Poor Richard's BBQ

2008-03-11T23:50:00.003-04:00

Last week I cooked up a batch of Tandoori Chicken for some folks at work. You can find a multitude of recipes at Epicurious.com and Food Network. I use thighs because they're cheap, flavorful and hard to over cook. I would highly suggest cooking this on the grill, first sear it for the grill marks then cook on indirect heat 30-45 min. or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. I seared mine on a stove top cast iron grill/ griddle then finished in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 min. The Turmeric went through the vent system and stained the exhaust grill of the microwave vent. I also prepared saffron rice with peas and a Gujarati style green bean. The chicken has a very savory spicy flavor with out being hot. Both the grand children, ages 2 1/2 and 1, loved the chicken. I want to congratulate my grandson Jace on turning 1 last week. We had a number of cousins and other family members over for BBQ, chicken wings, hot dogs, tater salad, coleslaw and beans. I believe everyone had a good time. My wife has been looking for outfits for all the grandchildren because Easter is coming early this year. The roof on the house will start being replaced tomorrow and should be done by Fri. After that depending on the weather the vinyl siding and gutters should be done by mid -March depending on start date. We are still trying to pick a color for the master bedroom that my wife and I can agree on. I'm supposed to receive my 6 burner 36" Peerless Premier gas range Sunday from Best Buy. I will be giving you a review on it in a few weeks as I use it. I've also got to mount my new 36" Kenmore Pro range hood Sat. I will let you know how that goes in the days to come. Well we'll talk at you later.

Cuban Style Roasted Pork Shoulder / Picnic

2008-02-12T09:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to my blog. I apologize that I haven't posted in a while. I have been fighting migraines for the last 3-4 years and have been trying new courses of treatment since Sept. I've been seeing Dr. Chad Jenkins of Planet Chiropractic, 1409 Kempsville Rd. Chesapeake, VA. (Phone 757.410.2793 or email: planetchiropractic@yahoo.com) and a licensed massage therapist named Kelly Foster (fostermassage@yahoo.com) and my meds have been changed to include an anti -depressant for stress called lexapro. Knock on wood I haven't felt this good for this long in quite some time. I have had good results with other medication for a week or two only to have my symptoms return so I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop. Dr. Chad and Kelly are fixing old shoulder and neck injuries from 11 years ago, that I acquired in a fall when I was an iron worker. These injuries have steadily gotten worse over the years which I'm sure in no small way contribute to my headaches. Last week Food Lion had fresh picnics on sale. For those of you who don't live in the south it is the equivalent of a shank portion of ham but from the front leg. The top cut is a Boston Butt. Well I made a version of Cuban-Style Oven-Roasted Pork from Cooks Illustrated.com. If you Google Cuban style grill-roasted pork you can find a link to epicurious.com that has the same recipe. You start out with brine and marinade your picnic for 24 hours. if the weather is not cooperating you can roast the picnic in the oven at 325 degrees skin side down on a rack placed in a roasting pan for 3 hours , flip over for 3 more hours, remove and let rest for at least 1 hour before carving. I highly recommend the Mojo sauce. I served the pork with a roasted corn salsa and a three bean salad with oranges, cumin and cilantro. The sides worked perfectly, can be served room temperature or cold and work great all year around. Since fresh corn is scarce as hens teeth I just pan roasted a good quality frozen corn in a little olive oil with salt and pepper. This brought out a very deep corn taste that hit the spot. I used Serrano peppers without ribs or seeds for a little heat and good background flavor. The recipe calls for red sweet peppers but bell pepper will work just as well. On the three bean salad it is hard to find frozen wax beans but I did find a green bean, yellow wax bean and carrot mix from Pictsweet.. I just removed the carrots and added the kidney beans and followed the recipe. On Sunday I sliced the leftovers real thin and made Cuban sandwiches on the griddle. Excellent use of leftovers just need a baguette or other crusty bread, dill pickles, mayo and Swiss. What's leftover I'm going to chunk cut and add to my version of Emeril's New-Style Caldo Verde since winter is supposed to be back tomorrow. On a personal note I would like to welcome the latest member and grandchild to the family Elijah Thomas Akers. A fine looking young lad that favors my side of the family.

28 Sept 07

2007-10-01T09:26:00.001-04:00

28 Sept 07, Well summer has passed and fall is upon us. This, I believe, is my favorite time of year. Don't get me wrong I love spring and all the promise of new life, flowers and vegetable gardens, ECT... However, by this time every year I'm tired of cutting grass, cleaning the pool, weeding the flower beds, blah, blah, blah... I'm also not a big fan of HOT.. I don't mind warm but I hate HOT. The evenings are cooler, the bugs aren't as active and Saturdays are a good day to sit outside with a glass of wine and enjoy the day if you have all your chores done...I’ve got a tip for you that I believe came from this last issue of COOKS' ILLUSTRATED. If you are going to put a tomato based food into one of the disposable plastic containers, put a little vegetable or olive oil on a paper towel and coat the inside. When you go to wash the container all the red residue comes out slick as a whistle. Today I grilled up a batch of Peruvian Grilled chicken from this months Gourmet at Epicurious.com, http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/239923. The recipe says to marinade for 24 hrs, I had mine in for over 48 and it was fantastic. I did “Cuban” black beans and brown rice from All Recipes.com, leaving out the ham and substituting the canned jalapeno for a half a chipotle pepper (a smoked Jalapeno). I believe the two worked well together. Next time I’ll probably oven roast some frozen corn for a side dish.

St. Therese's Food and Fun Fest

2007-09-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

18 September 07, well this weekend was a great success. First I would like to thank my wife Peggy and niece Tessa for representing me at the St. Therese’s Food and Fun Fest on the evening of the 14th while I was at work. I was at the fest on Sat. from 1 pm until 7 pm. We had a very good response to our product and met a lot of nice folks.Tessa won a cake at the cake walk. We had a table between Paramount Builders and Planet Chiropractic. While I was there I had a screening done by Dr. Chad Jenkins who owns and runs Planet Chiropractic. I will be seeing the Dr. to see if he can help with my migraines and shoulder pain that I feel is a result of a fall from 11 years ago when I broke my hip. You can reach them at 757.410.2793 or email planetchiropractic@yahoo.com. I will keep you posted on how they perform. I’ve seen other chiropractors and I’m currently and have been under the care of a neurologist for about 2 ½ yrs now with out much improvement. The weather has turned cool and is feeling like fall earlier than normal. I’ve noticed the spiders have started taking up residents in the garage and trying to get in the house. I wonder if this is a sign for a colder than normal winter? I’m glad the fest didn’t get rained out but I was sure hoping for rain from a tropical depression that brushed NC. It’s dry and has been for a while. Well not much more going on. Waiting to hear from the folks at Driver Days, Oct 27-28, to see if we get a slot to participate. Don’t forget the Peanut Fest is coming soon out at the Suffolk Executive Airport, 1200 Gene Bolton Drive, Suffolk, VA Oct 11-14.

Congratulations David and Ashley

2007-09-17T21:45:00.000-04:00

4 September, Labor Day has come and gone and I hope everyone is safe. I would like to start by thanking Denny my son-in-law and Tessa my niece for filling in for me. Even though we catered the event, I was not able to be present at my nephew David’s wedding rehearsal dinner and I was told they did a very professional job. David and Ashley were married at Ft. Monroe Saturday 1 September 07. The wedding was held on the beach as a last minute change. The ceremony was to be held at the gazebo but had to be moved due to construction. The day was sunny with a nice breeze coming off the bay, next to a dune of sea oats, very picturesque. The rehearsal dinner was pulled pork BBQ, apple wood smoked chicken, baked beans, potato salad, cucumber salad, blue cheese coleslaw and home made lemon-pineapple sorbet. The wedding dinner was nice serving hors d’ouvers, then dinner with a green salad with croutons and dressing, garlic mashed potatoes, corn, a vegetable medley, rare roast beef , pork medallions, fish and rolls. Of course there was cake and coffee. It was a grand affair and best wishes to the bride and groom. Their honeymoon was postponed by the hurricane in the Gulf.

2007-08-22T12:25:00.000-04:00

22 August 07, I know it has been a while since we last talked but it is summer. Cutting grass, cleaning the pool ECT… seem to take up quite a bit of time. On the 12th the in-laws came over and I had made a very good chicken etouffee. Made enough of it I had to give some away and froze part. The recipe was from Emeril Lagasse that I got off Food TV. It is one of the few recipes that I won’t make any changes to. Has a very good balance of flavors. Put the hot sauce on the table. This last Sunday my sister and her friend JimmyWayne (I spell it like that because that is how it is said) came over for fried catfish. I used a recipe from Paula Dean where you salt and pepper the Catfish then sprinkle a heavy dose of Old Bay all over. Lightly bread in flour and corn meal and fry. Did potato salad and slaw on the side. It wasn’t bad. Poor Richards will be serving samples to patrons of All Things Educational August 28th from 11 am-1 pm located in the Churchland Shopping Center next to Food Lion. If you’re a teacher or Mom who home schools come by and get last minute supplies for school and try some great BBQ. We will also be present at St. Therese’s’ Food and Fun Fest Sept 14 &15th. If you like food and crafts come on out and show your support. Poor Richards will be catering the wedding rehearsal dinner outside at Ft. Monroe on the 31st of this month. I suggested an Italian theme with fruit and cheese, prosciutto wrapped pork loin, ECT... Since they are doing an upscale wedding dinner a more down home approach was asked for. We will be doing BBQ pork and apple wood smoked chicken, three bean salad, cucumber and onion salad, raspberry iced tea and homemade lemon sorbet for dessert. If the weather cools down we may add more sides but on a hot muggy Virginia August day light and cool is the order of the day. Labor Day will soon be upon us enjoy the holiday, reflect on those who can’t be with us for one reason or the other. School (YEAH) will be starting here on Sept 4th, earlier in the more rural areas keep an eye out for kids at the bus stops and give school buses a wide berth. Next week is a full schedule. I have to drag my niece to a number of appointments we squeezed in before school including the orthodontist to start braces. Something she has been looking forward to for a while and which she will probably regret once they’re on. A farewell pot luck for my supervisor Lynda at work, bbq orders for friends at my real job and finishing up on Dave’s rehearsal dinner preparations. Well we’ll talk at ya’ll later.

Wednesday 18 July 2007

2007-07-18T01:19:00.000-04:00

Hello and my apologies on not posting last week. Between trying to suck up as much overtime as was available and scouting real estate and again discussing staying put versus remodeling I was stretched kinda thin. I got some Cooking Light magazines from my Father-in-law. I normally try to avoid anything with the word light in it but I figured I'd take a look. I've seen a number or recipes I'd like to try. There are a number of physical fitness tips ECT… for the very health conscious, lifestyle tips as well as recipes. There are short articles on various issues like how a chef gets their picky 14 year old teen to eat. Here is an example of a Cajun Blackening Dry Rub that is supposed to work with seafood, chicken breasts, turkey or beef. I think a few teaspoons in some hamburger would work well. Cajun Blackening Dry Rub: from May 07 Cooking Light,2 1/2 Tbs paprika ( I'll try smoked Paprika just to see how it works)1 Tbs kosher salt1 1/2 tsp ground cumin1 1/2 tsp dried thyme1 tsp freshly ground black pepper1/2 tsp garlic powder1/2 tsp ground red pepperCombine all ingredients. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. Yield about 1/3 cup (serving size: 1 tsp).Well my beefsteak tomato got a case of the thrips. My buddy Mike came by and we were discussing them but I thought I had leaf curl but the brown leaf blotch showed up over the weekend. The plant was pulled up and discarded. I was sad as it looked like it was going to produce some fine beefsteaks for BLT's. The romas still look good and with any luck I'll get a couple gallons of sauce out of them. The June bugs are chewing up the roses so every day I go out and pull them off and step on them. I know there’re traps but this is more fun. I've tried unsuccessfully to start some St. Augustine grass from some clipping I got from my Mom's yard. Both times they have died... I will try again when it cools down a little or when it rains on a regular basis. And talking about rain we had a series of thunderstorms roll through the area bringing a lot of needed rain. It would have been better to get the rain slowly all day but I’ll take what we can get. Hope everybody's garden is producing the county fair winners we all want and we'll talk at you latter.

Boulliabaisse

2007-06-28T01:06:00.000-04:00

27 June, As the weather heats up you may be asking yourself WHY is he thinking about HOT SOUP instead of a Vichyssoise or a Gazpacho. Well my friends the answer is easy. The heat is supposed to break after Friday night and the highs should be in the 70's. Harris Teeter and Farm Fresh are having a seafood sale. Shrimp, clams, mussels and scallops are available at a reasonable price. I feel I can substitute Mahi-Mahi for Haddock. I realize that the fillets won't hold together or have the same mouth feel but Mahi-Mahi has not been over fished. Tuna is also available in fresh Yellowtail or frozen sashimi grade steaks. Since I can't find any suggestions for substitute of red snapper I may try the tuna or just breakdown and buy the snapper. I'll let you know how it turned out if I make it.

The Pennel family reunion went off nicely. There were about forty adults and 15 children of various ages. We had Poor Richard's pulled pork bbq, Smoked Chicken, baked beans, tater salad, slaw , ice box salad (if your from the south you know what it is, mini-marshmallows, pecans, pineapple, fruit cocktail, cream cheese ect... ),Chocolate dream pies, lemon chess pie, a blueberry and lemon pound cake trifle. Boston cream pie, an orange chocolate brownie torte from a recipe I saved from Ladies Home Journal. We were going to have a version of s'mores made with brownies but the marshmallows got a wee bit over cooked (burned). The social hall at the Oak Grove Baptist Church was opened before the feed bag was put on in an effort to get people to talk to each other rather than eat and leave. From what I saw it worked. It seems that more people were there longer than usual and enjoyed the conversations. I was asked to make some desserts next year with Splenda instead of sugar, so I'll try a fresh fruit tray and see how lemon meringue pie tastes.

VENISON TENDERLOIN

2007-06-21T02:04:00.000-04:00

20 JUNE, TODAY I COOKED PART OF VENISON TENDERLOIN. I REMOVED THE SILVER SKIN AND SOME SINEWY MATERIAL, PATTED THE MEAT DRY WITH PAPER TOWELS AND GAVE THE MEAT A GOOD COAT OF SALT AND PEPPER. I HAD ALREADY TAKEN ABOUT HALF A CONTAINER OF POM POMEGRANITE JUICE AND BROUGHT IT TO A SLOW SIMMER TO USE AS A GLAZE / THICK REDUCTION SAUCE. AFTER HEATING A PAN OVER HIGH HEAT WITH OLIVE OIL AND SEARED THE MEAT ALL AROUND UNTIL WELL CARMELIZED AND PLACED IN THE OVEN AT 350 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 20 MIN. SINCE THIS WAS WILD GAME AND I DIDN'T BUTCHER IT MYSELF I WANTED TO COOK THE MEAT THROUGH. I PLACED THE MEAT ON A CUTTING BOARD TO REST FOR 10 MIN. I THEN POURED OVER THE REDUCTION THAT SET UP TO THICK SYRUP. I HAD SOME LEFTOVER ROASTED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES MADE WITH SOUR CREAM INSTEAD OF MILK. MAN IT WAS GOOD. I WOULD DEFINITLY DO THIS AGAIN WITH PORK OR BEEF TENDERLOIN OR A SMALL PORK LOIN. IT WOULD BRING A LITTLE TASTE OF SUMMER INDOORS FOR THE WINTER... ABOUT THE CHICKEN RECIPE I MENTIONED LAST TIME FROM MAYS LIVING MAGAZINE. THE FLAVOR WAS NOT BAD AND I WOULD DO THIS INDOORS IN THE DEAD OF WINTER. AFTER MARINADING THE CHICKEN I WOULD PLACE IT ON A GRILL PAN TO CRISP THE SKIN OR PUT IT IN A SCREAMING HOT OVEN 450-500 DEGREES. THEN TURN DOEN HEAT AFTER TEN MIN TO 375 UNTIL CHICKEN IS COOKED THROUGH... I WOULD SERVE WITH PARSLEY POTATOES AND TARRAGON GREEN BEANS...

I'm Back

2007-06-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

June 13th, I hope everyone is doing well. I know I haven’t kept up with the blog and I apologize. Those of you who live in the area know that the Virginian-Pilot has changed their format and it no longer contains the Chef’s tip of the week. So I no longer have a fall back for those busy times. My wife and I have been contemplating whether to move, add on or not incur additional debt. I believe that we have decided to stay put at least for now. I hope everyone had a safe and restful Memorial Day. I also hope that along with good food and drink you raised a glass or at least gave a passing thought to those overseas past and present that help protect our country. I was at the Church of the Resurrections June Fest giving away samples of my BBQ. The intent was to introduce more people to my products and hopefully kick start business. I met a lot of good people there and got a lot of positive feedback. On the 23rd of this month is the Pennell family reunion (my wife’s mothers side of the family). We will once again be providing the food. The menu right now will be Pulled Pork BBQ, Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Richards’ Baked Beans, Iced Tea and various Dessert items. I haven’t selected a chicken dish yet. This weekend I’m going to try a Smoky Grilled Butterflied Chicken featured in this months LIVING. It has a rub using smoke paprika. If it is good I may modify the recipe to use sweet paprika and smoke the chicken to get real wood flavor. I’ll let you know what happens. Cooking Tip: If you are buying fresh peaches for cobbler or other uses you can remove the skin just like a tomato. Cut a shallow X into the bottom of the fruit and place in boiling water for 20 – 60 seconds depending on skins thickness. Remove fruit and place in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. If the skin doesn’t slide off put back in boiling water and repeat the process.

Shrimp Bisque

2007-05-16T11:59:00.001-04:00

May 18th, with the odd spring weather we’re still having I was contemplating soup. Poking around the freezer I found some shrimp shells that I had frozen. I knew I had some potatoes to use up so my mind turned to Shrimp Bisque. Now I’ve tried making it once before but it was a salty thin mess without a lot of body or flavor. I found a recipe in Jacques Pepin’s Fast Food My Way for Lobster Bisque and made my variation that I thought was pretty good. I took a 4-5 quart sauce pan and added 3-4 Tbs. of good olive oil and brought it up to just below the smoking point, I added what would be the shells from 2-3 lbs of shrimp stirring occasionally until the shells became fragrant and started taking on a dark caramelized appearance on some of the shells. I added 1 cup each of chopped Vidalia onion and celery, 4 peeled and crushed cloves of garlic and cooked until vegetables became soft. I then added 2 Tbs. spoons of tomato paste to a cleared out “hot spot” in my pan to cook the paste for a few minutes. I mixed 2 Tbs. of flour to ¾ cup of dry white wine until smooth in a measuring cup and added it to my pot. I then put approximately 1/4 cup of wine in the measuring cup to clean out the residue and added this to the pot. Since I didn’t have any shrimp stock I used about 16 oz. of a chicken vegetable stock I made along with two fresh sprigs of thyme, half a tsp. of Herbs de Provence 1/4 tsp. of cayenne and 1 Tbs. of cognac. I then added about 20 oz of half and half and left the pot on low heat for about 30 minutes to steep. The whole thing was strained through a sieve, pushing on the solids with the back of a spoon to get all the liquid. I let the mixture cool, placed plastic wrap in contact with the surface of the soup and stored it in the fridge. Next day I re-warmed the soup in a pot, added more chicken stock to thin along with 4 cubed potatoes, 4-6 oz of corn, small diced red pepper, with some reserved as garnish, and left on low for 3 hours to gently cook the new veggies so the half and half would not break at a boil. I added the red pepper and chopped chives to the bowls as garnish prior to service. IT WAS GOOD.

Jacques Pepin's Complete Method

2007-05-16T11:12:00.001-04:00

May 17th, I have been reviewing two books that I received for my birthday and upcoming anniversary. The one I will be covering today is Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques. This book is a combined work of two previous books by the author, La Methode and La Technique. If you are just starting out in the kitchen as a serious home cook or culinary student I would suggest picking this volume up. It is packed with numerous pictures displaying step by step methods on breaking down a chicken, fish ECT… While there may be some recipes or methods that you will never employ having the knowledge is nice. The book is also filled with recipes employing the methods so you can cook along. While you can learn most of the methods by watching any of Jacques or Julia cooking shows or Food Network long enough, it is nice to have a handy reference guide if you need refreshing. I highly recommend it.

Tip of the Week

2007-05-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

May 16th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: When using dried rosemary whole leaf is better than ground.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables

2007-05-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

May 10th, if you haven't noticed strawberries came in late due to the odd winter we had here in Virginia. However, they are here now and ready to pick. I would suggest going out and picking your own for canning jam, jelly or whatever during the cool weather we are having. Support your local grower. Cantaloupes are making there appearance in stores now from out of Florida, I'm guessing. A ripe melon should give when a slight amount of pressure is applied at the vine end of the fruit. It should feel heavy for its size and smell like what it is when your nose is put where the vine was attached. Serve a ripe melon sliced into thin wedges and wrapped with prociutto. If you can’t find it or afford it try some thin slices of pepper cured ham. Corn, corn, corn. Buy it and put it in a pot and stand there with a stick of butter and some good salt. Ain’t nuth’in better. It will be a few months before it is locally available but right now it’s six ears for a dollar. Make sure that the ears are heavy for there size, the tassels are pliable and not dried out and that the husks don’t look or feel like straw. Cook it as soon as possible. As the season develops and more is found locally visit your local farm stand. Support your neighbors and keep the green in your local economy. Who knows you may find heirloom tomato varietals from back in the day that reminds you of your childhood or Grandpa’s garden. I figure that is worth a buck.

DON’T FORGET MOTHERS DAY

Tip of the Week

2007-05-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

May 9th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: Protect white flour from moisture and pests by storing it in tightly sealed glass or metal canisters.

Tip of the Week

2007-05-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

May 2nd, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: Fresh sage leaves should be gray-green, slender and slightly fuzzy

Thank You All

2007-04-30T13:50:00.000-04:00

April 30th, I would like to thank everyone who came out to support Poor Richards during the 1ST Annual Smithfield Slammin’ BBQ contest. So Mike and Nancy, Xavier, Jim and Tammy, my sister Leslie and Jimmy Wayne, Alan, Mom and Maddy thanks for the help and support. The weekend was an overall success. Friday the weather kept he crowd down to zero people and we were hoping Saturday would be muchly better. While the sun never really came out the winds did die down to 5-10 mph and the rain disappeared. The crowds did appear and I believe a good time was had by all. Our compliment to Big Daddy’s BBQ(Clearwater ,FLA)for some hints and pointers and the Mango Lime Chicken was boss. Hope to see ya’ll again. We were using this weekend to get our feet wet so to speak. We had to work through some early kinks that prevented us from actually participating in the cook-off, maybe next time. For those of you we met for the first time stay in touch. Keep an eye out on this site for our next venue. THANKS

We now have shirts- and other goodies...

2007-04-26T13:47:00.000-04:00

We now have shirts and other items.

Click and browse, we have lots to choose from.

Tip of the Week

2007-04-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

The Tip of the Week from theVirginian-Pilot is: When making fish stock add shrimp shells to help increase the flavor.

Tip of the Week

2007-04-18T08:37:00.000-04:00

April18th, the Tip of the Week is: If you have troubles with tearing up while chopping onions you can now purchase a set of glasses called RSVP Onion Goggles ($19.95) that according to Consumer Reports work fairly well. I recommend using a less expensive method I saw demonstrated by Mario Batali and which I have tried. Put a wooden spoon between your teeth while chopping those onions.

Smithfield's Slammin BBQ

2007-04-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

Poor Richard's BBQ is going to be at the 1st annual Smithfield's Slammin BBQ cook off and festival.

This event, held at Fleet Rec Park is FREE and open to the public.

It's sure to be Great family fun!

There will be music, food, events and our Great BBQ!

April 27 and 28th.

Bring your family and your appetite.

Here's a link for the scheduled events and driving information.

Tip of the Week

2007-04-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

April 12th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: Carrots cooked whole rather than sliced retain more nutrients.

Tip of the Week

2007-03-28T13:36:00.000-04:00

March 28th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: Use a clean, rough exfoliating glove to scrub potatoes.

Tip of the Week

2007-03-21T12:58:00.000-04:00

March 21st, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: use scissors rather than a knife to snip scallions. I also use them on chives and with spring coming they should bloom soon. The blooms look good as a garnish in a salad or other recipes and are edible.

2007-03-14T14:05:00.001-04:00

Tip of the Week

2007-03-14T14:03:00.000-04:00

March 14th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: When roasting a chicken, add flavor by putting a lemon, whole onion or bunch of herbs in the cavity.

Tip of the Week

2007-03-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

March 7th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: A steak close to room temperature will cook more evenly than a cold one. This is true of any meat. Pull what you’re cooking out of the refrigerator about an hour prior to cooking. If I’m doing something large like a pork shoulder I use the two hour rule. I had a post on 14 Feb about using a fork like a comb to prep parsley, well I tried it and it doesn’t work so well. Seems that the leaves just curl up and you wind up with a few torn pieces. Back to the drawing board.

Tip of theWeek

2007-02-28T12:43:00.000-05:00

February 28th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: Oysters are easier to remove from the shell if soaked in club soda for five minutes.

Congratulations

2007-02-22T15:34:00.000-05:00

A new grandson arrived today at 8 a.m. Grandpa and Grandma want to welcome Jace Ink to the family and the world. Jamie, the mother, is doing fine.

Tip of the Week

2007-02-21T08:34:00.000-05:00

February 21st, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: Scrub lemons well before using as they may have insecticide on their skins.

We had excellent pot luck, at my real job yesterday, to celebrate Fat Tuesday. The menu included Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, fried chicken, Mac and Cheese and Gumbo Ya-Ya. Instead of frying the chicken, I went with the boiled chicken method in Emeril’s recipe. After the chicken cooled and I stripped the carcasses I put the bones back in the original pot of water to get a better quality of stock. While I was doing this recipe I added a few extra chickens and froze the extra cooked chicken for use in enchiladas. I must admit it came out good as there was not a drop left in the crock pot.

Smithfield Slammin' BBQ Cook Off

2007-02-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

WNIS and Sinclair Communications are sponsoring a BBQ cook off, http://sinclairstations.com/slamminbbq/index.shtml, April 27th and 28th. The event is to be held at Fleet Park, 8900 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk Va. If you want to participate as a contestant or vendor use the provided link. Instead of Memphis in May we got Virginia in April. If nothing else put it on your calendar of things to do

FAT TUESDAY

2007-02-15T11:33:00.000-05:00

Remember the victims of Katrina and the recent tornados. Give generously to those organizations still helping in the Gulf region.

February 20th, It’s Fat Tuesday and my thoughts turn to Zydeco music and gumbo, etouffe, and everything Cajun or Low Country. Both cuisines are based on fresh seafood and local ingredients being combined into delicious one pot wonders that came as a result of the blending of French, African and to lesser extent in Low Country cooking Spanish influences. A Frogmore Stew is as good as any Cajun seafood boil. If you interested in Low Country cuisine may I suggest http://www.chefrick.com/. I have tried a number of recipes from this site and all have been excellent. My team at my “real job” is celebrating Fat Tuesday, so I’ll be making Gumbo Ya-Ya from a recipe I found at http://southernfood.about.com/od/gumborecipes/r/bl00109d.htm. If you would like to get more southern recipes this site has a whole section dedicated to it and the fine art of BBQ. If I remember and I rarely do I’ll try to take pictures.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2007-02-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

February 14th, Happy Valentine’s Day.

If you're on a budget and can’t afford diamonds, as portrayed in the commercials, here is an inexpensive gift idea. Don’t laugh until you try it and I have. Chill a bottle of Asti Spumante and serve with some Oreo cookies. This may not be as romantic as strawberries and chocolate, which works as well, but there is a lot less prep time. Give it a shot I guarantee your girlfriend, fiancée, wife will love it.

Now, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: Get rid of fish odor by rubbing your hands and utensils with lemon juice. I also saw a neat trick in this months Cook’s Illustrated Quick Tips section. Take a bunch of clean dry herbs such as cilantro or parsley, gather them by the stems into a bunch and run a fork through the leaves like your combing your hair. It should make prep work a breeze. Remember to place the stems in a freezer bag and place them in the freezer for stock.

Tip of the Week

2007-02-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

February 7th, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: A pinch of ground mace adds new flavor to omelets and tuna salad.

I would like to apologize for not doing more on the posting but life keeps getting in the way. My third grandchild will be here in the next few weeks. I’m working to get my catering business off the ground so I’m trying to get my menu and pricing in some coherent order.

Tip of the Week

2007-01-31T08:31:00.001-05:00

January 31st, the Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot food section is: The freshest ground beef will be bright, rosy red.

Tip of the Week

2007-01-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

24 January, the Chefs Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot is: Chill cheese well before slicing or spreading. Now I can’t understand chilling a soft cheese like a young chevre with the consistency of a cream cheese to spread it but I can understand freezing it so it doesn’t fall apart when slicing so you can do something like breading and frying it for use in a salad. I consulted http://www.wisdairy.com/AllAboutCheese/Entertaining/CuttingAndServing.aspx , while they do suggest chilling most cheeses to help keep clean lines and for easier handling they suggest slicing hard cheeses such as Parmesan at room temperature.

TIp of the Week

2007-01-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

16 January, Chef's Tip of the Week: This weeks tips come from the Kraft Food & Family quarterly. If your not familiar with this you can get one sent free by going to http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf to sign up for the quarterly magazine and online recipes. If your on a budget and looking for well thought out recipes it's worth the effort.

The Tip of the Week : is from Diane Sokolofski of the Kraft kitchens:

RECIPE RESCUE: Overseasoning savvy,

If you're heavy handed with the spice , sugar or salt. I've got a few hints for saving your dishes

Too Salty? Don't reach for a raw potaoto- it's a kitchen myth that it will absorb the extra salt. Instead use a bit of sugar or maple syrup

Too Sweet? Acidic items such as lemon juice or vinegar, tend to cut down on both too salty and too sweet dishes. I've also found that adding a dash of cayenne helps cut down on the sugar

Too Spicy? Add something with a little fat such as butter or something sweet such as peanut butter or honey.

If you living on the east coast I hear winter is on its way so no more weeding the flower garden in 70 degree weather. We need the cold to kill next years sketter population and the like I just hope it doesn't last till June.

Tip of the Week

2007-01-10T11:41:00.000-05:00

10 January, the Chef 's Tip of the Week from The Virginian-Pilot is: everyone stand back now its a doozy,Sniff a pineapple before buying. It should smell sweet.

Tip of the Week

2007-01-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

3 January, I hope everyone got through the New Year without any problems. The Chef's Tip of the Week from the Virginian-Pilot is : Boost fiber by 50 percent by using a whole wheat pizza crust.

Happy New Year

2006-12-31T01:13:00.000-05:00

New Years Eve

2006-12-30T01:09:00.000-05:00

New Years Eve, December 31st.Well we have all gotten through another year, please make sure your here tomorrow as well. If your going to drink take a cab, stay were you're at, have a designated driver. Celebration is good for the soul but don't wake in the morning looking at a DUI and a boat load of fines. Play it safe and have a good one.

Now lets talk about food. Tomorrow we will be fixing the the southern standard of Smithfield ham, collards (for money), black-eyed peas (for luck), corn bread, iced tea and something sweet for dessert. If you're looking for a good website that represents the south, specifically low country cooking, I suggest www.chefrick.com. I have tried the Hoppin John recipe and it was excellent.

Tip of the Week

2006-12-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

December 27th, the Chefs' Tip of the Week from the Virginian Pilot is: Clean plastic cutting boards with a solutionof half water, half bleach

Kwanzaa

2006-12-26T01:07:00.000-05:00

HAPPY KWANZA

December 26th, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language. I think this is a good thing as it goes back to what Christmas was before the over commercialization of the Holday. If you would like to read more go to http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/origins1.shtml.

CHRISTMAS

2006-12-25T01:05:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve

2006-12-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Well it's the day before Christmas. Most of our children now have children. Instead of making everyone get up at the crack of dawn and run to all the grandparents and parents houses on Christmas Day, we have started having a late brunch on Christmas Eve. This years' menu will be juice, milk, coffee, relish tray, homemade "Boursin-Style Cheese" from Paula Dean's cookbook with crackers, ham shank with a Brown Sugar Dijon glaze on the side, Pommes Anna and Asparagus Spaghetti Frittata, homemade yeast rolls.This way everyone can come and go as their schedules allow. The frittata recipe is from Lidia's Family Table, written by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. If your lucky you can catch her show on PBS, http://www.pbs.org/, she also has a number of downloadable recipes at her website http://www.lidiasitaly.com. I'll let you know how the frittata turns out. If I can pry the camera from my wife I may be able to get some pictures.

WINTER SOLSTICE

2006-12-21T01:01:00.000-05:00

December 21st, DRUID FESTIVALS
Basing itself on this deep and mysterious connection between the Source of our individual lives and the source of the life of the planet, Druidry recognises eight particular times during the yearly cycle which are significant and which are marked by special observances.Of the eight times, four are solar and four are lunar - creating thereby a balanced scheme of interlocking masculine and feminine observances. The solar observances are the ones that most people associate with modern-day Druids - particularly the Summer Solstice ceremonies at Stonehenge.At the Solstices, the Sun is revered at the point of its apparent death at midwinter - and of its maximum power at the noon of the year when the days are longest. At the Equinoxes, day and night are balanced. At the Spring Equinox, the power of the sun is on the increase, and we celebrate the time of sowing and of preparation for the gifts of Summer. At the Autumnal Equinox, although day and night are of equal duration, the power of the sun is on the wane, and we give thanks for the gifts of the harvest and prepare for the darkness of Winter. If your interested in things of this nature you can go to http://druidry.org. Even if you don't believe raise a cup in praise of mother Earth and keep an eye on environmental legislation from your goverment. It affects everything not just the food you eat. Taking about food I would recommend a very simple and delicious version of Beef Burgundy by Ina Garten called Beef Bourguignon. It takes about half the time of a standard Beef Bourguignon and is available on www.foodnetwork.com. Good Burgundy can be expensive I have substituted Roja and Louis Jadot Beaujolais. I especially like to drink the Jadot Beaujolais because it very consitent from bottle to bottle and year to year. It doesn't provide quite the depth of a Burgundy but it works.

HAPPY HANUKKAH

2006-12-15T00:52:00.000-05:00

December 15, during Hanukkah, fried foods remind Jewish celebrants of the 2,000-year-old miracle that turned one day's worth of candle oil into the eight days of light. Centuries later, we can recommend latkes, blintzes and jelly doughnuts to keep you full for eight days straight. Plus, find Hanukkah food history and frying tips.You can find these and other tips at http://www.foodnetwork.com and click on the Hanukkah link. Remeber the reason for the Season, God, I AM, Christ, Bhudda, Mohammed all say to love one another. It's not always possible but it is worth trying.

Tip of the Week

2006-12-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

December 13th, Chef's Tip of the Week from The Virginian-Pilot: Pie dough rolls easier when chilled for 20-30 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Day

2006-12-07T02:07:00.000-05:00

December 7th, " A day that will live in infamy". Don't forget America's greatest generation.

Tip of the Week

2006-12-06T15:45:00.000-05:00

December 6th, 2006. the Chef's tip of the week from the Virginian-Pilot: For tender cookies, use slightly softened, unsalted butter.

Best Affordable Knives

2006-11-30T21:56:00.000-05:00

November 30, the results of Cooks Country Equipment Roundup is in and the winner is the FORSCHNER VICTORINOX FIBROX CHEF'S KNIFE at $25.33.Second andf third place goes to Wustof Gourmet Cook's knife, $49.99 and MAC Chef Series Chef's knife, $47.50.. If you would like to read the results of this test you can subscribe to Cook's Country magazine by the same folk's who publish Cook's Illustrated and make America's Test Kitchen for PBS. The Cook's Country appears to be geared more towards family type cuisine to allow people to get the most flavor out of very simple, easy to prepare recipe's. You can get a free copy of the magazine at http://www.cookscountry.com/, or just join there website for access to articles past and present. I belong to the one for Cook's Illustrated and find it a valuable resource.

Tip of the Week

2006-11-29T12:52:00.000-05:00

The Chefs' tip from this weeks Flavor section of the Virginian-Pilots is: For a taste change, coat chicken breasts with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs before roasting.

POST THANKSGIVING

2006-11-27T21:49:00.000-05:00

I love having the whole family over but I'm glad Thanksgiving is wrapped up. My wife Peggy did most of the meal on Thursday and all we had left was a wing. I'm not a big stuffing fan but kudos to my wife. She made a cast iron skillet full and we only had a spoonful of it left as well. I was supposed to fry a turkey on the 22nd for a friend but had to put it off until Friday the 24th, Nor'easter crawling up the coast. I got up and deep fried two turkeys that had been injected with a white wine and butter mixture. It was also liberally sprinkled with Paula Deans' House Seasoning. You can get the recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/. The first turkey was a fresh 12.5 pound Perdue turkey that according to the client who recieved it was about the best turkey he'd eaten. The one for me was a 12 lb. defrosted Butterball . Since I didn't get any of the breast meat I can't comment but the thight was as juicy and flavorful as any bird I've eaten. I fry my turkeys in vegetable oil. The smoke point is not quite as high as peanut oil but I think it has a better flavor.If you ever try it rule of thumb is 3-4 minutes of cook time for every pound at 350 degrees. If you like the skin as I do it should be crispy along the lines of Peking duck. Man it's good eats! This weekend I've got to smoke a few butts for a Christmas party and a my neighbor Mr. Powell gave me a venison rump roast that I going to smoke as well. If I can get a deal on turkeys still I'll smoke a few of them and freeze the drumsticks for use during Mardi Gras for Jambalaya. I'll try to get pictures .

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Remember those far from home. Their sacrifices allow this celebration.

Tip of the Week

2006-11-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

November 22, the tip of the week from the Virginian Pilot is: Lumpy Gravy? Pass it through a medium mesh strainer to remove the lumps.

Pig Cooker

2006-11-20T21:37:00.000-05:00

Well the Holidays are officially upon us and I am now officially behind on everything. Last Tuesday I bought a pig cooker over in Hampton. It towed nicely. We got together this weekend to test the cooker before making modifications. There was very little smoke leakage which was nice to see. I believe we are going to tile the bottom with 1/4" fire tiles to relfect and retain a more even heat. We're going to grind out the welds and move the cooker back on the trailer, add a smoke box, clean out doors that will double as the vent system because they will have the sliding grate style vents. We are contemplating decking the rest of the trailer to make a prep area or weld some propane cook stands on for boiling corn, making brunswick stew ect. I belive that we can make this work as a grill ,smoker and a whole hog cooker.
We cooked / smoked four butts, two chickens and three racks o'ribs. Since we got a late start and it gets dark early these days the butts were finished in the oven for an hour and were great. Ken (my business partner) tried the chicken with the two rubs I like best and was pleasantly suprised by the flavor. The chicken was moist on the inside, crispy on the outside and smoke-a-licious. I think we have found our chicken recipes for the catering menu. We cooked three full racks of pork ribs with a Memphis rub, found on Food Network from Al Rokers Big Bad Book of Barbeque. For my taste it had too much cumin,makes me think of mexican or southwestern cuisine, this flavor mellowed by the next day when I tried leftovers. I'm going to try the recipe again and use more mop sauce to see if it mellows the cumin some. There is also a rub at www.ask.com that I'm going to try..let you know which is better. My posting may be a little erratic since not much going on in winter, overtime at my real job and the holidays. I will post when and what I can. Happy Thanksgiving.

Tip of the Week

2006-11-15T10:08:00.000-05:00

November 15, the tip of the week from the Virginian Pilot is: if your spaghetti sauce is to thick,add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water.

Corn Bread

2006-11-13T10:21:00.000-05:00

13 October, yesterday I made some great barbequed chicken if I must say so myself. The pictures I took weren't as good. The corn bread image doesn't look to bad. I don't care what anyone says for the time and effort you can't beat Jiffy corn bread mix. The secret to good cornbread is to melt 1/4 stick of butter for every box of mix and add it with the milk and eggs and follow manufacturers preperation suggestions. This will produce a light, fine crumb, shortbread type of muffin, johnny cakes or skillet bread. If your cooking in a skillet, melt a coulple tablespoons of butter in skillet. Pour in corn bread mixture and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-22 min, test with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. The crust will be the sweetest golden brown and the wedge will just melt in your mouth. If you've never had good cornbread try it. Goes great with Hurst's 15 bean soup, chili red or white,catfish or any fried fish for that matter.

VETERANS DAY

2006-11-09T18:58:00.000-05:00

VETERANS DAY-November 10, remember they are the guardians of your freedom. If you have a family member who was in WWII spend some time with them. That generation is slipping away very fast. Find out what happens to a world that appeases the world's bullies. Apply the lessons to what is happening today . While I'm not a fan of how the Irag/Afganistan war is being prosecuted I do realize we can't back down. If we don't carry the fight to the enemy the enemy will carry the fight to us. Make no mistake the Islamafascists want nothing less than the destruction of all Western civilization. Support your military!

Barbeque Chicken Recipe flops

2006-11-09T18:31:00.000-05:00

Looks good doesn't it. Well I'm here to tell you that visual presentation helps but it don't make it taste good. I’m trying to develop a recipe that works well on the grill, in the smoker or oven. First I cut the back out of the chickens and saved them in a freezer bag. I'll use them some day in stock. I then laid a chicken in a marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar, unsweetened pineapple juice, and crushed garlic cloves. I let the chicken marinade for 12-13 hours, turning occasionally. The other chicken got a good coating of Caribbean Jerk Seasoning and placed in a zip bag and put back in the refrigerator overnight. I started pre-heating the smoker about 1 pm. The bird went on about 1:30 pm. I cooked them both till about 4:30 then pulled them off to rest. Both chickens were moist and very smoky. The jerked chicken was finished with a hickory honey barbeque sauce purchased from the store. I'll definitely have to make my own next time. The Teriyaki chicken also was overpowered by smoke. The next time I’ll only add the wood for smoke the last hour or forty-five minutes.

Tip of the Week

2006-11-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

November 8th, the tip of the week from the Virginian-Pilot is : Save the hock from your country ham for cooking greens, beans or soup.

VOTE

2006-11-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to vote tomorrow. If you don't you'll get the goverment someone else thinks you deserve!

Potato Leek Soup

2006-11-05T17:44:00.000-05:00

October 4th, Happy Birthday Meghann. I’ve been working overtime as much a possible at my “day job”. The weather has turned seasonably cool so I made soup today. I made a Leek and Cauliflower Soup. It is basically Vichyssoise served hot. The quick version is to take 2 leeks and cut away the green part. Wash the greens and freeze for use in another stock later down the road. Split the white part down the middle. At this point you have a choice. You can place the halves under cold running water to remove the grit if it is heavy fanning the halves like a deck of cards. If not too dirty cut the halves in half moon shapes as thick or thin as you like the put in a bowl of cold water. If using frozen cauliflower put in microwave in covered dish and cook to manufactures suggested time. While the cauliflower is cooking take some bacon drippings or butter and heat up in the bottom of a stock pot. Add the dried sliced leeks and cook until wilted, add three quarts of stock and cauliflower when finished cooking in microwave. If you don’t have stock you'll have to substitute Maggi bullion or Tones chicken soup base with water, I would wait to season after you know what the stock taste like. Add salt and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer for 20-30 minutes. Turn off heat and add 1-2 cups of Great Value cream. Re-season and if you want it chunky use old fashioned masher. If you like it smoother use a Bruan stick blender or blend half of it in a jar blender. Never fill blender up by more than half with hot liquid and hold lid on by placing a thick towel over lid and holding down. Chop a good hand full of parsley and add at service. Add any stems to back to the bag of leek trimmings.

Tip of the Week

2006-11-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

The tip of the week from the Virginian-Pilot is : Reduce grease by microwaving pepperoni before putting it on your pizza.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-30T08:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween

Please have your children go out with a group of friends and not alone. Check the wrappers and discard anything questionable. A little safety goes a long way. ENJOY.

Pig Pickin'

2006-10-29T12:56:00.000-05:00

October 29th, well we finally made it to my sisters for the Pig Pickin’ / Fall Fest last night. We got there latter than intended and by the time I finished talking to William and Wanda, down from Fredericksburg, the pig was done and chopped into Que. The party involved the whole neighborhood and was really refreshing to see a whole community come together for an event such as this. Everyone brought a side and dessert item so there was plenty of good food to eat. Most of the children came dressed in costume, they had a pumpkin carving contest and hay ride latter in the evening. The day was nice and sunny but the wind was whipping off the James River. It got chilly real quick when the sun went down. Ray, the fellow who cooked the hog did a very good job. The skin was cooked to perfection so you could eat the cracklin’ without breaking your teeth. Ray told me he rubbed the carcass down with Adolph’s all natural meat tenderizer and used a mop sauce of apple cider vinegar and red pepper flakes. We got a preview of the meat as there were a few ribs and the spine left on the smoker. I made my Blue Cheese Slaw thinking it would work well with my California Hot Wings, be more substantial than blue cheese dressing and a nice change of pace. I found it to leave a funky aftertaste in my mouth. The rest of the family and friends said it worked well. Maybe it was a reaction to the diet drink I had. Much to my surprise, however, it worked very well with the Carolina Que on a bun. I think I found a keeper. I want to apologize for not getting any pictures, the day was nice and I got caught up in conversation with folks I don’t see often enough and let the day slip away.

Cali Hot Wings Recipe

2006-10-27T16:05:00.000-04:00

October 27, today was eaten up making dishes for the Pig Pickin' tomorrow. I made another Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Butter Sauce. I also made a Blue Cheese Cole Slaw that I've previously critiqued. I'm taking my own advice and seeing if 4 oz. of cheese improves the dish. I made the sauce for my California Hot Wings. It is a mixture of catsup, balsamic vinegar, soy and Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic, celery salt, salt, pepper. It also includes chipotle, ancho and cayenne chili powders. You can make it as smok'in as you want. The balsamic adds a slight background sweetness and acid to balance out the heat. I've modified the recipe to include the smokiness of chipotle (smoked dried ground Jalapeno peppers) chili powder, the deeper bite of the ancho in addition to cayenne pepper. You can bake or deep fry the wings ahead of time. Once they've cooled you can add to the sauce and refrigerate. About an hour and a half prior to service remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Set oven to broil and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. The best I've had was a recipe from Tyler Florence: Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing: 1/2 pound crumbled blue cheese, plus 1/4 pound for garnish 3/4 cup sour cream 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Pinch cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon minced chivesTo prepare the creamy blue cheese dressing: Whisk together 1/2 pound blue cheese with sour cream, lemon, vinegar and cayenne until smooth. Fold in chives, cover, and chill until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Butter Sauce Recipe

2006-10-25T21:47:00.000-04:00

October 26, we are having potluck at my "day job" this evening. I have prepared two pumpkin cheesecakes but unfortunately one of them took a nose dive when someone tried to move them. I found the recipe in the Cooking Pleasures magazine. You receive the magazine 6 times a year with paid membership in the Cooking Club of America, http://www.cookingclub.com/. I have made this before to rave reviews and this time is no different. The cake has just the right amount of spice to compliment the pumpkin flavor. It is moist and creamy as you can tell by the picture. The cake is only 9 inches but because the sauce is so rich you can get 10-12 servings out of it. The Bourbon-Butter Sauce is very rich with a mild caramel flavor. I used Crown Royal, www.crownroyal.com, for a milder flavor. The recipe calls for Kentucky Bourbon, and don't get me wrong if I'm with good friends I'll suck the bottom out of a bottle of Jack, but I thought that Crown's flavor profile was better in this case. There is also a variation using vanilla if you don't use alcohol. The cost is relatively modest so you won't break the bank serving this several times over the Holidays. If you can't stand the thought of pumpkin you may want to try the Honey Ricotta Cheesecake from Giada available at http://www.foodnetwork.com/. I'm supposed to be going to a Pig Pickin' Saturday if the weather holds. I'll review the hot wing recipes I'll be using and let you know if I find anything interesting at the Pickin.

Tip of the Week

2006-10-25T10:31:00.000-04:00

October25, the tip of the week from the Virginian Pilot is pretty lame, so this one is from Cooks Illustrated http://www.cooksillustrated.com/ . With the Holidays coming, if you don’t have a large cutting board with a moat around the edges to capture the juices, place a flat cutting board inside of a rimmed baking sheet.

Balsamic-Glazed Brussels Sprouts Recipe

2006-10-23T23:46:00.000-04:00

October 23rd, the weather has turned seasonably cool. Tonight was the monthly meeting of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. On the menu was Caesar Salad with a Creamy Caesar dressing, Lasagna, Balsamic-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Bread Crumbs and Chocolate Biscotti. I think the best dish was the Balsamic-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Bread Crumbs. I found the recipe at http://www.oprah.com/ . I made a number of changes including adding organic baby peeled carrots which I blanched for 15 minutes. I then blanched the frozen brussel sprouts until one or two floated to the top of the water. At the same time you cut your bacon into lardons,fry until crispy, remove and save the bacon and drippings. I strained and dumped the vegetables into a large bowl. I didn’t bother shocking the vegetables in an ice bath and they kept most of their color. I pre-heated my non-stick skillet with the bacon drippings and threw the veggies into a hot skillet and added seasoning. After 4-5 min I added the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar mixture. I let the mixture cook stirring occasionally until I got a good bit of caramelization. I then re-seasoned, added about 3 tablespoons of dried Italian Breadcrumbs and chives. Stirred through and placed in a chafing dish with the bacon crumbles on top. The balance of sweet to acid was just right and I will definitely add this to my cookbook. I apologize in advance for the quality of the images and would like to thank my wife for showing up after her full time job to help me clean up.

Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

2006-10-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

October 22nd, my partner Ken is on a cruise this week as part of a wedding party. I’ve been cooking Biscotti and Lasagna all day. I will be catering the monthly meeting for the Sons of Confederate Veterans by myself this month. My wife decided to cook stuffed peppers this evening. The recipe came from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, pg 158, http://WWW.AMERICASTESTKITCHEN.COM. I watch the TV show on PBS, http://www.pbs.org/, every Saturday morning and subscribe to the Cooks Illustrated magazine www.cooksillustrated.com. While I won’t give this recipe rave reviews I would try it again. I think the ingredients we used were lacking. We used some left over brown rice that I thought was a bit mushy and watery to begin with and the 90% lean ground beef could have been caramelized a bit more for my taste. It was mild enough that our grand-daughter and eleven year old niece ate some and seemed to enjoy it. If you’re not feeding small children I would substitute the catsup and canned diced tomatoes with a medium or hot chunky salsa. Maybe add crushed tortilla chips on top, when you take it out of the oven, for a little crunch.For added heat top with Pepper Jack cheese or Queso fresco for a true Mexican style finish.

Business Plan

2006-10-20T11:06:00.000-04:00

October 13th, as you can tell I’m not posting everyday. I’m trying to get some painting at my Mom’s done before the weather takes any extreme turn toward cold. I’m working with the help of Greg at Cheap Geek http://www.cheapgeek.biz/ to get my website up, then there’s my “day” job. Once the website is up then I’m back to the business plan. I’ve found quite a bit of info for veterans starting a business at Vetbiz http://www.vetbiz.gov/. From there link to the Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/ that has tutorials on business plans, startup, etc… If you’re thinking of starting a business this is the place to get started. There are a number of tutorials that cover everything from payroll taxes to research. You have access to SCORE, http://www.score.org/ . Once you have a draft of your plan you can get a retired individual to look it over, see if there are any gaps, pose questions you may not of thought about and help you polish your work. I tried the ribs I fixed the other day as leftovers and found the cumin to stand out enough, so I would only add liquid smoke to marinade.

Tip of the Week

2006-10-20T01:56:00.000-04:00

October 10th,the cooking tip of the week from the Virginian-Pilot is: USE A SPRITZER BOTTLE TO ADD ICED WATER WHEN MIXING A PIE CRUST.

HAMPTON RED HOT BBQ CONTEST

2006-10-15T11:26:00.000-04:00

October 15th, I had hoped to get over to Hampton yesterday for the Hampton Red Hot BBQ contest at Mill’s Point Park but alas it was not to be. My wife and I are contemplating moving and spent most of the day looking at modular houses. We got a much latter start than anticipated as we got wrangled into babysitting the grandson, Nate, last night. My wife really enjoys the grandchildren and it takes a while to tear her away. I’m not even sure if the event took place as the contact number stated the events promoter was no longer in business. The event was still listed in the Daily Press. If the event did happen and you have pictures or info from the event please share. I’d be happy to have them posted. Well since today is a day of rest I’ll be getting up with Greg to see what we can do to finish getting the blog up and running. Hope it only takes a few weeks. Today I’ll be making a recipe that I got from Food Network, http://www.foodtv.com/ called Hoosier Fried Chicken, Buttermilk and Roasted Garlic Mashed Tatters, Green Beans and Corn Bread. I tried frying in a "new" cast iron skillet today. I had seasoned the skillet by rubbing it down with Crisco and putting it in a 250 degree oven for 14 hours as advised by Paula Dean. It is not as heavy as my other skillet but has high sides and I was hoping to keep the grease splatter down. I wound up having a hard time keeping the heat regulated and it also tended to scorch the chicken unless it was constantly being moved. I can always give it back to the thrift store. I also made cornbread in a cast iron pan. It came out drier than I like but I believe I caused that particular problem. I was using two boxes of Jiffy corn bread mix. I added ¼ stick melted butter per box to bottom of pan as usual. I cooked according to package directions and almost burnt the bottom. Next time I’ll reduce the cooking time to 30 min and 350 degrees.

Blue Cheese Cole Slaw Recipe

2006-10-12T01:57:00.000-04:00

October 12th, I finally got around to making the Barbeque Ribs recipe from Ina Garten, http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31645,00.html. The recipe was not bad for a winter kind of thing, in the oven or using a grill pan on top of the stove. I would add a little Liquid Smoke to the marinade and a little more cumin. I also did her Blue Cheese Cole Slaw recipe. It went well with this style of rib and sauce. I was pleasantly suprised how well it went with an all beef hotdog with dijon. I would reduce the blue cheese by an ounce or two especially if using a strong blue like Gorgonzola. I believe this would be a good side for Buffalo style hot wings instead of the standard dressing

Barbequed Ribs Recipe

2006-10-08T01:48:00.000-04:00

October 8th, today, I’m putting together the marinade/ bbq sauce for a Barbecued Ribs recipe from Ina Garten. I’m using a good meaty country pork rib. While I don’t consider Ina to be a BBQ expert I might learn something. If you have a bottle of Burgundy, Roja or other robust red wine Ina has a very good recipe for Beef Bourguignon at the http://www.foodnetwork.com/ website that I highly recommend. The Brunswick Stews’ saltiness has mellowed since yesterday. I imagine the extra potatoes did that little trick. As always with a soup or stew the longer it sits the better it gets.

Brunswick Stew Recipe

2006-10-07T01:10:00.000-04:00

October 7th 2006, well a nor’easter is crawling up the coast and bringing much needed rain but it has put a damper on making barbeque. For those of you not familiar with Boston Butts they are a thing of beauty. The cut is the top part of the shoulder off the front legs of a pig or hog. There are different explanations on how it got its name but I won’t get into that. Anyway Ken’s sister came down from the mountains up around Salem Va. this weekend. He was planning on smoking some butts and I was going to have him take pictures but this has been postponed. Well as much pork as we cook there’ll be pictures soon. Since I’m stuck indoors, I'm trying a new recipe called Brunswick Stew III that I got from http://about.com/. I haven’t strictly followed the recipe and never do. I put too much Smithfield ham and the stew is a little saltier than I care for. It’s been on the stove for a while and I just dropped in the red pepper flakes. The pepper flakes added the right touch of heat and flavor. The stew is not thick enough for my taste. I’ll have to find a way to thicken it up. Maybe potato flakes, less stock, more taters. I went and added another stick of butter and a can of cream corn. The sweetness plays nicely against pepper flakes. I did go ahead and add about two cups of potato flakes to tighten up the broth. With the extra stick of butter the stock still has a very velvety feel. We were planning to have the stew with hard rolls but the store was out so we will have to settle for a crusty baguette.

Venison Stew

2006-10-04T00:58:00.000-04:00

October 4th, my daughter Jamie showed up with my year old grand-daughter Hailey. She cooked up a fairly good venison stew. Since deer season starts soon I guess she's trying to clean out the freezer. It was made without a recipe. I took some to work and it was pretty good. You couldn’t get Jamie into a kitchen two years ago but since the baby came she seems to be taking a bigger interest in cooking. She finally realized that for a minimal investment in time, equipment and some experimentation you don’t have to eat micro-waved, insert expletive, meals. My grand-daughter turned a year old in August. She is a very happy and inquisitive child who loves here Pa-pa’s BBQ. I mean this child will try anything and likes most of what she tries… She won’t let me hold her long unless I got something cooking on the stove. If I’m cooking she’ll stay in my arms till we can get whatever on a plate and try it out.

Poached Chicken Recipe

2006-09-25T00:35:00.000-04:00

September 25th, my partner Ken and I do an ongoing catering job for the Sons of the Confederate Veterans (http://www.va-scv.org/site/), Tom Smith Camp in Suffolk Va. We provided a meal of Poached Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, Vegetable medley Rice, Boston Crème Pie and Iced Tea. I tried making a Tarragon Cream sauce that came out a little on the thin side. Better luck next time. I must say that over all the meal was pretty good. I have never been drawn to poached chicken but did a court bouillon with tarragon that was really easy. The stock recipe was Ge Court Bouillon from Alton Browns’ “Good Eats” at http://www.foodnetwork.com/ . If you’re ever going to do a fancy chicken salad for a baby shower, wedding shower or your mutter in law is coming …I would suggest taking the time do to it. On a related note there is a Tarragon Egg Salad recipe from a Gourmet magazine that is listed at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/.

Welcome To Poor Richard's BBQ.

2006-09-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

This is a test-more will come, things will be changed. Just testing..