Luke baked a whole chicken propped over a can of beer for dinner tonight.  He used a sweet onion to block the hole by the head and rubbed a mixture of robust and savory spices on the skin (which I try to avoid).  The chicken turned out so moist that the breast tore off like fresh mozzarella. This is only my second time trying chicken this way (my dad used the chicken wrack with a coke on the grill), but it seems to leave the meat undercooked around the bone.  Maybe baking it for a full two hours is key (we are going to try root beer next time).  Good job Luke!

Catching up

Wow it has been awhile since I have written on here.  I have been so busy with everything else that I have put my love for cooking on the back burner so to speak, and have been resorting to manually adding favorite toppings to frozen pizzas.
 I did, however have the pleasure of eating some amazing cream of mushroom soup this weekend.  I was up north in Hayward, WI and stopped in for a beer at a quaint little place called the "Angry Minnow."  I asked for a cup of soup and a tap beer and was surprisingly delighted by the smooth robust flavors of the dark brew and the buttery richness of the brothy cream soup paired with dime sized chunks of portobello mushrooms.  I would recommend stopping in if you find yourself in Northern Wisconsin.

Valentines Day should be tasty this year!  We purchased two meaty cuts of t-bone for the grill and some arm length king crab legs; pair this with some baked potatoes, and a bottle of  pinot grigio.  I think we have a winner dinner!

So my little hot dog idea (which is awesome for most people) acquainted  me with a long forgotten memory.  I HATE hot dogs.  I forced myself to eat beyond my comfort level as I began to pine over all the ingredients I had just purchased, (beef hot dogs literally make me gag...woops), shopping up each isle (hmmmm do I already have some Gray Poupon)? Hoofing them home (last time I nearly broke my hip when the seams of my brown bag ripped open pouring my eggs from the gaping hole, causing me slip across the ice like a new born giraffe), cooking time (fresh dressings, bacon fried crisp, sloppy Joe for your bacon fried frank?).  The first three bites into my sculpture of  frankfurter food were heavenly...until...ahgg..I began to shove the over-sized  hoagie stuffed with floor meat and fat, mayo flavored with pickles and garlic, ketchup, and mustard against my bull headed teeth, fighting to save the tongue and belly from the irritation it would later cause (I am having hot sweats from the flashbacks).   Finally three bites from the end my brain, mouth, and belly aligned.  I set the dog down and walked away.  I HATE hot dogs!

How about that hot dog?  What better to serve on  Super bowl Sunday than one of football fans most beloved staples, the good old frank?  After watching yet another delicious episode of Man vs Food I think the best approach is to bring everything up to the table..including the kitchen sink.  The more weird the assortment of ingredients, the more your hungry house full of  foot ball watching friends can be creative.  I think I am going to walk up and down each isle and just pick a random ingredient to see what works of frankfurter art pile up.  Here is my delicious five bite salute to the game.

GO SAINTS!!

Chicken-IN-the-biscuit.  I had some left over chicken from making chicken mushroom and brown rice soup as well as buttermilk so I  made some buttermilk biscuits with (this is really decadent) buttermilk gravy.  I used chicken broth to make my gravy and then added the cold buttermilk in the end.  It incorporated surprisingly well and complimented the buttermilk chicken biscuits.  I will try this recipe again.

I haven't been to a lot of places outside of the United States, but can the people that have traveled extensively abroad compile a hearty list of places they have seen, in their own country?  Can they say they have overlooked the splitting Earth at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or stayed up all night while camping in the mountains, paranoid about mountain lions; have these people tasted the salt of California's cold sea, or the burning spice of a shrimp creole in the back alley somewhere in Louisiana?  Regardless of who has been where, for now I can just live vicariously.  I was sad to see, what I considered, a flagship amongst a shining sea of food magazines, "Gourmet" go out of business.  I used to resource the recipes printed across their pages when I was looking for an "exotic" fix.
Yes, sure, it is nearly impossible to locate a plate of sushi (especially were I live) that compares to the fresh cuts one can find in Japan....the freshness...the price, but it is here.  Being from America has some enormous perks.  We are all different!  Different cultures, religions, ideas, and my favorite..family home cooking.   Food show hosts, such as Andrew Zimmerman, Anthony Bourdain, and Adam Richman, just to name a few, are happy to point out....good food can be found, we just have to look around.