When I was in high school, 17 years ago, I was a drummer. Or something like that anyways... I used to hit things with sticks to make rhythm. That was me...

Back then one of my favorite places to go was the Toledo Music Instrument Exchange, which has long since closed I think. It was a big warehouse-like place with all sorts of new and used gear stacked up ALL over the place. One of my favorite memories of TMIE was to dig through buckets of drum sticks, looking for mix-n-match deals. Sometimes you could get away with top-name stuff for dirt cheap. Sometimes not so much...

For drummers, Vic Firth is a big name. Kinda. Like anyone in the biz I'm sure there are as many haters as there are lovers. I was a lover, as the guy knows rhythm. But time passed and drumming became no priority whatsoever. And then one day I realized I was some sort of cook. WTF?!?

Friday night, however, things sort of came full circle. While preparing for this weekends Wedding Cake Test, Kerrie spotted a wooden rolling pin at Jungle Jims. That rolling pin? A Vic Firth. No, I am not kidding. Not only does the guy put his name on some quality sticks, but he's ventured into the culinary world.

So skipping forward to today, everything was in place. I had made my two layers of Chocolate Stout cake, and gathered all the appropriate ingredients and tools. I spread my crumb coating onto the cake, and with my Vic Firth I began rolling out the Fondant. The end result was impressive and easy. While I need a little more practice, this is definitely doable. There were a few small "first time" issues that came up, but the overall process came together very easily...








I know the cake is good, as I've made it before. All I really need to work on is my smoothing technique for the fondant, and keeping a steady hand when I put on any royal icing. And here we... go!

The New F***ing Citibank - watch more funny videos

Smithers... Give him THE PLAGUE!

A lot happened this week, making life a little bit frantic. Nonetheless, Kerrie and I moved further ahead in our planning the wedding and got some serious work done.

I helped with two very large caterings this week, which kept me at work later than normal. I also found out that the "people" I wanted to bake the wedding cake are unavailable for our October date. This lead to various schemes, which resulted in a big ole "fuck it!" and the declaration that I will take care of the cake myself.

Let's face it folks. I've said that I would rather not be catering my own reception, but I know that the only way it will get done right is if I'm the one doing it.

The rest of the week disappeared in a blur of work and running and shopping for detail items and finally just coming home to relax. For all the chaos, the weekend produced some excellent results. In all actuality, some things just turned out better than our original ideas. Sometimes things work out better when "the plan" just goes all to hell.

---

Friday, after work, Kerrie and I went to BJ's Brewhouse for dinner. I enjoyed a PM Porter and Kerrie had the Nutty Brunette, a brown ale. One thing I noticed was the amazing aroma of Butter and Milk Chocolate coming from my porter. I was thoroughly impressed with life from that point on, seeing as my pallet is finally coming around to the wonders of Stouts and Porters...

Kerrie's parents were in a few weeks ago, and of course I wanted to do something special for dinner and dessert. One dish I love to make is Balsamic Glazed Chicken. You generally can not go wrong with a dish that rich. The dessert, however, was well received but not quite right in my estimation.

I made Chocolate Bouchons. After finding the right kind of pan to make these little angels, I searched online for Thomas Keller's fabled recipe. The recipe is well published, but if you look a little closer you'll see that there is some force working against these things in some form or another. Some people complain of them being too salty, while I found them to be too buttery. Actually, I found them to be greasy. There are various forums providing answers to the salt/sugar issue (a misprinted recipe?) but I felt that the texture issue was a wholly unique one to my own baking. Of course, I've never been to Napa either. Maybe Keller's pastry chef makes them exactly like this, so who knows? I think a second try may be in order will a few minor adjustments. We'll see...




---


Which Horrible Affliction are you?
A Rum and Monkey disease.

Mmmm...

Mmmm...
Originally uploaded by johnnytao2000

Makin' Frosting!

Dinner...

Dinner...
Originally uploaded by johnnytao2000

Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya and a pint...

Light in your head and dead on your feet...

Last week was not awful, it really wasn't.

I just get aggravated easily. It's my thing, I'm good at it.

After the whole ER visit drama Friday night, and the breadmaker dieing in the middle of me making dough for cinnamon rolls, I found myself in a less than stellar mood.

But then again, a good cookie can totally change my overall mood. A good cookie can do a lot for me, so much so that I can count the "good" cookies I love on one hand. Yeah, I take it that seriously.

Plus a good cookie helps me think. Case in point: Tonight, while munching on a perfect Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookie, I had a "moment". You see, when it comes to the music of Gerry Rafferty I realized that Baker Street is superior in technical form to Stuck in the middle with you, but Stuck in the middle with you was used in the film Reservoir Dogs and Baker Street was in Police Academy 2. So you can see the quandary...



Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 Cup Flour
3 oz. Cocoa Powder
1/2 t Baking Soda
1/4 t salt

1/2 cup Corn Syrup
1 Egg White
1 t Vanilla

1/3 cup Sugar (Plus extra for coating)
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
6 oz melted Butter

4 oz. Mini Chocolate Chips

---

Start by sifting Flour, Cocoa, Baking Soda and Salt together. Set aside.

In a second bowl, whisk Corn Syrup, Egg White, and Vanilla.

In a third larger bowl, using a hand mixer, mix together Sugar, Brown Sugar, and melted Butter until fluffy. Add Corn Syrup mixture and mix until fully incorporated.

Using a wooden spoon, mix in Flour mixture and Chocolate Chips and stir until dough comes together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Portion dough into desired size, roll into balls, and coat lightly with extra Sugar.

Bake at 375F for 11 minutes.

---

2X Chocolate Malt

2X Chocolate Malt
Originally uploaded by johnnytao2000

Double Chocolate Malt at Graeters...

$10 Cooking Challenge

The last several weeks have gone by in a blur. Between Work, traveling for Easter, and now being in full gear working on the wedding, time just keeps slipping by faster and faster.

Thankfully, There is always something good to eat in this whole crazy mess. Not only is there always something good to make, but recently Troy (of Crowz Nest fame) proposed the $10 Cooking Challenge.

The premise was simple, cook an entire meal for $10 or less.

After a lot of thinking and planning, I came to the simple conclusion that $10 for one meal is pretty easy. I started thinking less about the monetary value I had to work with and started thinking more along the lines of "why?"...

I finally settled on making Pizza. I know there are people out there who don't like pizza, but I've certainly never met them. And the simple fact is that a LOT of people DO like pizza. As I was thinking about the shear volume of pizzas sold in this country (somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 Billion a year) I started thinking about what the average household must spend on Pizza every year. To order a pizza, most likely for two to four people, it will run you anywhere from $8.00 to $20.00 depending on what type of eaters you're dealing with. Many people order pizza often too.

I've always found pizza to be the perfect comfort food. And for a long time, especially when I was single, it was my fallback. Was it late? Was I tired? WasI just too lazy to make my own dinner? Order a pizza!

Looking back, I've probably spent more than I'd like to admit on pizza, especially from places that are probably a little embarrassing to admit.

Thankfully, there came a point where I was determined to make my own pizzas. From scratch, with no bitching or whining. I wanted a simplified process that could work in my dinky-assed kitchen in my craptacular electric oven with GOOD results. With a little time and experimenting, I eventually conquered that beast. To be honest, I really took it for granted. It's become so easy to make my own pizza that I just do it... When I'm feeling tired or lazy, I just make pizza.

So when Troy proposed to $10 Challenge, this struck me as a great topic. Not just because of the financial restraint of only using $10, but because of the overall idea of how much money I probably save every year.

It breaks down like this:

Cheese $1.66
LaRosas Sauce $1.69
Yeast $1.99
Pepperoni $1.25

One major flaw in this whole challenge is that I already had flour and sugar on hand. Most people do too, but to buy a 5# bag of each will probably run you around $5.00. Still, The average bag of flour has about 17-19 cups, enough to make at least 5pizzas at home bringing the per-meal cost down significantly.

The same goes with the cheese and sauce. I only used half of the 8oz bag of cheese and maybe a 1/3 cup of the sauce, thus stretching those items out further. Same with the yeast. Yeast, generally, comes in a strip-pack with three pouches, of witch you use less than one per pizza.

To go with the pizza, I made a fresh salad of organic greens with a lemon pepper vinaigrette. That broke down like this:

Lemon $0.33
Organic Spring Mix 3oz @ $3.99lb - $0.75

Fresh vegetables are at almost criminally low prices sometimes. Plus, making the vinaigrette that was delectably reminiscent of Stino's in Cleveland was a huge plus.



In the end, I spent $7.69 to make two 8" Foccacia Pizzas and two generous salad portions with one of my favorite dressings evar!

Robot Chicken - "He-Man's Murder" (S02E05) - watch more funny videos

Snackers at Olga's Kitchen.

Snackers at Olga's Kitchen.
Originally uploaded by johnnytao2000

Heaven on a plate!

Lunch @ Roosters

Lunch @ Roosters
Originally uploaded by johnnytao2000

Lunch!

Lunch!
Originally uploaded by johnnytao2000

Shrimp sammich with fried parmesan potatoes...

Rick's Tavern

When Kerrie and I first moved to Cincinasty, we went to this dumpy shithole called Bargo's. Bargo's was a serious defeat for me, as I was looking for a dive bar to call "home" and this place was just awful.

The food was bad and the people in there just put off some bad vibes. I wasn't necessarily looking for a new Howard's H, but I had an idea of what I wanted and this place was a serious letdown.

Jumping ahead, 4 years later...

Kerrie and I found Rick's Tavern, only because we like going to Acapulco. Every time we would eat at Acapulco, we inevitably would discuss trying Rick's. We, of course, always managed to procrastinate and put it off or just plain forget it existed. But then it happened. We managed to get our act together enough to go in and have dinner, which, admittedly, I wasn't all that into. But Kerrie liked it so we went back. And just because I was looking for something simple, I ordered a burger.

And this is where I start to gush...

Rick's has one of the best burgers I have ever tasted. It may just be better than the Friendly Stop or Sonic. Their burgers, so they say, are fresh/not frozen. I believe it too. Maybe I've been in this business too long, but I recognize frozen vs fresh - especially after my stint at the Corner Grill. Another thing I find impressive is their french fries. Although they serve (ahem) Crinkle Cut Fries, they are really good. They're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It's a sad state of affairs when I'm impressed by the fact that some guy working a fryer can actually do his job properly.

Okay, I'm going all over the place here, so to summarize:
Rick's Tavern.
One of the 5 best burgers I have ever eaten.
Awesome fries, even though they are crinkle cut.
Very nice atmosphere, very good feeling place to eat.




I think what's most gratifying is that Kerrie and I finally found a place we can go to regularly. It's our place...



via videosift.com

Here's a little revenge... IRISH STYLE!

The past few weeks have seen some great food. Kerrie and I have made stops to La Pinata (Excellent fajitas) and the Friendly Stop (Excellent burgers). Plus we dropped by Rick's Tavern and even made a Sonic run last week.

Plus I've thrown together some excellent meals at home, including Pan Seared Tenderloin with a Balsamic Glaze over Linguine with Gorgonzola Alfredo sauce. (Made possible by a very generous gift from the Commodore.)

But really, the best over all has been the annual St. Patty's Day feast I've become very fond of preparing.

Being that St. Patrick's Day was on a Tuesday this year, I made Guinness Braised Corned Beef on Sunday, with Leftovers for sammiches today. I served the Corned Beef with braised carrots, Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, and quick sauted Brussels Sprouts.



Of course, no St. Patty's Day would be complete without Black & Tan's and one of my favorite desserts - The Chocolate Stout Cake.





And tonight was just as good as Sunday. With what was left of the Corned Beef I made sandwiches on Marble Rye with Swiss cheese, plus we had what was left of the Parmesan Roasted potatoes and I enjoyed an Edmund Fitzgerald porter. (Oh yes, I enjoyed it...) I actually never thought I would get to a point in my life where I would be drinking beer, but I really do enjoy a nice porter. Huh.







As the weather gets better and warmth returns to Ohio, I'm already looking forward to grilling and BBQ. Sitting on the porch with a Mojito while watching chicken or ribs slowly achieve perfection is very exciting to me. Mostly because I'm sick of the cold, but mostly because I loves me some Mojitos!

You've never eaten blueberries and pepperoni together for very good reasons.

I've done some pretty stupid shit in my life. (Anyone remember the giant Take5?)

Somethings I've done are gross and some things I've done are so epic I'm saving them for my tell-all book.

These guys took one of the funniest SNL skits in the last 20 years and brought it to life. It's like a bus load of nuns getting slammed by a train going 80 miles per hour... You just can't stop looking.

(Make sure you watch the video first...)

TACO TOWN!!!

I don't know weather I'm envious or just plain disgusted. Either way, these guys just made my "Heros" list.

I reflect and elect to reject...

I don't care what the haters say, I've become a huge fan of Molecular Gastronomy.

It's become fashionable to hate on MG, much the way the grunge kids denied the existence of "alternative" music back in the early 90's. Hell, even my hero -the cranky yet utterly pragmatic Anthony Bourdain- has made a few snarky comments on the subject.

To my thinking though, this is a fascinating, if not entirely practical, subject.

Recently, while watching a couple of episode of No Reservations, I was captivated by Anthony Bourdain's trips to Washington and Spain. Seeing Jose Andres twitching with culinary ecstasy while AB tried all his whimsical creations was inspiring. And, much like Sam Mason, Albert Adria is a pastry chef I must meet before I die. His seemingly effortless use of mystical and fantastic contraptions in the kitchen at el Bulli is mesmerizing.

I want to go to there...

So now, here I am... My own mind running in a hundred different directions trying to wrap my head around several of these concepts. Some are trivial, some are impractical, and some are simply out of the reach of anyone who is not a Food Scientist.

But then there are the "other" concepts. Like deconstruction... I'm not personally a fan of deconstruction when it comes to food, but it is an interesting exercise in experiencing taste. In fact, I can't help but think of my dessert Margarita in this particular instance: Different flavors and textures all colliding at once, showing how ALL the senses can be stimulated.

I want to do that. I don't want fame or notoriety, I only want to sever someone a dish and for them to have an epiphany. I want someone to regret not trying something different in the past. They don't have to weep, but I won't be upset if they do...

Kerrie and I will, soon I think, be have some people over for dinner. My goal is not to focus on food science, but to offer some unique textures and flavor combinations. To throw a few curve balls, and hit a home run at the same time.

el Bulli

Minibar

The Fat Duck

WD-50

Will Powder




Overseer - Slayed

overseer - slayed songs
Free Music | free Mp3

10 Thoughts...

There have been a lot of people on facebook doing the "25 Things" thing. While I just didn't have the patience to deal with coming up with 25 random things, I was intrigued by Restaurant Hospitality magazine's "10 Thoughts".

Every issue spotlights an up-and-coming chef by asking ten simple questions which make up a vague pseudo-psychological profile...

And here we go...

1.) One thing you don't know about me is I like getting revenge.

2.) I'm most proud of my work habits, both good and bad.

3.) One of my most memorable meals was at Cafe Felix in Ann Arbor. (Bistec la Pincho!)

4.) If there was no coffee, I'd have no reason to live.

5.) My go-to drink is Cutty & Soda with a lime wedge.

6.) If I were on Death Row, my last meal would be Filet of Beef with Rosemary Demi Glace, Scampi, fresh baked bread, a "nice" Cabernet, a Caramel Creme Brulee and a pot of Turkish Coffee.

7.) Thing I hate most about this business is chefs who despise bloggers for criticizing them. Guess what tough guy? The days of appeasing ONE critic to get a good review are long gone. If you can't treat EVERY customer like they're a food critic with your rep on the line, it's time to pack it up. Otherwise STFU and GBTW.

8.) If I could change one thing about me it would be my desire to break someones hands, a-la-Casino, when they piss me off.



9.) My idea of a perfect day is sleeping in, having a nice relaxing breakfast followed by a leisurely trip to Jungle Jims and an afternoon of something slowly cooking on the stove. (Ragu? Braised Chuck Tenders?)

10.) If I wasn't in the food service, I'd probably be in Organized Crime.

Snow Day

About once a year we get one good blast of winter weather. Not quite as good as the North Western Ohio winter blasts, but hey... throw in some hills and a bunch of idiots and a 1/2" of snow can shut down most of the city.

Last night, today, and probably a good chunk of tomorrow has us experiencing a pretty hefty winter storm. To look at the national map is pretty uninspiring. This thing stretches from Texas up to northern Maine.



Nonetheless, there is something pretty nifty about a snow day. Maybe there is still a little bit of my childhood left that loves a good old fashioned snow day. Waiting in anticipation while watching the news and double checking the website to see if I can sleep in gives me a little jolt of the "feel-goods". Plus it's always a bonus if work is called off BEFORE I leave the house.

And today was a good day. I slept in just past 9:00am, made a great pancake breakfast, knocked out some amazing Roasted Chicken Soup with White Truffle Oil, and of course... I made cupcakes.




Now, the only thing that remains is whether or not I'll have to battle the elements in the morning on Wednesday. I'm hoping not, because it's freezing rain of top of snow with more snow on the way. A couple of snifters of brandy oughta take care of that though...

That's right, Mr. Green. Tell Mr. Doyle all about yourself, will you?

Recently, Kerrie made the point that I don't make enough cheesecakes.

Although baking a cheesecake is my specialty, my A#1-Duke-of-New-York, ass kicker... I just haven't made as many as I used to.

They have become, unfortunately, something of a special-occasion treat. Something I make only upon request. Look, folks, that's gotta change.

After being prompted by Kerrie last week,to make a cheesecake, I complied, and I was overwhelmed by my own laziness. There really has been no good excuse for not banging out one of these at least once a month. The fluffy rich texture followed by the perfect tangy sweet flavor has always been one of my favorite food experiences, and when you throw in a healthy portion of balsamic roasted strawberries and a nice Late Vintage Port, there really are few things that are much -if at all- better.



Fun Fact: When someone won't stop talking to me, I turn up the mental-media-player in my head and blast the theme from "The Taking of Pelham 123".

(Facebook users go to Stickam or FBF to see the video.)

Hell's half acre...

So we started our Saturday with a basic task of finding a Wii Fit, a task thinly veiled as a list of necessary chores we routinely do every week.

It started with breakfast at Panera. For being a chain, the do have a kick-ass cinnamon crunch bagel and every once in a great while, I must have one. A cinnamon crunch bagel with a shload of cream cheese and a hazelnut coffee, that's what I had been craving for several days. Kerrie had a hot cocoa and a chocolate chip bagel, and to make things just about perfect, we scored a table next to the fireplace. The day had officially begun...

We made our way to Target, and guess what? No Wii Fits.

Out next stop was Jungle Jims for the weekly ritual of shopping for groceries. Kerrie and I have it down to a science, so even in the worst of crowds we can tear right through without breaking a sweat.

After stopping at home to drop off groceries and squeeze in a few rounds of Tetris, we made out way to Bridgewater Falls. We stopped at La Pinata for lunch, which has quickly become a new favorite for weekend lunches. I particularly like their chips and salsa. More specifically, I love their salsa. I love the fact that there are huge leaves of cilantro floating around in the salsa but that it has an amazingly balanced flavor. I almost forgot that I had Fajitas coming... And at $7.50 for a spectacularly large portion, their lunch menu is a steal.





We left La Pinata and headed over to Best Buy. No Wii Fits, but a copy of Bender's Game left with us so it wasn't a total loss. Our final stop was the "other" Target. The Target with a Starbucks and a lot more space to cover. No Wii Fits at that moment, but I was told to come back on Sunday morning when there would be 36 of 'em.

Kerrie and I left unsure, but we formulated a basic plan. One that wouldn't leave us disappointed if walked away empty handed. Clearly viewing this as a maybe/maybe-not/off-to-church scenario, we shook hands and headed home.

After an afternoon of lounging and being lazy, I knocked dinner out: Herb Fried Chicken with Buttered Corn and Guinness Biscuits. I love meals like this because they are so simple. Prep the biscuits, set aside. Fry the chicken in the fryer for about 5 minutes, them put both the Chicken and the Biscuits in the oven and walk away for about a half hour. The corn is just corn, so that gets done in the last five minutes before we sit down to eat. I wish all meals came together this easily...



We woke up Sunday morning at 7:15am. Not a particularly good time to be up, but hey... We were on a mission. It was a dreary morning too. It was still mostly dark out and there was a thin sheet of ice covering everything. The idea of being out for any reason was becoming less and less appealing.

Kerrie and I stopped at BK for coffee and breakfast, then went over to Target. When we got there, there were already people mingling out in front of the store. Thankfully it was 7:50am and there were only about 12-15 people waiting. Kerrie and I sat in the warm car, eating and waiting. I had the nagging feeling like I should be in line, but I just waited, sipping my coffee and trying to shovel in my sammich before the store opened. Suddenly, the group of people pushed through the front door to the store. I quickly got out of the car and ran for the entrance. I made my way to the back of the store and got in line, only to realize that my wallet was still in the car. After muttering several obscenities, not necessarily under my breath, I ran back to the car. My wet shoes squeaked mercilessly on the floor as I ran back and forth, echoing through out the mostly empty store. Again, I made it to the back of the store and I got in line. I then realized there were only a few people waiting and that I was going to get one.

Moments later, I walked out with a Wii Fit. It was simple. Too simple if you want my honest opinion... Nonetheless, after weeks of looking, our first real attempt to acquire one of these bad boys was a success. I don't know what the hell everyone else has been whining about. This was easy.



And to celebrate our success, I made some fantabulous meatball subs with provolone for lunch. I quickly realized the irony of eating something like that after spending the day trying out the yoga positions and doing ski jumps, but hey... It's like they say: The fit is go!

Wait, shit! That's not right...

wiifitgroove:
George Harrison - What is Life
Bif Naked - We're Not Gonna Take It
Andrew WK - She is Beautiful
Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealin'
Badfinger - No Matter What
Propellerheads - Crash!

Brilliance?

You would think my co-worker (The Sackhead) and I would have to be drunk, high, or both for this kind of conversation but no... totally lucid. Go figure.

Sackhead: What's the difference between wings and drums?
Scarecrow: I dunno. What's the difference between your arms and legs?
Sackhead: They're still attached to my body?
Scarecrow: Yeah, plus we're probably not going to deep fry them...

I am the Cosmos...

I miss Cosmos. There, I said it. Happy?

Despite everything that happened, everything we built, everything we took down... I still miss Cosmos.

I miss the Bees and the Robots. I miss the sac-cookie, and the midnight kitchen raids, and the Top Shelf. There was the residuals and the bagel golf, and exploratory adventures into the abandoned old hotel. How about the night we went swimming through maple syrup? How about the day we realized that customers preferred us over the owner?

Of course, this only makes sense to a privileged few and that's just fine - trust me... And we've all moved on to bigger, and possibly even better, places in or lives. But every so often, it all comes flooding back. Over the Christmas break I had one of those mental "floods".

While in Ashtabula, Kerrie and I, her sister, brother-in-law, and niece, all stopped at a place we all love to go every time we visit: Harbor Perk.

Harbor Perk, which I have commented on before, is a classic coffehouse in the Cosmic style. Even looking at the front of the building is downright eerie in it's familiarity. After taking those first few steps inside, the wafting aroma of coffee hits you. The style overwhelms a little... It's like looking back and seeing what should have been. Or what was.

The coffee is flat out amazing. The largely attractive aspect of their coffee drinks is the consistency, very UN-Cosmic, and the knowledge that you will get what you want, the way you remember it from the last time you got it, every time.








As we walked out, I finally got what Henry Hill was talking about. What it was like to be removed from "that thing of ours". And that's that...

A man has GOT to know his limitations...

As you all know, I don't carry a lot of "home town pride" with me. There are only a handful of place I've been that I hold in high esteem, and Perrysburg isn't one of 'em.

Toledo and Cincinnati don't do a lot for me either, but then again, neither of those places are Ann Arbor or San Diego.

But putting all of that aside, one of the cruel ironies of my life is my insane affection for Calphalon cookware. From the moment my mom handed over a good portion of her collection to me, I knew I was hooked. Hooked, on a company and product which not only originated in Toledo but was based in Perrysburg.

My kitchen is almost entirely made up of Calphalon cookware and knives, with only a few exceptions. I use them mercilessly, subjecting them to the most unholy and brutal tasks, yet they hold up like true champs.

So one night a while back, while AMC was running their Dirty Harry marathon, I came up with another ridiculous idea which ultimately only I find amusing.





If this makes little or no sense at all, try this. Also, if you're reading this through Facebook and the video doesn't show up, go Here...

Enjoy yer afferdable Svedish crap!

This past weekend, I finally met my cousin's daughter Charlotte.

My cousin, Rebecca, and her husband Stephen came to Cincinasty for an Ikea-run, and to show off the most adorable baby I know. (And... probably the only one, now that I think of it.)

We first met up at Uno for lunch. Uno used to have an amazing spot on Ludlow Avenue before it closed up, but now it's a stones throw away from Ikea so I'm torn. Anyways, after devouring one of their amazing flatbread pizzas there was some quality face time with the Cuz, the Huz, and the Baby.








"Boy, those Sweds sure know how to put in almost everything you need."
Fry (Futurama)

Hap Hap Hap Happy Thankgiving!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, signaling the beginning of the Holiday/Catering/Gift Giving Gauntlet.

Thanksgiving was nice. We stayed with my mom, spent time with my brother, and now I'm addicted to the Wii.

Aside from that, what else is there? Oh yeah, the food...

My mom and gramma always do a pretty good spread. They work all day preparing some of the best traditional foods possible, and my family gets to reap the benefits. And not just that day either. Kerrie and I brought back a nice haul of turkey, sausage, sugar cookies, pumpkin roll and more...

And the turkey, I might add, was really good. It was especially good the second time around in a turkey potpie. Potpies, in my opinion, have gotten a bad rap over the past few decades. It's no wonder most people think they're disgusting. Those frozen pieces of shit with the questionable veggies and meat? That's not food people... That's communism.

And that makes me sad. A good potpie is so simple to make, and is a perfect use of leftovers. My potpie: Let me show you it....

To start, you have two basic piece of prep to do before baking one of these babys off. And this is very easy too.

Start by making a pie dough. I make a VERY simple 3-2-1 dough. 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part ice water. Once made, chill slightly until ready for rolling.

Next, the filling. The filling is nothing more than a roux cut with stock. Begin by heating 3 cups of chicken stock. Once hot, set aside. Next, in a sauce pan, start a roux by heating 4 T. butter and whisking in 1/4 C of flour. Once the roux has come together, whisk in the stock little by little until full incorporated. Add 1/4 t. Pepper and your ready to go.

Finally, it's all about your assembly. I added some chopped up turkey and veggies to the sauce over medium low heat until thoroughly heated. From there I cut my dough into 4 balls and rolled each out. (2 for the bottoms and 2 for the tops.)
For the last steps, you carefully pour the turkey mix into the pie crusts, top with the remaining dough, crimp, and make a few slits for the steam to escape.

Bake at 400F for 30 to 35 minutes.









And there you have it. Now, watch what has to be one of the best SNL skits in the past 20 years. If you don't laugh at this, you probably have no soul.