So you remember that deck?

We wanted to build a bigger deck. So I went to the hardware store and picked up some decking matierial. My friend Joe drove down the night before from Baltimore and brought his saw and other tools (he does contracting). When we were unloading the boards we had an accident and I wound up in the hospital. I'm fine but my foot has 11 stitches in it and I am supposed to be off my feet as much as possible.


We even got one board done...

Gnocchi

So, we have been on a gnocchi kick lately. Its a little bit of work but we love them. My wife decided one day to try out a recipe and we both loved it. However, she tried another recipe and it turned out a little slimy. So we will keep trying and report back when we find the out how to make it just right and report back. In the mean time- enjoy the pictures.





By the way- the sauce is a recipe from Giada- its her simple sauce and it is absolutely delicious.

Michelle Obama's Farmers Market

My subway stop for work is McPherson Square/White House. Michelle Obama decided that she wanted to close Vermont Avenue every Thursday for a Farmers Market (note the Secret Service guys on lookout).

My first thought as a dark suited/red power tie kinda guy was, "Dammit-this is going to totally screw up my commute. And there are going to be hippies everywhere". In fact, it did a make it a little bit more difficult but I finally gave in and went to the Market on Thursday on my way home. OK, so my snap stereotype was broken-these vendors knew their stuff.


I took my time shopping and tried a lot of the vendors' products. I talked to them about what would go well with whatever. There was a local bakery and the gentleman seemed genuinely pleased to discuss how he made his semolina bread with me. The array of fresh vegetables made my local Safeway seem like it was bush league. I stumbled upon one stall where the dude working it was selling bison meat.


I have always heard that it was excellent and tasted just like beef but much leaner and probably 100 times healthier. After talking to the guy for a minute I decided to go for it. I told him that I am a bison meat virgin and he simply said, "Try the burgers". So, I picked up some awesome bread, heirloom tomatoes, and some bison burgers. I made them on Friday night and we LOVED them. My wife really liked the fact that bison was so much leaner than beef and that it not only tasted pretty much like beef but tasted better. So, we may be doing bison burgers more often.

Michelle, good call. You are as smart as you are good lookin'. Thanks from just a regular Joe who works down the street from your house.

G Daddy's BBQ joint in GA

We left the beach around noon this morning and are making our way back north to DC. I found G Daddy's BBQ just off of I-95 exit 3 sometime around 4 PM. We all needed a break and something to drink. I liked it, Kate liked the flavor but wasn't so sure since they hadn't removed the crispy skin from their BBQ sandwich.

A girl? What? She can't grill!

So, Christy of What We Eat and I are now official nerds.

She has a blog about cooking, etc. as well. Recently, we were talking about who could make the best burger and we have differing opinions. So, its up to you my friends. Whose burger looks the best!

No pressure.... since girls really aren't supposed to be allowed to touch the grill! Ok ok ok-who cares, let the pictures tell the thousand words. Good luck to Christy.

Check out both of our sites to see the burgers and then vote for the one you like best over at her site.

My burgers were made with finely diced raw onion, Mexican hot chili powder, cumin, and S&P. I roasted some jalapenos and a pasilla pepper (of which for some reason I just have a pic of but no video). I also added some fresh chunky salsa from Trader Joe's, pepper jack cheese and red lettuce.

BUT FOR HONESTY IN COMPETITION.... I forgot the freaking avacodooooo!!!!!!!!!!

But who cares....

Pulled Pork Sandwiches!!!!!!

My wife, The Friday Chef, used the crock pot again and made pulled pork sandwiches, with home made cole slaw. We can freeze a few portions of this and eat them later. So, our freezer is getting stocked lately. Also, I found a good article on food shopping on washingtonpost.com . Some good thoughts there.

Basically I put a 6 lb pork butt (Boston Butt) into the crock pot with some cut up onions, S&P, a shot of bourbon, and some hot sauce for about 6 hours on low. While I was at work I had Kate drain the liquid from the pork, chop it and put it back into the crock pot with a bottle of BBQ sauce on low. I can tell you that the house smelled awesome when I got home from work.

Kate quote :"It looks like the meat is talking to you". Funny.

The pork was good. I made the cole slaw when I got home and we toasted some buns and had pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. Im having one for lunch today as well....At least I brought my fish oil pills and am going to swim before I eat lunch.... cuz you know.... I'm on a health kick....?

I'm the Kitchen Nazi

So my wife is going to be a stay at home mom. Along with all of the crazy shit that she is going to have to put up with day to day I decided to concede some control in my kitchen. I do all of the cooking in the house. Its not that she can't cook but more along the line of it's what I enjoy doing. So I decided that Friday dinner is all hers from here on out. She can plan all week for it. She must be rusty since she and I have been living together (over 10 years) she has not really had to do much in the kitchen. So last night I tossed her the softball and asked her to hit it out of the park for me.

I looked up a recipe for a crock pot chicken dish and pulled all of the spices out of the cabinets, the measuring cups, the crock pot (my mistress-they had to meet sometime), vegetables and sent her an email detailing my explicit instructions on how to change the recipe a little. In case you are wondering- YES, I am totally having some loss of control issues. I checked in from the office a few times today and found out that she didn't start the crock pot until 3:30! Holy Shit! What have I done? She didn't get to the few other things that I asked her to do either! I broke out in hives and had to breathe into a paper bag. We are going to all starve and die!

I got home at the regular time. The house smelled great. ( OK- I admit I added a little curry powder to the crock pot when she wasn't looking) The kids were fed and happy. I took off my coat and tie and sat down with my family. As it turned out, dinner was great. Life is good. I need therapy for my control issues.

She even took pictures so I could post about it. Isn't that special?

OK-I'm on a Persian kick now

Falafil, lavash bread and chicken kabobs? It was a regular Sunday afternoon... we needed to get the team out of the house and fast. So we went to the pool which only lasted about an hour and a half before the kids were asking for lunch. So we went to my new favorite joint called Church St. Pizza. As usual, the pizza was great (a nice NY thin crust with enough grease to satisfy-along with a tall cool Miller Light). The kids ate their pizza happily and the wife and I kept the violence and crying to a minimum. After we ate I just couldn't deal with taking them back to our house and a light bulb burst over my head. I have always wanted to check out the Persian Bakery down the street. I drive by it every morning on the way to the subway and tell myself, "I'm going to check that joint out someday". I wasn't disappointed. The people there didn't speak English. Nor would they have understood my rudimentary Arabic-It was Persian (Iranian). I walked in and smelled the freshly baked bread, exotic spices, and row upon row of groceries with labels that I couldn't read or even know what they are. So whats a guy like me to do? I dive in. Grab all sorts of things to try out-that's what I do! I even bought the kids some sugar cookies from the seriously geriatric baker dude. He smiled at me as he looked at my blond brood of little ones. He didn't charge me for the cookies or for the tomato that my oldest decided to smash. Regardless if I totally blow this experiment I will be back. I love places like that.

Here are some videos of me making the falafil with tahini, lettuce and lavash bread. With children screaming in the background and giving commentary....

Never mind all that mess in the background and I definately dont drink Michelob Ultra.....

Chinese Fire Drill

OK. I got lazy. It was a long week at work. I work in the construction industry and there have been layoffs left and right. I kept my job. My family will be fed and clothed. I was emotionally exhausted at the end of the week and just wanted to make a quick and easy dinner that tasted good. I cheated. I took the easy way out. Okay you caught me, I had beers with the boys before I got on the subway home and then went shopping for dinner! A little advice- make things yourself. Dont use the recipe on the back of a bottle. No self respecting cook would do what I did. I have to tell you that it was terrible and ate cheese and crackers for dinner instead. "Father, forgive me for I have sinned."

Salad? WTF? Thats not dinner!

Recently one of my closest friends went to his normal check up on a Friday afternoon. His doctor, personally, called him on Saturday and told him to not exercise, take it easy, and to meet him at 7:30 in the morning on Monday.

His triglycerides were over 4 times the normal acceptable level.

He called in on Monday and said he was going back to the doctor that day and would be late for work. I didn't get to talk to him until late in the day on Monday, when he told me what had transpired. I couldn't believe it. I was floored. He is skinny. We eat the same things. The only difference between us was the fact that I swim at lunch often, I don't eat egg sandwiches for breakfast and we are obviously aren't related.

Regardless of those facts I was very worried for him and worried for myself. I recently started taking fish oil pills because of him. I am going to redouble my efforts to get my workouts in. I am no longer going to be dousing my pancakes with butter but will be using margarine instead. I am now using I can't believe it's not Butter.

Don't worry. I'm not freaking out. I still love butter and bacon. But I have decided to make better choices now that I am in my mid 30's. I'm no longer indestructible.

And you know what? salads don't have to suck. They can be very good. My concern is hunger. I have always have been able to eat anything I want and not gain weight. I know-sorry. But I have decided that I am going to eat a salad, only a salad, for dinner twice a week. No chicken, no bacon bits, nothing. Nada.

I have always looked at salad as a side dish or an appetizer. There has to be something that tastes great without the Ranch Sauce or the Bleu Cheese Dressing and can still make my heart sing. check back. I am scrambling right now. I am reading up on salads.

Take your fish oil, exercise, and lay off the bacon this week. Are you with me?