I went to college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for three years. It was a grand ole time. One of the regional cuisine favorites was the pasty pronounced (Past – EEEE). What is the pasty, well it is a meat pie filled with vegetables. Pretty tasty. My friend worked at a bar called the Cozy Corner and on Sundays they had Pasty Day. Pasties take a while to bake so they only served them once a week. They always had the best one around so I asked the owners wife what the secret was to her pasties. I wasn’t expecting a response, but she told me it was rutabagas. That was it, the secret was to include rutabagas into the meat pie. With the secret knowledge that isn’t so secret anymore since I just put in on the internet, oops. Well anyway, here is my take on this classic meat pie.
Pasty
I used a standard pie crust recipe for my pasty and it was perfect.
Happy Halloween! My plans for my big Halloween post went up in smoke after the swine flu incident. I was planning on some pretty cool recipes for this last week, but never got around to them. Same with the post for today. But, luckily while I was sick, I was able to surf the web and find some awesome Halloween recipes. Below is a list of great Halloween recipes.
Meat Hand from not Martha – Meatloaf is a great medium when sculpting body parts. This meat hand looks pretty real with the onion inspired finger nails.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending Food and Wine Festival at National Harbor. It was a lot of fun. There was wine tasting, beer tasting, liquor tasting and food. Lots and lots of food. Plus, I got to hang out with Carla and Ariane from Top Chef Season 5.
The National Harbor was the perfect back drop for this event. It also didn’t hurt that the event was located on the pier. The location was awesome.
Yesterday I reviewed “I’m just here for MORE FOOD” and there was a recipe for Cheesy Poofs. Yes, those cheesy staples of Eric Cartman from South Park. So I had to try them. They are amazing. Not quite the cheddar ones that have the cheetah on them, but they are tasty none the less. This is the ultimate cheap eats. Making snacks at home can save you a ton of money. Plus, you know what goes into each snack, so they are good for the kids.
Below I have included Eric’s ode to Cheesy Poofs.
I love cheesy poofs almost as much as Cartman, although I have never written a song about them.
Every friday I pick the best culinary events in the DC area for my readers to enjoy. This weekend there are some great events to attend.
Cochon 555
5 Chefs, 5 Pigs and 5 Winemakers. Each chef will prepare a 70 lb heritage pig from head to toe for judges and the crowd. In the end the judges and the crowd determine the winner. The 5 chefs are Nicholas Stefanelli – Mio, Brian McBride – Blue Duck Tavern, Jamie Leeds – Commonwealth Gastropub, RJ Cooper – Vidalia and John Manolatos – Cashion’s Eat Place.
There will also be 5 winerys there pairing their wines with the chefs creations. Winerys that are attending Patz & Hall, Pax Wine Cellears, Bonny Doon Vineyard, Arcadian Winery, Miner Family Vineyards.
It is going to be a great time. Plus, its pork. Who doesn’t love pork. For tickets and more information click here.
Spike’d Sundays – (Sunday May 31)
Former “Top Chef” Spike Mendelsohn hosts this summer-long pool party, with burgers, drinks and swimming. Located at Best Western Capitol Skyline Hotel, 10 I St SW, Washington, DC. Entry is $10 and includes a Spike Burger.
Herndon Festival – (Thursday, May 28 to Sunday, May 31)
This festival includes 23 different food vendors including:
Every wednesday I review a cookbook to help weed out the good the bad and the ugly. This week I am reviewing 25 essential techniques for grilling by Ardie A. Davis. I love barbecuing and grilling and this book is right up my alley.
Ardie A. Davis
Ardie is an award winning expert with his own barbecue university. Artie founded the Greasehouse University. The degree program at the Greasehouse University is is a doctor of barbecue philosophy and is overseen by the Kasas City Barbecue Society. Artie is now a famed judge on the barbecue circuit. Story short, Ardie knows barbecue.Artie starts the book off like every good barbecue book going over the basics of smoking. He goes over the tools required, the methods needed and basics of starting to smoke. His essentials include the basics of choosing wood. As you know the wood gives the unique flavor of each dish. Ardie suggests wood for each meat and further goes on to suggest woods to stay away from. For instance, mesquite on chicken would be too bitter and alder on beef would be too mild. As a barbecue expert you may already know this and brush it off, but as a newbie, this information is awesome.At first look one would think that this book is a beginner picture book as it has a hard cover and does not have the the thickness of many other cookbooks. But this book is a great reference book for both experts and beginners. Ardie Davis covers everything from starting the grill to glazing the food after you take it off the fire. The recipes that are included in this book are great and are far from beginner.
Ardie start the book by listing the three main ways for flavoring grilled foods. Before grilling, during grilling and after grilling. Before you add seasoning and marinades. During grilling there is the carmelization of the sugars from the food itself. There is also the different flavors from the charcoal and wood. There is also the sweet, sour and spicy flavors from barbecue sauce. Lastly there are the flavors from after grilling from finishing sauces, butters and chutneys.
Ardie lists some of the tastiest recipes that I have read in a cookbook. My favorite is the grilled chickenwing drums with billy’s mumbo rub and sauce. This may be because I am fascinated with wings right now as I am preparing for the wingtacular, but the recipe and pictures look amazing. The sugary glaze produces a carmelized wing that without tasting sounds amazing.
The other recipe that amazes me is the dirty steak recipe. I have never heard of this before reading it in this book but you can grill a steak directly on the coals. Using basic seasoning the steaks are placed directly on the white hot coals and grilled for 2-3 minutes on each side. This method made famous by Ike Eisenhower and told by Ardie Davis is fascinating.
The third recipe that excited me was the lime and chile grilled corn on the cob two ways. Two ways you ask? Well you can grill corn shucked or unshucked. One produced great grill marks and the other gives you a more tender and moist product. Grilled corn is awesome. I have always pondered if you should grill corn with or without shucking it. Ardie solved my questions by saying that it is perfect to do it either way.
This book is awesome and answered many of the questions that I have had about grilling. This book is written excellently and the pictures are awesome. No matter if you are a just beginning to grill or have been grilling for 35 years, this book is for you. The book discusses the basics of grilling and further discusses recipes that even an experienced griller would love. This book is rather inexpensive and would be a great addition to any bookshelf.
If you have been watching TV lately, Dominos has been advertising their new Bread Bowl Pasta. It is Carbs on Carbs, so basically it is amazing. So I wanted to make my own version to see how great pasta in a bread bowl could actually be. Spoiler Alert – It was amazing. The bread bowl soaked up the sauce and the cheesy topping was amazing. I am not sure if I can ever eat pasta again in a regular bowl.
The best creation that I have made in the past year. Thanks Dominos.
Dominos offers 5 different bread bowl pastas. I tried to recreate the italian sausage with marinara bread bowl.
I just picked up th wing cup for the 2nd annual wingtacular. Standing at 23″ tall it is enormous. The trophy is a traveling trophy and will have the names of the winners engraved on it every year.
The coveted Wing Cup!
Every weekend I try to compile a list of things to do in and around DC. To have fun in DC does not require any money. I am totally cool with that.
Honestly there is nothing cooler than hanging out with Pandas and Monkeys all day. The National Zoo is totally free, although eating lunch there can cost an arm and a leg. The Zoo is located at 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20008. You can get to the Zoo by public transportation and by car. I recommend heading to the zoo right when it opens at 10 am. That way you can watch the Panda’s and the other animals feed. They usually feed the Panda’s giant popsicles. It is quite a sight. Watching giant Pandas go to town on huge popsicles is really crazy.
The National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., is located on the National Mall between the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum and the U.S. Capitol Building. The American Indian Museum is consistently ranked as the Smithsonian with the best food. The Mitsitam Cafe means “Let’s eat!” in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples. Their menu does include the standard fare of the other Smithsonians (AKA burgers and fries), but they change them a bit. Instead of standard burgers and fries they have campfire buffalo burgers and spicy chili fries. They also have cedar plank fire roasted salmon. The menu is awesome. I recommend going for the food and staying for the exhibits.
The National Gallery offers a wide selection of statues and art to look at. But the best part of the National Gallery is the cafes. Just like the American Indian Museum, this one strays away from the fast food menu. They offer Beer-Braised Beef and Sautéed Spinach and Mushrooms Rolled Inside Fresh Sole Fillet. Not your average museum lunch. While you are there check out the Paul Katz exhibit.
