ghetto-ass cooking with uncle sean

garlic butter hash browns…

…here is my ghetto-ass recipe and how it came about. feel free to share YOUR ghetto-ass recipes in the comments section.

sue me, sometimes i get in my moods and i decide to spend a day in the house…and i mean IN the house. as in i don’t go outside at all. days like we’ve had off and on, where it’s fifty degrees and raining (i.e. “living la vida portland”) make it easy, from a mental standpoint, to do this.

the problem happens when you don’t plan to do this – ’cause then you don’t have the supplies. take the other day, when i made this choice and had a serving of brisket enchilada verde left in the fridge…a nice, filling, anything-but-healthy lunch…

…unless you follow the way nutrition was taught to MY generation, in which case:

brisket = meat group
cheese = dairy group
tortillas = bread group
tomatillo sauce = veggie group

okay, so maybe i was pushing it on that last one…but still, we WERE taught that three out of the four food groups = a healthy meal, weren’t we. and they wonder why we have an “obesity epidemic”. i’m just saying – by 1979 educational standards enchiladas are nature’s perfect food…as is a cheeseburger, pizza, etc, etc.

moving on…

a texas-based grocery store chain (h.e.b. – for all not from the greatest state EVER) has what they call “combo locos” where if you buy something, you get something (or somethingS) for free. a few weeks ago it was kilbasa brand kolaches which netted you free “hashbrowns in a bag”.

how nutritious does THAT sound? shredded, raw, preservative-filled potatoes in a BAG? yum!

i had to do it…and the other day, after the enchiladas didn’t fill me for a full day, that was all that was left in the fridge…

…dinner time!

here was the problem – the “recipe” on the bag o’ spud shrapnel said to put the potatoes (check) in a skillet (check) with some vegetable oil or shortening (doh!). i knew in a pinch some butter or margarine (or oleo if you’re really old school) could do…but i had none of the above. then i started digging around the kitchen, and in the drawer with all the left over napkins and little ketchup and mustard packets i found a little tub of that garlic butter dipping grease from a pizza place to make your leftover crusts more appetizing…

(is it weird i had to take a break after the last sentence and run to domino’s? no bullshit!)

…dare i use it for cooking grease in place of vegetable oil?

i dare!

so, i made hash browns with a the bag o’ shredded spuds and pizza joint crust dipping garlic butter grease…and they came out GOOD! to the point where when i got to the store, got real cooking oil, and made another bit up the “right” way they paled by comparison! so now i gotta grab some more of the stuff you use to make “real” hash browns, in my opinion…

…any other ghetto-ass cooking tips?