Fresh Chef Crafted

Super Bowl XLVI -Gameday-

2012-02-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Its a beautiful Monday morning, i am out having my morning cigarette, watching traffic and proudly wearing my Giants hat. The light peaks through the clouds and all i can do is wince and lower my ball cap. I am recovering from doing my share of drinking but also recovering from a food like coma.
Had a great time at Renees parents house, there was a few people there, not to many, and yet there was still Patriots fans in the house. I was not very fond of this, nor was Renees mom, who is a die hard Eli Manning fan.
The food began to flow around 1pm, pregame was on. Renee had gotten a new fryer for Christmas and wanted to try it out. We fried up some green beans and zucchini sticks. We used a beer batter that we made using Moose Drool beer, i nice nutty, rich dark beer.
While this was being done, we sat down to a game of Assassin. I have never heard of this game before, when i saw the box and the board i knew that this game had been around for quiet sometime. With the Lewandowskis' you never know what to expect, with this came some curiosity, so i played. It was a very easy game to understand, you pretty much are out to kills the other players if everything matches up right with the cards that you play.
By this time i made more of the veggies and the girls were all getting ready to go to a wine tasting before the game. I found this to be the perfect time to finish off frying the veggies so i could then fry up the chicken wings. Renees brother Todd is allergic to poultry so this was a must.
I was able to squeak in a short nap before the girls came back and then got the wings going. The game was getting ready to start and Renee had to get ready to go to work. We had prepared a buffalo chicken salad earlier in the day with chopped romaine, peeled carrots, and peeled celery. On the side she had two different kinds of crumbled blue cheese, bleu cheese and ranch dressing.
Not only did we have chicken wings, we also had these chicken fry like things that were breaded, Renee had them for the salad, so we fried them up, people then could toss there wings and or chicken fries in the sauce that they choose. It was amazing, crisp, smooth and spicy salad, i even came back for seconds.
Renees sister Julie had made some risotto cakes ahead of time and fried them in a saute pan, they came out great and tasted even better, however they did fall apart in the frying pan a little, and yet the first thing to disappear from the table.
The game cant be any better, this was what i wanted to see, a low scoring game, a close game, a game for the books. That is certainly what we got.
After binging on chicken wings, buffalo chicken salad, chips, dip, chili, cabbage soup, high lifes and gin in tonics, just to name a few and not necessarily in that order, i had to sit down and watch this game.
By this time it is the fourth quarter and time is running out. Renee just texted me saying she was on her way home from work, perfect timing she gets to see that last of it. Theres only 5-7 minutes left on the clock and i am on the edge of my seat. The Giants are loosing. Manning has the balls, so the odds are in our favor. Wouldn't you know it, Manning puts together a great 88 yard drive, with a beautiful catch by Manningham, capped off by Bradshaws i don't know if i wanna score a touchdown yet touchdown. The defense held strong and the Lombardi Trophy is headed back to New York.
Even with all i ate, i was standing, i was cheering, high-fives all around, well except for those few Patriots fans that were in the house, needless to say, well they had nothing to say, Giants are Champs!!!

Super Bowl XLVI

2012-02-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

As a Giants fan this year has been a season of ups and downs. The secondary has been plagued with injuries, Bradshaws ankle to name just a few. Yet Manning has a career year with a ridiculous way of putting together 4th quarter comebacks and this wide receiver Victor Cruz, who is this guy....
After week fourteen the giants stood and 7-7, no one was thinking playoffs, at least i wasn't, especially how tight the the Giants division had been all season.
All of a sudden they make the playoffs, they don't only make the playoffs, they beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers and the 49er's Alex Smith. Games were the Giants dominated and have shown to others that anything can me accomplished as a team as long as you all have one purpose, one mission, one goal....a ring.

Looking forward to the game, and hopefully a Giants victory, should be a good one with great friends and great food. Pictures to follow late Sunday night or Monday afternoon.

Brussel Sprouts and Bacon Marmalade

2012-01-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

Alot of people are not to keen on there vegetables, nor should i say brussel sprouts. I love them. I grew up eating them all the time, you know the ones that were boiled so much they were at times well mush. Here you can see that i peeled my sprouts. it is a labor of love but well worth it. You don't even need to blanch them ahead of time, and they cook up really well, tender and delicious.

Cast Iron Skillets

2012-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

You know you have a great girlfriend when she tells you that she has a old cast iron skillet at her moms house and does not want it anymore. I happily accept the cast iron skillet as i do not have one of my own.
It was in good shape, was starting to rust a little, but nothing that i could not tackle. Once i brought it home i was able to give it a good scrubbing. Since i was going to re-season it anyways, i could use some dish soap to help me out. Using my stainless steal scrubby i gave it a good rogering. Using really hot water i rinsed it off well and made sure all the soap was off of it. I immediately wiped it dry for fear that it would start to rust right away.
I preset my oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven was up to temp i put the cast iron pan in for just a few minutes to dry it out really well. I then applied a good coat of oil to the pan. Ideally you would want to use some vegetable shortening. You then put a sheet tray on the bottom rack to catch any grease from spilling, then put the cast iron skillet on the rack above and let it stay in the oven for a good hour. Turn off oven and let it sit in there and cool off. This step can be repeated a few times to season your skillet. Remember do not wash your skillet if you don't have too, wipe it out and or just use a little water if needed. This will help build the layers of flavors and your well on your way to some great cooking over the next few years. Have Fun!!!

Green City Market

2011-11-22T16:28:00.001-08:00

I had never been to the Green City Market before, its sad, after all i am a Chef and the Green City Market is by far one of the best places to get fresh produce from local farmers. At least this is what i was told by friends and what you read in the papers as well.
It was decided, Renee and I were going to go, we made plans to get up early and go on Saturday. We woke up around 7:30ish, made some coffee and were off. The drive into the city from the suburbs was not that bad, just hop onto 55 and take it to lake shore, follow that to the north side. Parking was a bitch, Renee and i circled around to find a place, then i went the wrong way, finally got turned back around and found a spot right in front of the market, i was impressed.
For being so late in the growing season i was not expecting much, i mean it was the first week of November. I was proven wrong as soon as i got closer i saw the array of fruit and vegetables. There was just boxes upon boxes of carrots, purple carrots, fingerling potatoes, russet potatoes, squashes, jalapenos, habeneros, apples of all varieties, i could go on.
I was in a culinary heaven and i wanted it all.

This was just amazing, the produce looked so fresh, we were offered some fresh apple cider as were looked around, Renee and I first had to do this just to take it all in then decide were we were going to start. We were first looking at all of this carrots, they had baby carrots with the tops still on. They were in mixed bunches that had three different colors, orange, yellow, and purple, we had to get some. They also had a bunch of much bigger ones that were there, i like to call them horse carrots, because they are truly big enough to feed a horse. These had white carrots in with them.

While Renee was looking at the carrots i want off on my own down the path and say what looked to me to be cauliflower. As i got closer it was cauliflower, but in different colors. I mean i have seen green cauliflower before so i was not that surprised to see purple cauliflower. What i was amazed at seeing was the spiky looking cauliflower. It is yellow and instead of having nice tight florets like a normal cauliflower has it had spikes as the florets. I was amazed so much by this and the fact that i am a fan of cauliflower i bought one of each.

We walked around a little longer, picked up some great onions called candy cane onions, some fresh bulbs of garlic, shallots and some leeks. It had been decided that day thay Renee and I were going to be making bacon and leek risotto for dinner. I was purusing the squashes when i looked down and say a bucket, the bucket was full of dried popcorn on the cob. I myself a fan of fresh popcorn not that crap in the bag stuff was amused and yet not amused to the point of buying, perhaps on another trip.

Our last stop was to this old gentleman on the corner of the row whom upon entering the market had a crowd of people aropund him to the point we could not see what he had so we knew we had to stop and see. Once we got to him we could see why people were around him. He was selling fresh mushrooms that he had just picked. He had a huge chunk of Hens in the Woods on the table. This thing was big, there was a customer in front of us as Renee and i gapped at the mushrooms. The mushroom forager disaperaed for a minute and returned having just weighed a chunk of mushroom for this lady, it was 60 bucks for the chunk. Renee and I looked at each other with amazment. He had one other mushroom there, looked like shitake mushrooms, but i know for sure it wasnt, the name slips my mind, but they grabbed a handful of them as well. When all said and done, the couple in front of us spent 90 dollars on these mushrooms. After talking with the forager and asking prices it was safe to say that we left empty handed, to expensive for me. However the pure joy of seeing a mushroom that big and Renee and I being truly novice foragers ourselves we were delighted at the opportunity to see such great mushrooms, produce and most of all great company.

To the left here is what we ended up bringing home from the Green City Market.

Hot Dougs Experiece

2011-10-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

3324 N. California Ave.
Chicago IL, 60618
Fri.-Sat. 10:30-4pm
Fri/Sat Only: Duck Fat Fries
Cash Only

This trip was my second time coming here to Hot Dougs. I myself knew what to expect, great artisian sausages. Renee my girlfriend had never been there before, i decided to bring her on a friday. Fridays are special, they deep fry there fries in duck fat on fridays and saturdays. We left around 10:15am, it seems early but we were expecting a line.
Its a short drive from the suburbs to the far north side of Chicago. When we arrive, the line is not yet out the door, this was good. We were able to get into the first door, one more door to go to enter the small restaurant. I say it maybe sat forty guests when full. Enter that last door you are meant with a smell of chard sausages and dogs, and duck fat.

Theres a decent size menu to choose from, all of them have special names, usually famous peoples names, the sausage or dog and toppings represents that individual. Kinda cool isnt it. Next to that is a small board that holds the daily specials. Next to all that is a cool sign that tells you that they are serving duck fat fries, my stomach growls just writing about all of this food now.

To keep the line moving, it is imperative to know what you want when it is your turn to order, most of the time the gentleman that takes your order is the owner, Doug. Hes a great guy, with a great attitude and loves to create gourmet hotdogs for people to enjoy.
Renee and I ordered the Fois Dog: A duck sausage topped with truffle aioli, fois gras, and sea salt, Antelope Sausage with sweet bbq sauce, and chunks of smoked gouda and two orders of duck fat fries. For some it is hard to swallow nine dollars for a sausage topped with fois gras, none the less even purchase one. I must tell you, you must try this, the best one i have tasted there yet, the flavor profile is off the chart, the textures from crisp to creamy. You have to try it. The antelope sausage was just as good, the flavors of sweet and smoky were a great combonation withthe antelope sausage, although antelope has a tendency to be dry due to it being a lean meat the ratio of fat to meat in the sausage was just right. Lastly the duck fat fries, what can i say here, just add a little salt and devour, the fries are crisp yet have just enough soggy duck fat flavor that makes anyones mouth drowl, even if its just for a second.
The wait in line was maybe fifteen minutes, but we did arrive early, the wait after ordering was about five to eight minutes. When getting up to leave you could already see that the line was out the door and around the corner of the block, so i must say for this food adventure we came just in time and will be returning soon.

Herbs & Salt

2011-10-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

The nights have got longer and colder. The vegetable gardens begin to look like graveyards. You are dreading the cleanup, revealing a naked patch of what was once your source of fresh fruits and vegetables the entire summer. In the far corner all that remains are your herbs. Herbs well, most of them are hardy and are not harmed with frost threatening. Basil, parsley, and the others that are delicate need to be brought inside to further there life through winter. Rosemary as well, all though classified in the evergreen family, it will not survive and come back the following year. As the years pass your herbs grow, meaning your patches of herbs ger larger. If you are found with a abundance of herbs and its nearing winter, cut them and bring them inside to dry. I have a abundance of sage, rosemary and thyme that i have cut, with so much more out there to use.
The first few days, i just lay them out in my apartment to get a nice aroma in the air. When they have served there purpose there, i put them on sheet tray and place in my oven with just the pilot on. I have found that fresh thyme takes two days to fully dry, sage takes three days and rosemary up to five days. ( This is with my oven so please note this will not be the same for your oven.)
Once the thyme and rosemary are fully dried i remove them from the stems, this usually is easy since the herbs are dry they just fall off. I then let the herbs dry more overnight. The next day i place the herbs, separately in a pestle and mortar to grind up a little, this is done to make the spice more plausible in its uses later.
The sage is a little different it is a leaf, the leafs take longer to dry, once they become brittle you crumble them by hand first, lay out and let dry overnight. Using a pestle and mortar grind the sage up, you will see it does not grind like the thyme or rosemary, yet it is a rub.
This is were the salt comes onto play. Take some old mason jars, or any recycled glass jar that has been cleaned, sanitized and dried properly. Mix together kosher salt (artisan salts may be used as well) with the fresh herbs, making you own mix of salt and herbs. The key here is to make sure your herbs are dry, even mixed with the salt the herbs can get moldy. This takes alot of work, well waiting really to dry the herbs, but the benefits of using this mix are endless......steaks, potatoes, dressings, salads, marinades, rubs, etc. For best results make small batches to keep your mix as fresh as possible. Also remember to keep the excess dry herbs in separate air light jars until needed, dried herbs can be used in many applications, this is just something i thought of doing one day.

Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe Review

2011-09-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

49 South La Grange Road
La Grange Illinois
7 Days a Week
6-3PM

Key Points:

Very kid friendly
Parking deck near by
Some out door seating
Great pricing

I am a local from a neighboring town that has been enjoying the food of Blueberry Hill for some years now. I have been taking notes on this place for about a year and below and i am going to give you my review, my opinion on this Cafe.

Located right in the heart of downtown La Grange, Illinois sitting on the corner and only truly recognizable by the blue awnings sits Blueberry Hill Breakfast Cafe.
There is alot of parking on the side streets and a parking deck nearby for easy access to this gem of a place.
Blueberry Hill is always busy in the morning, and on Saturdays and Sundays you are sitting on the bench indoors and or outdoors waiting for them to call your number and get a seat. The inside is very open, alot of booths, and open chair seating. The cooks line for the most park is visible throughout the dining area.
The tables great, once had a maple syrup on the table when sat, that was quickly removed and water was poured and left at the table. This i like then there is no bother to them to fill you glass when you want to have a conversation. The wait for coffee is not long, and really not that bad.
At the table you are always given there usual menu and the daily special menu, which is usually seasonal and adds more of a twist to there already extensive menu. One of the specials that caught my eye one day was Tiramisu Pancakes, sounded appetizing but i did not bite.
As mentioned earlier the menu is extensive. Being open until 3pm each day it is heavy on breakfast and lunch with alot of the classic favorites. Breakfast items include multiple creations of french toast, waffles, crepes, pancakes, omelets and skillets. The skillets are my favorite, eggs and potatoes in a skillet, many different ways to have it, i enjoy the farmers skillet(skillets are great for hang overs). French toast, try the ones encrusted in capn' crunch, sweet and crunchy, enjoyed best when Vermont maple syrup in "smuggled" into restaurant. One addition to the menu that would be welcomed and have not seen on the menu is real maple syrup, up charge a dollar or so for the real thing. There omelets are great, moist and mouthwatering and come with a side of hash browns that could use a douse of ketchup and hot sauce.. I however believe they are to big, enough for two people, them again, i would eat a whole one myself. There biscuits and gravy is good, but with such a huge selection i tend to over look. When you get the chance, order the Greek toast, don't know what it is about this toast, but it is delicious and mouthwatering when lathering in butter and peanut butter.
Lunch, again a great variety to choose from here as well, items range from late breakfast items to hardy meals meant to last you the rest of the day.
They have a great chicken dumpling soup, comes to the table hot, and with the help of a few crackers added to the soup it soon cools of and is easily scarfed down.
They have the classics like a Reuben, patty melt, tuna melt, french dip and a multitude of wraps and salads just to name a few. The one thing that caught my eye was the Monte Cristo. know anyone that knows me, knows i love Monte Cristos. the best Monte Cristo i have ever had is at JR's in Pittsford, Vermont, and there its served with a generous cup of Vermont maple syrup. Here at Blueberry Hill, the menu has it paired with raspberry sauce. This time i requested a side of maple syrup. The Monte Cristo needless to say did not live up to my expectations. The raspberry sauce was to sweet and the ham and turkey were not thinly sliced and layered. The french toast bread was great and moist and needless to say the best part of the sandwich. There wraps are huge and great to take home and finish later in the day. The classics, are well your classics, no complaints here, they are great comfort food staples that make anyone go away full, happy and with money left in your pocket.

With that being said i give them 4 Stars.

Pickling and Canning

2011-09-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Growing up i was around canning alot and didn't realize it at the time the impact it has had on my life. Living in a rural part of Vermont known as Pittsford, family was close by. my grandparents on my mothers side lived down the farm. Literally growing up they were know as grandparents down at the farm. Growing up here was a huge influence in my life in many ways, from dedication to work and never settling for anything but the best. And of course how to take care of the land, plant a garden and how to make it last. Not truly realizing until later in life that you were not paid very well for milk at times. Making money off of selling raw milk to the locals, and surplus vegetables and corn from the garden not only was a welcome income for my grandparents, but also a great meal with local roots.
Canning was huge in the family, i remember a abundance of canned /yellow beans in the winter that i always looked forward too at the dinner table. My grandmother and my mom would also do pickles and jams as well. Those three are the ones i remembered most.
I have taken those learning from my childhood and today have placed my learning's in the kitchen at a Marriott in which i work. I do alot of canning of roasted salsas, pestos, pickles, dill and sweet. Pickled peppers and hopefully next i am going to do jardiniere, yet the dill pickles i make are too die for. Alot of the ingredients for these recipes are from the garden that i tend too at work as well, it is huge. Over 24 different pepper plants, a dozen tomato plants, a dozen eggplant, some zucchini and pickling cucumber plant to name a few.
Having the privilege to make cool things like this is alot of fun. The other day i chopped up some of the pickling cucumbers and made them for a dill pickle relish. I also pickled some cherry tomatoes that were at different stages of ripeness, the jar has cool colors. I will have some pics up shortly. I have the next three days off and will get some pics at work to post up here.

My Suggested Basics for your Pantry

2011-07-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

The list of ingredients that i am going to have for you at the end of my post are mearly my suggestions of what everyone should have in there pantry.

But first i would like to talk to you about of tools of the trade to invest in to help make you like easier, and bring you more flavor to your cooking.

Pestel and Mortar: this tool to often in my opinion goes over looked in ones kitchen, it is so versatile and makes any dish come alive. When purchasing herbs and spices, purchase whole ones, which when needed you will grind them together with other spices for a rub or marinade, all the grinding releases oils from the herbs that scream flavor. I have a small one which works well for myself, invest in a larger one for larger families, range in price from $25-$150 at alot of stores. If this isn't for you, you can also get a cheap coffee grinder and it will do the same thing, just make it for spices only, no coffee beans.

Use fresh herbs when ever possible, especially in the spring and summer, its inexpensive and brings alot of flavor to food with out adding salt, and you can grow your own herbs in as small a flower pot you have room for. Cant get any better then that.

Another note, taste, taste, taste, always taste your food throughout the cooking process. Flavors develop through out it, so when adding spices, herbs, etc, always taste. you can always add seasoning to cooking, but you can never take it out.....

Here's the list you have been waiting for.........

-Mustard's: Djon, Whole Grain, Yellow

-Oils: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Olive Oil, Canola Oil

-Vinegars: Red Wine, White Wine, Balsamic, Apple Cider

-Flours: AP Flour, Bread, Cornmeal, Semolina

-Sugar: Brown, White, Powdered

-Salt: Kosher, Multiple Types of Sea Salts

-Rice: Brown, Arborio, Basmati

-Dried Fruit: Cranberries, Cherries, Blueberries

-Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts

-Coco Powder

-Baking Powder

-Baking Soda

-Sun-dried Tomatoes

-Achoite Paste

-Capers

-Soy Sauce

-Maple Syrup

-Dried Mushrooms(on the pricey side)

-Herbs and Spices-

-Peppercorn Melange

-Dried Chilies(homemade preferred)

-Nutmeg

-Clove

-Coriander Seeds

-Fennel Seeds

-Cumin Seeds

-Caraway Seed

-Bay Leafs

-Paprika

Questions or comments welcomed

Summer....Go Local.....Go Farmers Markets

2011-07-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

What a better time of year to have your garden going out back, or your potted garden on your patio in full swing. You should be getting those tomatoes in a few weeks. For those of us that don't have the space, because they rent, or don't have the time to have a garden, the farmers market is the place to go. Don't know were they are in your area? That's easy, get online and search for farmers markets in your area. There is bound to be one in your neighborhood or in the surrounding areas. It should also tell you the days of the week, mostly Saturdays, some Sundays and usually a day in the week like Tuesday and or Thursday.

During the summer especially i would thin that you are eating what you can get fresh, plan your meals around it. If at your farmers market they sell eggs, fresh poultry, or beef, take advantage of that!!! You are going to pay a little more for these items at a farmers market, but the quality is unmatched. Just think that you could build a relationship with a good vegetable farmer, you can do the same with your local butcher, hell, you may be even able to have him bring specialty cuts to the market just for you. With the vegetable farmer you could end up getting stuff discounted at the end of the day when they are just trying to go back to the farm with nothing. Trust me, they do these things and you have the benefits of a fridge full of fresh produce.

You ask, how do i base meals around what i have, that's up to you and your imagination, a few cookbooks, or even typing in the ingredients into a search you will come up with something great and inspiring.

The benefits really go without explaining if you really think about it, you are helping a local farmer stay in business, you build a relationship with this farmer, you know were its coming from, unlike picking up a cucumber in the grocery store and seeing produce of Peru, no you are seeing a name you recognize. Ask the farmer if he has a certain way they would prepare there produce, you will be surprised. And and one more thing, they for the most part are pesticide free and or organic farms, again another reason to eat from the farmers.

Out here were i live, i can hop on a train and go train stop to train stop about 20 minutes in each direction and be at a farmers market with no problem. Alot of them around here are at the train stations at each town, Saturdays are swarmed around here with people going to market to market. to me there really is no reason not to enjoy fresh local food, i mean really, a tomato that tastes like a tomato, seriously, you wont eat another store bought tomato again i promise.

Last, but not least, get the kids involved, teach them good eating techniques. Bring them to the farmers market with you and help you pick out food for the week, and incorporate that into there school lunches and at dinner, bring the whole family together and cook a meal that you all got fresh at the farmers market. There's not a place on Earth i rather be then at a dinner table amongst friends and family and eating the best food possible, fresh, local, and delicious.

Need Help, Ask Me!!!

2011-01-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

Well its simple, do you need help? Have any questions regarding food? Regarding gardening, eating local, and or sustainable? Feel free to ask me these questions and i will be more then happy to answer them for you. None the less the answers will be my opinion and based on my culinary beliefs and are just a suggestion. You can reach me at the email address provided to you in my profile on this page. I look forward to your emails and helping you achieve your goals!!!

How Do You Cook Well???

2011-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

I was once asked by a close friend, "how do you cook well" This of course caught me by surprise, I mean i really never thought about it, sure everyone has there own approach , preferences, but have you ever thought why? I finally sat down, which is now, thought about it and this is what i wrote..............

As a Chef myself, cooking to me is well beyond just following recipes from a magazine or a recipe card that written in chicken scratch and stained from previous attempts. Its about having the passion to cook and create a dish from farm fresh produce, free range meats whatever they may be. In theory a locavore.

This is were the cooking well piece comes in for me, food, were did it come from? Was it picked prematurely and placed in a cardboard box and shipped across country to you local grocer? Why? With the available resources these days, getting fresh local produce its so easy, a little more expensive, so what i will pay more to have a tomato that tastes like it just came out of my grandmothers garden any day over a unripened flavorless grocery store variety. That little bit more you pay is for the TLC a farmer gives to his crops and prides himself or herself in quality of quantity.

Having my culinary degree to me is a huge advantage of having the common knowledge of cooking, knowing your ingredients and how to apply all in a medley in which will form a fresh, well cooked meal that flows from farm to purchaser(being you) to plate, to the final resting place, but before doing so will send a euphoria of textures to your mouth, followed by a explosion of flavors old and new.

The last and final way i believe i cook well, is seeing people smile when they eat my food, they understand and appreciate the effort that went into creating a simple, fresh homemade meal, it never gets old, if anything for me it drives me to get better, strive new heights and make simple food fresh food.

My Culinary Start to 2011

2011-01-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

I get a lot of culinary magazines in the mail each month, subscribe to a lot of online daily newsletters and the occasional flyer from the local grocery store or the local restaurant. I recently came across one article that really caught my eye. The article had broken down all of the best places to dine in the Chicago Suburbs.

I found this list very appeasing, I had been to a few of the restaurants on the list and totally agree why they had made the list of places to eat, this by no means just happens. They have great, fresh food that touches the heart of all the foodies out there with so many different ethnic backgrounds. this is all followed by great service to make a great experience....amazing.

With this being said I have decided to make my own list, a list of places that with in the coming year I will visit and write about to see if they truly belong on the list of best places to dine in the suburbs. I will write a short and brief synapse of my experience, what i ate, whom i was with and a short history of the place.

Without further adue, the following is the list of places I plan on eating at this year, mind you this list will probably grow throughout the spring and summer.....here's my start...

Q BBQ, Hot Dougs, Bertos Deli, Palmers Place, Five Guys, Mon Ami Gabi, Casa Margarita, Sushi House, Busy Bee, Emmett's Ale House and Another Round

Food at it's Simpliest

2010-06-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Being on your own, and in my case without a girlfriend living with me, has been tough. The one thing i have learned is how to cook for one, instead of two. I always had found myself making t much food and having leftovers. Which in my case would just sit in the frig and get old and then eventually thrown out to make room for the newer leftovers.
I found myself obviously throwing away food and money. I have found myself now buying only the items i truly like to eat. I also found myself cooking just for me in the process. my habits have totally changed, i don't have potato chip in the house, no soda. I have gone from fatty foods to starting my meal off with a simple salad with veggies that i have gotten from the farmers market or organic section at the local food store. If i eat pasta, which i love so much i either have whole wheat pasta, or i am making my own pasta. However i have found that the more you make homemade pasta the more you want it. there are many reasons, and simple if you will as well. Homemade pasta is just eggs, flour, water, olive oil and salt. If you want the exact recipe i am more than happy to give it to you, just get a hold of me, and or i can always edit this post and add it at the end for everyone. Homemade pasta is fun to make, add your own flavorings, and types of pasta or even ravioli. Its takes half the time to cook in boiling water and taste so much better, almost like being in Italy, but not so much.
I am a fan of a simple cucumber sandwich in the summertime, sliced cucumbers in between to slices of bread smeared with mayo and or a flavored mayo to make it even more delicious. that to me is a true sign of summer. I know i just said that cucumber sandwiches are my key to summer, well so is fresh tomatoes from the farmers market, or better yet your own garden. The most simple application that i know of is a simple capresse salad, fresh mozzarella, with fresh basil, aged balsamic. this is something so refreshing, light and paired with a good glass of wine will make you melt in your seat.
I have realized that i enjoy making any type of food, but more often enough it is food that is available at that time for me to make. I just find items to cook and then find other items available to me to use. Doing this i have to think out of the box, and really use my knowledge of food to come up with something. you see its not all about just making something, its making something and making it taste good, appealing to your guests and or family. This is were knowledge and or a good book comes into play. The book i go to when i have my own questions about food and other foods it goes well with, and or what a word means in general, the two books always on hand for me are, Culinary Artistry and Food Lovers Companion.
I guess what i'm trying to get across is that food is simple, it can be as simple as you want it, its just the knowledge that you apply to it that you then can create something outside the usual box. That's what makes cooking so exciting and interesting and its something that truly can become family orientated.

Stanley Cup Champions

2010-06-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, June 9th to be exact, will be a day i will never forget, ever. I was suppose to go play soccer, but decided to take a very long nap before going out to the bar for game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers.

I arrived at the bar a little before 6pm, and grabbed a seat at the bar and saved a few as well for some friends. No joke, within 15 minutes, Ryans Public house was filling up, there were people coming in and saving tables, sliding tables together, hell even the back room that i have not seen really used for a hockey game was filling up. By 6:30 the bar was full, beer like Guinness and Summer Ale was pouring from the taps, as was miller Lite which was only 6 bucks for a pitcher, so you could guess that i was drinking that, its cheap and it gets the job done.

Everyone was very anxious, my friends had finally arrived, so the seats i had been saving were filled and everyone was anticipating the start of the game. Soon food started to fly out of he kitchen, everyone trying to get a bite in before the game started. Its hard to eat and give all of your attention to the TV in a pivotal game 6 for the Hawks, they win this one they win it all.

Soon the game started, the singing of God Bless America sucked, and does not even compare to the singing of the National Anthem at the United Center, and the noise, the noise at the UC is defyning. Everyone at the bar was on the edge of there seats through out the game. A very well played game by both teams. My phone began to blow up, friends texting me, asking me if i was watching the game and were i was, I told them and even had some surprised visitors come to the bar which made the evening even more enjoyable.

It was amazing, nobody and i mean nobodies eyes left the TVs until the end of the periods, that's when the lines formed for the bathrooms and the back and front patios filled up with smokers talking about the game and there predictions.

The game was intense and for every goal the Hawks scored there was free shots going around which made it even more fun and exciting.

Hawks were up by one goal in the third period and then the Flyers tied it up and the game went into overtime.

During overtime Ryans got so loud, people were standing and hanging on every play, 4 minutes into overtime, Patrick Kane gets the puck and makes a horizontal shot at the goal and some how it slides through the 5 hole and scores, game over or is it. Nobody new if the game was over, did he score or did he not. Kane knew he did, the bar went silent for a moment until they showed the replay, then this place went crazy. They played Chelseas Dagger on the jukebox and everyone was cheering, high fiving, hugging, I never have been in this atmosphere before, it was unbelievable. By this time i had quite a buzz going, i went out to smoke with everyone else near the street and people were going by honking there horns and cheering out there windows as they passed the bar.

I did not want the night to end, surrounded by great Hawks fans and friends, what more could i ask for. My night ended at 2:30am, and unfortunately i had to be at work at 5am that morning. It was well worth it, the road through the playoffs was amazing and I would not take back anything saw every game, cheered for the victories and asked my self why when they lost. Its not everyday you get to be a part of history these days, but this day i was and will always remember this for ever and even eventually tell my kids about the Blackhawks and there championship, One Goal was the Hawks motto and it was accomplished, lets see what happens next year.......

The Obstacles of Life

2010-06-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been a journey for me. My girlfriend and I split after 6 years being together. I have my own apartment and for the first time in my life i am truly on my own. Don't get me wrong it was extremely tough the first month or so, but i had friends, one really good friend that was there for me through all of this and if it was not fr him, i would not be were i am today. I call him Doc. Doc, helped me keep my head above water through those hard times and listened to me ramble on about silly stuff and the way i felt. A true, great friend.
Once i got on my feet, and began to move on in my life, i opened myself up to this world, focused more on my job and carear as a chef, doing whatever it took to get things done and getting them done better than what they had to be, that's how focused i have become. I also believe it or not became more of a people person.
All of this happened thanks to the Chicago Blackhawks believe it or not being in the playoffs. I went to a local bar down the road, got myself a beer and asked for them to put on the game. the response they gave me changed my life. They did not have Comcast and therefore would not have the game, I was shocked....i downed my beer and headed down the road to what is now my second home Ryan's Public House. I watched he game there and have been there for every game since. I have meet some great friends, so many new people that i have met and i don't even know all of there names, i have never had this problem before. They have some great food the fish tacos are too die for, there burger is amazing, i mean who puts a 8oz. beef burger between two grilled cheeses, delicious, is all i can say.
Don't get me wrong it was tough to begin with, i am a shy person that does not open up to people, yet i did, and it has rewarded me with being surrounded by great people that enjoy my company and me for who i am.
I have been able to open my home to people, entertain and cook meals for people that enjoy food that is simple and yet delicious and they will never forget that meal that i made for them and that is what makes me happy. Its amazing that food has such a impact on people and it is also the way to a women's heart.
i may not live the way i did before and there are things i miss that i had before yet, i would not be were i am or who i am today if that difficult decision that was made was never made.
With that being said i plan on writing more, hopefully once a week if possible, and i promise it will be more about food, yet i thought i needed to explain my absence and how it did evolve around food, so with that being said, till next time, eat your way through your life one day at a time.

Florida Task Force

2010-01-11T10:57:00.000-08:00

Task Force to let you all know is when a Marriott is very busy, opening a new restaurant and or a new hotel needs help. Therefore they send out a email, not a mass email yet a email to people that they have networked with saying they need help. My Executive Chef received a email from the Harbor Beach Marriott in Fort Lauderdale. The hotel was going to be very busy in January and February. They were hosting teams from bowl games and guests attending bowl games. They were going to be hosting the AFC and NFC teams for the Pro Bowl. After that they would be hosting the AFC team for the Super Bowl, which we all know now was the Indianapolis Colts.

I was called into the Chefs office and asked if i wanted to go there and give them a hand for 3 weeks, i immediately replied yes i would love to it would be a great experience, great for my resume and most of a a great way to network within Marriott. My Chef said ok, i would be going down the first 3 weeks and then our Sous Chef would be going down for the last 3 weeks. The Sous Chef would be there during the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl. I myself would be there for the Orange Bowl and other small events as well.

I left on the 3rd of January to go down there. Here in Chicago it was 4 below zero when i left. When i arrived in Florida it was only 40 degrees outside. It was like that for about a week then i truly saw the heat that is Florida. I checked in got my room on the 10th floor with a balcony. I then meet the Executive Chef and his team, I was briefed if you will what i was going to be doing here and his expectations of me as well. I was going to be in charge of the Riva restaurant. They did breakfast, lunch, dinner and room service came of off this one line. I was also informed that the chairman of the company, Mr Marriott was there with his wife and would be there for my entire stay. It was a pleasure to help serve him and his wife during my task force there.

I would usually work 10-12 hour shifts through every meal period. I would help on the line when necessary as well as expedite as well. Expediting was a job in its self, to stand in one place for hours on end, putting the last touches on the plates, a L.T.O set up here, garlic aioli here bread in the oven there. The hotel did very well at this restaurant, breakfast was mostly buffet, some covers for the restaurant and room service. For lunch they were always busy, they would do an average of 150-200 covers for lunch on any given day, and if it rained well lets just say it was crazy when it rained so it did not take me long to figure out to look at the weather forecast everyday.

Me being there was a huge help, and not just me there were other Marriott managers and or supervisors there as well. Some of them helped tremendously in banquets and the opening of there new restaurant Sea Level. While a select few were just pains in the butt. But none the less we all got along and had a great time. The entire team at Harbor Beach Marriott were a great host and bent over backwards to make our stay in the hotel feel less like staying in the hotel, they told us the different things we could do around town and one Chef was gracious enough to bring me to his house on Sunday to watch some football. I ended up going deep sea fishing with Phil, he was on Task Force from Canada, and his wife. It was a blast, drinking beer at 9am never felt so good on a fishing boat hoping to hook that big fish that you dream about as a kid.

3 weeks flew by so quick there, i guess working alot and having little time to play has its effects on you, however i would not change it for the world. They were such professionals there that i was given a framed photo of the hotel and they all signed it, now thats cool something to hang on the wall and to remember my time there is timeless. It was a experience that i will remember forever, i made great friends, friends that i will keep in touch with for years to come. I would graciously come back there any day to give them a hand.

Low & Slow Oxtail and Making Stock at Home

2009-12-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

I apologize it has been awhile since my last post, life has been busy and surprisingly, work has too. Winter has finally set in here in Chicago and its already getting to so cold you cant stand to be outside to just go and start your car.

I recently went to my neighborhood grocery store and began to peruse the meat section and came across oxtail. Now i have seen this here many times and yet never picked it up, i don't know why its a cheap piece of meat and is something that you would enjoy more in the winter months than during the Summer. For those of you that don't know what oxtail is, well the name says it all. Its the part of the ox tail that is closest to the body of a ox, yes near the rear. Oxtail is something that you want to braise low and slow for a few hours, when this is done correctly the meat will just fall of the bone and melt in your mouth. I seared my oxtail in a pot, removed them and added my mirepoix and cooked to get some good color on the vegetables. Once this was accomplished i added a half a bottle of wine, reduced by half. hen add some stock, and place back in the oxtail. Bring to a boil, the reduce the heat to just a simmer. You can either keep them at a gentle simmer on your stove top or place in a oven at 250 degrees. Cook oxtail until the meat falls of the bone from just poking at it. I had mashed potatoes with mine, however you can do alot of other things with oxtail, polenta is one as a example.

Once the oxtail is done, remove from the sauce, strain the sauce and place the strained sauce back on the heat and reduce to make a sauce for your oxtail. Once the sauce it thick enough for you return the oxtail back to the sauce to reheat them and coat them in sauce. Then they are ready to serve the way you want. I would pair the rest of the wine you had left over from the making of the sauce with your ox tail. The oxtail will be delicious, make your mouth water and your eyes close with enjoyment.

this time of year i also take the time to restock my supply of chicken and beef stock that keep in my freezer. I can usually find beef bones at my neighborhood grocery store. I pick up a few packets, which usually gives me 5-7 bones. I also keep the bones from the Thanksgiving Turkey, and from whole chickens that I have had in the past.

I let my stocks simmer for about 6 hours on my stove top and them stain them getting rid of all the bones and morepoix. I then return the stock to the stove and reduce by half or more. Once this is achieved i strain again with a finer strain and then cool the stock down. Once the stock as been cooled down, I take my ice cube trays that I have for the stocks only, fill them up and place in the freezer. Once they are fully frozen i remove from the tray and place in a ziplock bag, then place that bag in another ziplock bag to fend off freezer burn. i repeat this process until all the stock is done. When i make things at home like sauces and such i just remove the amount i need and place the rest back into the freezer when its needed. A great way to bring that extra flavor to your meal.

Another note, when making your oxtail and or other items that you braise. Any sauce and stock that is left over can also be froze as explained above for use at another time.

The Turning Leaves

2009-10-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Its the middle of October and I have not had a post for a while. Surprisingly i have been busy with work and other activities.

My garden did well the last month or so of the year. I was able to get a few more tomatoes and one moon and stars watermelon. My peppers are what surprised me. I had three jalapeno plants and they thrived in the last month or so. I was picking up to 2 dozen each time i went out to the garden. I was trying to come up with ideas for all these jalapenos, should i give then away? Yeah i gave away some, but i wanted to do something that i had never done with peppers before. Then a light came on, how about making my own chipotle peppers. I mean i have a grill, i also have the wood chips to some them as well. the night before i smoked them i dried them out in the oven for a little while to speed up the process. the next day around 10 am i set up my grill and began the process of smoking the peppers. I let them smoke for about 8 hours. this was still not enough. they still were a little moist and for me to keep them for the winter they needed to be completely dry. I brought them in the house and dried them in the oven for the remainder of the time which was about another 2 hours. Once finished they smelt wonderful and could not wait to use them in some many different applications.

A few days later i decided to make some pasta sauce from scratch and used one. Obviously they did not give the sauce very much heat, yet gave it a very nice smoky smell and flavor.

I also have some other peppers, fish peppers and some Thai chili peppers, I have dried all of them and I am debating weather to keep them whole and or put them into my coffee grinder and make my own ground chili mix.

A few weeks ago I pulled out everything from the garden and emptied my compost bins and turned over all of the soil. To give back some more nutrients into the soil, I planted some winter rye. I let that grow for about 2 weeks. Once it was high enough, I turned it all back into the soil. this alone will make the soil even richer and there probably wont be any need for more compost, only for when I plant next year like always I add some into each hole I dig for the plants. I will keep making compost and will till that into the soil in the later months of next summer. I also plan on doing a soil test next year, we will see how good I have done with the soil with my self taught knowledge. It should be interesting.

Even though the Farmers Markets are done here in Illinois there is still some great produce out there at your local grocery stores. The Fall/Winter crops are in, squashes, sweet potatoes ans other varieties of potatoes. When you cook at home know you will be spending more time at the stove and or making items n the morning to have that evening. The use of one pot meals comes into play and the ever so versatile crock pot. All those veggies, salsas, sauces and pickled items that you canned this summer you will need to brush off the dust, bring them upstairs from your root cellar and reheat them to again try to bring that summer flavor back into you meal to warm your heart from the bitter cold of winter.

Two great wines that you should try out this winter to pair with your stews, hardy steaks and etc. are the following:

2006 Concannon Cabernet Sauvigon

This wine is a rich, full flavored wine, it has hints of ginger, black cherry and cassis. Expect a long finish. A great wine with great value that will also age well for a few years, so buy one to drink and the other to sit.

2005 Peju Cabernet Sauvigon, Napa Valley

One smell of this wine will fill your nose with black cherry, chocolate and hints of bay leaf. The tastes on your palate are predominantly plum and holiday spices. A very long finish that will have you taking another sip. This wine I would also buy 2 one to drink and the other to age, this wine could age 6-8 more years if you have the patience.

Good-Bye Summer, Hello Fall

2009-08-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Summer will be over in a few weeks, soon there will be the passing of some fresh produce like tomatoes and cucumbers just to name a few. It makes me think of what I should be doing with all of my fresh herbs before they go bad....I have basil, I could make a basil oil, or even pesto, I have parsley, thyme and chives, all of these i can make into herb oils and vinaigrette's. I can then give them as gifts to friends and family, something that can be used until next spring and summer. Please note that when making your own herb oils they must stay refrigerated. If you want to know more on this subject, please email me and i will gladly give you more info. However it opens the door to a new harvest if you will the fall harvest. The smell of a freshly picked apple, pumpkins, spaghetti squash and potatoes to name a few. With these new, fresh produce almost upon us it opens the doors to open our minds and become creative once again. I get so excited with this new in season produce, you see, its not the same as buying it from a grocery store, it doesn't taste the same and most of the time its covered in a thin layer of wax to preserve it, doing this inhibits the true flavor of something picked right from the vine our dug out from the ground.

I was able to cherish some of these fruits and vegetables from my own garden, a Caprese salad in the summer with your own tomatoes never tasted so good, the tomatoes were still warm from being outside in the sun. One of my favorites is a cucumber sandwich...mmmm.....two pieces of bread with mayo, salt and pepper and sliced cucumbers. This is were most of my cucumbers ended up, not in salads, but in a sandwich, a comfort food to me, food so simple, yet so delicious. I believe alot of people get lost in food, they end up masking the true beauty and flavor of food and yes some restaurants do this and others don't.

I had the privilege of going to Carnivale in Chicago which focuses on Neuvo Latino Cuisine a few weeks ago and it was the best meal I have had in a long time. The food was simple a flavorful, all of the proteins came from a sustainable farmer who focuses on free range and or grass fed. All of there produce comes from the Green City Market in which Executive Chef Mark Mendez revolves his menu around to bring you local, simple, fresh food that is to die for.

At the resort that i work at, we have a garden there as well, and its huge and alot of work to maintain this garden but it is well worth the rewards. The garden does not produce enough to feed large groups, however, we do use the produce for special functions in the Chef Office. We also are planning on canning some of our harvest for others to take home as gifts. this is our first year having a garden at the hotel, so we have been able to see what we like and what did not work for us so we don't plant them again next year. We may even expand the garden next year to have more, especially herbs and other produce so our resort can become more sustainable.

I recently received an award, something that i have been striving for and set out to do in the beginning as a goal. I won leader of the quarter as a supervisor. To see a gaol of mine accomplished was great, it showed me that all of the hard work that i have been doing is paying off and being recognized. Now i need to set a new goal and work just as hard to show not only myself but others that I do deserve this award. My new gaol is to become a sous chef, this goal is in reach, however I myself need a few more things under my belt before I take this position in the near future.

The Green Thumb Part 2

2009-07-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

We are now half way through the year, and a good two solid months into gardening here in the Midwest. At this point I have everything planted that I wanted to plant and then some.

I may not have mentioned this before, but all of these plants that are mentioned were purchased at the local grocery store and the grocery store near my place of employment. this amazed me in many ways, their make-shift greenhouse was a fare size and had a lot to offer, from heirloom to organic I was very impressed with this grocery store, so yes both stores I went to were the same company, truly amazing and something to take note of for years to come.

As I said in my previous post about my garden (Green Thumb), my garden is staying true to being all organic. I have not used anything to enhance the growth, like Miracle Grow. I have stuck strictly to my own compost that I have created from kitchen scraps and grass clippings that I have collected and turned into what we gardeners call black gold. Adding this around your plants gives them the nutrients they need, naturally.

I have had a few problems with my garden this year. There have been a few late night visitors. I have not put my finger on it yet, but its either deer or rabbits that have come and decided to munch on my hard work like my green beans for instance. They came up, had beautiful green leaves, then one afternoon, while outside smoking and checking out my garden like I do every day after work, i noticed that those beautiful plants had been munched on, just the stalks remained. I also have a heirloom Black Krim tomato plant, it had two small tomatoes growing, those too gone, not just gone, but so delicately taken off the plant as if I had taken them off the night before. I was so angry, all of my hard work and nourishing of my garden, i was ready to pull up all of the green bean plants, well what was left of them. Then I stood back and thought, I am going to keep them there and see what happens. Sure enough about 2 weeks later, the leaves grew back and they began to blossom, i would soon have beans, I was so excited. I was excited until I went out the other day, July 1st to be exact and found again I had a visitor and they were all gone again, just the stalks remained. That so called visitor also took a few leafs off of other plants I had in the garden. I am now at the point were i am thinking of putting a fence around my little garden, like my neighbor did.

I must say overall, going all organic this year has turned out very well for me so far this year and I have been documenting it all in my gardening journal that I have had for a number of years. With this journal I am able to take notes of what seed works best, what technique or method of garden has worked best for me. I also log what I am growing each year, if it is a plant or seed, first sprout date in the case of a seed. Also I write down when I harvest the first fruit or vegetable and how much I get from the plant in that year. For me its a great way to develop my garden every year and knowing what I grow will grow well.

Below will be a list of the fruits, vegetables and herbs that I have in my garden and some in pots. This will be followed by some pictures that i have recently taken, enjoy!!!

-Straight Eight Cucumber -Sunburst Patty-Pan Squash

-Green Beans -Jalapenos -Fish Pepper(H)

-Lemon Apple Cucumber(H) -Box Car Willy Tomato(H)

-Black Krim Tomato(H) -Mortgage Lifter Tomato(H)

-Moon & Stars Watermelon(H) -Sausage Tomato(H)

-Basil -French Thyme -Lemon Thyme

-Chives -Cilantro -Parsley

(H)-This means that it is a Heirloom

Grill Rehab

2009-05-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

Just a few days ago i was given a old gas grill that still had some life left in it. It was my girlfriends parents old one.

Its an old Ducane Americana gas grill, it must be at least 6-8 years old. I was over at the girlfriends parents house when the offered me the old grill. I could not pass up on this opportunity to one have a gas grill that was larger than the one i had and two, it needed some work and seemed like a great project for me.

I wheeled the grill into the garage and found some tools to start taking it apart, not only to refurbish but also to fit in the car. While taking the grill apart, i was breaking bolts because they were so rusted and or actually part of the grill and had been exposed to high heat for long periods of time. The grill was in bad shape, alot of rust on the grill stand. The grill itself was very greasy therefore had alot of buildup.

Once i had it home, i soaked the grill racks and sprayed them with some heavy duty degreaser and let them set overnight.

The next day after work i went to Home Depot and got some metal brushes for my cordless drill, few more cans of grill cleaner, few cans of high heat black paint, 60 and 120 grit sandpaper. There I also had to get a few bolts and screws to replace the ones that i broke in the process of taking the grill apart and some were so rusted that there was a need for some new ones.

With the metal brushes for the cordless drill i was able to get all of the loose paint and rust off the entire grill. This also worked really well to get all of the grease build-up off from the inside of the grill. Once this was done i sanded the entire grill with rough sand paper to not only make a better surface for the paint to adhere to, but also to even out bumps from the paint that chipped off and rust. I then used the much finer sand paper to make the finish even more beautiful and a nice glossy shine once painted.

Once i was satisfied with the results i washed the entire grill, let it dry and then wiped off any residue with a damp cloth....now it was time to paint.

I chose a glossy black finish for the grill. I very lightly spray painted the grill pieces, let dry and repeated 4 more times for a nice coat of paint that would hopefully last a few summers.

I let the paint dry overnight before I began to put it back together. Note: When taking apart your grill label you bolts and screws. It will make your life alot easier when you start to put it back together.

My grill went back together fairly easy, i had just a few problems putting some screws and bolts in, but it was from the paint, so it was easily fixable.

Once it was all together i put the gas burners back in, the grate for the ceramic briquettes, the briquettes and the grill grates.

However i did not have a propane tank to test out the rehabbed grill, none the less a electric starter. My new neighbors have a grill with a propane tank. I didn't think they would mind if i used it for a few minutes. I hooked the propane to mine and turned it on. I turned one burner on and lit it with a long match, and the same with the other. It worked!!! I was so excited and really felt like i accomplished something that i really had a great time doing it.

This project took me about 2 weeks to complete, usually a few hours after work, the most work went into sanding all of the parts. I spent about 50-60 dollars on this project, the most expensive items was the spray paint. The bolts and screws are cheap, just bring them with you when getting new ones. Next year i will get a new grill grate and ceramic briquettes, the ones i have now will do for this summer.

Below are some pics of the finished grill, sorry i forgot to take pictures of what it looked like before, but trust me it needed to be rehabbed.

The Green Thumb

2009-05-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Its almost that time of year here in the Chicagoland area for farmers markets and planting of your own garden. Some farmers markets are open now and others will open the first week of June. The Chicago Tribune just had 2 pages in the good eating section of Wednesdays paper(May 13th) and i am sure can be found on there website as well, or you can just contact me via email and i can find out for you.

I am so looking forward to getting some fresh LOCAL produce from the area and creating some fantastic food and memories. I have already had the chance last week to chow down on some fantastic morels that my sous chef brought in for me to have. I was so excited. He had said that he was able to pick quit a few morels and that evening he had grilled pizza with morels and made his son, who you can count his age on one hand a morel omelet for breakfast. What a spoiled brat, lol. We both commented that we never had such a gourmet meal like that at such a young age.

I brought my morels home that night, but not before stopping at Whole Foods and picking up 2 NY Strip steaks to grill. I made a very simple sauce with the morels, i did not want to hide the delicate and earthy flavor of these once a year treasures. The steak and morels paired well with a earthy wine like a pinot noir, a meal that will stay in my head till next years harvest, and then i hope to find some of my own.

This year my garden is all organic, i have maintained a very nice patch of land if you will, actually just the other day i put on 50# of organic manure, 40#mushroom compost and 40#organic peat. You see here in the Midwest most of the soil is clay, which is great its already very fertile but clay compacts with rain and makes it very hard for roots to get deep into the soil and have good structure for tall plants, for example a tomato plant. So with that being said adding some organic ingredients like whats list above and some grass clippings i am in good shape to start planting.

What am i planting you ask, well i myself do not know, all i know is that it will be organic and mostly heirloom items, i actually found a great selection at the Jewel-Osco near work that i am going to get some of my plants from. My next post i will have more about the garden and what i have selected.

I like to think of myself as having a green thumb, thanks to my grandmother who really got me started. I also am going "green" not only in the house, but also in the back yard, i have started a compost in a 5 gallon bucket that i got from work and i place all of my food scraps in this bucket, except items like meat and bones. In about 2-3 weeks of tending to this compost bucket i should have some good, organic compost to feed my garden.

It would be nice to see others get into going green, not only in gardening(which by the is up drastically from a year ago.) Which is not surprise in these hard times its cheaper to grow your own food and more satisfying. I feel that growing your own produce you tend to value it more and not want to waste any of it either so you come up with creative dishes to use up every bit of it.

With that being said i hope all of you that read my blog have a very successful growing season and would also be curious to see what you have planted as well, so please feel free to comment on this post.

Life's a Garden Dig It-Joe Dirt

Cork Meets Coffee Table

2009-04-21T13:46:00.001-07:00

My last class before i would graduate at the CIA was in one of the restaurants called American Bounty. The last class was waiting tables. There i was able to start my collection of wine corks from the bottles that i poured to the ones that my fellow classmates poured. At that moment i decided that i would eventually make myself a cork coffee table. It was just a matter of time that i would have enough corks to complete the task. Little did i know it would take me 4 years to finally complete my table.

After graduation I moved back to Vermont to work next to my protege. There I of course learned as much as possible and collected corks from the waitstaff and from the weddings that we had every weekend.

Once i knew i had enough corks to begin my table, I discussed with my father my vision for this table. We then went to the lumber yard and found the wood that we wanted to make a frame if you will to hold the corks that i would secure with a hot glue gun. I wanted something different for the legs of the table. then i remembered from visiting my chef at his house that he was cutting down some white birch trees around his drive way. I picked a few logs that i deemed straight enough for the legs of the table.

Once my father and i had constructed the table, i placed a very light stain along the frame work of the table. I know had a table, a frame table if you will with no corks.

Why corks you ask? A few reasons, one I am a chef who loves wine and i myself contributed corks to this table, the one i remember most is the 1932 Medoc. the other reason is its a Green product. A cork tree can live up to 200 years, and is sustainable. Once the tree is 25 years old you can strip the tree of its cork and every 9 years will produce more cork, the only tree of its kind. 60% of cork harvested is used for wine corks and there is over 2.2 million hectares of cork forest in the world. Cork is very resilient, therefore is a good cork for wine and more recently is being used for flooring in "green" homes.

Getting back to my story, i had nearly completed my table when i had decided to move to Chicago to be with my girlfriend and it could not fit into my SUV along with the other items that i needed to bring. After living in Chicago for more than 2 years my father and brother came out, they drove here from Vermont. Since they drove they were able to bring items that i could not when i moved out. Of course they had the table, my corks and glue gun.

The first night that they were here and asleep i completed the table and my mission was complete. The entire table was cork, except the top row, in which i used synthetic corks to symbolize the ever changing wine industry.

So with all the above being said here are some pictures of my table.

From PM to AM

2009-04-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

After spending 2 1/2 years on nights at the Oakbrook Hills Marriott as Culinary Supervisor, i have taken on a new challenge, morning. As soon as we hired the new culinary supervisor whom was a cook for me on the Windows line. (Windows is the name of the restaurant) My executive chef and i talked about me going to mornings, he just wanted the new supervisor to get his training in the mornings with fresh faces instead of at night were he had been a equal with the associates. This was all suppose to happen back in January, but with all of the financial problems in the world and cutting back on hours, etc. I was not able to start mornings until now.

Going into this week, my first, I had a few days training with the other Culinary Supervisor and him the same with me. I knew this was going to be a challenging change. On nights i would usually come in around 2pm every day sometimes 3pm. I had a small crew, one hot cook and one cold cook. Some night it was just myself and a hot side cook. I was very hands on as you can tell. I liked this, i liked being involved with cooking, prepping food, making menus, helping out with banquet functions as well.

With mornings i had to change my entire routine. First was my sleeping schedule. As i said above i would go to work around 2pm, and at times not be home until 11-12 at night. Now i had to be at work at 5am, meaning i had to get up by 4am and be in bed no later than 10pm. I think i have adjusted well to this so far, on some nights i have a little help from my new friend the sleeping pill.

The work is different as well, alot different. There are so many different players in the morning. I have no need to be hands on, but am when needed. My problem right now is knowing when to pull myself away and move on to other tasks. In another words supervise more, make sure the flow of the kitchen is steady if you will. In the morning, i need to make sure the buffet is getting set up, that the food is being cooked, the line is being set up for a la cart service and any door knockers for room service are being cooked and delivered in time, make sure pastries and hot food are being prepared for the coffee breaks. this is enough to make you head spin. In between all of this i need to do stand-up in the morning(This allows the associates to know whats going on that day, functions, basic of the day, etc.), hotel stand-up, problem resolution and BEO. Next thing you know its 1:30pm, you haven't taken your break and its time to go home.

I have realized i have much more to learn before i can move up the chain, in the end this will only make me not only a stronger individual but a chef and i am looking forward to it.

The other good thing about mornings is it is almost summer, and i will have the rest of my day to do so much....I can golf, take a walk, cook dinner, work in my small garden, watch cubs games on TV and or be at the game.

This is a new chapter in my life that i greet with open hands, I also will take on this challenge and succeed in another culinary endeavour.

First BBQ of The Year

2009-03-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

The past few days here in Chicago have been absolutely beautiful. So warm out that my girlfriend and I took all the plastic off of the windows so we could could open them all up on Sunday. The air was so fresh and cool that there was no need for a long sleeve shirt.

That night I opened up the freezer to make myself a drink and saw a package of brats. I pulled them from the freezer and asked my girlfriend to pick up some brat buns and beer for dinner tomorrow. She asked why? I said with this beautiful weather, I'm going to BBQ!!!!!!

Monday afternoon, i had my game plan. I decided on something quick and easy, potato salad and baked beans to go with the brats. I know its not much but, its something and I just really wanted to get the grille out. I boiled my potatoes and eggs for the salad, and let them cool. I had some red and white onion left from the potato salad that i had not diced up yet and thought it would be good to have some caramelized onions on my brat as well. When the onions were just about finished, i poured about half a beer(312) into the pan and let it reduce to give them another layer of flavor. I then finished the potato salad, simple, onions, eggs, mayo and Lawries Seasoning. When all that was finished i opened up the can of beans and put them on the stove on low heat.

Finally, it was time to get the grille out! I cracked open a beer, grabbed my smokes and headed outside. I set the grille up on a little table we have on the back patio of the apartment building. There i twisted on the small camping propane tank, turned on the gas and pushed the electric starter to get it going. I needed to let the grille heat up before cooking the brats, so I drank my beer and had a smoke.

Once it was warm enough i lowered the flame and placed the brats on the grille. The brats sizzled as i placed them onto the grille. I closed the grille and let the magic happen. Within minutes the grille began to smoke a sizzle. The smell was breath taking, made your mouth water and your eyes get big, realizing that spring is here and so is BBQ season!!!

Family

2009-02-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend Andrea and i had the privilege of playing host to my brother and father from Vermont. I had not seen them for over 2 years until last week.

We made alot of memories through the week that i will not soon forget.

We hit up the usual spots around Chicago using the CityPass. Places like the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Sears Tower, we also just walked around the city taking it all in.

Of course where they're memories there is food, great food, talking, and drinking good beer or wine.

On one of the mornings earlier in the week of there stay, Andrea and I made pancakes. Of course a plate of pancakes is not complete without some Vermont maple syrup. The pancakes were stacked high and fluffy, with steam dancing up from them. A golden waterfall poured over my pancakes soaking it up like a sponge, enough so that you needed to add more maple syrup.

When taking that first bite, my eyes closed as the liquid gold seeps out of the pancake. it dances in your mouth as it coats your throat as you swallow, leaving a sweet, buttery flavor lingering.

The following day, Andrea had to work, so i decided to take Mark and Dad around the city of Chicago. It was a beautiful day for them to see the city and why i love it so much here. We ended the day at Mother Hubbards, a bar on Hubbard street. I told them that we needed to have the Buffalo wings, that they were #1 in all of Chicago by CBS-TV. I also requested that we get a local Chicago beer, Goose Islands 312.

While waiting we talked about the day we had, things going on in our lives and sports.

When our food arrived, the 312 was cold, crisp and felt oh so good going down.

The Buffalo wings were unique in there own way, the wing and drumstick were still connected. Mark and I began to devour or first ones. The wings were heavy on the sauce, but held up to there reputation of being the best in Chicago. Mark and i needed to stop after each one, lick our fingers one by one then wipe our runny noses. When all was said and done Mark and I must have gone through 3 napkins each.

The last great meal of there visit to the Windy City was UNO's. You cant come to Chicago and not have a true Chicago style deep dish pizza.

We all got to UNO's a little early. We were going to meet up with Andreas brother Brian and his wife Antoinette. While waiting for them to arrive we ordered some appetizers and again like earlier in the week we wrapped our hands around a pint of 312.

I began to explain to Dad and Mark that Chicago pizza is big, meaning alot of crust and toppings, so much so that you will probably only eat 2 slices. Mark and I began to have a friendly argument, Mark said he could eat more than 2 slices. Mark would soon find out how filling a UNO slice is.

We must have gone through 3 pitchers of 312, talking the time away and enjoying each others company.

Brian finally called and said they were on there way and to order the pizza. At UNO's it takes about 45 minutes to bake your pizza.

Brian and Antoinette arrived and soon after saying our hellos the pizza to arrived. The pizza was delicious as always. It's not a pizza you pick up and fold in half, no. With this pizza you need to use a knife and fork. This pizza always sits heavy in you stomach.

Come to find out it looked like my brother ate his words from earlier.

When learning we had 4 slices left, we had them wrapped and they were to be brought back to Vermont for Sherry to enjoy just as we did. We said our good-byes to Brian and Antoinette and headed home.

The last day was the hardest for all of us. Dad and Mark back to Vermont and Andrea and I back to work. The easiest thing was going to be remembering all the fun I had in that week catching up with Dad and Mark, and the memories we made will last a lifetime.

Somehow memories all seem to evolve around a table, food and most of all FAMILY.

Papa & Grandma Down at the Farm

2009-01-25T19:17:00.001-08:00

On of the many upsides of living in Vermont was how close my family was to me.

My maternal grandparents lived just down the road on the farm. I was blessed with my grandmothers green thumb memorable cooking ability. From my papa i received his dedication, endurance, charm, and hard work ethic, but that's another story.

Growing up on the farm i drank milk that was milked earlier that morning at every breakfast. Of course it was always paired with a delicious home cooked meal.

My favorite will always be my grandmas fried dough. When i would arrive in the morning for the first milking, before leaving the house grandma would already have the dough rising in a bowl. She would leave the milking half an hour early to go back to the house to begin breakfast. When papa and i got back we would sit down together at table and read the Rutland Herald. Looking at my grandmother from behind the paper i would see her fist in the air and then hear "wapp", she was punching the dough like a punching bag. After the dough was punched down she placed it on the floured marble counter top. Then she would ever so elegantly and easily roll the bread into the perfect shape. She would then cut them and let it rise a second time. Once they were finished rising she would fry them in her cast iron pot. Papa and I would set the table. All we needed was a bowl, fork, napkin, and glass for each setting. We poured ourselves milk that we had milked from the cows that morning. Of course I would grab the Vermont maple syrup from the fridge and place it on the table. Then the first batch of dough would be ready. I place the hot dough into my bowl. When I split it open the steam would pour out like an old locomotive. Once cooled, I would dip it into my cold maple syrup and take the first highly anticipated bite. The cool sweet taste of maple syrup hits my mouth. The crunchy texture of the outside with the buttery inside was enough to make me shiver. I swoon as the flavors melt in my mouth as I washed it down with farm fresh milk. Maybe not the healthiest, but definitely one of the most memorable meals of my life.

Last Weeks Produce Quiz Answer: Enoiki Mushroom

Community Supported Agriculture

2009-01-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

Last week i was reading the new Bon Appetit-Feb. 09. There was a very interesting article about 50 ways to go green.

In this article, yes there was alot of great ways to go green, and yet there was one thing that stood out to me the most. A website, localharvest.org. There is a link to this page on the right hand side of this page.

I myself was absolutely floored with this website. There was so much information on this website that i did not know even existed. I clicked the CSA tab, put in my zip code and up popped about 12 farms within 100 miles of my place. These farms are either organic or use no kind of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics while raising there fruit, vegetables or animals.

With a subscription to these farms, you can receive produce baskets at your door step or at a designated pick-up spot. That's right, produce directly from the farmer, and its "green" and local. These produce baskets can have anything from fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and maybe meats.

When you sign up for this subscriptions there is a few. You might be asked to work on the farm for a weekend. You also pay anywhere from 3-400 dollars for half a season. 5-600 dollars for the full season. The contents of the basket all depends on the growing season and or what the farmer has available.

There is much more you can do on this website. You can find Co-Ops and restaurants in your area that help support these farmers and there mission.

If you cant afford the subscription to the farmer, you can still by products from them at your leisure, like cheese, eggs, heirloom seeds, vegetables and meats to name a few.

If you are into getting fresh and i mean fresh products, you want to support your local farmers who believe in the simplicity of growing or raising "green" products then this website is just for you.

Produce Quiz:

This vegetable comes in clumps of long, spaghetti like stems. I have a appealing crunchy texture that works well in salads. I am available year round in Asian markets and supermarkets. I can be purchased fresh or canned. I am used to garnish soups or other hot dishes. I am a good source of vitamin D and B-complex vitamins. I am also called the velvet stem...what am i?

Answer will be in my next blog post.