It’s officially football season. That means two things: 1) I need to buy body paint and shave my chest, 2) I’ll be making a lot of Seven Layer Dip.

It seems like a simple thing, but there are seven ways to screw it up. Let’s start at the bottom: black bean puree. I like Central Market organic black beans. Open the can, pour off some of the liquid and sprinkle in some cumin and cayenne pepper. Then, and here is the exciting part, stick an immersion blender right into the can and hit the ‘go’ button. They go from whole beans to puree in five seconds.

On top of that goes a plume of grated cheddar and salsa (I cheated and used local boys Texas-Texas Salsa). I don’t trust pre-made guacamole, so get out a fork: mashed avocado, jalapeno, lime and diced white onion and tomato. Top if off with a dab of sour cream and minced chives. Now, lets get those horns up.

Wait a second, that’s only six ingredients. Sh#t!

I love cooking, photographing and writing about food in Austin. I couldn’t keep doing it without the support of our sponsors. To the group that keeps my burners lit, please welcome Supper Friends at the SWOOP House.

The East Austin gem that is the SWOOP House hosts monthly Supper Friends gatherings. Guests are seated at communal tables and are treated to a multi-course dinner, new friends and cool surroundings. Home grown international caterers, 2 Dine 4 Catering, supply the food and guests bring their own (adult) beverages.

Sign up for updates on when their next dinner is scheduled.

SupperFriends.com : (512) 467-6600 : info (at) 2dine4.com

First, get some Hatch chili peppers. Second, build a wood burning oven. Third, light a match. It’s as easy as that. Charred these babies beyond belief. Pulled them out and dropped them into a sealed container to steam the charred skins off. Now, what to do with them?

Cooking with a wood burning oven is harder than it looks. The practice involves all three heating methods. Conductive from the contact the dough makes with the hearth floor. Convection from the flames heating and rotating the air inside the oven. Radiant heat from the dome and walls.

The thickness and moisture content of the dough combined with the temperature of the oven floor, the amount of flame, the distance of the pizza from the fire, cooking time in the oven all affect how a pizza turns out. And, I am probably forgetting a few variables. Practice, Grasshopper, practice.

One year ago AFJ friends Boots In the Oven dragged us kicking and screaming to a restaurant that I had written off for dead, Jeffrey’s. One hour later it was one of my new favorite places in town. That’s what restaurant week is for me. An affordable way to check out restaurants that I might not venture into. This year, it is running September 19th – 22nd and September 26th – 29th. Prices range from $10 – $15 for lunch and $25 – $35 for dinner (three-course pre-fixe menu). Check out who is participating.

Austin Restaurant Week : Sept. 19 – 22, 26 – 29 : Benefiting Sustainable Food Center

Give a boy some matches, raw protein, a hunger to char and this is what you get: Rosemary Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Quinoa Goosefoot with a Vermouth Cream Sauce.

I love burning stuff. I think it started when I set fire to a large swath of North Texas. The 1980’s were a heady time  and my Parole Officer has advised me against talking about it. Nowadays I stick to igniting things in the comfort of my own backyard. I refer to them as ‘controlled burns.’

You know the feeling. Sometimes meat doesn’t catch fire fast enough. So, what I do is tie dry, oily sticks to it. In this case, Rosemary. It leaves a nice char and a pleasant flavor.

What’s funner than winning free stuff? Answer: Winning free stuff that has to do with Pizza! Let’s call this the ‘Back to Pizza School’ giveaway. Two seats for the September 11th Serious Pizza Class. (Don’t worry, you’ll be home in time for the UT game at 6pm.)

The workshop is chock full of knowledge. Let me break it down like a fraction for ya: Long and Short Fermented Dough Techniques, Saucing and Topping Variations, Dough Handling and Baking, Tasting Comparisons and more.

Entries accepted starting today through noon, Sept. 5th, 2010. I’ll use www.random.org to select the winner. Only one entry per person. As usual, void where prohibited, blah, blah, blah (insert legal mumbo jumbo here). Your email address will remain private. I just need it to find you when you win.

America in the Summertime. Everyone should be eating burgers. Big, meaty burgers. Unless you don’t eat red meat, then a Tuna burger. Unless you’re Vegan, then some dust and twigs while you wipe your mouth with the American flag.

The masterpiece burger I created this weekend I have named ‘American Patriot Freedom Burger.’ It’s core is ground Bison (American buffalo), which were abundant during our forefathers time before they senselessly exterminated them for their skins, leaving the rest of the animal behind to decay. USA! USA! USA!

Who said the Seventies were for not. I’m Rock’n it old school with Iceberg lettuce. It’s almost not a vegetable. I think it’s more closely related to Funyuns. But I am not hearing any of that. Wonder if this would grow around here? I should try planting some in my Lego garden. (Attention Lego: I thought of it first. If you ever make a Lego garden, I get 16.4% of all sales.)

I have three basic rules for cooking a hamburger: don’t over mix, do over season and don’t poke at it. The first and third rules are similar. The more you mess with it, the more chance you have of something going wrong. Kind of like your hair. The second rule means ’salt and pepper are our friends.’ And, like any friend, you should use them till you can’t stand to be around them anymore. (I can’t believe no one has approached me to write a cookbook.)