Thursday, August 6, 2009

Big Legged Mama's Hot Sauce



INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 fire roasted red peppers
2. 2 tablespoons habenero pepper mash
3. 1/2 cup tomato juice
4. 1 tablespoon garlic powder
5. 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
6. 1 tablespoon cayenne powder
7. ¼ teaspoon salt
8. 1/2 cup white vinegar

Roast the red peppers directly over open flame on stove top or on the BBQ grill



When the skin on the peppers is black, remove from flame and put in a paper bag for
ten to fifteen minutes.





Remove peppers from bag and scrape off the black skin and remove the veins and seeds

Next, put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.




Simmer puree in small sauce pan for about five minutes.

Boy, that was easy. Put your sauce in the bottle sauce. This recipe makes enough for one small bottle of hot sauce.


You can eat it right away but it will get better in a few days. Store in refrigerator.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Harlem Avenue Lounge


Harlem Avenue Lounge sits on historic Route 66, the best-loved highway in the United States. It is at the crossroads of Ogden and Harlem, in Berwyn, just southwest of Chicago.
This is a no nonsense Chicago style tavern. You enter through the back door which is on the east side of the building. They accept cash only. However, there is a bank across Ogden with an ATM. The bar has no kitchen but they do have beef jerky and the bartender will microwave a fresh basket of popcorn or cook up a small frozen, Reggio’s pizza. White Castle is directly next door if sliders and onion rings will help to get you through the night. A well stocked blues juke box keeps the vibe going between sets. You can also play a game of pool, throw some darts, play Golden T or match wits with the poker machine.
A huge rectangular bar dominates the room and there are a few tables and chairs directly in front of the stage. Drink shelves are mounted along both walls for the days when all the seats are taken or if you want to gather around your friends who are seated at the bar. Every seat in the house has a good view of the stage.
The owner, Kenny Zimmerman, seems to always be in motion. He careens around the room from one task to another in the fashion of a pinball, never stopping at one point for longer than a few seconds. He adjusts the sound system, clears empty bottles, restocks the bar and moves around the room talking to his customers. He’s got his eye on everything.
Reports from the national news media would make one think that the blues is a dying genre. The only time we here about the blues is when an old timer passes or Eric Clapton releases a new CD. But the view from Harlem Avenue lounge is vibrant and very alive.
There is a full schedule of live blues every week at the Harlem Avenue Lounge. The lineup includes many of the same bands and musicians that you see at the downtown clubs but in a more relaxed atmosphere and with plenty of free parking. You can park on the street, in the back lot or in the White Fence Farm lot across Harlem Avenue. There is no cover charge on Tuesday or Thursday and on Friday and Saturday it’s only $6. The website calendar is kept up to date, so you can always check and see what’s happening. http://www.harlemavenuelounge.com/
Every Thursday, musicians from all over the Chicago area and around the world line up to jam. HAL hosts an open mic/jam beginning at 8:30. There is no cover on jam night. The house band plays the first hour or so, warming up the crowd. Musicians sign up with Kenny when they arrive, and he calls them up to play based on their instrument and level of experience. Sam Cockrell is the bass player for Harlem Avenue Lounge’s host band. Sam says, “The Harlem Avenue Lounge is a good place to try to break into the Chicago blues scene. A new guy could get his heart broken at Buddy Guy’s waiting for a turn to be called up to play.” Toronzo Cannon (Cannonball Express) plays guitar at the jam on Thursdays, he says, “Unlike the pro jam at B.L.U.E.S., Kenny will give anyone a chance to jam on Thursday night, anybody can get up…good or bad.”

The delicately balanced eco system that is the Chicago blues depends on jams. There is a symbiotic relationship between the musicians and the clubs. The venues needs customers so they can stay open and the musicians need places where they can get exposure for their music. The jam provides exposure for new, up and coming musicians to play in front of a live audience. It’s a way to audition for a job or make contact with a band that needs a helping hand. As a musician, it stretches you and lets you out of your rut. It’s a refresher. It makes all your other performances fresher and more alive. You can experiment and see what moves the audience and at the same time network with the other musicians. Everyone brings their friends, family and hopefully more paying fans for the clubs.
Thanks, Kenny, for keeping the blues alive and affordable.

Harlem Avenue Lounge
3701 S Harlem (at Ogden, next door to White Castle)
Berwyn, Illinois 60402
(708) 484-3610
http://www.harlemavenuelounge.com
HOURS OF OPERATION
Mon noon-1am
Tues 2pm-1am
Thu noon-1am
Fri noon to 2am
Sat noon-3am