Homemade Marshmallows

Hi everyone - Merry Christmas - Happy Hanukkah!
My brother in law and sister in law Mike and Nancy have an annual Holiday party and they really lay out the spread - including a Chocolate fountain with assorted fruit and sweets to run through the fountain. So I made some homemade marshmallows that went over pretty well. I promised to post the recipe on the blog - (still trying to get this blog to go viral so I can retire, hunt, cook and play golf so tell all your friends :p )
OK so by popular demand here is the recipe for the homemade marshmallows - with props and credit to Alton Brown - his show is where I saw it first a few years ago and I used his recipe...
Ingredients:
3 packets unflavored gelatin
1 Cup Ice cold water -divided
12 oz by weight of granulated sugar (about 1 and 1/2 cups by volume if you don't have a scale)
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup Confectioners Sugar
1/4 cup Corn starch
Non Stick Spray
Candy thermometer
Oh and a strong Kitchen Aid or other brand stand Mixer with whisk - these will test a machine's oomph :)

Directions:
Place the gelatin into the bowl of the stand mixer along with 1/2 cup water -have whisk attachment standing by.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes. Uncover and clip candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240* F - about 7-8 minutes. (for you candy makers that is the "soft ball" stage). Once it reaches that temp, IMMEDIATELY remove from heat. (OK SAFETY WARNING HERE- THIS STUFF IS HOT AND WILL BURN LIKE NO ONE'S BUSINESS - SHOULD PROBABLY NOT HAVE THE KIDS HELPING FOR THE NEXT STEP)

Attach the whisk and turn the mixer on low speed and while running SLOWLY pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture - careful it is hot and you sure don't want that to splash up on to you. Once it is all in the bowl increase the speed to HIGH. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and lukewarm. about 12-15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. I am always amazed at watching the transformation from hot syrup to white shiny clouds. While it is mixing prepare the pan as follows:

Combine the confectioners sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 metal (I use Pyrex too) pan with nonstick cooking spray. add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move it around to COMPLETELY coat the bottom and sided. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
When ready (and take my word for it your mixer will be ready to take a rest) pour, with the help of an oiled spatula into the prepared pan. Use the oiled spatula to spread the mixture around to the corners of the pan. Dust the top with enough of the sugar cornstarch mixture to lightly cover and reserve the rest (I use a small Ziploc bag or prep bowl) for later. Allow the marshmallows to set for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1" squares using a pizza cutter dusted with the cornstarch/sugar mixture . Use the rest of the mixture (I always have to mix up a little more at this stage -50/50 mix remember) to lightly dust the cut marshmallows so they don't stick... You can store them for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container..... Yeah RIGHT that'll happen. I am going to try some variations - Creme` de Menthe instead of vanilla, perhaps?????

Anyway below is the link to the recipe I used so if you want to go there directly and print off the recipe card - I give full credit to Mr. Brown-but want you to know that it isn't hard and really not too time consuming but they can be a little messy. Happy Holidays :)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html

It's all about the birds

I have not really posted too much about the hunting that Ike does - and that is a shame. For those of you that have not had the privilege to see a pointing dog in action it is a real joy to see and the beauty and grace of an animal doing what comes natural to them. I haven't gotten any recent photos or videos - as it is hard to do either safely when hunting and I will try to get some in the next couple weeks but until then a narrative will have to do.





A couple of weeks ago my brother in law Mike and I took Ike over to Hickory Grove Hunting in Wyanette, IL to give him some additional work. The owner and his wife are both great people and have a few hundred acres of very good cover that incorporates good habitat for birds and great cover to hunt. While the birds are pen raised and released, they are strong flyers and while not quite up to wild bird standards of South Dakota or Kansas, in Illinois they are about the best we have. Ike pointed 5 out of the 6 - which is why they still call it hunting. He pointed well and while his retrieving may need a little work, he loves to chase down the ones that don't fall like a stone. This place does the absolute BEST lunch after a morning hunt you would ever believe. It will be a subject to one of my posts in 2011





Last week I took him down to another Hunting preserve in Woodford County called Panola Prairie. I never realized it is only about 12-14 miles from my family's farm and while not as big - it really has some nice cover for small groups of hunters. Ike and I were by ourselves and had only a couple of hours before we had to move on so on a cold but clear (8* at 7AM) we took off for our excellent adventure. Ike did great again - and we only hunted scratch birds - birds that were placed for other groups but not harvested - so we were not sure if or how many we would see.





Well Ike's nose found 5 birds but Steve's eye only got shots off at two of them. But no fault of Ike's. We're going again next the week of Christmas and will try it again.. Weather willing.. I will try to get some pics or video's this time... Tough to do everything and do it safely.

Until then, "Ike, find that bird!"

Pork Chops

Hi everyone;

I know I promised pheasant chili for the next post and Yes I made it but took no pictures so I will have to see if I can take one when I defrost one of the batches and share it then.. But until then here are some killer pork chops - anyone can make...

I start with some 3/4 to 1" boneless center cut chops - believe it or not the school supporting organization called "Market Day" have some of the best vacuum sealed boneless chops I have found - and reasonably priced too. So you get good quality products and help support your local elementary school too - everybody wins. So this recipe is super easy-- but has a couple of twists. Here are your ingredients:

2 center cut boneless pork chops 3/4- 1" thick

4 Tbsp Corn Starch

3 eggs

1 Cup Panko bread crumbs

1 Cup Regular bread crumbs

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Onion Powder (to taste)

Granulated Garlic (to taste)

1/4 cup Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

Oven at 350*

OK, here goes - I use zip lock bags for wet and dry breading but you can use pans, bowls or what ever you usually use.

salt and pepper chops to taste

Dredge chops in Corn Starch - let stand in rack or even paper towel for at least 5 minutes (this is the secret to getting the breading to stick - let the carbohydrates and starches bind the the proteins of the pork chops) - you will be able to tell when ready as the starch will start to look a little damp and that is the sign the bonding has started.

While that is going on, whisk together the 3 eggs with a tablespoon of water to make the wet portion of the breading. Season with onion powder, granulated garlic, and what ever spices you like (thyme and rosemary work well with pork too)

Also place both types of bread crumbs in a vessel and mix together, again season with any spices you like- I find the Panko and the traditional bread crumbs make a very nice texture on the final product.

Place one chop at a time in the egg mixture and ensure the chop is covered completely. Then place in the breadcrumb mixture.

Take the breaded chop out - and then place BACK in the egg mixture - then place again in the Bread crumbs (here is the second key - Place the double breaded chop on a plate to rest for at least 5 minutes before starting the cooking process). Repeat with second chop.

While chops are resting, prepare skillet with Olive Oil and butter - I like using the butter as I let it get a little brown and foamy- thus giving some additional nutty flavor to the crust.

Fry on medium high heat until brown and then flip to brown second side (about 4-6 minutes per side).

Place skillet with chops in preheated 350* oven for 15-20 minutes - or until minimum of 146* internal temp (remember there will be a little extra cooking during the rest period).

I serve this with steamed green beans, and cous cous, polenta or some other starch.

For you Ike-o-philes, next post will talk about our latest hunting adventure...

Talk to you soon!

"Now We're Talkin'"

Hi everyone;

As promised we really did go to South Dakota to do some Pheasant hunting and thanks to the graces of God and good weather we had a successful hunt. While there won't be any recipes on this installment, we will talk about Ike and what he loves to do. Ike did good job on Public ground the first day. For those of you that don't know South Dakota has about 4 MILLION acres in varoius public access areas for hunting. Hunting in general and non-resident hunters generate an estimate 12% of the gross income for the state-so it is big business. Public gound is more difficult and usually need BIG groups of people to hunt them as many times you are walking in 300+acre plots. There were just us 3, Bryan, Ken and myself and Ike. While we saw a couple roosters (you can only shoot roosters) right out of the box, they were too wiley and flushed too far out for a shot - I considered that a good omen... But after that we saw only Hens.. Ike did really well finding them - one field he found 4 but again we couldn't shoot them.. (Man did I get a dirty look from him after the 3rd one -like, "Hey I did my job -now do yours!"

But we did have a pretty good day at the Private Ground on Friday. On the left you see part of are group as well as Ike with our harvest of our "limit". Pictured front and center is Ike, although I think he was still looking for one more bird- but flanking Ike and I are our two guides Larry and Lowell, (and Mocha) great guys and wonderful dog (Larry's 2 labs are in the background in his truck)

Here is a pic of Ike with his first retrieve in South Dakota - He extracted the tail feathers in the process but he brought it back to me - so that is a good thing.

He was a tired puppy every night but he was rearing to go the next morning. What he lacks in size he makes up for in determination!!

Next Blog - Pheasant Chilli.... Mmmm..

Until then, "Ike, Find that bird!"

It's Hunting Time

Hi everyone- sorry its been so long since my last post.

It's finally that time of year. I took Ike last week to Silver Springs State Park where they release pheasants for hunting in about 300 acres of prairie grasses to get a little "reacquainted" with what he is bred to do. Summer months are hard, you can only do so much bumper retrieving, and training so we both were really looking forward to doing that. I was hesitant to do that as I have heard horror stories about un safe hunters, and injuries to dogs etc., but we promised to be careful and went out. Well, Ike pointed one, and lived up to my part of the partnership and landed the bird. I suppose you were hoping to see a pic or two of the successful adventure but I kind of shot the bird up so much it really wasn't such a good pic :( Sorry. But there will be more to come... I promise.

But This is "Cooking With Ike" so in honor of the season, I will share with you a recipe of smoked pheasant breasts - (remember I promised that in an earlier blog). It really doesn't take to much work, and since the meat is SOOOOOO lean you don't need to smoke it all day like a pork roast or even 4-5 hours like a brisket... Just a couple hours and it takes on nice flavor and patina.

I cleaned and marinated the breasts in a mixture of Olive Oil, Peach Cider,Hot sauce, Sesame Oil and Garlic for about 12 hours in the fridge. The reason I used Peach Cider was because my father in law had received some as a gift for watching a neighbor's house while they visited family in Georgia.

I then wrapped them in thick bacon and smoked them over Pecan Chips soaked in a combination of water and more Peach Cider.

About 3 hours later this is what they looked like:

I then made a bourbon-cider glaze by reducing about a cup of cider and about a shot of Bourbon over medium heat until it became syrup like and then drizzled that over the breasts. They were quite good..

I saved the leftovers for some Smoked-Pheasant Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter....

Until then, "Ike Find that Bird"

"Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?"

Hi everyone;

Well, it sounds like (and feels like) Fall is officially upon us (for you weatherphiles, it did arrive about 10 PM Thursday night -but it was 90* here on Thursday). When the weather turns cooler my thoughts turn to, harvest, weaning calves, hunting and FOOTBALL (not necessarily in that order). So this week was I got involved in 3 of the 4. Took Tuesday off and went down to the family farm and helped my brother Gary wean calves and set up the corral for processing the next day. One thing I want to mention - I have never seen anyone work those cows like Gary, he reminds me of "The Pied Piper" we got all those cows in without any issues or problems. I just had to stay out of the way and do what he told me!!

While we were doing that My other brother Stan and his father-in-law were harvesting corn like crazy - boy what a difference a year makes!! Here is a link to my niece's blog that does a nice job giving a perspective of life in rural IL:

http://aviewfromthecab.wordpress.com/

Enough about that - now let's get to the football... College football is in full

swing and the NFL is in week three and while we'll have a tailgate edition of this blog soon, we will today touch on one of my favorite football snacks - Nachos!

Everyone has a favorite way to make or eat them, some with Chili, some just with taco meet, some with chicken and jalapenos...

I like mine, layered with Chips, meat then cheese (my favorite spicy shredded blend) then a few more chips, a shot more meat and another coating of cheese. Then the healthy part - the veggies - Tomatoes, green onions, banana peppers and cilantro.

Bake them for 8-12 mins at 375* and then to get them nice and crispy Crank it up - throw on the broiler for about 2-4 mins (better watch 'em tho - the smoke alarm is not a suitable replacement for a kitchen timer) or until they get brown and crispy. Then accompany them with your favorite salsa, more fresh chopped cilantro, some sour cream (spiked with the juice of 1/2 lime) and some home made guacamole....

It doesn't make any difference, to each their own - the only important thing is the cold beer you have to drink with them - I think it's the law!

Ike is in watching the Sunday night game on the couch (where he's NOT supposed to be) so I better get back in. Oh by the way - GO BEARS (Sorry Stan)

Knutson Invitational 2010

Hello; Ike and I are back...

On Sept 18th we had our annual Knutson Invitational Golf Tournament - 5 years running and getting bigger each year - both in number of golfers and number of guests enjoying the hospitality of my brother in law and sister in law's home after the play is over. We dried out (it really rained) and went through the awards for flight champions and champion team but we also had some fun prizes like shortest drive and highest score but really EVERYONE wins. Great food, great fun and an opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones. Everyone brings a dish to augment the main food supplied my our hosts and we always have an abundance of wonderful dishes and this year was no exception. I was asked to share my appetizer recipe and would ask for anyone else that reads this blog that attended to share theirs as well - Wonderful, dips, salsa, spreads and desserts - you know Golf is almost secondary (I said almost :). By the way, Ike is good at many things but golfing is not one of them so he and his cousin Roxie stayed in their kennels and want to thank their Aunt Schuie for taking them for walks and giving them some treats between the rain storms.

Cheese Puffs (these are EZ and only 3 ingredients)

Ingredients:
12 oz of hot bulk pork sausage (the hotter the better)

8 oz of Shredded Cheddar cheese (I use sharp) but use your favorite

2 1/2 cups all purpose baking mix (i.e. Bisquick)

Pre heat oven to 350*

Combine all ingredients in medium (you might want large bowl - just makes it easier to mix) and mix well

Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and place one inch apart (don't crowed them) on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until golden - about 20 minutes -serve warm

What I like about these is you can make, and bake ahead and then refrig them (covered) and reheat in 350* oven for 8 minutes the for your party.... (They can even freeze for up to a month)

Each year it gets bigger and bigger - and so does the day care facility - Moms, Grandmas, and Aunts and Cousins all pitch in and watch an ever growing brood of the next generation's participants.

From Zero to Breakfast in 3 minutes

Hello;

So we're all real busy, taking off to work with no breakfast and stopping by your local Starbucks or coffee house for an expensive, calorie laden Mochito, Latte, Steamed Soy milk, with whipped cream and carmel morning coffee drink. Come on, do you know how much you can save by making you own healthy (heck not even healthy for that matter) breakfast wrap and your own coffee at home? We calculated that at $5 per day, 5 days a week, 4 weeks a month and 12 months a year you would spend $1200 on COFFEE. Let alone that you are getting empty calories that contribute to the mid morning crash you have been feeling?? A typical container of coffee will cost you about 1 1/2 days of your coffee budget and get you about 200 cups out of it.

OK I am off my soap box now :) but hey in about 3 minutes (while my coffee was brewing at home) with things I had in the fridge I put together a simple breakfast that I would put up against anything you get through a window and spill in your lap while driving - and keep you away from the vending machine at about 10:30.

Here are the ingredients I used today -these were all in the fridge and available - use what you have.

2 eggs
2 flour tortillas
slice of ham
2 slices of bacon
Cilantro
red pepper
shredded cheese
sour cream
salsa

I'm not going to tell you how to scramble eggs but I just want everyone to start the day out with something in your stomach, save a few $$ and recognize it doesn't take that long to start your day out right - and just think you could be a few dollars ahead

Easy Meals

Hi everyone,

I have been posting now a couple of weeks and really want to thank everyone that has visited and commented or become a follower on Ike's blog. One comment was how about some ideas on one dish easy meals, and I thought that is a great idea. As we get ready for hunting season, and our big pilgrimage to the Pheasant Capital of the US, South Dakota, we usually try to bring an easy "crock pot - start it and forget it" meal for at least one of the hunting days.

Ike and I are warming up using the Wii Bird hunting game - not too much pointing and retrieving for him on this but it sure holds his attention.

Anyway one very easy and delicious way to make "pulled pork" is by using the crock pot, some of your favorite BBQ sauce and rub and OK, get this, a 20 oz bottle of Coca Cola - (regular not diet). You will need:

1 Pork Shoulder Roast (sometimes called Boston Butt - yeah I know this is nowhere near the butt - but I didn't name it) Make sure it fits in your Crock Pot

1/4 cup of your favorite rub

16 oz bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

1 20 oz bottle of Coca Cola

Spray your crock pot with some no stick spray (up on the sides)

Rub your pork roast with the rub - use as much or as little as you like

Place Fat side up in Crock Pot

Cover the top of the Roast liberally with your BBQ sauce

Pour in as much of the coke as it takes to nearly submerge the roast - leave some room in the crock pot for liquid to develop. (usually you get to drink some of the coke)

Turn on high and set timer for 8 hours (our crock pot has a digital timer that you set and when it ends it automatically turn to "warm" setting)

Come back in 8 hours, drain and shred using forks or "Bear Claws" (see the picture). These babies really work for shredding a roast for sandwiches. I got these at Bass Pro Shop.

Place back in crock pot add remainder of BBQ sauce and warm and serve on buns, bread, or just a fork...

Easy to prep, easy to cook, easy to clean up.

Until next time, "Ike, find that bird!"

Smokin' Volume II

Yep I know I am repeating myself already, but while it is still BBQ-ing time I have been trying to replicate my favorite smoked brisket. It is from a place in San Antonio TX - Rudy's. Since my dad's name is Rudy and he does a pretty mean whole hog roast I knew I was going to have to try it. When you stop in at that old gas station on your way out to La Cantera and Sea World you may not know what to expect as white linen it ain't... More like White Butcher Paper! And I wouldn't want it any other way. The Brisket is GREAT but I would be remiss if I didn't also mention their Creamed Corn - That is the best I have ever eaten anywhere.

If you're in San Antonio -look 'em up and try Rudy's. My guess is you won't be disappointed.

Anyway I tried the first time and oversmoked it - good but too dry. This time I held the temp a little lower used Pecan wood, and only smoked it about 3 1/2 hours. Looks pretty good huh??

Let me know where your favorite BBQ joint is. Perhaps it is a hidden gem too.

Until the next post.. Ike, find that bird!

Comfort Food - Different Foods Same Feeling

Hi everyone sorry it's been a few days since the last post but the job and some work on the farm kind of kept me pretty busy. But going back to the farm the last couple of days started me thinking about how things have changed growing up - and how some things evoke those memories. Everyone has the special food or meal that takes you back to a time when things were less complicated and that food allows you to re-visit that time if only for a little while.





Here is Ike demonstrating his idea of comfort...





Here are a couple of recipes - one from my my wife's late mother, Joan - who was the epitome of a 1950-1960's housewife , and one my wife enjoyed with a childhood friend's family - so comfort food doesn't have to be your own - only your memories need to be.

The Sloppy Joe recipe brings back so many memories of growing up for my wife - that really is the definition of comfort food.. What it is is almost secondary to what it means.


Joanie's Sloppy Joes
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 Tbsp Minced Onion
1 Tbsp Dry Mustard
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 Cup Water
1 Small Bottle Ketchup
Brown ground beef and drain fat if necessary. Keep heat med low. Add Dry Mustard, Chili Powder, Salt and Minced Onion. Let spices warm through (about 2 minutes) add sugar, ketchup and up to 1 cup of water. Simmer on medium to low heat for at least 1/2 hour to reduce liquid. Serve on hambuger buns - or even open face topped with some cheese slices.


This recipe is one my wife's childhood friend's mother made EVERY Sunday and conveniently enough my wife as a young child happened to be at their house almost every Sunday evening... (Hmmm I think I smell something there - and it isn't just garlic)

Red Gravy (sauce)
2 packages of Pork neck bones or similar pork bones
(or you can replace this with 1 lb Ground Sirloin if neck bones aren't your thing - but try it they really make a difference)
Olive Oil for sauteeing
1 Medium Onion diced medium
2 cloves Garlic chopped fine
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 cans (28 oz each Crushed Tomatoes or tomato puree)
6-6 oz cans tomato paste
Water (fill both cans of crushed tomato puree with water)
3 tsp Dried Parsley
1 tsp Dried Sweet Basil
1/4 cup Sugar
Salt and pepper neck bones, saute` in olive oil until brown -doing it in stages if pot gets too crowded. The onions and garlic can be sweated after the last of the bones are browned. Place all bones back in pot and add tomato puree and tomato paste and water. Then add all other spices and sugar. Simmer 6-8 HOURS (yeah I know - I said it was tasty not quick)
After simmering, remove bones and discard them after removing meat. Chop meat and add back to sauce...
It is great over chicken parmesan, ravioli, stuffed shells - heck an old shoe would taste pretty good if it was covered in this..

My idea of comfort food really isn't a single food but really more of a how a meal was made up. It's tough to explain, but I'll try in as few a words as possible...

Growing up especially around this time of year, we would sit down at the farm for noon meal (always at noon, that's another story) and look at the food on the table and everything on the table (except the milk my brother drank was home raised. The pork, chicken or beef all born and raised the potatoes planted and dug by our own hands, the sweet corn, the tomatoes, the cucumbers, the bread, and even the apple cobbler for desert... So you see going back to the farm last week triggered those memories for me and in turn this blog..

So feel free to tell reply with what is YOUR comfort food - I would be interested to hear what triggers those memories for you.

Fire sticks - Pheasant style

Since my post yesterday had nothing to do with Ike, and he reminded me that the title of this is cooking with Ike not Steve I thought I should give him some time to shine. Ike is now 14 months old and a great addition to the family. Here are a couple of pictures of him with his first retrieves while in training. He was a natural. Because I had additional pheasants this year due to his training I had to find more than the traditional pot pie so I will intersperce some recipes focusing on pheasant in honor of Ike (and the fact I have so darn many of them in the freezer and had to get creative.)

Ike's training so far has consisted of pointing and retrieving raised birds as for those of you that are not familiar with Illinois hunting, the natural habitat and wild birds have disappeared due to urban Growth and increased intensity farming. Organizations like Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are grassroots organizations working on restoring the habitat and in turn the birds as well. In future posts I will share with you the exploits both culinary as well as hunting of some local sportsman's clubs.

The following recipe is for pheasant breasts but I suppose you could use chicken or turkey cutlets too... but Ike didn't point them, after all this is cooking with Ike. Enjoy!

Remove the breast of the pheasant and skin it as well
Check for shot
Soak them in saltwater for at least an hour
Cut the breast of the pheasant into strips
Marinate overnight in the following mixture:
Olive Oil
Apple Juice
Durkee Hot Sauce (or your favorite make them as hot as you like - after all it is called fire
sticks)
Couple drops of Liquid Smoke
Fresh Garlic sliced thin (this is where I think more is better)
Honey
(I add a couple slices of fresh Ginger here too-wasn't in the original recipe an old hunter gave
me but I figure it is my pheasant I can do what I want)
Prepare a dry breading of Bread crumbs (either Panko or original) cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt
Remove from marinate and dredge in the breadcrumbs and fry in 350* peanut oil until golden brown and delicious.

I tried baking them once, but honestly I didn't like them so I don't recommend that.

Great with a bbq dipping sauce, sweet and sour, or even various mustards, great finger food at a party.

Basil - my favorite herb

Basil- Have you ever thought about herbs and spices? I guess at the basic level the difference between an herb and a spice is an herb uses the leaf and a spice is the seed (OK before you all email me I know, cinnamon is spice and it uses the bark not the seed). We even have the same plant named twice - coriander for the seed (spice) and cilantro for the leaf (herb)... OK no more ramblings... Now to Basil....

I started thinking about this tonight as I was making a grilled pizza - how much I have come to enjoy Basil - I grew 6 different varieties in my aerogarden one winter - Man I was putting basil in everything.. (it was the ONLY thing I could grow well in that machine a testimony to the herb's hardiness I am sure). Anyway, I was thinking, where would we be without it? No Margarita Pizzas, no Bruschetta, and no Pesto. Red gravy (sauce) would never taste the same and I think between that and garlic an entire cuisine would be crushed if not for them. I really enjoy the fresh and earthy flavor of basil when combined with a ripe Roma tomato, fresh buffalo mozzarella, a splash of extra virgin Olive oil fresh cracked black pepper and some aged Balsamic vinegar. A Caprese Salad - Another of my favorite things.... Chinese cuisine has ginger, French has tarragon, but the Italians, they have Sweet Basil.... mmmm

Oh one last little tidbit of info - recent studies have shown the plant is toxic to mosquitoes - like we need another reason to grow, eat and enjoy Basil...

Here's a basic recipe for Pesto....

1 cup (packed Basil Leaves)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Pine nuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic (if you really like garlic maybe a little more)

Incorporate dry ingredients in food processor and then drizzle in the olive oil

Store (even freeze) in an air tight container... up to 3 months (frozen) - but I bet it won't last that long.

Try it over gnocchi with a little of the starchy cooking water to thin it out. Or even rev up a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich by spreading a little pesto on the bread before toasting.

Smokin'

For my first post I thought nothing is more representative of summer than cooking some ribs on the BBQ. Well, smokin' them is more like it. Earlier this year I broke down and got a Weber Smoker (ranked #1 by America's Test Kitchen by the way) and have done Country Style Ribs, Baby Backs, Brisket, and Pheasant Breasts wrapped in bacon -(that's a later post, thanks Ike). So today I thought nothing would be more appropriate for my first post and represent summer more than smoking some ribs.
I really like this Weber as it is easy to keep the temp in that smoking zone of 200-250 degrees and it has 2 racks as well as a water bowl to infuse more flavor. For these baby backs I used Lump Charcoal and soaked a couple handfuls of Pecan chips. I really like the flavor of the pecan - not as sharp as Mesquite.

I also want to give credit where credit is due - I use a Kansas City Rib Rub - Sweet with a little hint of heat see the link to A GREAT site for all kinds of rubs http://bbq.about.com/od/rubrecipes/Rub_Recipes_Recipes_for_all_kinds_of_rubs_for_all_kinds_of_meats.htm


Here are couple of pics of the middle and end of the process . I smoked them for 3 hours (nice smoke ring and crusty bark on them by then). I then slathered them with our favorite BBQ sauce and put them in a 200 degree oven for 2-3 more hours wrapped tightly in foil. They become fall off the bone tender and carmelize that sweet bbq sauce.... Mmmmm (Props to America's Test Kitchen for this hint)

Now that is a classic summer meal. Hope you like my first post. (Ike gives it 4 paws :)

Welcome to Cooking with Ike

Hello everyone;
I want to invite everyone to visit my blog - it combines two of some my favorite things: Cooking and my German Shorthaired Pointer, Ike. While Ike likes to help me cook he mostly watches and critiques my dishes. There are some occasions where he does provide the raw materials for some of my dishes or at least tells me where they are - I still have to hit them...

Anyway be on the look out for recipes, photos, gadgets I really like (cooking and otherwise) as well as other random thoughts by both myself as well as Ike (as told usually through my wife - (I swear she speaks dog sometimes).

As for some shots of Ike growing up go to this link.
http://mabekennels.com/magicmale1.htm