Classy Program

Chargrilled Swordfish

2011-06-28T11:45:00.004-05:00

Sandy d'Amato has a weekly column in the local paper called Kitchen Technician. It is read every week but sometimes it is ignored. Which means that at the moment his output does not appeal to me. The recipe on May 27 was a particularly intriguing one since I have tried many times to get a consistently moist outcome. This recipe not only accomplishes that but also gives it wonderful flavor with

Rauchbier

2011-04-03T13:10:00.001-05:00

Not a big fan of dark ales such as Porter and Stout. They seem to be too heavy for my palate. And in the past several years I have been focusing my attention, as far as beer making is concerned, on lagers. Lighter, some a bit hoppy. Also needed some way to maintain fermentation temps in the 50's. Temperature science was solved for me by filching my mothers upright freezer. Mentioned it in a blog

March Madness

2011-03-13T17:27:00.002-05:00

March Madness certainly brings thoughts of basketball, hoops, round ball or whatever other name can be given to the games in March. Heretofore, the length of the tournament certainly was mind numbing with 64 teams playing over three weekends in March. This year four additional teams are being added. Let's hope that the NCAA does not duplicate their efforts in football. Not many want to watch a

POA and Social Security

2011-02-09T15:56:00.000-06:00

My Mother-in-law died January 25.A sad day, indeed. She was about to be 93. Unexpected, nope. Dementia was her commander the last several years of her life. She will be sorely missed by her daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and many cousins and friends. She lived a long life, mainly in Wetumpka, AL. About 20 miles north of Montgomery. Wetumpka is another story. Eula M Dickson's - Gam as we

Deployment of VS 2008 With a Setup Project

2010-11-22T18:07:00.001-06:00

Developed a program sometime ago to track Brisket, Pulled Pork, Ribs & . . . joints. Thought it was ready to go but it lacked an icon. So I spent the last couple of days trying to not only add an icon but also understanding the Setup Wizard in VS 2008. Thought that I exhausted all possibilities to find the way to deploy my little app by Googling just about every angle. Or so it seemed. Here is

Smokin'

2010-10-29T09:51:00.000-05:00

Been smokin' ribs, chickens, turkeys, briskets and all kinds of meats for several years. Recently I added an indoor cooker/smoker. Smoked/cooked a couple of Cornish hens and some chicken quarters. Used apple chips indoors. The aroma and taste of the poultry is something to behold, er taste. Outstanding! Many years ago after The Ohio State University and I could not determine what they wanted me

Online Choices For Paying

2010-04-28T07:58:00.000-05:00

Recently, I read an article by the author of The Haggler, David Segal, about PayPal's 'annoying demand to be "verified" by handing over their bank account information'. I ran into the same situation when I started using PayPal for customers buying my software program My Class Reunion. I thought it was a requirement so I signed up. The more I read and thought about that situation, it became

Stand By Me

2010-04-25T13:36:00.001-05:00

This past year my son-in-law alerted me to some sound engineering that might interest me. He gave me a link. From the beginning I was hooked. Roger Ridley starts out in Santa Monica followed by Grandpa Elliott in New Orleans. Next we hear the incredible voice of Clarence Bekker in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 35 artists/muscians participated in the amazing audio/video. I hope you have somebody

This Ain't Your Mothers Meatloaf

2010-04-24T17:35:00.001-05:00

Mom thought that her meatloaf was pretty good. By whose standards, only she can answer. Hamburger, salt and pepper, crushed crackers, eggs and ketchup were about the only ingredients. But then, I'm sure Mom had no patent on that recipe. And in SE Wisconsin in winter there was a use for the hockey pucks that were dropped onto our plates. Ever since then I have avoided any kind of meatloaf. Even

Puffy Pancakes?

2010-03-04T15:58:00.006-06:00

Recently I came across a magazine insert called Relish published by relishmag.com. One of the recipes called itself Jill's Puffy Pancakes which had about a half dozen ingredients. But there were no leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda. Maybe these ingredients will make a puffy enuf pancake for Jill but me, I need something to generate the carbon dioxide to give the flour et. al.

Rose Bowl 2010

2010-01-02T06:38:00.029-06:00

Been a concern for sometime about the Big Ten's ability to keep up with the spread offenses of the Southeast, Southwest and Pac Ten conferences. The Buckeyes certainly have been outclassed in the past three bowl games by this type of offense. Seems the pattern continued with USC at the beginning of the season although USC won by only 3 three points.Too early to tell since league play started

27 - Start Spreading the News

2009-11-07T09:57:00.010-06:00

Joe Girardi choose this number for his jersey as he hoped it would lead to Yankees 27th world series title. Girardi, an academic all American at Northwestern, is a man who believes that what needs to be done can be done. However, the first part of this years baseball season (before the all-star game) was less than spectacular. After the all-star is another story. Steady Jeter, Posada and Matsui

Stuffed Pork Tenderloins

2009-11-07T05:06:00.012-06:00

Have been using a couple of recipes from Pierre Franey for pork tenderloins. One uses cream and capers, the other shallots, rosemary with a white wine sauce. Recently discovered stuffed pork tenderloin while watching Jacques Pépin. It is a wonderful addition to my repertoire. Pépin uses a 1½# tenderloin which at times can be difficult to find. If you use a smaller one, use less filling.

2009-10-11T14:27:00.016-05:00

Wisconsin 13, (9) Ohio State 31 The Buckeye offense had way too much rest in yesterday's win over the hapless Badgers of Wisconsin. The match ups showed Wisconsin with a strong offensive front line weighing in at somewhere around an average of 250 pounds per lineman. They allowed only 2 sacks in their previous five games. But, Wisconsin QB Tolzien also threw two pick 6's which helped make them

Brisket, Pulled Pork and Ribs

2009-08-23T11:40:00.036-05:00

Been a long time user of BBQ and in the last several years have included brisket, Texas style. Lockhart, Tx to be specific. Norman in Houston, an age old friend, insisted that although pork ribs were ok, Texas brisket was unparalleled.Had to try 'his' brisket. So, on one of many trips to Houston for business meetings we journey on a Saturday to Lockhart, about 35 miles South of Austin. Might as

A Long Time

2008-10-18T15:04:00.001-05:00

After a drought because of ennui, health issues and reminiscing over the Buckeyes' performance in their last three National Championships, it seems that there is toooooo much to talk about to ignore. So, where to start.......?Yesterday, while returning from a class at a local tech school, I got a call concerning My Class Reunion.exe, my database management program for class reunions. After

Big Ten Champs, Again

2007-11-17T14:31:00.003-06:00

Ohio State 14 Michigan 3Jim Tressel and The Ohio State Buckeyes continue their domination of the lowly wolverines. Since taking over the head coaching reins at Ohio State, Tressel is 6-1. The Michigan graduating seniors have not beaten the Buckeyes in their four years of playing for Michigan. The vaunted Buckeye defense gave up only 89 total yards. Mike Hart was held to 42 yards while Mario

Baked Mostaccioli and Meatballs

2007-03-31T13:26:00.007-05:00

Christopher Kimball has done a good job with his 'Inside America's Test Kitchen'. Anyone who would roast 30 to 40 chickens to get it 'just right' has to be passsionate about the job. And good for us. We benefit from all of this because we can go right to the end result without all the agony. Thank you, Christopher.I have my own test kitchen phenom in Sanford d'Amato, owner and chef at Sanford's

Still Alive

2007-03-23T09:02:00.000-05:00

Seems to be a repeating pattern with the Buckeyes this sports season. Ranked #1 for most of it and then . . . Let's hope the hoopster Buckeyes complete the task. To date, though, they have made my life a little tooooo frenetic.Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to close your eyes because they did not want you to peak too soon for the impending treat that you were sure was

Need Anything Else Be Said

2007-01-12T08:37:00.000-06:00

Buckeyes 42 Wolverines 39

2006-11-19T09:16:00.000-06:00

39 1st2nd3rd4th #2 MICH (11-1) 7 7 10 15 39 #1 OSU (12-0) 7 21 7 7 42 November 18, 2006 - Ohio Stadium

Peanut Butter

2006-10-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

Jif, Captain Crunch and Skippy...the three mainstays of peanut butter in my growing up years. All creamy. Not crunchy. If I wanted crunchy peanuts, I would eat them out of the shell. Peanut butter and jelly. On Wonder Bread. Couldn't get much better. With the exception of maybe dippin' a piece of celery or carrot directly into the peanut butter jar. And in the absence of dippin' sticks, I could

Summer Salads

2006-09-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Maybe potato salad oughta be a year round salad not just for summer. Salad Nicoise is French potato salad, perfect for summer with it's oil/vinegar based dressing instead of mayonnaise. The name itself, Salad Nicoise, sounds like it might take time to prepare, not a plus in summer. In reality, it is nothing more than the dressing - with tuna, green beans, olives and egg wedges....and the

The Ohio State University

2006-09-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

The Ohio State University 24UT at Austin 7I've been a Buckeye since birth in Ohio... went to school in Columbus, twice. During my earlier years Woody Hayes won a couple of Big Ten titles and some national stuff. Then in the late 70's he seemed to outgrow his clothes...slapped a player during a game...bye-bye, Woody.After that, football at The University of Ohio was a sometime thing for many

Stuffed Pasta Shells

2006-07-16T18:00:00.006-05:00

I keep watching Sandy d'Amato's 'Kitchen Technician' column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sunday edition. He consistently comes up some relatively easy to make winners. His latest that we tried last night, Stuffed Pasta Shells, is another one. The tomato sauce is nicely flavored by sauteéing a couple of Italian sausages in oil and then baking the sauce with the sausages. Sandy removes the

Vinyl Restoration

2006-03-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

About 6 months ago I wrote about record restoration and trying to correct alot of youthful indiscretions of abuse on vinyl recordings. Well, the learning curve has been a steep one. Thought I had restored about two dozen or so. But was frustrated with an album a friend wanted me to restore.Put it aside for a couple of months and returned to the challenge at the beginning of the year. Not a New

Cacciatore

2006-03-02T17:00:00.002-06:00

Some time ago I wrote about Italian chef Marcella Hasan's recipe for cacciatore. It is a wonderful dish that can be made in about 1 - 1½ hours. I use it regularly....that is, until I rediscovered a recipe by Sandy d' Amato, Milwaukees' James Beard award winner.Sandy published his cacciatore about two years ago and I had clipped the article from the Journal Sentinel where it first appeared. Doin'

30-Minute Meal?

2006-03-01T10:16:00.000-06:00

FoodTV's Rachael Ray seems to have cornered the 30 minute meals TV crowd. But she doesn't have a monopoly on the art of preparing good food in a short time frame.Gourmet magazine has a section in their magazine called 'Quick Kitchen'. The February issue offers a sautée/grilled chicken breast ala Morocco with a lemon couscous. The recipe is easy to do and the results are very good.A couple of

Minestrone

2006-01-28T11:00:00.001-06:00

As noted in earlier jottings, one of my honey's kitchen things is making soup - comfort food - during the frosty months. Of course, it has to be good for you. So, my first pick is minestrone laden with fresh veggies in home made chicken stock. When we married in the 70's, I brought to the table my collection of cookbooks, including the Time/Life books published in the '60's called Foods of The

Soups

2006-01-14T08:55:00.000-06:00

Starting early December my sweetie begins to talk about comfort foods such as soups. She makes some pretty fine soups, too. Unfortunately, her presence in the kitchen making soups is sooooo seasonal. Soups like minestrone and borscht need to be enjoyed more than once a year.She also has a hankerin' for chili. Her kind of chili. Beans and hamburger in a watery mess has never been something that I

Beef Stew

2005-11-20T20:30:00.004-06:00

Woke last week to 11°. Fahrenheit, Celsius...... doesn't matter....Seemed a good time to make one of my favorite cold weather meals, boeuf bourguignon. It's similar to our beef stew, but with the addition of some burgundy wine, thus the name beef burgundy. There are as many variations to this dish as there are cooks/chefs. I like the one put together by two of the best, Julia Childs and Jacques

Butterscotch

2005-10-23T16:15:00.002-05:00

Pop loved all things butterscotch. He would splash, actually paste, some butterscotch sauce on anything that he thought called for a flavor boost... sometimes even if I thought the flavor could not be improved. I've been experimenting with butterscotch for the past several weeks to find out why he thought this brown sugar treat was so delectable. Searched the web for some recipes...there are

Neiman-Marcus Cookies

2005-09-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

I received an email about a public relations snafu at Nieman-Marcus. A lady and her daughter were lunching there and ordered the famous Nieman-Marcus Cookie for dessert. Mama found it to be of the usual high Nieman-Marcus standards and asked if she could get the recipe. The waitress declined to give it but would sell it to her for two-fifty. The amount was added to the luncheon bill.When viewing

Grillin'

2005-09-01T16:20:00.001-05:00

Back in the 90's I worked in Asia, mostly a few months each year in Hong Kong and southern China. No where have I had food as fresh as I did there.... the fish swims in a tank until you pick it out, then is prepared your favorite way. And the flavors of the foods I remember to this day. So, when I come across a recipe like this one that combines Asian flavors with grillin', I try it.Butterflied

More Seasonal pies

2005-08-06T01:45:00.000-05:00

Picking up where I left off - on the joys of seasonal cooking: It's blueberry season so I made a blueberry pie - the filling from Rose Levy Beranbaum's book. My own crust, of course. This adaptation is one of the best, simply because only a portion of the filling is cooked, then added to the remaining berries.... keeps the filling from becoming mush. And as the plastic container advertises: this

Seasonal Cooking

2005-08-01T16:30:00.001-05:00

Summer cooking takes advantage of the wide array of garden fruits and veggies. Fruit pies have become my favorite in the past few years.....mainly because of the ease of making a consistent pie crust.Seems that every cookbook has its own version of a pie crust. Browsing the recent Cook's Illustrated, I find they've come up with another version of the quintessential pie crust.There is little

House Chores

2005-07-20T14:45:00.000-05:00

Things have been pretty hectic around here for the past several weeks. Started a project to insulate a part of the back entry that the contractors negliently overlooked many years ago. The temperature soared here in the tundra so my work days were cut back to 3 hours or so.Also, over the many years I have collected about 350 vinyl 33 rpm assorted jazz/vocals. Unfortunately, in my youth I abused

Banana Cream Pie

2005-06-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

Is there a better way to get one's daily supply of potassium than through a big helping of banana cream pie? Maybe, but why deprive yourself of the pleasure of this one? My wife's art colleague calls it the banana cream pie diet.The first recipe I tried was from the Joy of Cooking, circa mid 20th century. It was simple enough but the filling was too thin and the pie ran when at room temperature.

Frittatas

2005-06-17T18:45:00.000-05:00

Frittatas are the Italian version of an omelette. Or it could be my sister-in-law's version: the add whatever's-in-the -fridge to the eggbeaters recipe. I thought there had to be a better way to make this seemingly simple Italian dish and at the same time trying to keep it on the level of an omelette.About a year ago, Sandy D'Amato of Sandford's Restaurant in Milwaukee, wrote about a trip he had

New York Style Cheesecake

2005-06-13T03:00:00.003-05:00

Stick-to the-roof-of-your-mouth-capabilities: that's New York Style Cheesecake . It is pure, unadulterated cheesecake with no fancy ingredients added either to the cheesecake or placed on top of it. It's made with pure cream cheese, cream, eggs, and sugar, writes Linda Stradley at her web site What's Cooking America.I was first introduced to Turf's cheesecake when they were shipping from 85th

Salad Dressings

2005-06-08T17:30:00.000-05:00

Salad Dressing. One of the easiest items of a meal to prepare yet one of the most overlooked. Many cooks spend hours in the kitchen preparing one of their best meals.... and then serve the salad with supermarket dressing.Whether you're prepping for a 30 min. meal, ala Food TV's Rachel Ray, or for the spread that takes several hours to prepare, an outstanding salad dressing takes only

Rhubarb Pie

2005-06-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

Spring in the tundra (sorta north of Milwaukee, WI) means almost 70 degrees and rhubarb in the garden...even in the grocery stores. Rhubarb is generally eaten as a fruit but it is technically a vegetable (a member of the buckwheat family actually). The only edible portion of the plant are the thick celery-like stalks which can reach up to two feet long.Mom used to make an excellent rhubarb pie...

Incomplete Reporting

2005-05-31T10:45:00.000-05:00

Being a tennis fan, I was watching Tommy Robredo and Marat Safin match yesterday and viewed some outstanding shots made by both players. I was particularly impressed how Safin seemed to have his demons under control. At least as of late.However, about midway through the match, up jumped the devil. Safin was not playing particularly well at the moment, tossed his racket a couple of times and was

Lemon Meringue Pie

2005-05-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

My sweetie loves things lemon. Lemon chicken, lemon and almond tart and now a new addition, Lemon Meringue Pie. Alton Brown of FoodTV recently made a lemon meringue pie.... my first attempt at making the crust and filling with his recipe were not satisfactory....a soggy crust and a soupy center.First, let me recap the crust. Alton uses a combination of butter and lard. He also refrigerates the

Grilled Chicken

2005-05-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Spring temperature edged briefly above 70° this past week and there was a mighty rush for outdoors, esp. grilling outdoors. After a loooong winter, the storm windows come off and I turned on the gas and fired up barbie.Today's offering is about as easy as can be for the dining table: grilled chicken rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.First, butterfly the chicken by removing

Lemon and Almond Tart

2005-04-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

A lemon tart - isn't that redundant? It might be but this one with an almond flavored pastry has just the right balance of tart and sweetness. I came across this recipe about 20 years ago in Cook's Magazine. Significant changes have been made to the crust but not to the filling.The original pastry called for almond paste which was hard to find at that time. I substitute Orgeat syrup, available at

Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables

2005-04-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

A roast chicken with a crisp, seasoned skin takes little time and effort to prepare and the outcome is a wonderfully delicious all-in-one-pot meal. Peel some root vegetables and roast for 1½ hours.Lots of recipes for a roasted chicken leave the final product with a so-so appearance and not so appetizing skin. The kind of skin that you want to remove. I like to roast my chickens at temperatures

Steak au Poivre

2005-04-04T23:00:00.000-05:00

We have been enjoying steak au poivre, a French version of steak with peppercorns, for many years. However, in the beginning many years ago in Atlanta, my consistency of producing an outstanding sauce was spotty.Steak au Poivre is a rib eye/shell steak, about 1 1/2" thick. A one pound tenderloin can also be used. Cracked pepper corns are pressed into the meat on both sides, then sauteed in oil

Tuna and Olive Salad

2005-03-29T20:45:00.000-06:00

As a kid I remember my mom's frequent tuna salad. Open can and over load with Kraft Miracle Whip. I've eaten this same recipe countless times in restaurants, or the stuffed tomato variation. Never knew there was another way, that is until I saw Sara Moulton's Tuna and Olive Salad Sandwich on FoodTV/Gourmet. It's tuna salad with tasty zip... and only 1/4 cup of mayo. Click on the title to get

Choucroute Garnie

2005-03-23T23:00:00.005-06:00

Last fall my sweetie was in Bar-Le-Duc, France ( about half way between Paris and Strasbourg). At the home of friends, she dined on choucroute garnie. The cook prepared this one-pot meal of sauerkraut and wursts to spotlite Alsace region foods. A food article in the New York Times a while ago was all about choucroute garnie. RW Apple Jr. wrote "Across the Rhine, Sauerkraut is even Sweeter". He

Boiled Irish Dinner

2005-03-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Typically, every March, we will have a boiled Irish Dinner, corned beef. Braise it for several hours, about 40 minutes per pound, along with wedges of cabbage, carrots and potatoes. To finish the brisket, slather it with a good quality mustard and top that with brown sugar. Roast it in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.However, for the last couple of years I have been buying the brisket and corning

Smoking Meats

2005-03-11T09:45:00.000-06:00

Growing up I remember my folks were often given smoked turkeys for the holidays. Tasty. But I also remember that the meat was dry / very dry....needed lots of mayo. As a cooking adult I have eaten all kinds of smoked products. Fish seems to weather the process best.( I was always told It was "supposed" to be flaky - meaning well cooked... and dry.) A move to southeast Wisconsin in the early 80's

Chicken Fricassee

2005-03-08T08:20:00.000-06:00

Cacciatora or Seville Style. Whether you're in Italy or Spain, here is chicken in a pot. Cacciatora means hunter style in Italian and since there has always been a hunter in nearly every Italian household, every Italian prepares a dish with a claim to that description according to Marcella Hazan.There are only a couple of ingredients separating the two styles. Marcella uses a carrot and celery

Maple-Glazed Pork Roast

2005-03-06T16:00:00.000-06:00

Pork, the other white meat. Pork producers have bread a lean pork product that some processors of are enhancing by injecting it with a water/salt/sodium phosphate solution to season the meat and improve juiciness. I prefer to control the taste of pork so I get it from the local butcher shop or from the supermarket where I know I can get un-enhanced pork.Inside America's Test Kitchen (Cook's

Arroz con Pollo

2005-03-01T08:30:00.001-06:00

Rice with chicken. And saffron. A combination that we enjoy often. I first came upon arroz con pollo through The Art of Spanish Cooking by Betty Wason. Ms. Wason traveled extensively and part of her sojourns took her to Spain. The cookbook contains many easy-to-do recipes that are a joy. The original recipe calls for a small - 2½ pound - chicken cut up, lean ham or Canadian bacon, pimentos and

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2005-02-24T20:00:00.000-06:00

Seems that chocolate choppers are big time favorites. Kind like cherry or apple pie. My sweetie, Mary Ann, used to make nestleé Toll House chippers regularly. For some unknown reason to me she stopped making them. Years ago.Then about two weeks ago I was watching Alton Brown on the Food TV channel. His fanaticism that day focused on none other than chocolate chippers. He spent the entire 30

Planning a Class Reunion?

2005-02-15T17:00:00.000-06:00

So your class reunion's this year.... and you're the person-in-charge of fun and everything else? My Class Reunion.exe does the everything-else part for you. This program tracks and prints reports for it all...... so your reunion gets raves and you get some fun.A friendly user interface with five tabs helps you organize your data. Such as: school last name, married name, address, class year, who

Flan

2005-02-10T17:45:00.000-06:00

Flan as described by 'Food Lover's Companion' is 1. a round pastry tart that can have a sweet or savory filling. 2. A famous Spanish baked custard coated with caramel. One of the yummiest desserts in my stable of recipes is 'the famous Spanish baked custard''.Easy to make and a treat for dessert. Many flan that I have tasted had a coarse, rubbery texture that is not appealing to me. This one by

Pretzels

2005-02-08T15:00:00.000-06:00

Can't have homebrew without the accompanying nibblers. Since I get the Home Brew Digest delivered via email daily, I am the recipient of one mighty fine recipe. Jeff Renner, one of the homebrewers who is also a commercial baker, posted this recipe some time ago. Can't go wrong using a pretzel recipe from a commercial baker who is also a homebrewer. Shortly after reading about the pretzels, I

Satanic Fudge Brownies

2005-02-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

Satanic Fudge Brownies. That is what Caroline Romanski calls her recipe for some of the most decadent chocolate brownies made. 27 ounces of bittersweet chocolate balanced with 20 ounces of sugar and eight ounces of flour. Oh, don't forget the six extra-large eggs.Since we do this only ever so occassionally, jump into it and try some. Easy to make - takes about 20-25 minutes to mix - and

Breaded Meats

2005-02-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

Sometime ago America's Test Kitchen came up with a recipe for a tasty, easy to make chicken breast. Although they use dried Panko bread crumbs, I think a viable alternative is to use fresh crumbs. Jacques Pépin has said repeatedly that by using fresh bread crumbs a much smaller amount of fat is absorbed. Try it both ways and you decide.First, let me share with you a very easy to do recipe I saw

Follow up to Brew Day

2005-01-29T08:45:00.002-06:00

It has been two weeks since I reported to you on brewing a Weiss (wheat beer). In that time the wort (pronounced wert) which is the mashed liquid before fermentation, has been transferred from the fermentor to secondary storage containers. Since I brew 11½ gallons at a time, of which only 10½ gallons are fermented, I use either two five-gallon soda canisters or one 10 gallon canister. These

Lasagna

2005-01-20T01:30:00.016-06:00

Many years ago while living in New York City, I came across a recipe for lasagna that to me was the quintessential lasagna. The recipe by Ed Giobbi was in the NY Times. Ed Giobbi in the 60's was already a well known chef in the area. Perhaps his fame was more widely known than just NYC. I'd never heard of him. Click here to get his recipe.I love this meal. Great flavors, a rich creamy sauce with

Tomato Sauce

2005-01-18T10:45:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for help to organize your upcoming class reunion, check out this classy program. A good tomato sauce is not only easy to make but also serves as a base for other sauces such as marinara which could lead to a mighty fine lasagna. <;) Today, I want to share with you a very basic tomato sauce. It is a good start to pasta with tomato sauce. Both relatively easy to make. A basic

Cherry Pie

2005-01-13T18:00:00.000-06:00

Might as well get a head start on makin' some cherry pies for George's b'day. Although, this one is good year round and 'easy as pie' to make.Let's start with the crust. This one can be made in the food processor or by hand. I prefer to do it by hand because of the greater control of the mixing process. Or, use your favorite recipe for a pie crust.Mix together 2 cups all purpose flour, a pinch of

Brew Day - Weizen

2005-01-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

Today is a brew day for a Bavarian Weizen or a Weiss Bier. According to German Reinheitsgebot or purity law, only four ingredients can be used to brew beer. Water, barley, hops and yeast. Strictly speaking, making beer with only these four ingredients is limiting. Many brewers today use malted barley or wheat and some adjuncts. The purpose of the law was to ensure a minimum quality to the outcome

Pork Chops Charcuterie

2005-01-05T11:35:00.000-06:00

Cooking. It's a passion. Made pork chops charcuterie last night. Takes about 10 minutes for prep time and less than 30 minutes from start to finish. In fact, the time on this recipe might give Rachael Ray (FoodTV channel) a run for her money on a 30 minute meal. Most important is the result. . . good food.The recipe for 6 can be made for any number. If you reduce the number do not change the

Black-eye peas and ham hocks

2005-01-02T15:02:00.000-06:00

My true New Years Day treat was a day late this year because of tooooo many things to do. My wife Mary Ann hails from Alabama (note the polysyllabic first name and monosyllabic second name and therefore has all the credentials) and is a true southerner. Annually she makes a mess of black-eye peas and ham hocks on 1/1. One of the few things in life that is a constant, or was until 1/1/2005. But

My Class Reunion

2005-01-01T16:58:00.000-06:00

A classy program. That is what I call a database program to track class mates to help you organize your upcoming reunion. Even though the program is called My Class Reunion.exe, it can also serve to help plan and organize any type of a reunion. Import existing data from Access or Excel in a matter of minutes, write letters of invitation, print mailing labels or email all classmates all from