I opened a new jar of apple butter this week. It's like popping the door to heaven. I grew up putting apple butter on pancakes, waffles, toast, muffins and bagels. Heck, I've even had a few apple butter sandwiches in my lifetime. Yet there are probably millions of people who hate apples and can't stand the mere thought of apple butter. I love the fruit, but must say the sugary, sweet brown glomp that is apple butter is among my favorite toppings. Would it taste good on ice cream?
After the Petite Filet and I got married, she started "trying to change me" into someone "normal" by convincing me that it's weird to put mustard on grilled-cheese sandwiches. I grew up doing it, and enjoyed the tangy addition of the yellow condiment to the crusty goodness that is grilled cheese (that last sentence was a mouthful!). She eats hers nekkid (usually she has clothes on, sadly), and now I do, too, just to stop the ribbing.
Speaking of mustard, I grilled some chicken and hamburgers out on the ol' charcoal grill earlier this week. I ate a burger with some melted, sharp cheddar cheese and dijon mustard on it to make it "fancy." Sure, it was kind of like putting a grocery list on fancy stationery, but it was good.
I like ketchup on hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries and onion rings. We were out with some friends a few years ago and their daughter nearly dipped her chicken in ketchup. Grief! The dad berrated her by saying, "Ketchup doesn't go on chicken!" Why not? I've done the chicken nugget/strip dip a time or two and thought it was great. We all know (or are) people who put ketchup on their eggs, so why is it hard to fathom a chicken – merely a grownup egg – can wear ketchup as well? While we're talking ketchup, someone please explain to me what the hoppin' hallelujah is "catsup?"
Salsa apparently surpassed ketchup as the No. 1 Condiment of the World several years back. That may be true, and having lived in Texas most of my life I love salsa. But about 90 percent of anything you can get out of a jar at a regular supermarket isn't really salsa – it's ketchup with onions and jalapeños chopped up into it. Texas may not have cornered the market on the stuff, but I at least know of what I speak. Real salsa is fresh and more about flavor than heat. And it's unmistakable when you've found it.
Of course, what you put salsa on is your business. Pass the mustard, please.
i like to dip cheetohs in mustard.
mmmm mustard.
I always put mustard on grilled cheese sandwiches. And you've even got the right brand!
I don't use condiments at all. NO mustard, no mayo, no ketchup. When I was little, my babysitter's kids put ketchup on mac & cheese (and fried balogna). How nasty is that?
I really miss my grandma's apple butter. It was the best, but sadly she was unable to make any for the last several years of her life and never passed the recipe on to anyone.
As a former resident of the great state of Texas I have had my share of apple butter (though I have no clue if it is a Texas thing) however not that I am out in Cali, I have started making Honey/Cinnamon butter which I think blows apple butter out of the water or the pantry if you prefer. Enjoyed reading your blog. Cali-J
good reading you again, we've missed you! Oh, and I love apple butter. That might be on the short list of things I miss about living in Missouri..Apple Butter Making Days, where the stir big cast iron kettles of the shit all day long...mmm. Wonder if they have aplle butter in Key West? I'll have to look into it.
Apple Butter is delicious. But, so is pumpkin pecan butter!
We usually just grab a jar of El Fenix's hot sauce at the grocery store. Not especially fancy and certainly not the wonderful fresh variety, but it works in a pinch. Scambled eggs and salsa, Holy Grail of Breakfast, no?
Dont forget to add big, fat, chunky slices of Claussen Kosher dills on your burger! And then top that cheddar with a thick layer of black pepper. Ummm, my mouth is salivating right now!!
I love Apple butter. Not sure about on ice cream, maybe if you could make it thicker somehow and a little more tart.
On another note, I know some people who put ketchup on EVERYTHING, from rice to broccoli to whatever else they can think of. I think that's kind of revolting.
I LOVE fresh salsa on scrambled eggs, yum!
My grandmother apparently makes really good apple butter but I never could stand the stuff. Give me homemade pear preserves instead!
I can do w/o apple butter, but there's a little touristy place about an hour from my home that is famous for their biscuits and apple butter. 'sok.
Fried bologna and cheese on bread with mustard - mmmm - heaven on earth (if one eaten once in a while, that is).
And finally, Salsa. I had a craving yesterday but we were between farmers' markets. Luckily, I found a pretty good store brand fresh salsa. Good stuff.
Your wife never lived in the South and put mayo on grilled cheese did she?
I L-O-V-E apple butter. YUM! Apple butter and nutella. I could survive for years on apple butter, nutella, loaves of bread and cold milk. :)
As for mustard... I put it on everything.
When my nephew was a toddler he dipped everything he ate in ketchup including dinner rolls. He is still a huge ketchup fan.
Mustard makes my skin crawl. So does mayo. And relish. My family thinks it's funny to run a butter knife over my hand or arm after it's been in any of those condiments. It makes me lose it and apparently that's funny. Yeah right! Haha.
I love ketchup too, mostly for burgers though.
And salsa has NO fat, that's a great thing. You can use it on almost anything.
I've never had apple butter, I think that's American. :)
Yum is all I can say... Ok, maybe a bit more...
I'm a condiment fan, mustard, spicy mustard, ketchup, HOT sauce, (the hotter, the better), relish, giardiniera -- keep it comin' love!
Your mustard/grilled cheese combo reminded me of one of my faves while growing up. Mom would make open face grilled cheese sandwiches under the broiler with Mustard, American Cheese, Bacon and Tomato -- she called 'em "Cheese Dreams" -- and they were f'in fantastic. Oh yeah!