IHop, I Used To Love H.E.R. A Letter To IHOP, I mean Hip Hop.... Steak & Eggs

Steak & Eggs With SmokeHouse Potatoes

"Yes, yes y'all and you don't stop. To the beat y'all and you don't stop. And to the knife Parsimony is   the sure shot! Come On"

"I hit this spot when I was 10 years old , and what I loved the most it had so much soul!
Food for the soul when I was just a shorty. I knew throughout my life it would be there for me! On the regular, after clubs or skipping church this spot seemed secular. Didn't cost a lot pancakes and eggs served fresh for yah!"

"Now it's just a spot for late night gansta' dining. After smoking blunts and getting drunk, line wrapped around the corner so they whining. Stressing how hardcore and real it is, but it was good to go before they catered solely to the kids. I ate there not just to say I did it. But I'm committed, while so many others hit it. That spot's just not the same letting all these foodies do her. It even seems they open some new SPOTS in the sewer. But I'mma get back in it hoping that shit stop. Cause the SPOT,  I'm talking bout is IHOP!"

I remember when I heard Common Sense's "I Used To Love H.E.R." for the first time. I also remember the day that I found out what a difference listening to lyrics really can make in the music that you choose. When I listened to this song in particular I felt like finally there was a measure of decipherable intelligence in hip hop that spoke to me and for me. I know, I know that there were many other intelligent rap songs that came before this one, like "The Message" from the Sugar Hill Gang but these songs spoke the raw truth as seen through that person's eyes. "Broken glass everywhere, people pissing on the stairs you know they just don't care!" no metaphor at all just the raw truth. While the rawness of the Message and other songs like it was great, I grew up in the suburbs of DC, Fort Washington Md. There was no broken glass anywhere unless we hit a baseball through a window. As far as pissing on the stairs, ha, maybe in Fort Washington Park b/c you couldn't make it to the bathroom across the way on the Fourth Of July. But Common's song was just what I needed to validate my love of Hip Hop. I'm not saying that Rap wasn't intelligent until then, of course it was but until this song it was spoken in a language that I just couldn't grasp so there was no way I could endear myself to it until that point. Now on to the IHOP or food portion of this week's entry......

Common - I Used To Love H.E.R. 

When I first went to IHOP I was smitten. But then again why wouldn't I be? Pancakes, whipped cream, flavored syrup, OMG I loved the blueberry syrup. As a matter of fact they used to serve a very mean Liver & Onions with bacon and rice. To say I loved it is and understatement. Somewhere along the way either my taste buds or IHOP had changed and not for the better. When I was in high school and college it was the late night spot not only to coat your stomach from the copious amounts of alcohol consumed at the club a few minutes prior to, but it served as our very own FaceBook, Youtube, Instagram and Ghetto Hot Mess all rolled in to one. You could see couples making out, drug deals, cat fights and pistol whippings on a regular basis from 2-5 a.m. any day of the week there. There was always some sort of Spike-Lee-movie-type conflict that would go in part a little something like this: College Kids come in to eat, local yocals (drug dealers) take exception to the "Mission Mens" being there and having the audacity to breathe their air and hilarity (sometimes violence) ensued. Maybe that's what changed my taste? In the words of Sweet Brown "Who's got time for that, Sweet Jesus? " The funny thing was/is more and more IHOPs pop up in the most questionable places. It's almost as if "chalked outlines"and "yellow tape" are a precursor to an IHOP coming near you! There also seems as if somewhere along the line IHOP went all kid friendly and started re-naming some of their more classic dishes so comically that you were required to wear a Groucho Marx fake nose and glasses combo in order to pick it from a menu as an adult. Really???? Rooty Tooty Fresh & Fruity??? Man just give me some dayum pancakes and put the F#$%ing fruit on the side like I like. The heck with the childish names cause I damn sure ain't donning the fake nose and glasses just to avoid judgement and yes I am going to see "Wreck  -It Ralph"sans kid as I don't have any....... I'm not sure of what your experiences where but these were mine. To be fair it's been a while since I went to one but my homemade breakfast is better than theirs anyway so I'll just share my breakfast recipes with you........

On the menu today: Steak & Eggs With Smoke House Potatoes....

For the Potatoes we will need:

• Red Potatoes (6-12 ea)
• Sweet Onions (1 ea)
• Garlic (1 Tbs)
• Oregano (2 Tbs)
• Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon (4 pieces)
• Salt & Pepper (TT)

Start by dicing the onions, potatoes, bacon and garlic and mincing the herbs. Place the bacon in a heated saute allowing to slightly crisp-en and then adding the onions and finally the potatoes. Once the potatoes start to brown add the herbs and garlic and seasonings before placing in an oven preheated to 400 for 10-20 minutes or until tender. Stir the potatoes a few times throughout the cooking process.  

For the Steak we will need:

• Skirt or Sirloin (1/2 PP)
• Olive Oil (1 Tbs)
• Salt & Pepper (1 tsp)

Season the steak with oil salt and pepper and sear on each side before placing in an oven preheated to 425 for no longer than 10 minutes depending on the temperature you want your meat cook to.

For the Eggs we will need:

• Eggs (2 PP) 
• Olive Oil (1 tsp)
• Salt & Pepper (TT)
• Thyme (1 Tbs)

Heat a saute pan with oil and break the eggs in the pan, add herbs then season and scramble. Should be cooked in less than 2 minutes..... 

Silver Linings Meal Plan.. Potatoes Lyonnaise, Drunken Mussels Linguine & Spicy Bayou Chicken Linguine .

Creamy Drunken Mussels Linguine, Shallots & Spinach 

Spicy Bayou Linguine With Cipolline Onions, & Asparagus 

Is there a silver lining for everything? I mean, is there really a way to see the positive in every circumstance, tragedy, and challenge that comes your way? The easy answer is Yes but is that what We really think? I doubt it greatly! In my lifetime I have had more than my share of pitfalls but here I am. While I owe my resilience to a great many things and people, for this article I will only hit on a certain group of philosophies that have helped me not only through the tough times but have given great perspective on my place in the world in all times.

I have never in my lifetime felt sorry for a single soul! Sounds like I'm cruel but pay close attention to the explanation and you will see my point. There's a huge difference between feeling sorry for and having empathy for a person. If I am able to place myself in someone else's shoes I can truly have empathy for things that they are going through and maybe even the things that have brought them to that exact station in life at that time. Feeling sorry for someone to me means something entirely different. It carries the weight or idea that I am in a better station in life and therefore can look down on and have pity for them. I ascertain that feeling sorry for pushes my heart further away from ever really identifying anyone else's situation or hardship and therefore places me in more of a judgmental position than that of understanding or helpfulness.

Good & Evil are each a part of a condition, the human condition. As humans we are capable of incredible feats, look at the Golden Gate Bridge, watch Pay It Forward, listen to Mozart. There's no limit to the good that we have shared with the world. At the same time think of the tragedies that have happened as a result of a particular person or ideal. The one thing that each situation has at the core is the human aspect. I have always maintained that as humans we are just as capable of doing evil as we are good. I am always amazed when I hear people de-humanize an act as if some monster was just let loose in the hills and here we are (the civilized human/non-monsters) left to wonder how or why. In my heart and on the surface I believe that if we understand one truth it would be that there are no monsters just us humans that are capable of doing monstrous things. As humans there seems to be a need to separate ourselves from the savages in an effort to make us feel different from them. The real question is who in the hell am I to deem someone else as savage and myself as other than or noble.

Winning is not about the score on the scoreboard but actually about your own personal perspective. When I was young I was undersized for my age, a real pip-squeak of sorts. As a result I had more than a lion's share of being picked on for a while. One day this kid that was much bigger than me smacked me on the back of my neck really hard. Before I could even process what had happened I hit him in his stomach and knocked him out cold. Sure my neck hurt, I thought to myself, but did he really deserve death (I really thought I had killed him)? While the teacher came over to see if the boy was ok, the teacher's aid came over to console me because she had seen the whole thing and knew that I felt really bad about the situation. What I found out was that my conscience would not allow me to settle with over reactions. Even if retribution was warranted was it worth it. When I know that I have done the wrong thing or something against my moral code it eats me up inside. I actually win situations by being true to myself, sometimes that means speaking up, other times it means walking away. It can even mean confrontation but in a productive way.

I won't spoil the movie by telling you much about it but if you've seen it then you should know that I have touched on plenty from it already. The only thing that I will add is that a 5 out of 10 is an excellent score when placed in a perspective that makes it so. The tie in is this;  I don't expect you to master a recipe on the blog in one take but feel good about the fact you are trying something new and tapping into your creative spot and know that you will get better once your perspective changes.........


On the menu today : Potatoes Lyonnaise, Creamy Drunken Mussels Linguine w/ Roasted Shallots & Spinach, Mushrooms  & Spicy Bayou Chicken Linguine..

• Yukon Gold Potatoes (10 each)
• Yellow Onions (2 each)
• Garlic (1 Tbs)
• Olive Oil (1 Tbs)
• Butter (1 tsp)
• Salt & Pepper (T T)

Start off by slicing the potatoes thin. Julienne the onions and mince the garlic. Preheat an oven to 425 and place the oil and butter in a saute pan before adding the potatoes in a singled and circular fashion being sure that they are overlapping. Season liberally and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until done. Once done simply place a large plate down over the pan and flip as shown below. 

Drunken Mussels Linguine 

For the Drunken Mussels we will need the following:

• Steamed and Shelled Mussels (1-2 lbs)
• Tomatoes (2 ea)
• Shallots (3 ea)
• Garlic (2 Tbs)
• Spinach (13 oz)
• Heavy Cream (1 cup)
• White Wine (1/2 cup)
• Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
• Salt & Pepper (TT) 
• Parsley (1 tsp)
• Linguine (12 Oz)
• Parmigiano Reggiano (garnish)

You can purchase steamed mussels in most grocery stores so it shouldn't be a problem. Start by adding the wine to a pot and cooking down to half. Next add the cream and again reduce to half. Now start julienning the shallots and garlic and then cook the pasta, once done set aside. In a heated saute pan, cook the shallots until brown and then add the spinach. Add the garlic last and cook until the spinach is wilted. Add the mussels and combine with the cooked linguine then set aside. Finally dice and seed the tomatoes and combine all of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper as needed and garnish with the Parmigiano Cheese.  

For the Spicy Bayou Chicken Linguine we need the following:

• Chicken Breast (1-2 ea)
• Linguine (12 oz)
• Heavy Cream (1.5 Cup)
• Tarragon (3 Tbs) 
• Garlic (1 Tbs)
• Asparagus (12 each)
• Tomatoes (4 each)
• Oyster Mushrooms (8 oz)
• Salt & Pepper (TT)
• Cipolline Onions (8 each)
• Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
• Chili Flakes (TT)

Start off by roasting the onions in an oven preheated to 400 for 20 minutes. I found that leaving the onions un-peeled made for a better taste and softer mouthfeel. Next  grill the chicken breast and cook until done. Allow the chicken to cool, then slice and refrigerate for later use. Next cook the linguine add the chicken and lightly oil and refrigerate for later use. Cut the asparagus and mushrooms and then saute until browned adding the garlic last and cooking until caramelized before finally adding the diced tomatoes. Add the cream and reduce to half then add the chili flakes. Combine with the chicken, pasta and other ingredients and serve adding salt and pepper as needed. 

Spicy Bayou Chicken Linguine W/ Cipolline Onions