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Saturday, April 12, 2014

Saturday In the Park...

 
Well it's a springtime Saturday in the great state, Texas if you didn't know, Bluebonnets and Indian Paint bushes are in bloom and every wildflower you can imagine is making their presence known!  The wind is also making it's presence known, it's howling out of the south, but who can really complain?  I mean it's a beautiful day and the temperature is in the 80's, all the windows in the house are open and I get to spend the day with my lovely bride!  It started off by sleeping in, a luxury afforded to the weekend and coffee sitting out front in the yard.  We then had a late lazy breakfast of poached eggs, fruit and toast, mmmmm, mmmmm, good!
 
I felt healthier just saying we ate poached eggs!  Then it was off to do our errands, a stop at our local butcher / meat market, Old Town Market.  It's a locally owned business where you can get practically any kind of meat product you could want.  Need a 3 inch bone in Rib eye, yep they will cut it special, need a bone in prime rib roast, they will cut it, trim it and tie it back on the bone.  Bottom line, if you need something from the ordinary to something special, these folks will cater to whatever it is you need.  I like supporting locally owned business'  and this is a good one!  If you get a chance visit their website Old Town Market .   I posted the recipe for poaching an egg, try it it's a quick, healthier alternative to fried or scrambled. Well if you can, get out and enjoy the rest of the day and don't let those folks you  love go hungry!   Because It's a Great Day to be Alive!   but watch out for Coyotes! Ciao ..  





Friday, April 11, 2014

What Time Is It? C'mon What Time Is It? It's Pot Pie Time!!

    
Pot Pies.... What can I add that the photo above doesn't say?  Well quite a lot actually!  First when you think of pot pies you probably think of opening the freezer and pulling out an individual box with a name that starts with an S.  Opening that box and pulling out a frozen puck, heating the oven to 350 degrees, plopping that thing in there and waiting for 45 minutes or so to eat.  Was it filling, yes, was it tasty, somewhat, did it touch your soul and make your taste buds scream with euphoric delight, I think not!  When I think of pot pies, I think of the roasted chicken I cooked earlier in the week and saved the meat off the bones.  I think of a luscious, silky, rich and wonderful gravy.  I think of potatoes, carrots, peas, corn and herbs.  I think of all those things swimming lovingly together in that gravy pool!  I think of cracking a flaky top crust and scooping out a steaming spoonful of heaven on earth.  My soul sings.  My heart swells!  My taste buds cry like an Italian at a Luciano Pavarotti opera, Ave Maria.  Can you see it?  Can you hear it? Now I know you're probably thinking, ChuckOh isn't that a little dramatic?  I say no, try this recipe and you too will be a convert.  You will see the light that takes the shape of the pot pie!  You will start to understand Italian, well maybe not but, you will learn what it is to enjoy and savor something delicious!  Check it out and see for yourself!  And if you get a chance play some Pavarotti or Bocelli while you make music in your kitchen.  Well it's Time To Say Goodbye.  Ciao! ( The highlighted words are links by the way, click on them)
 



Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Yo Schnitzel For my Shizzle...



Well last night I got adventurous and ran out on a limb that ended up with pork and an introduction to Mr. Schnitzle. Let me tell you this begs for gravy but, to stay traditional we didn't succumb to the gravy demons.  I'm a sucker for thin, tender, battered and fried meat!  In the south we are bottle fed white gravy from an early age and for me to not drench this in white, silky succulence well that took will power!  This turned out so well with accompanying actors. Baron Wilted Spinach and the duo of Sir Potato and Dame Carrot!  The recipe is posted in the appropriate section, take a look.  It's thin and crispy and flavorful.  Season this at each step and Oh my, slap my mama it is good!  You can even make a sandwich the next day or put it under your pillow, your choice!  It is a fine meal my friends, a fine meal.  Enjoy and as always eat what you cook!  Ciao!
A schnitzel (German pronunciation: [ˈʃnɪtsəl]) is a boneless meat, thinned with a meat tenderizer, coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried. A popular food in many countries, it is made from veal, mutton, chicken, beef, turkey, or pork.
In German-speaking countries, the term Schnitzel means escalopes (cutlets), not just bread crumbed, fried escalopes such as Wiener Schnitzel.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Monday Musings....

Well, last night we had a wonderful dinner at the Ogle Casa.  Roasted Chicken, Sandra's Pinto's and home made Southwestern Cornbread.  I'm going to use the leftover chicken, which I've picked off the bone and make some pot pies!  I LOVE me a good pot pie and will put that recipe up tonight! Old Duke thinks we should try some Chinese instead if I read his facial expression correctly!  The recipes from last night are up and available.  If you've tried any of the recipes, let me know your thoughts I'd love to get feedback.  If you like the behind the ingredients twist let me know as well!  This time next week I'll be in Las Vegas with work entertaining a great group of Kyocera and Copystar dealers at our  national meeting.  My lovely bride and some friends are flying out to meet me after I'm finished and we're staying the weekend!  I have warned them about Vegas Charlie...  Viva Las Vegas
don't think they believe me!  Oh well better get back to work.  Check out the new recipes, comment, cheer or jeer everything is fair game!  Ciao!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Beans Beans Good For Your Heart, The More You Eat...

OK, You know the ending to that rhyme, but let's not go there shall we!  Contrary to the impression some folks have gotten from this blog, I'm not the only cook in the Ogle Casa.  My lovely bride is just as handy and better looking to boot!  She makes all kinds of dishes on her own and we work well together, wink, wink!  Today, Sunday it's a cool and rainy day in the great state of Tejas, so we are cooking comfort foods.  She is making her oh so versatile and delicious Mexican style pinto beans and I'm roasting a whole chicken a little later and we will both collaborate on a homemade Poblano pepper, corn and pepper jack cheese cornbread. I've added the recipe for the beans in the recipe section and will add the rest of the meal a little later. This makes a large batch which you can freeze in quart bags and bring out another time.  So eat them beans hombre's and senoritas and make your heart feel GREAT!

 

The pinto bean is a variety of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). It is the most common bean in the United States and northwestern Mexico, and is most often eaten whole in broth or mashed and refried. Either whole or mashed, it is a common filling for burritos. The young pods may also be harvested and cooked as green pinto beans.
In Spanish, they are called frijol pinto, literally "speckled bean", and in South America it is known as the "poroto frutilla", literally "strawberry bean". In Portuguese, they are called feijão carioca in Brazil (literally "carioca bean") and feijão catarino in Portugal. It is named for its mottled skin (compare pinto horse), hence it is a type of mottled bean.

Casa de Ogle Breakfast Tacos!

This is a special treat around Casa de Ogle. I mean it's when I know the kids are coming over or it's a holiday and everyone is at our house for a late breakfast, this is a go to!  I grew up in east Tennessee and the entire time I was a kid through my teenage years had never eaten or seen a tortilla!  Can you believe that!  I had never had my taste buds tantalized by the spicy loveliness of Mexican food!  In other words I was a deprived child!  Not really but I have since come to the conclusion, how did I survive without the tortilla?  After I moved to Texas I had my first Mexican meal and picked up that strange, warm flat bread like thingy, and now I'm hooked, literally you will never open my fridge and not see tortillas.  You can put anything in a tortilla, chicken... check, beef.... check, cheese... check, slice of ham with mustard or just a little hot sauce folded up whatever it is, it's better in a tortilla!  In this recipe which will be posted in the recipe section, we will be filling that south of the border gift to the gods with spicy chorizo, eggs and an onion, potato, jalapeno and garlic hash.  I know, your mouth is getting ahead of your brain, which happens to me often, just ask my family and some coworkers.  But eventually it catches up and starts to make sense!  In this case you will experience bold flavors and just a little spicy heat wrapped in the ever so lovely... tortilla.  Ladies and gents I give you Casa de Ogle's chorizo, egg and potato hash breakfast tacos!
 

 And to keep this educational, a little history behind this flat bread staple...
A tortilla (or flour tortilla to differentiate it from other uses of the word "tortilla") is a type of thin flatbread made from finely ground wheat flour. Originally derived from the corn tortilla (tortilla in Spanish means "small torta", or "small cake"), a bread of maize which predates the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, the wheat flour tortilla was an innovation after wheat was brought to the New World from Spain while this region was the colony of  New Spain. It is made with an unleavened, water based dough, pressed and cooked like corn tortillas.
Flatbread tortillas have been eaten for thousands of years in north, northwest and northeast Mexico, where they are a staple, as well as many southwestern US Native American tribes. More recently, other countries have begun producing them to serve the expatriate Mexican market and the growing demand for Mexican food, particularly in North America, Europe and Eastern Asia.
Tortillas are commonly prepared with meat to make dishes such as tacos, burritos (a dish originating in northern Mexico), and enchiladas. Tortillas are also used to make baleadas, a typical dish from Honduras.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Cicer Arientinum! Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Chick Pea!

The chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its seeds are high in protein. It is one of the earliest cultivated legumes: 7,500-year-old remains have been found in the Middle East. Other common names for the species include garbanzo bean, ceci bean, channa and Bengal gram.
 

Hummus is the Arabic word for chickpeas, which are often cooked and ground into a paste and mixed with tahini, sesame seed paste, the blend called hummus bi tahini, or chickpeas are roasted, spiced, and eaten as a snack, such as leblebi. By the end of the 20th century, hummus had emerged as part of the American culinary fabric. By 2010, 5% of Americans consumed hummus on a regular basis, and it was present in 17% of American households.
I've always loved chick peas but they tend to, well let's just say I need to be outdoors the next day!  But hey they're good for you, that's all that matters right!  Put em in a salad, or a soup, or maybe in a vegetable stew or just eat them out of the can by the handful.  Get all fancy and make some Middle Eastern dish with the legume chick pea as the center piece!  Put them on skewers and roast them, just kidding, I was seeing how far you would go!  Heck why not make a big ol batch of Hummus!  It's a great snack and can be used in a whole bunch of ways, in a Pita sandwich or as a dip as shown above, I made that doesn't it look pretty?  Jump on over to the recipe page and check out the recipe for the Hummus shown above in the soups and side dishes as well as my Roasted Red Pepper and Hummus Pita sandwich recipe in the Main dish category.  Make it, eat it, comments, cheers or jeers are always welcome!  Get off your duff and cook! Ciao!

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Construction Zone!!!

 
Well Folks, I've had the old hard hat on, broken out the shovel and hammer and have been working on the design of my blog.  I will continue to work to get it better so bear with me!  I have redesigned the recipe section into four areas each with a link to the recipes associated with that course!  I was having capacity issues and this is working a lot better!  Jump in and comment, this whole blog design has been quite the adventure... see ya down the road...   The Road Goes On Forever!

Folk's, Lettuce Wrap Ourselves Around The Ground Breast Of The Noble Bird, Turkey!

 
Well, did you know the turkey is a large bird in the Meleagris genus, which is native to the Americas. One species, Meleagris gallopavo (commonly known as the Wild Turkey), is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species. The other living species is Meleagris ocellata or the Ocellated Turkey, native to the forests of the Yucatán Peninsula.[1] Males of both turkey species have a distinctive fleshy wattle or protuberance that hangs from the top of the beak (called a snood). They are among the largest birds in their ranges. As in many galliformes, the male (tom or gobbler) is larger and much more colorful than the female (hen). A baby turkey is known as a poult. 
And did you know the Romans referred to lettuce as lactuca (lac meaning milk in Latin), an allusion to the white substance, now called latex, exuded by cut stems.[9] This word has become the genus name, while sativa (meaning "sown" or "cultivated") was added to create the species name.[10] The current word lettuce, originally from Middle English, came from the Old French letues or laitues, which derived from the Roman name.[11] The name romaine came from that type's use in the Roman papal gardens, while cos, another term for romaine lettuce, came from the earliest European seeds of the type from the Greek island of Cos, a center of lettuce farming in the Byzantine period.[12]
 

Bring these two together and throw in some extra magic like Sriracha, pine nuts, onion, garlic, parsley, and Serrano peppers.  Add some soy sauce mixed with toasted sesame oil and by crickety you have yourself a handful of deliciousness that will make your eyes twinkle, your mouth water and shout Amen to the health gods!  Can I get an Amen?  When I'm on the road and trying to watch my girlish figure, these are often a go to meal.  After all there are only so many styles of elastic waist pants to select from right!  So hop on over to my recipe section for this scrumpdillyicious bite of heaven that will keep you slim and trim enough that folks will think you're a Hollywood star!

 

 
 
 




Wednesday, April 2, 2014

One Night At Cooking Class....




So, last night my lovely bride and I accompanied by two friends took a cooking class at our local high end grocery store.  That's me on the right, I know I can see the resemblance to the Swedish Chef, uncanny wouldn't you say!  The class was a birthday gift from my darling children, yes they can surprise me occasionally!  We prepared a "Casual Italian Meal".

  All I can say is I felt sorry for the young lady in charge of our group!  Now mind you she is a culinary school graduate and works as a line cook in a restaurant in Dallas.  Me I'm just an old dude who loves to cook!  We each had a part to do in preparing a dish, well the instructor in me felt it necessary to "assist" some of the newbies in techniques and tips!  I bet that surprises anybody who knows me!  I have great knife skills and know these ingredients well, we had made Veal Marsala two nights earlier and boy was it delicioso I'd even go so far as to say better than their method!  I sometimes think people cook too technically ahem, our classic trained instructor, and don't just go with the flow!  It must stem from working in those kitchen line conditions.  But I joked frequently and kept the class lively, my wife says I was being juvenile but hey in my mind I'm a 16 year old kid!  She was all business sautéing that spinach and wilting it down!  But I got all serious and a little competitive when we started making crepes for the Spinache Crespelli!  Bring it on!



 When she was showing someone how to make a béchamel sauce, I've done it many,  many times by the way, the instructor got sidetracked and it burnt!  She got a little discombobulated and I stepped in and got to work making a new batch! I saved the entire evening and meal for everyone in attendance, well in my mind I did!  We ended up with a Pear Frangipane Tart, all I can say is wow!  I would spread that Frangipane Almond Frangiopane on anything, my pillow, my entire body and love every minute of it, it was that good!   The bottom line with this new experience is, get out there, cook, enjoy and have fun, put on some Marvin Gaye, Let's get it on, and dance with your partner!  I'm making crepes this weekend to swoon my lady!  They don't call me Chef Chizzle for nuttin'  Ciao Baby!  I leave you with this.. Fun Cooking

Monday, March 31, 2014

Ah Say Ah Say Did You Say Chicken?


The illustrious yard bird, the chattering hen, the flightless fowl of deliciousness.... the chicken!  Now, if you are like most folks you consume your fair share of the tasty hen.  But did you know, that chicken is expected to rise in demand worldwide in both developed and developing nations. Chicken also happens to be the most efficient converter of input (feed) to output (meat and eggs), and is therefore cheaper at the market than pork or beef. These are some of the reasons chicken is expected to continue rising in demand. And, throughout the world, an estimated 130 million chickens are consumed each day. This includes chickens sold in restaurants and fast food establishments, as well as those purchased for home consumption. Billions of chickens are consumed throughout the year.  We have gotten to where we eat so much chicken, I'm surprised we don't have feathers on our legs!  I for one know it can get a little tedious preparing those juicy thighs and moist breasts, nothing is worse than a dried up breast or thigh!  So, I've added three recipes here that I make, that will once again make you salivate like a teenager dreaming about the next issue of Cluck and Wing! " Ah say son, get to cookin' yo botherin' me"  FogHorn LegHorn ESQ.   Try them, comment on them, change them up some and post the results.  What are you waiting for?

Monday, March 17, 2014

Musings of a Road Warrior!

I am hitting the road again today and after twenty plus years of travelling if someone says "It never gets old", they are flat out lying!  I try to post as frequently as possible and use photo's of the meals I'm cooking at the time, but alas this week will be filled with lunchtime take out sandwiches, hotel dinners or the occasional restaurant!  Now mind you I do pack necessities for those late night snacks while channel surfing...
Now I know what you're thinking, "Dude how can you eat those things?"  Well I'll tell you, if you can stuff mechanically separated chicken into a tube form, dredge it in a chipotle hot sauce and make it scream my name, well darlin' I'm putting it on a Ritz cracker and praising Jesus for your ingenuity!
 
So here's to all my road warrior friends, a toast to you on this Saint Patrick's Day!  I'll post some recipes and photos from past dinners at Casa de Ogle to keep up and entertain with stories from the road! Remember always keep your head out of the bag and watch out for rattlesnakes!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

The Three Faces Of Roux!

Ok, I posted my thoughts on a gumbo and the tradition behind that lascivious concoction derived in the bayou's of Louisiana.  Now whatever your choice, sausage and chicken, game meat, seafood or vegetable (don't trust anyone who offers a vegetarian gumbo), it all starts with the roux!  To make a good roux is to master the basics for any gravy or sauce that is thickened.  Think béchamel one of the 5 mother sauces.   If you can make gravy, another topic, you can make a mighty tasty roux for gumbo, it's basically two ingredients, a fat and flour.  In my gumbo roux I roll big time, I use rendered lard!  That's right I said it LARD!  That pigalicious rendering that will make a grown man cry!  I'm making gumbo to freeze so I'm making a large pot of gumbo.  Here is the recipe for the roux:  1 Cup Lard and 1 and 1/3rd cup flour...that's it... that's simplicity and that is what cooking should be... simple!  In a large pot, I use a large ceramic coated cast iron pot ( the Friggin' Bomb ), melt the lard once melted add the flour.  Now to get that roux to a gumbo color it takes a while.  When I say a while I mean 35-40 minutes of stirring over medium heat!  That is constant attention, no slacking!  There are three stages to a roux, blonde....
 
The Blonde is a base you can use for sausage gravy, béchamel and add parmesan, it works well and is the sauce for my lasagna recipe!  Then we continue to work our love machine and stir until we reach the peanut butter stage...
The Peanut Butter stage, takes about 20 minutes, you start to smell the nutty aroma of the flour as it cooks, you have to stir constantly, no lie, but in the end it pays dividends big time!  Keep stirring, keep cooking until you reach the Chocolate stage:
35-40 minute of constant stirring gets you to this luscious stage!  You really have to stir constantly because if you burn it, oh well order out!  Love Baby Love... work it! It pays off I promise! Now to get the rest of the recipe check out the recipe page!  This will change your world, I promise... ;-)~

 

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Louisiana Style Cajun Chili... AKA GUMBO!


Generally speaking, a gumbo is a thick, dark soup containing a mixture of rice, vegetables, and meat or seafood. Gumbo is often cited as an example of the melting-pot nature of Louisiana cooking, but trying to sort out the origins and evolution of the dish is highly speculative. The name derives from a West African word for okra, suggesting that gumbo was originally made with okra.  Dr. Carl A. Brasseaux, of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, who has written the definitive history of the Cajuns, found that the first documented references to gumbo appeared around the turn of the 19th century. In 1803, gumbo was served at a gubernatorial reception in New Orleans, and in 1804 gumbo was served at a Cajun gathering on the Acadian Coast.  With Gumbo there are just two hard and fast rules:  a gumbo must always contain rice, and it must always be thickened with something.  Most gumbos are, in fact, double-thickened - first with a dark, oil-based roux, and then using either okra or filé powder, but never both (to connoisseurs, this as uncouth a practice as blending a Bordeaux with a Riesling).  Roux, there are raging controversies over what constitutes a proper gumbo roux. Roux, of course, is flour that has been browned in oil or some other fat. Both cooks and eaters have their own opinions on how dark the roux should be and how much should be used in a gumbo. There is no agreement on these matters, as anyone who has tasted gumbos from different cooks can attest.   Don't know what filet powder is?   Here's a link to splain Lucy!  Filet Powder
So that, to quote Paul Harvey’s so eloquently coined phrase is the rest of the story!  I’m going to step you through the Roux and my chicken and sausage gumbo.  It is a time consuming process that luscious lady roux but, will be the base of  the gumbo that will jump up and kiss your mouth so hard you’ll squeal like a suckling pig at a barbeque!  Come on let’s take this ride!  I’ll post the recipe in the proper section shortly!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Brassica Oleracea Gemmefera !




Brussels sprouts, or Brassica oleracea gemmifera, are related to other better-known vegetables in the Brassica genus like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. They are part of the cruciferae or mustard family, so known because of a four-part flower in the shape of a cross.
Sprouts were believed to have been cultivated in Italy in Roman times, and possibly as early as the 1200s in Belgium. The modern Brussels sprout that we are familiar with was first cultivated in large quantities in Belgium (hence the name "Brussels" sprouts) as early as 1587, with their introduction into the U.S. in the 1800s.
Brussels sprouts are a very good source of many essential vitamins, fiber, and folate. They are especially high in Vitamin C. They, along with their other cruciferous cousins, have been shown to have some very beneficial effects against certain types of cancer, as they contain many different ingredients that are believed to help prevent the disease.
That being said... How many faces just went EWWWWW?  Remember as kids when our mothers would get adventurous and try to get us to eat something healthy?   Remember when the vegetable of the  dinner meal was the much maligned Brussels sprout?  Remember the over boiled mushy mess that disintegrated in your mouth like a snail under salt?  WHAT was she thinking????  I'm gonna show you a way to cook these precious sprouts that will make you reach back and slap yo mama!  No offense mom!  This involves roasting them in the oven with simple ingredients, olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of balsamic vinegar!  I'll post a recipe in a few minutes.  I've been out of town, but will get right back to my blogger duties, promise!  I promise once you try this recipe, you will be it's biggest fan! 
    UPDATE: Recipe is up in the appropriate section!  Please return your seatbacks the upright and locked position!  That is all.

 
 
 


Friday, March 7, 2014

Mama Says "Eat Your Spinach Baby!"

I just love spinach!  Fresh, creamed, wilted, baked in a casserole, whatever.  It's good for you and is a really easy way to turn a good meal into a great meal!  I posted a new creamed spinach recipe in the recipe's section.  Check it out!  ENJOY...

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Musings of a Pastafarian...

OK, I'll be the first to admit it... I'm a pasta snob, a pasta elitist, a pasta junkie!  I didn't used to be that way it just kind of took over and grabbed me hard!  It all started with those boxes of dried pasta, the original gateway pasta.  I then progressed to those fancy designer pasta's and found I was getting further and further away from my closest friends and family who still clung to the old boxed versions.  Then... I went to Italy, the very epicenter of my pasta junkie dependencies.  I still remember the first meal in a little cozy café off the beaten path.  I had prepared for months.  I had practiced my Italian, brushed up on all the culinary combinations of the glorious strands and sheets!  Stuffed, filled, rolled, white sauces, red sauces, baked pasta I craved and wanted it all!  That first dish, spaghetti carbonara, Oh My!  It wasn't what I expected, it was more... much more, It was creamy, velvety, perfect al dente!  Halfway through I was a silent obsessive mess, the crispy prosciutto, luscious noodles, the perfect parmesan with the silky egg mixture coating the noodles... my brain was releasing dopamine's like Niagara Falls.  We spent 7 days and nights feeding my habit and now... well I am who I am.  I have become a maker of pasta, there I said it, I make my own pasta.  I no longer have to wander the streets for the perfect pasta.  I control my own pasta addiction! 

You to can make your own pasta and once you do well, you will know where I am in my addiction and have the ability to feed yours at will.  First, you will need to invest in a pasta maker.  I have a table top, hand crank version an Imperia... Here is a link you might check out ..
Imperia Pasta Maker  

This is what mine looks like:  In the box...
 
Out if the box, all the pieces...
And what it looks like on the counter assembled...
Now, I generally don't use the attachment because I find it easier and faster to cut the noodles by hand.  I will post a recipe for pasta, maybe even a video showing just how simple it is to become a pasta king or queen!  Look for it soon...  Go ahead give it a try feed your desire...  Ciao!
 
 


Monday, March 3, 2014

A Tale Of Two Chili's



It was the best of reds and it was the worst of reds... There is a fierce debate among chili heads about whether beans belong in "real" chili.  I for one like both but feel that a real Texas Red Chili should be a NO BEAN chili, Period!  I like to use whole dried chili's of various heat and types.  I usually combine a hot with a smoky with a mild in my recipe.  I hydrate them and use the liquid paste for the chili flavoring and use chili powder just as a boost to the flavor and heat.  Dried chili's are easy to find in the grocery store, generally in the produce section or in the ethnic or spice aisles.  Once you use them you will find they have a much better flavor than just powdered spice.  It's a smoother creamier texture in the chili.  I'll post My Texas Red recipe in the recipe page.  Nothing better on a cold late winter afternoon! Take a look and if you want a good resource on dried chili's check out this link....   http://www.foodsubs.com/Chiledry.html

Sunday, March 2, 2014

For The Beginner...

I've created a page for all those folks who say they can't cook!!  I call BS on that and say you just gotta get started!  The page Kitchen Essentials will help you wade through the tools you will need to get off to a good start.  This is the start of a series where I will walk you through the steps it takes to create a good meal for your family and friends.  I'm just getting started folks.. let's get this pony rolling!

Friday, February 28, 2014

Welcome!!

Welcome to my latest adventure in blogging!  I love to cook and have many good things to share.  People are always asking me how to cook this or that so I thought I would share what I have learned so they can enjoy cooking and eating as much as I do!  If you'll bear with me while I figure this blogging thing out, I think we will have some fun!  So here we go....