the Grocery Store...

You probably already know that grocery stores are great places to pick up women, but also men. There are not only plenty to choose from, but a grocery store offers many ways to find that special someone without ever letting them know what you are doing. Meeting women at a grocery stores and supermarkets can be daunting for me, cause i am not used to approaching women at the super market, or anywhere for that matter! However after a few approaches I lighten up and realize it’s actually quite easy and fun to do, sure some approaches may not go down so well however when it comes to meeting that special someone it all comes down to a numbers game in the end.

there are a few ways to approach this task....

A man can easily act helpless in the grocery store, but in today's society it is not uncommon for both men and woman not able to navigate there way around the aisles. Just approach a woman that you are interested in and ask her which type of fruit, vegetable, cereal or even detergent to pick out. Most women will be willing to help you out. Try to use this starting point to strike up a conversation. You may want to ask her what kind of recipe you can try with whatever you are looking at, or perhaps you can just be honest with her and tell her that you do not actually need help, but you thought she was so cute that you had to approach her. If you aren't willing to be that bold, then try to move the conversation away from food or products and ask her questions about her life. She will get the hint that you are interested in her very quickly.

another way, and my favorite... is to simply follow her up and down some of the same aisles and as an off handed conversation say, "we must stop meeting like this." She may laugh and a conversation can start. You may even want to help her out when she is looking at a particular fruit. Just simply approach her and give her your hints on how to pick out the right produce.

Or an approached that worked ONCE, by fluke, while doing my normal shopping, grabbing odds and ends for my day off. I normally don't go down the aisles when shopping but i was hankering for some ice cream, meandered on down the frozen food section and, spotted a very attractive girl, i looked into her basket, which is a good determination if she can handle her self in the kitchen, and noticed only frozen foods, and TV dinners. I strike up a conversation and, found out she was new in town and worked to much to cook, i invited her to a weekly pot luck dinner that me and a group of us have on Sundays and told her to join us... now here was the the hard part, getting all my friends together for a Sunday dinner and make them know that they have to at least look that we had done this once or twice before. I ended up cooking every ones dishes and then when the "date" arrived i admitted to her that is was a way to get to see her again, she was smitten, and we are still friends to this day.

A grocery store is typically no different then picking up a woman in any other place. As long as you can hold a conversation and come off charming and sweet, she will probably at least engage you in conversation. However, a grocery store just gives you more options on how to strike up that conversation. So, instead of heading to a local bar, try heading to your local grocery store and see what happens. Enjoy yourself, relax and have fun. If you walk around like you’re on a mission to pickup fellow shoppers they will sense this and be creeped out. If you’re walking around shopping, smiling and talk to everyone people will assume you’re just a very sociable guy. So the point is to be seen socializing not just with hot women but the store staff, guys, the counter staff etc as it’ll look much better as opposed to just talking to the hot women.

Braciole

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/3 cup grated provolone
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/4 cups store-bought marinara sauce i mean you are already i a grocery store!
  

Directions

Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

photo from huffington post.com and recipe from d Giadia www.foodtv.com

why cook at home?

Once upon a time in a land called college, I spent freshman weekend nights spooning only my pillow. My keg cup runneth over from sexually frustrated tears. Being in culinary school you would think that cooking at home would be very prevalent but it wasn’t. So one night while working on a group project, A study break was sorely needed so I fixed up this ridiculous Mac & Cheese from random dorm store ingredients. This hottie, who hadn't even asked where I was from, was suddenly smitten with a freshman. I would love to tell you she used me for my body. She did. But really she used me for my prowess, my culinary prowess. We got a C on our project in baking and pastry 101, and it could have been on how “100 years in solitude changed my life and narrowed the focus on human society,during the fall of the roman empire” for all that mattered, we were cooking together nearly every night, the project was last on our minds. My GPA did suffer, but my game rose to a 4.0. Being a Bachelor in the kitchen has served me, an average dude, well ever since. Man or woman, gay or straight, married or single, all should Cook. Here are 5 Reason why!

#1 Cheaper than a restaurant
Dating is hard enough on the ego; spare your poor wallet. I know that when courting a woman we as men shell out quite the bit of cash from time to time, and hell We’re in a recession, damn it! A more perfect excuse to skip Chez Bleu Boule there could not be. Do you really want to mortgage a kidney to pay for a meal when the waiter reciting the specials is really talking smack to your face in French, and or slipping your date his number. This has happened, damn you Laurent, sorry i digress...

#2 You’re already home
Your date begins and ends (after breakfast hopefully) in your house of iniquity. I say this in my used car sales man voice, “WORRY no more about awkward cliché post-date nightcap invitations.” You have all the time in the world to build a connection in the comfort of your own home. The best part is the bedroom is close. It’s even closer if you live in a studio, among the few benefits of living in that over priced of a shoebox. Just make sure the roommate is not around if this is a first attempt at cooking at home for that special someone.

#3 Connection through Collaboration
The object of any date is to build a connection. Whether you seek a soul mate or booty call, you need that spark. Involve your date in the cooking process, all from asking favorite foods, meals, childhood memories about ice cream, find out a few details. Get them emotionally invested in the meal, not helps your game out when you pull out his or her favorite recipe or your adaption of it. Together you create something beautiful while stirring a pot over a hot stove, I mean that is pretty hot in its self. This way your date will be comfortable with your presence when you bust a move.

#4 let there be WINE
I read somewhere that the more alcohol you drink, the less clothing you wear. I’m still running field tests so stay tuned. What I do know is that drinks, especially fine wines, can turn a swanky meal into a raw deal. Being a bachelor in the kitchen puts the power into your hands. You decide what pairs best with your grub and how much you both care to indulge. Have fun with this… find a specialty cocktail to start, then get into the wine and maybe a great French Press coffee drink to end, you are the mix master, or skip all that and just drink an ultra light beer.

#5 You’re DESSERT
This should be self-explanatory. It’s the culmination of the meal you slaved over. At this point, you have established yourself as a “keeper.” No doubt you were a charming host that titillated your date’s senses. all of them… Pounce, tiger, pounce! If that didn’t work the chocolate cake recipe at the end will work and is super simple!

2 cups boiling water

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

2 1/4 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method:

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 3 - 9 inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2.In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spread batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.

4. Frost how you like it, you can buy some great premade frosting, and then maybe dress it up with a few fresh berries, i mean just an idea

Jazz and Fall a perfect combo....

A few bottles of wine, jazz and friends can do a lot for the soul of a chef. Like the great jazz musicians who see their music as a framework for an improvisational session, I look at recipes as an inspiration, not a carefully plotted script. After a night with close friends, a hip hole in the wall jazz bar, I have decided to use this same approach for the design of my menu for the rest of Fall . . . keeping it smooth like the stand up bass, bright and cheery as a horn player, in rhythm with the season like a drummer, and soulful like the ivory keys.

The menu is written for the home cook. It contains liberal descriptions to guide the diner through the “framework” of the menu and enable them to see spontaneous yet focused cuisine I have cooked for them. If they choose to recreate the evening at home, the menu offers them a great tool to help them recreate a dinning experience, but allows them to add more trumpet and less bass if need be. I look at a dish in general and see a jazz quartet on every plate. Each piece can stand on its own, but together they create a more resonant sound. You, the guest, may not hear the dish in quite the same way as the next, and this is fine. If you like cheery trumpets, then maybe the acid of citrus speaks to you more than the smooth bass line of creamy “Fall Squash Risotto”, and this is ok. Food, like music, is a personal experience. I cannot tell you that putting cream cheese on a hot dog is a sin, even though it is, for if that bit of sweet cheesey topping on street meat is what makes you happy then go for it. If you feel the urge to try Bordeaux with striped bass then do it. Like a jazz musician, they will never know if that b flat minor fits if they don’t play it.

That is what food and music is all about, playing and eating what you like. It is something that speaks to the inner soul and makes you happy when you hear it, and smile when fond memory surfaces when you smell the aroma of a dish. Take life, as well as your dish of perfectly cooked pasta to the couch, dim the lights and listen to the ivory keys whisk you away, or a hamburger and Britney spears, whatever you’re in the mood for! But whatever you eat, make sure it is quality. Like my Father told me, “Good Food, Good Friends! QUALITY GETS AL”. . .

Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients
6-8 cups vegetable broth

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 each Leek, Chopped

1/4 cup Marscapone

2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp chopped chives

Salt

Method
1 Heat broth in medium sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan; add onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2 Add rice to onions. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes. half way through the process add the butternut squash.

3 During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, leeks, and chives. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste, and stir in marscapone. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan.

Serves 4 to 6.

I could not really ask for a better profession right now, being a chef is a great thing, part rock star, mixed with Latin lover, meets temperamental artist, hint of class clown, with a smig of scientist, and dash of humble servant. In an interview for a TV Show I was asked along with the other chefs, “What makes a Great Chef?” You got a lot of the stock standard answers, but when they got to me I said one thing “Broad Shoulders.” At any given time you are or doing the plumbing, valet, cooking, dishwasher, waiter, checking in orders, dealing with guest, and crunching numbers. A Kind of all around guy that everyone goes to, but this is not why I do it, and it is not all about the cooking either. SEASONS!

I love the seasons, and the changes and excitement it brings to an everyday grueling but loving job. From new harvest olive oil in December to strawberries in the summer the months that seem to weave together all have their own individual personality. Each month brings something to the table that the last month did not, and that next month can’t. I am a strong believer that there are 12 seasons in a year. Us as chefs should revel in what mother nature can offer us, and use fresh, local, unadulterated products that are there to brighten our souls and help us create something that the guest will come back for, even if it wont be there in a month.

Life as well brings us change, working on abroad there is constant change, people come and go, and when people come back they are different. This is a great thing, for if we try to be stagnant and not grow, we become content, and this is the worst thing for a chef, to be content to not want to be better or the best. To try and strive for an unattainable goal of perfection.

Seasons come and go, so do loved ones and friends, but as something is not longer available on the table, next month will bring something better, or different.

The Indian

Shortly before I moved to DC, I was working at this really amazing restaurant. It was a fusion concept of American, Caribbean, Latin, and Asian Influences. Though I have stated many times that this is not my style of cooking, this food was well prepared and never over done, simplicity in another form. But I digress…. While helping this place to open they brought in a painter to paint HUGE oranges, and this really tropical theme in the restaurant. When he arrived we brought him to the local home depot to buy supplies, and we were trying to push him to buy the name brand expensive brushes and paint. Finally he looked and said. “It is not the bow, nor the arrow…. It is the Indian!”

BRILLIANT! There is no better way to describe the way I am or how I cook! Yes we as chefs all love the GREAT and expensive ingredients. But time and time again I am drawn to the simplicity of the cheaper, less expensive stuff to draw my inspiration from. Being able to take chicken, lettuce, oil, vinegar, salt, and combine it in a way to where it taste good is a lot harder than being handed the best of the best.

Just like a pilot in an airplane, or a captain of a boat, it is great to have a million dollar GPS system behind you but what if that fails, you need to break out the map and know how to use the most basic of systems.

As a chef, “varietals” meats, or ingredients with less fan fare, such as pork belly, liver, beef cheeks, turnips, Brussels sprouts, lamb shoulders, all these ingredients are simple, inexpensive and have great flavor and are normally forgotten about, but with the right time and technique can outshine even the most expensive cuts of meat and fish that are more likely to adorn Haute Cuisine menus.

It comes down to the “Indian.” We as chefs, cooks, bachelors, and bachelorettes, must learn to take the simplest of things and create something beautiful with it, both in and out of the kitchen. This is the true mark of a really developing your craft.

Pork Cheeks Braised in Honey and Cloves! A great Fall dish!

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 leek, finely sliced

2-3 sticks celery, chopped

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, whole

2 bay leaf

3 sprigs thyme

6 whole cloves

1 tea sp tomato paste

4 tblsp honey

4 pig’s cheeks, trimmed

4 cups chicken stock (pork stock if you have it)

1/4 cup white wine

Freshly ground salt and pepper

12 baby turnips, blanched until just tender

12 baby carrots, blanched until just tender

Heat the oil in a casserole with a tight-fitting lid. Add the leek, celery, onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the bay leaf, thyme, cloves and tomato purée. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the honey and cook for a further 2-3 minutes to gain some color.

Add the pork cheeks, stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes to coat. Add the stock and wine. Bring to the boil, season, then cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 2-3 hours.

Remove from the oven, lift the cheeks from the stock and reserve. Strain the stock and place in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to the boil and allow the mixture to reduce in volume by half. skim off any fat that rises to the top. once reduce by 1/2 check seasoning, i like th squeeze a hint of lemon in there!

Add the cheeks to the stock with the baby vegetables. Warm through for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to four warmed serving bowls. Serve with plenty of Mashed Potatoes.

Apples, Fall, MY FAVORITE

Summer is full of being way to busy and not enough time to truly enjoy the splendor of the season, but with the changing into Fall, and the color of leaves i think we all tend to slow down a little and take advantage of the last bit of the growing season. the Picking of stone fruits and wandering through pumpkin patches.

Fall is a great time of year, my favorite, that the smells, taste, and colors are so evident and unmistakable. It is a true time to lay in bed a few min longer and hopefully you can train a pet to bring you the paper, or a loved one, that you and a warm pair of socks can curl up to latest news and a cup of joe.

It took me a while, but I finally whipped up a batch of apple muffins–and were they ever worth the wait. They were so delicious. To me, these muffins taste like fall; the whole wheat gives them an almost savory taste, and serves as the perfect compliment to the sweet tart flavor of the apples. Even better is these muffins with great yellow butter!

Here’s my recipe: Apple Spice Muffins Add the following ingredients together in a bowl: -1 1/3 cup all-purpose whole wheat flour-2 teaspoons baking powder-1/2 teaspoon baking soda-1/4 cup of sugar-1/4 teaspoon salt-2 teaspoons cinnamon-1 teaspoon Jamaican allspice-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Then, add the following together in a separate bowl and mix well:-5 tablespoons butter, melted then cooled-1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt-1/4 cup low-fat or skim milk-1 egg-1 teaspoon vanilla extract Once you’ve combined the wet ingredients, fold them into the dry mix. Don’t over-mix or your muffins will be flat. When you’re done, add in: -Two large apples, minus the core, cut into small cubes. Any type will do; I used Honey Crisp Apples! Spoon the mixture into a 12-muffin pan lined with baking cups, then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
i hope you love these as much as i did!

Before you Start...

Cooking can be a wild and crazy thing, the rewards are endless but still some people don't know how to handle the whole process... so here are a few tips and "guidelines" for when you start to cook or looking at a recipe.

FIRST OF ALL: don't stress out!
Cooking is fun, if you get into it, it can even be stress-relieving therapy: it engages you, I have seen women come home from a busy day at the office scorned and ready to take the head off of anyone that comes in contact with them on the red line in the DC metro, but when she starts to cook, it takes her mind off the problems and makes both the cook and the diner happy. Recipes are broken down pretty well so when in a grocery store don't be afraid to make a list. salt, pepper, olive oil, onions, garlic, are found a lot in my recipes and you most likely have all this in your pantry already, and if not, stock up, it will keep.

Don't be afraid to taste, touch, smell, feel, and make a mess... it is a lot like making love you have to be involved when you cook. you have to let all your senses into the kitchen and dive in. this is what makes food taste great!

Measure, but don't be a slave... all the recipes you find here are tested in a home apartment with basic measuring spoons and cups. so i know they should work in your kitchen. there are two types of cooks, ones who measure out everything no matter what, and the ones who "use the force." Cooking is more an art than a science. Like every pro cook, when i am asked how much i say "a little" or " as much as it needs" and think i am being exact, i have taken time to measure these recipes out for you, but still USE THE FORCE!

DONT LEAVE OUT THE SALT OF FAT... Salt gives food flavor. If you are afraid of it it will show in your food, as being shy or ready to retire. And fat is important for the feeling of richness in you mouth. I would not say my food is heavy but i do use, and my recipes do call for, butter, cheese, and olive oil. Skip the Trans fat riddled food in the grocery store aisles and eat good home made food with a bit of fat and you will be a better person.

Work with what you have... cooking is a case by case scenario. in a perfect world you will have all the ingredients, everything will be timed out and be made from scratch, and you are never too tired to get started. but as well all know we live in the real world. It is Tuesday night and you are making homemade pizza and it calls for fresh fire roasted peppers, but all you have is a jar, no worries. Recipe calls for fresh oregano and all you have is dried it will work. YES fresh pasta rocks, but no machine, buy a good box of dried or fresh frozen from a store and it follow the instructions on the box you will be golden! Don't have Chili flakes? no worries i use Tabasco sometimes... this is the using the force part!

...but when it comes to dessert, FOLLOW THE RULES! Pastry is a whole different animal. if your making desserts, you need to be exact, because pastry is as much science as it is art. So don't substitute, and make sure you measure carefully. When I first started cooking as a kid i baked more than anything, but all that rule following is the reason i did not become a pastry chef. I am more of a let's-bang- it out kind of guy...

Plan Ahead.... especially when havvig people over you don't want to be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is drinking and having fun. Do things in steps, plan ahead, make your life easier!