Category: My Family

Without a family, one seldom thinks long term

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twice fried alligator is yummy

twice fried alligator meat

My daughters always ask me to fix something special … and as travelors they are very adventurous. i guess the motto is: “visit the people of the world and break bread — or share their food!”

Have you ever made anything … with say… alligator? Well, Alligator meat has many textures… but it has some unusal qualities that you really have to see to understand. Many restaurants serve alligator ( those that actually serve it) in some sort of fried form and I thought that this was the approach I was going to take.

I fried the alligator as one would fry chicken for a Chinese dish… I ‘twice fried’ the sliced chunks of alligate. Here’s how to do it: roll the alligator in cornstarch, fry, roll again, fry one more time. A little seasoning and some dipping sauces make the experience grand!

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bbq ribs for the holidays – step one

Ribs for the Holidays!
Ribs for the Holidays! My daughters have always loved the ribs we make; however, it does take some time and preparation. CLICK on the picture to see what is involved.

 Today is really the start of baking season as folks start putting together what they want to serve their friends and families for Halloween, then comes the truly universal American Holiday of  Thanksgiving and finallyDecember and for us that means Christmas.

As the father of adult children, when we all get together, it calls for something special. Memories of family foods and fun from times gone by for starters. Food is a way of keeping family close and traditions alive. My daughter Kristin, for example, is fixing some  ‘seafood lasagna’  this weekend… it takes a lot of preparation… but it is an impressive dish!

Fortunately for me, I have lots of freezers!

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is there anything beyond your reach

Yes, the sword is great for hand-to-hand combat with evil aliens! 😉

The Halo Reach Game has been out for a while… and it has been a lot of fun! This is the last in a series of wonderfu video games. I certainly think this is a great gift for the holidays. Our resident video game expert (Karla) sets up the game for me…

Congratulations, Microsoft… a great game… I do have an idea for a sequel.

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corned beef or pastrami is so french

the iPad as a recipe book is perfect! CLICK to see what I am making for my daughters this winter!

All the ladies in my family love those great deli style sandwiches and Pastrami is one of Laura’s favorite and I try to make it for her often. This Pastrami ( which starts by making ‘corned beef’ and smoking the final product transforms it to pastrami.. voila!!!) Karen loved them so much in high school she called the sandwich  ‘cheese juice’. Often I would make plenty for her track meets to share and they were always a hit… but then it wasn’t hard to please hungry 16 year olds!

The real important lesson in all of this was the joy they all felt enjoying something homemade and everything made from scratch. Today, it is more important than ever to understand our nutritional needs and develop the basic culinary skills. I am always saddened when I hear young men and women who don’t have a foggiest about the very basics of cooking. Young ones, the microwave is for warming up coffee, cooking vegetables but it is not a replacement for the stove and a good recipe book. One story that touched me recently was of a French chef who took t his skills and expertise to the people and began teaching the fine art of French cooking… a truly heart warming story!

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Click on the picture to read how Chef Ducasse is bringing the beautiful art of French cooking to others

 Bon Appetite!