A lot of people ask me what my favorite cookbooks are, and after some time thinking about it, I came to the conclusion it is my notebook computer.  This little piece of technological mastery has helped me more finding and developing recipes than any other reference I have ever come across.

While I still keep my cookbooks handy, for just about all of my needs, all I have to do is open up my notebook, connect to the Internet, and do a quick search via Google on any topic or recipe I need to research.  Once I find information that I am looking for, I can bookmark it for a later date.  In fact, my largest recipe compilation is one of my favorites folders called Recipes.

I use my notebook to put many of my recipes right here on this site.  When I cook a dish for someone and they ask for the recipe, I can just turn the laptop on, and shoot them the link.  I remember the days it involved finding the recipe in a dog eared stack, re-writing it and then trying to explain each step that may not be in the documentation.

Not only are there good recipes online, there are many videos online that will show you tips and tricks.  Visitors to these sites can also add comments furthering your knowledge on the topic.  This just cannot be done in a static – (More…)

Let me preface this by saying that I am using Tivo in the general sense of the term.  Any decent DVR will work providing it works in concert with your cable/satellite providers channel guide.

For those of you in the dark about what Tivo is, here is a quick, non-technical overview.  Basically it is just a very smart VCR.  Instead of using tape, it has a built in hard drive (just like your PC) and records all your programs digitally (DVR = digital video recorder).  You can set it up to record shows for an entire season with just one click on your remote.  You can also browse through a guide that will show you upcoming shows on any channel you want.  While browsing, you can tell it to record this show, or that show.  You can read a short description on each show before you decide.

Some cable companies have their own DVR.  Tivo is a brand name and that company hands down, beats every other DVR because it is so intuitive and easy to use.  If your cable provider supports it, go with Tivo every time.

So how does this help when it comes to cooking?  Well, if you haven’t found out yet, there are many cooking shows out there being broad-casted every day.  There is even a channel dedicated to cooking (The Food Network).  You can get many great ideas by watching these cooks whip up their recipes right in – (More…)

Part of the cooking world is preparation.  A big part of that is going to the supermarket(s) and shopping for items you are going to need not only in day to day living, but even for those new recipes your working with.

Since I primarily work from the home office, I usually get stuck with this duty.  Heck, I do most of the cooking I kind of enjoy it since I know what I need to get the job done.

Almost every other time I go to the grocery store, I end up behind a certain type of woman.  I haven’t seen a man act like this, so just using my experience, I will concentrate on the guilty women! 🙂

What kind of woman am I talking about?  The one in line, in front of you, who has a shopping cart full of stuff. As her little items zoom by on the belt; they arrive to the cashier who “beeps” them along and they begin to pile up at the end of the counter.  Standing there with the look of disgust on her face like she just stepped barefoot into the dogs business, she waits until her last item is processed.  She pays for her groceries and just stands there watching the cashier bag all of her stuff.

Meanwhile, you, and now a growing line of others, are staring at this woman with only one wish.  “God, please don’t send me to Hell if – (More…)

Some people lately have asked me not so much about my current recipes, but what I am working on next.  Usually I try to do new dishes about 2 – 3 times a month.  By new I mean, something I really haven’t made much of before.  I am always tinkering with what I have made, but from time to time you really have to break into something new.

I decided this week I was going to pick up a bunch of large shrimp from my local seafood store and begin working on a barbecued shrimp recipe.  Now if you have ever been to New Orleans and tried barbecued shrimp, the first thing you will notice, is that in fact, it really isn’t barbecued.  It is pan cooked, or broiled normally.  There is no real barbecue sauce involved.  In fact, why they call it barbecued is beyond me.  It does have that tangy deep taste, so my guess is, that is the reason why.

Writing about our honeymoon, I spoke of the shrimp I ate The Alpine. This was by far the best I had ever tasted.  The flavors are still strong in my head, so this week I am going to attempt to make something similar.

I have been researching recipes from that area and have found some common themes but am still contemplating where to start.  I hope to have something to share with everyone by the end of the – (More…)

So we send the kids out with their Aunt overnight and she takes them out to a place I won’t name other than to say the title could also mean, more than one owl.  The next day, one of them has a bad stomach ache, and all that goes with what you would expect if you ate something bad.

He couldn’t keep anything down that day so the next I decided to brew up some medicine.  You see, I have been there before and I know what my stomach needed then, so I decided to make my beef and noodle stew.

Most of your beef stews do not contain any type of pasta.  I have no idea why, because it really makes the dish for me.  I add all types to my recipe.

Yes, the stew was a hit and he ate two bowls of it and it would appear he is going to make it to school tomorrow.  Whether my stew can take credit for this or it was just a twenty four hour bug is uncertain, but here it is anyway:

2 lbs. cubed beef (chuck, etc.), cut into bitesize pieces.
1 small white onion, chopped.
1 small red onion, chopped.
5 stalks of celery, cleaned.
4 cloves of garlic, crushed, minced.
2 cups of chopped baby carrots.
About 8-9 small red baby potatoes, cut small (about 8 pieces each).
1 15 oz. can of sweet corn.
1 15 oz. can of green beans.
1 8 oz can of tomato paste.
1 – (More…)

When I was a child, I was always forced to eat foods I thought I would never enjoy. I took one peek at spinach and thought it looked like someone had just mowed the lawn, and it rained, and somehow this ended up on my plate. Not taking ‘no’ for an answer, I was forced to eat this and good thing that was the case.

Did I enjoy it? Of course not. My mind already told me not to enjoy it and it took many years later for me to remember the actual flavor of spinach. Now I love the taste of it.

This was one of the things my mother did right. It made my mind realize that although you may have a conception of how something might taste, you really have no idea until you try it at least once. What a gift this was! As an adult, I find that I am open to try just about anything as long as I see no scientific reason not to. For example, I would be perfectly fine trying a raw chicken breast if science didn’t tell me that it could make me violently ill.

My wife on the other hand was completely close minded when it came to food. When we first met, it was next to impossible to get her to try anything new. She nearly cried after I told – (More…)

Quite a few years ago, my job at the time had me staying at a hotel in Stroudsburg PA. and being a young single man this usually meant I was seated at their bar come the evening. After a few months, me and many from my company became good friends with the bar and hotel staff.

One of the bartenders, Patty, introduced me to a drink that has ended many a night early for those who have come in contact with it. Red Death is one of those clever drinks that unless you are in the know, you would have no idea there was any alcohol in it until it was too late.

My impression has always been that it tastes like those Flintstone vitamins we used to take when we were kids. A super sweet drink that anyone can enjoy, but if you drink it too quick, or in large quantities, be prepared to forget much of what happened.

I have also seen the drink referred to as a red devil, but there are other drinks with that name. To me, it will always be called Red Death and usually at least once a year I find an occasion to make up a pitcher of this and share it with friends.

Amaretto
Sloe Gin
Vodka
Southern Comfort
Triplesec
Orange Juice

Mix all of the alcohol in equal parts into a shaker filled with ice. Add a splash or two of orange juice and you – (More…)

Many of us remember the days when the warning was to cook all pork well done.  I remember a school teacher telling us that undercooked pork could give us the dreaded trichinosis and even in some cases, kill us.

Perhaps in the days when swine were kept in downright filthy conditions, fed raw and wild meats and the Government had little to no oversight, this may have been true.  However, with advances in farming, regulation, and science, we understand better that cooking pork to shoe leather consistency is no longer required.

The USDA used to recommend pork to be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees.  Of course, this will kill just about any organism, but was far too much for the leaner pork of today.  Recently the USDA dropped it down to 160 degrees to be safe.

However science alone tells us the trichinosis spiralis dies off at a temperature of around 137 degrees.   If you are really worried about it, it is also good to know that freezing pork at a temperature of 5 degrees f (-15 c) for 20 days will kill the worm and larvae or if you need it done quicker, freeze at -4 F (-20 c) for three days.

If you are now comforted in the fact you can eat pork medium rare, now all you have to do is get up the courage to try it.  The idea of pink pork – (More…)

For the home cook, or as some call, the amateur cook, the resources available to you usually come from the professional arena. Most of your cooking shows on T.V. are hosted by graduates of culinary institutions and have studied all over the world. Many have worked in some of the most famous eateries in the world and quite a few own their own restaurants.

It is understandable when I hear from some people that they feel they cannot even compete with these guys. To me, this is a mistake. Cooking, like any other art form, is not about competition. Comparing yourself to a chef is like Picasso comparing himself to a professional interior painter. Does anyone think Pablo would have been fulfilled painting homes all day? Don’t think you won’t be rewarded if you can’t perform every trick in the kitchen that a chef does.

Some of the worlds most renown music was created by artists who never read a note on paper. They never attended a school, and many taught themselves how to compose. It isn’t the knowledge that made them great, it was the enjoyment they attained by practicing their art. This is what makes a cook stand out above the rest.

Can you tell me what sticks out more in your memory, the best dish you ever ate in a restaurant or the best meal prepared by someone you know? – (More…)

Many professional chefs will tell you that presentation will not only enhance your recipe, but even hide tiny imperfections.  Many of us think that this just means that we have to use great looking dish-ware along with creative plating and garnishing.

Well, there is much more to it than that.  Think of the most delicous, satisfying dish that you have ever had, and then picture yourself eating it camping tent on a rainy day and you will start to understand that the environment that you had the meal in also contributes to your overall satisfaction.

One of the major things you can do to affect your dining environment is the lighting of your dining area.  This can change depending on the theme of your dinner.

From my personal experience files, I will submit two examples.

Every Easter the family and I visit my family in upstate New York.  Both sides of my family live in the area and our first stop is at my maternal Aunts house.  It is a rather large event where as many as 50 people show up from our family to my aunts in-laws.  Most of my extended family on this side attends and we are seated in my aunts kitchen.    My Aunts kitchen is vibrantly colored and is very bright especially on a sunny day as the room has many windows.

The lighting in this place instantly makes you think of winters ending, and the beginning of spring.  How great – (More…)