Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Deep Fried Green Beans

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 Chicken lettuce wraps are sort of Taco Tuesday-ish, aren't they? 

These chicken lettuce wraps have that big pop of fresh ginger, a moderate sting of spicy heat, and a bit of crunchy texture. 

Lettuce Talk About Wraps

So which lettuce works best for lettuce wraps? We have two favorites at our house.

• Iceberg lettuce - Good old, plain iceberg lettuce is the traditional wrap of choice for lettuce wraps at PF Changs. They have a convenient shape and add crispness. Cut the wedges to exclude any big sections of stalk.
• Boston or bibb lettuce - Butter lettuce varieties have an appropriate size and shape for lettuce wraps. They are tender and have more flavor than iceberg lettuce. We like to buy the "living" lettuce when we can for the freshest wraps.

Iceberg is on the left, Boston on the right.

Chili, Chile, and Cheese Tots with Bacon Cheeseburgers

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My oldest son and his significant other came over to hang out at the pool last week, and just as they got here, thunderstorms rolled in. We made some thick half-pound burgers and tots. But not just any tots. Nope, these crispy delights were dressed with chili and chile cheese sauce. 

Talk about a guilty pleasure!  

Tailgate Like a Pitmaster with Peg Leg Porker

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Football returned this past weekend which means tailgating season has started. I turned to Carey Bringle of Peg Leg Porker in Nashville to share 10 Tips for Tailgating and he shares the recipe for his Pork Rind BBQ Nachos - which I have made for this post.

Carey Bringle's Pork Rind BBQ Nachos are a crowd pleaser and a natural for tailgating
because you can make everything ahead of time.

All The Way Burger ala Melvin's

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I enjoy so many burgers in various configurations, but my hands-down favorite burger is the ATW burger from Melvin's in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. I've posted about this one before, but this time I made it on a griddle.

All-the-Way means the burger comes with coleslaw, chili, diced onions, and yellow mustard.

Melvin's Hamburgers & Hotdogs - Elizabethtown NC

When I was a wee lad and would visit my grandparents' farm, one of the highlights of my trip would be the day we went to town to get a sack of burgers from "the pool hall" (Melvin's is located where the pool hall used to be). 

The line would always be out the back door, but it moved quickly, even for a hungry 9-year-old. This is a typical lunchtime.
Credit: TripAdvisor

The line moves so fast because the menu is limited. Photo Credit: ZMenu

I always got my Melvin's ATW or All-The-Way, which is 

• chili 
• creamy coleslaw, 
• diced onions, and 
• yellow mustard. 

I've seen this referred to as "Carolina style." The fast-food chain, Cookout offers this as "Cookout Style."

Smoked Tri-Tip Sandwich with Beer Cheese Horseradish Sauce

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Last weekend, I was shocked to see that my local grocery store had some nice-looking beef tri-tip. They were richly marbled and at a reasonable price, so I didn't hesitate to buy one. 

My game plan was to smoke it, sear it, and then slice it up for some killer roast beef sandwiches the next day. I love it when a plan comes together.

Shaved smoked beef tri-tip, fried onions, and beer cheese horseradish sauce on an onion roll.

I used sharp white Vermont cheddar in the sauce because I needed something bold to compete with the horseradish. I could just drink this sauce.

The recipe is below all the notes and pictures.