Cooking with the Stars: Speedy Chicken Posole with Avocado and Lime

By no means do I intend for this to become a regular thing, but I have to share this amazing recipe. It comes from the magazine Sunset: Living in the West. The recipe is a spicy soup with a southwestern flair.

Jacqueline and Cole came over for dinner and brought along a few guests. If I were to rate my recipe, it would definitely get a 4.5 out of 5 (because I’m impossible to please as many will tell you…. Just kidding… sort of… ask Cole).

They brought along some special guests who helped us cook and enjoy the meal. Ryan Reynolds brought over the ingredients.

Lady Gaga helped with the cooking. Here she is mincing the onions and the garlic.

Glee’s Sue wasn’t the best dinner guest. “You call that posole?! I know hunger strikers with better taste!”

Here’s the recipe (again, from Sunset: Living in the West):

Time: 45 minutes. This dish, using canned hominy, takes a fraction of the time needed for regular posole. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Yield: Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients

3 large poblano chiles (1 lb. total)
6 garlic cloves
1 large onion
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) white hominy
1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano*, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons ground red New Mexico chiles*
Garnishes: sliced avocado, lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, and sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler. When hot, broil poblanos on a baking sheet until blackened, turning as needed, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, whirl garlic to mince. Cut onion in chunks and pulse with garlic until chopped; set aside. Drain hominy; set aside.
3. Cut chicken into 1- to 1 1/2-in. chunks and sprinkle with salt and 1 tsp. oregano. Heat oil in a 5- to 6-qt. pan over high heat. Brown half the chicken lightly, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
4. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion mixture and remaining 1 tsp. oregano to pan and sauté until onion is softened, 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave broth until steaming, about 3 minutes. Add ground chiles to pan and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds.
5. Add broth, hominy, and chicken to pan. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer to blend flavors, 10 minutes.
6. Remove stems, skins, and seeds from poblanos and discard; chop poblanos.
7. Stir poblanos into posole and cook 1 minute. Ladle into bowls; top with garnishes.

*Find Mexican oregano at well-stocked grocery stores, along with ground red New Mexico chiles.

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From ‘Man Harems’ to ‘Flame Dames’

Continuing in the “Something Completely Different” vein, I’d like to respond to a few of the comments on my list. Space was limited in the harem, so only the top ten was a very selective group.

(Insert trite condescending “we had so much talent this year but limited space” explanation ala American Idol) .

Here are some of the semi-finalists—rounding out the sweet sixteen if you will:

11. and 12. The Heroes

As El Genio and David Baker pointed out, Milo Ventimiglia and Zachary Quinto from Heroes both barely missed the cut (Milo gets slightly more points for being Jess on Gilmore Girls and Zachary gets a few because my first issue of GQ featured him).

13. and 14. The Classic Leading Men

Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson were also in consideration, but I felt I could only choose one old-time suitor. Tony Curtis in Some Like it Hot proved the title an understatement just by being in it (even in drag). Also, any man good enough for argyle is good enough for me.

And no, Cary Grant didn’t make this cut either.

15. and 16. The Tall, soft-Spoken Ones

Zachary Levi of Chuck and John Krasinski of The Office (and the endearing movie Away We Go) also get some nods for my man harem. Lovable yet suave goofs with great hair.

Speaking of ‘Man Harems’…

they already exist, but in a different capacity.

In this world, there’s a group of people I like to refer to as ‘collectors,’ oftentimes they are referred to as ‘Fag Hags’—those lovable women who, for whatever reason, find themselves surrounded by gay men. I’m going to refrain from using that phrase any more in this piece because it’s not flattering to either party—it demeans women and homosexuals. Fortunately, that will allow me to use the synonyms I learned today reading up on the subject (see related Wikipedia page which includes a list of terms in a dozen languages).

This weekend, I was at a birthday party, ended up dropping my friend Liz’s name and immediately another gay man living a hundred (J.R.) miles away knew exactly who I was talking about. We both texted her pretending to be on a blind date to get her reaction. My favorite exchange was the following:

GMB: How is it you know every gay man in Utah?
Liz: I just know the hot ones.
GMB: So true. How do you find them?
Liz: I don’t. You find me!

I don’t think we ever got around to telling her the truth, but she provided the witty banter and commentary we all appreciate. Liz makes for an exemplary ‘fruit fly’ because she doesn’t really seek out the attention or the drama of gay world. She just happens to be the kind of person who loves and supports (notice I did not use the word ‘accept’) everyone.

‘Homo honeys’ don’t necessarily become ‘homo honeys’ out of love and mutual respect. As I said before, they can be created out of an affinity for drama (which, according the Jenna soundbite from 30 Rock, is ‘like gay man Gatorade, it replenishes their electrolytes’), whether that be in a theatrical sense or the more literal one.

Thomas Rogers wrote a great article on the ‘fruit loop’ phenomenon entitled ‘Ladies: I’m not your gay boyfriend’ for salon.com. Rogers brings up a great point that the gay world is much more diverse than most potential ‘fairy godmothers’ consider. The gay world is a lot more like the real world. Not all gay men have a closet full of clothes from Marc Jacobs newest collection. Not all gay men keep up on the newest Brittney Spears headline. Not all gay men are interested in moving between beds like a game of sexual hopscotch.

Emily and I have a dear relationship in this concern. I might not have the most visible tendencies, but if anything gives me away, it is the way that I dress. For this reason, I am the Will to her Grace, or as we like to see it, Mark and Amanda.

Once in a while, I will receive a text or a picture from her regarding a terrible outfit she saw or we’ll sit down and snarkily people watch in the book store or library. “My, those red shorts and green top make him look like a scrawny Christmas tree.” “Just because it’s rainbow colored doesn’t mean it goes with every color!” Etc.

It might not be the most honorable thing to do, but when it comes down to it, we’re just playing a kid’s game of pretend. We’re not actually judging people; we’re making fun of the stereotypical ‘fag hag’ and flamer we could be and the ignorant people who put us in those boxes.

And Now For Something Completely Different…

After a rather heavy set of posts, I’ve decided to lighten it up a little. I’m just going to indulge a bit. As I deal with a very busy life (family, friends, work, rehearsals, roommates, dating and related personal crises), I am putting the serious on hold for a few days at the very least.

As I write this, I tease my roommate about his crushes on Michael Phelps and Josh Groban. “I have many famous boyfriends.”

Today, I’ll indulge in a little fantasy of my own. In something I will call my:

Man Harem

—(I’ll avoid any polygamy jokes based in Utah history or the Old Testament…)—

Everybody has those guys they really find irresistible for whatever reason. Suppose you were to choose… say… ten guys to have to yourself. I’ll leave to your imagination the process.

Following a discussion with the author of Finding Your Path and In the spirit of People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive Issue , I present to you my own selection.

10. Matthew Morrison

This one was a little obvious. I proudly must say that I fell for Mr. Schu far before many of you when he was playing Fabrizio in Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza. Even though, he’s often compared to a cartoon charater, he has it all: curly hair, pothole-sized dimples, and vocal and dance moves to boot.

9. Tom Welling

Mr. Welling was probably my first, unrealized man crush. In high school, I never missed an episode of Smallville. I thought I was just jealous of how fit he was.

8. Cheyenne Jackson

This new addition to the best show on television (30 Rock) is also a talented singer and actor. The tall, dark, and handsome type with class.

7. Kayky Brito

Another actor, but none of you probably know him. He was in a pair of my favorite novells. Alma Gemeas and Cobras e Largatos. Again, even before the inklings of homosexuality manifested themselves, I couldn’t take my eyes off this guy.

5. Cary Grant

I didn’t say that they had to be alive, now, did I? He’s a leading man that transcends time.

6. Harry “Other Asian” Shum, Jr.

Okay, so I couldn’t help choosing another Gleek for my list. My choice, probably takes a few of you off guard. Let me just say: this kid has moves! By the way, trivia experts, his actual name on the show is Mike Chang.

4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Who knew that the kid from 3rd Rock would turn out normal let alone… um… yeah. Watching 500 Days of Summer ,I just wanted to take him and his hipster vests and tell him everything would be okay.

3. Lee Pace

He has that understated charm and comedic timing that’s just irresistible. All I really need to say, though, is he has a smile to die, un-die, and die again for. I’ll go back to writing my Pushing Daisies fan fiction now….

2. MIKA

I wish I could wear skinny jeans like him. Who knew that falsetto could be so sexy? What makes him even sexier is the mixing and composition that goes into his work. He is a visionary.

1. David Tennant

When I found out that they were reviving my favorite British television show (Doctor Who) 6 years ago, I was a total skeptic. I am now ever so thankful I was proven wrong. He is an actor that stands out as three-dimensional—able to get to show us the darker and lighter side of every character he plays. The dress, face and accent are also a huge draw, too.