http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/I have long had a passionate love affair with my stomach. Between that, my love of soups, and my early realization that since I love to eat, I'd damned well better learn to cook, I've been working on all manner of ways to amuse myself in the kitchen and satisfy my palate in ways somewhat beyond the average guy's simple "just nuke it" methodolgy. I also discovered early on that cooking dinner for various and sundry young ladies was a great cheap date -- at least once. Finally, I'm cheap and I'm a guy. That means it bugs the hell out of me to pay someone to do something I can do far cheaper -- and better -- at home hourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/649661Ah, the scallop! God bless peple with shellfish allergies -- that means there's more for me and of all the succulent treats out there, the scallop is by far my favorite. I had a half a pound of those beautiful big fat sea scallops and a pound of those smaller bay scallops -- different flavors and...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/648694Lovely flame seared, perfectly grilled New York Strips topped with homemade warm crab salad. Garlic mashed potatoes. Asian slaw. It was not that difficult to do. It's all a matter of timing. The steaks are gently rubbed with a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. They are then thrown on a...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/647430With guests arriving in town Friday, my Beloved and I are going all out. Got the secret family crab cake recipe ready to go and my world famous shrimp and corn chowder. We will have fried crab cakes, teriyaki grilled tuna, asian slaw, and of course, stone ground grits. Chocolate cheesecake, which...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/646825So my two hounds, the wonder corgis, can't figure out this snow thing, but they like the fact that Dad is in here cutting up chicken, stir frying it in sesame oil and Greek sesonings, and adding it to a big pot of yummy things. They know good things hit the floor from above and I can hardly reach...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/623516So my beloved and I love our local farmers market. When I can buy locally grown fresh red bell peppers for a buck a piece, instead of the 3.99 the store charges, and they taste like I just yanked em out the back yard, well, that's what we call putting your state on your plate. Corny, but on the...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/598598Man alive, but this one turned out great! Seems it's fairly easy, too. All you have to do is make an egg white and corn starch dipping mixture in one shallow bowl and take your crushed pecans, about a cup of them, mixed with a little brown sugar, sage, Italian spices, about a half cup of bread...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/597739I'll soon be reporting on this experiment -- pecan encrusted pan fried chicken and flash fried greens. I think it's going to be a home run.http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/585463I don't know what to call this - it's too thick for soup and prbably even for traditional stew, but it turned out to really rock. Another triumph of the By God school of cooking -- "Everything but the kitchen sink goes in that, By God..." Anyway, what I had was some ground turkey, a can of tomato...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/581234So my beoved and I were too lazy to go back out into the cold and drive half a mile to the grocery store -- a couple of glasses of Merlot sealed that deal as well. Stlll, one can cme up with a variety of interesting things from odds and ends in the fridge and the pantry. With a small portion of...http://www.blogit.com/Blogs/Blog.aspx/strat3291/574736This is an old recipe that is only used in dire emergencies, such as the day before payday or in the event of an atomic holocaust: Oscar Meyer Soup: Take a pot of water and two hot dogs. Boil for fifteen minutes. Remove the hotdogs pour the water in soup bowls and serve with whatever...