and tomatoes.

* i omitted the hot sauce, etc. because it really was extremely spicy. you could add sliced jalapenos or cumin or taco seasoning. oh, go play people.

note - there was no Velveeta or veggies in the meat mixture of the original i understand. those were my ideas. you could just add shredded cheese i guess. also i spread some Taco Bell sauce on my bun - mostly to keep the damn lettuce from falling out (which it did anyway.)

join us next time as we recreate my favorite Taco Bell discontinued item: the Chili Cheese Burrito!

Celebrating Strawberry Season the RNS Way

thanks to a warm spring (and, well, we live in Florida) fresh strawberries are at the market. i like strawberries but am not a huge fan. still, any fresh fruit is awesome.

so i have been stuck for a way to eat strawberries. then, inspiration struck (thank you Lady Alcohol) and thus my new obsession was born. 

The Strawberry Shake Martini

it's simple. it's delicious. and it's strong. (what more do you want in a cocktail?) i'll give you the recipe if you want to try it at home. if not, you will simply have to journey to the Keshok and join me on the porch.

1. slice up a medium strawberry and muddle it
2. add 2 to 3 oz of Whipped Cream vodka
3. add 1/2 oz to 1 oz of heavy cream
4. combine in a shaker with ice
5. shake it like he might go home with someone else
6. strain into a cocktail glass (just the ice! you want the fruit pulp)

enjoy a little slice of Summer heaven!  i prefer Pinnacle Whipped Vodka and they have some lovely recipes of their own on their site. 

summer's almost here! come see us!

Nacho Night!

at the Keshok House, Friday nights are nacho night. we celebrate with a big plate of Russalicious Beef & Black Bean nachos and Beer Margaritas. Ole!

if you can't come over and enjoy it all with us (tho we truly wish you would) then i guess the next best thing would be to make them for yourselves. 

my plate of Russalicious Nachos

• brown about a pound of ground beef. add one can of rotel, chopped red onion, and cumin. simmer 20 mins.
• warm a can of black beans. add green onions and diced jalapeno to taste.
• layer on a plate tortilla chips (we use Santitas  because they only cost $2/bag and i really enjoy saying "San-ti-tas"), ground beef, black beans, cheese, more green onions, more red onions, and top with sour cream. 
• Russie likes to add spanish rice. (i make enough of a mess without it!)

for the Beer Margaritas, we use Sandra Lee's recipe (if you don't know her -- shame, shame, shame. she is FABULOUS!!!) but without the salt and the spears of garnish. after all, we're just simple country boys.

we usually do dinner and a movie. if you have Netflix i recommend:

Thoroughly Modern Millie with Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing. (it's from the 60's, set in the 40's, has a subplot about white slavery... what more do you want???)

Girls Just Want To Have Fun with Sarah Jessica Parker & Helen Hunt. (two words -- DANCE MOVIE! plus there's baby Shannon Doherty & Jonathan Silverman)

Meatballs with Bill Murray (the ultimate summer camp movie)

or you can find something on ScyFy or Chiller.

Enjoy!! and let me know how you like it.. er, them.. i mean the recipes -- or the movies!