HOCA Hot Dogs

 

Song:  Mas Que Nada

Group:  Sergio Mendez & Brasil 66

Today...

I made one of my favorite homemade pickles...

HOCA (Habaneros, Onions, Carrots).

As it is simply composed of the top three ingredients...

in a 50/50 solution of white vinegar to the vegetable ingredients...

with added sugar...

it has a tart acidic temper...

with the edge taken off by the sugar.

It is so simple to make in large batches...

and properly stored in the fridge...

the batch will easily last a year.

I have dedicated rubber sealed and locking lid mason jars...

in various sizes...

but for these pickles...

I use the 1 gallon size jar.

Now...

HOCA is not only used on hot dogs.

Because of its slightly tart acidic taste...

these pickles go very well with all types of meat as a side pickle dish.

And...

HOCA pickles are very easy and inexpensive to make...

and last a very long time in the fridge.

It had been a long time since I had made these...

and I had forgotten how much of each ingredient I would need...

so...

I just overcompensated in my purchase.

It turns out that I just needed one bag of carrots...

and two large white onions.

Oh well...

I can use the excess in other meals.

For a one gallon mason jar...

I use half a gallon of white vinegar.

Although the amount of sugar is subjective...

you must plan on using anywhere from 1 - 4 cups...

depending on the amount of sweetness you want.

A good whisk makes this process easy.

After filling the jar halfway with the white vinegar...

Pour in half a cup or so of sugar at a time...

.... and whisk the solution until all of the sugar dissolves...

and then taste.

Keep repeating the process until the desired level of sweetness is achieved.

I use three levels of thickness whenever I make pickles...

Thick

Medium

Thin

The different levels of thickness will determine how long each level will take to fully pickle...

which when making large batches...

is important... as it will allow the thinner sections to be eaten and finished up first...

allowing earlier eating of the pickles than would have otherwise occurred...

and to prevent them from getting overly soft because you couldn't finish them all in time.

I use my dehydrated habaneros to make my pickles

(I had previously dehydrated a large batch of fresh habaneros).

I added one heaping handful of the dehydrated habaneros.

Now...

I normally wouldn't use the pickles for the first few weeks of pickling...

but...

sometimes I have the willpower of a little child.

I just had to have HOCA hot dogs today...

as I had a mad craving for them  :)

And...

although there was only the slightest hint of the pickling juice imbued within each pickle...

I still wanted them on my hot dogs...today  :)

I had a very tasty meal...

and with my craving finally satisfied...

I finished off my meal with some delicious cookies.

I love this brand of cookies.

------------

With a full belly...

and a sated craving...

I am just going to relax in bed now...

watch some movies...

and just let myself drift away into guiltless slumber.

I am feeling a little lazy right now...

and that is okay...

I have earned my time of pure relaxation.

I will soon have to rev up my schedule...

as many things will soon be happening in my life...

and so...

I must enjoy what lazy days I have left  :)

Cantina Verde - A Rooftop Meal At 7,800 ft

 

Song:  In The Mirror

Artist: Yanni

As I had gone grocery shopping at Safeway today...

I tried out another restaurant.

It is located at Green Mountain Falls...

just a couple miles beyond Safeway.

I wanted to try out the other main restaurant there...

Cantina Verde

(I saw it the last time I was there trying out 'The Pantry" restaurant).

It was another nice day...

and in a relatively short amount of time...

I arrived at the lake at Green Mountain Falls.

In the same complex as is The Pantry...

is this restaurant...

Cantina Verde.

They have an inside...

as well as an outside rooftop eating area.

I enjoyed nice mountain views as I awaited my food...

as there was a nice mountain breeze blowing.

Although the elevation is almost 2,000 ft below mine...

it is still high enough to be substantially cooler than is Colorado Springs...

although it is substantially warmer than is my home area.

I had ordered Poblano pepper and cheese stuffed and fried egg rolls...

with a modified ranch dipping sauce...

as an appetizer.

I had also gotten flank steak tacos.

The flank steak was tender and tasted good...

but...

once again...

it was more of a fusion taco.

I understand why restaurants try new things to attract customers...

but...

especially with Mexican food...

as it has been refined and optimized for simple deliciousness over hundreds of years...

you simply cannot beat traditionally prepared Mexican food...

as it is already in a state of perfection.

New doesn't necessarily mean better...

and the fusion greens and sauces inside of the tortillas just don't go together 

well enough with the meat...

no matter how tasty the meat.

However...

I did greatly enjoy the views and the fresh breezes as I ate.

After I ate...

I again wandered around the back of the lake.

As someone was having a small wedding at the gazebo...

I didn't walk beyond this point towards the gazebo.

The wedding was tastefully small and intimate...

and in a very nice setting.

Good for them.

One man at the end of the lake was trying his luck with a small fishing rod.

As I walked back towards my car...

I saw a few deer grazing just off the trail.

I was just about to my mountain road turn off...

when I saw more of the free roaming cows just happily grazing.

I just pulled off the side of the road and got out of my car to take a few photos...

ensuring I kept a respectful distance.

That is when one of the guardian bulls looked at me...

and then began walking across the road.

Good for him...

he was doing his job...

ensuring the safety of his herd...

and the young calves in it.

Although he wasn't threatening...

as the herd is well used to people in our community...

he was putting himself into position to ward off a potential threat...

which at this time...

appeared to be me.

I simply got back in my car and happily drove off...

happy to put some distance between that guardian bull and myself that is  :)

In another area of my community...

was more of the earlier herd.

There were more young calves resting in the grass as the mothers watched over them.

I love the free roaming animals throughout my community.

It is the country feel that I love.

I have seen many a deer besides the free roaming cows...

and up at my home...

I have seen many a very large stag...

multiple deer...

and once...

a wild turkey...

a small fox...

large raptors in the sky...

and I had heard a couple of large packs of coyotes...

and but once...

I had seen a very...very large coy-wolf...

 as it confidently walked up my ridge...

within 20 yards of my home.

And although there have been sightings of very large moose in our community...

as well as some big horn sheep...

I have yet to see any of them.

Bear have also been sighted near our community.

And in Woodland Park...

multiple sightings of very large Mountain Lions and Bears are regularly seen.

This is the country feel I love.

To have free roaming animals all around...

I get to feel part of the forest and the mountains at all times.

----------

At Safeway...

I bought a large supply of carrots and onions...

in preparation to make another batch of pickled HOCA (Habaneros, Onions, and Carrots)...

as well as a large supply of polish sausages...

and hot dogs and various cheeses.

I have had this craving for these items.

Once I make another batch of HOCA...

I will then use them on the hot dogs.

I will once again...

post how to make HOCA...

as it is the ultimate hot dog or sausage roll topping.

I plan to make some tomorrow.

It is simple and so tasty...

and once fully pickled...

the habaneros may also be eaten...

as they are full flavored...

but with the heat tamed.