This dish is fresh, crunchy, healthy, and a super cool treat on a hot summer day.  So, why did I make it in the middle of Winter?  What can I say, I have a thing for shrimp... Let's do this! You Will Need: 2lbs Jumbo Shrimp (Cleaned, boiled, tails removed, chilled in the fridge) 3 Celery Stalks, (halved lengthwise and chopped fine) 2 Jalapenos, (finely chopped) 1 large Cucumber, (finely chopped) 2 Avocados, (peeled, pitted, chopped) 2 Bundles of Fresh Cilantro, (finely chopped) 1 Small Purple Onion, (finely chopped) 2 Limes, (juice) 1 Orange, (juice) 2 Cups Spicy Tomato Juice (or ..read more

Is there anything better than your favorite hot soup on a cold day?  NO!  There is not! Since there are an infinite number of soups and recipes to make them, I thought I would simplify your grandmother's basic soup recipe, so you can adapt it to your favorite goodies (apologies to grandmothers everywhere).  Let's do this! You Will Need: 4 Cups (give or take) of your favorite veggies 3 Cups (or so) of your favorite protein 12 Cups (more or less) of your favorite soup stock 2 portions of your favorite starch (noodles, rice, etc) Step 1: Dice up a bunch of your favorite veggies ..read more

No matter how fancy your palette may be, once in awhile we all crave something simple that reminds of our childhood and for my money, Turkey Pot Pie is hard to beat! I have many thoughts about pot-pie.  They should be super creamy, and without potatoes!  I seem to remember (growing up) that the cheaper pot-pies always had tons of potatoes and less meat.  That's just wrong!  Let's fix this: You Will Need (for TWO pies): 2 deep dish pie crusts (9" or bigger, thawed and unrolled) 2 Large Squares of Frozen puff pastry dough (thawed and unrolled) 1 Stick Butter 1 Cup finely di ..read more

Yes, I'm well aware that I have several "bread" recipes on this blog, but MORE bread is a good thing, right? I mean, how awesome is a trio of unique artisanal loaves with your own custom flavor profiles?  Let's do this! You Will Need: 780g of All Purpose Flour 720g of Warm Water (110 degrees) 1.5 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast 1 Tbsp Sugar 4 Tsp Salt You have a kitchen scale, right?  I mean, you can get them on Amazon for less than $10, seriously.  If this recipe does nothing else but convince you that you need one, then I'll consider my work "Done" here!  Get it done!! So, you ..read more

Never trust a peach cobbler recipe that has the phrases, "4-ingredient" or "super easy" or "quick and fast" in it!  If you want a high quality cobbler that the neighborhood ladies auxiliary is quietly very jealous of... then settle down, take a deep breath, clean your kitchen, get your tools, and prepare to slay some dragons (and some peaches)!  Let's do this... You Will Need: 8 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (7.5 Cups or so) 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt For the batter: 1 Stick Butter 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2.5 teaspoons baking po ..read more

Who doesn't like hot sauce?  The problem is, most commercial hot sauces are either "too hot" or "not hot enough" for most folks.  Solution?  Make your own!!  Let's do this! Check out this picture.  Look carefully.  What does it contain? Most of you probably said, "Peppers, garlic, vinegar, and some white stuff."  WRONG!!  This picture has everything you need to make any hot sauce you could ever want.  Every hot sauce you've ever tasted has these five things: Heat Flavor Preservative Tweaks A Name Now, there's a formula here that will guide you ..read more

 When Americans hear "Yorkshire Pudding," they think all kinds of things.  Just hearing the word "Pudding" drives Americans to thoughts of dessert, sweet creamy gooey dessert.  Fact is, in the U.K. the word "Pudding" could mean anything from a flavored custard to a mincemeat sausage, so they're not entirely confident about what it means, either.  Check it: This is a proper Yorkshire Pudding.  You will hear Americans (especially Midwestern Americans) call it a "Popover."  Why?  Because it pops over the pan when you bake it.  Never-mind the particulars a ..read more

I *LOVE* Hot-Smoked fish, particularly Salmon and Trout.  Did I mention that Salmon and Trout are very closely related?  Sorry, I digress... There is a significant difference between hot-smoked and cold-smoked fish, that's for sure.   Hot Smoked - The fish is cooked at a very hot temperature in a smoker. Cold Smoked - The fish is preserved with the smoke, using a cold temperature.  When I cook salmon or trout on the smoker, I usually cook a whole filet, which means I have leftovers, which means I can make DIP!! You will need:  3/4 lb (12oz) smoked trout (or Salmon ..read more

I've been cooking BBQ over logs of wood for 40 years now, personally and professionally.  I couldn't begin to count the number of briskets, butts, ribs, and chicken I've smoked over the years, and I've always used logs of Pecan, Mesquite, Hickory, Apple, or Oak to cook it.  As I witnessed the rise of the pellet cooker, I always admired the "Automation" piece of it!  I mean, to set it up and to go to bed without having to get up to "add a log and adjust the fire" in the middle of the night did have an appeal... Then again, I have rolled many pellets between my thumb and index fin ..read more

What's better than fried chicken?  Buttermilk Fried Chicken!!  Seriously, fried chicken is one of my "deserted island" foods, you know?  "If you only had one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?" Fried Chicken! Anyway, the route to spectacular, crunchy, spicy, juicy southern fried chicken is easier than you think!  Let's do it: You Will Need: 2 Cups Flour 2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs 2 Tsp Baking Powder 2 Tsp Salt 2 Tsp Garlic Powder 2 Tsp Chili Powder (I like Jalapeno Powder) 2 Tsp Creole Seasoning (Tony Chacheres) 8 Chicken Pieces Buttermilk Ok, this ..read more