Delicious Homemade Pizza!

I can't begin to explain how fun these are to make. I even let my 14 month old son share the glory in making it with me :) We started out with a store bought crust (I know, I know), some onion, green pepper, bacon and diced tomato. I prepped all of the ingredients (sliced the pepper really thin, same for the onion and diced the bacon). I then fried the bacon and set it aside. I warmed up the pizza sauce in a small pan. I like to use the garden-style sauce with a sausage flavor. Once I spread the sauce onto the crust, it was time for the little one to have some fun. He got to put the first handful of cheese on. Then of course he had to spill the rest of the ingredients, forcing me to prep them all over again! So, after you get a nice layer of cheese onto the sauce (I love extra cheese) then just take your sliced pepper and place them neatly around the border of the crust. Next take the onion and go around the inside of the peppers. Then sprinkle the diced bacon all around. After that you are going to place some freh tomato wherever you like. Now the next part is optional. I LOVE garlic. So I will mince 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic and sprinkle it all over the pizza and then do the same with parsley before baking it. You should have your oven preheated to 450. For a crispy crust, set the pizza directly on the rack and let it bake for 18 minutes or until the cheese startes to get a nice golden color to it. Remove it, slice and savor every delicious bite!!

Filet Mignon, Parmesan Egg Noodles and French Cut Green Beans

You have got to be clinically insane to not love a good filet mignon. This is the most tender, juicy cut of beef you will ever bite into (if cooked properly). I seasoned these with some essence, adobo, sea salt and worcestershire sauce. After marinating for a few hours, the weather was not on my side so I had no choice but to pan sear them. You wanna get your pan really nice and hot so when the meat hits it, a nice crust is formed and all of the juices are locked inside. I do this on both sides of cours and even turn them on end to get the sides of them seared. Here's how they look when done and rested for 10 minutes. Notice the juices running from the steaks!

Tangy Cucumber Salad

Here's an idea for a quick snack on one of those really hot summer days, or as a side dish when you have company over. This is my exact recipe I use at home with just me and the mrs so you will have to double the recipe for more than two people.

1 large cucumber
1 1/2 tbsp mayo
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp sugar
2 caps apple cider vinegar
1 tsp fresh chopped dill

Wisk all of these ingredients together in a medium bowl and add the sliced cucumber. You can either cool in the fridge for an hour or so or serve right away. Enjoy!

Enormous Grilled Chicken Brests w/Savory Cous Cous and Sliced Carrots

I have never in my life seen chicken breasts this size. I pounded these out a little bit so they didnt take 40 minutes to cook on the grill and waste all my propane :) I began by seasoning them with my poultry rub and marinating them with some state fair bbq sauce. I know what you are thinking right now (bbq sauce?!?!). This is not your typical sauce. It actually acts like a brine for the chicken in the fact that it is a vinegar based sauce. It is clear in color and extremely flavorful. So I grilled these baby's up, basted them with some fresh sauce and served 'em up with some herbed chicken cous cous and sauteed carrots. What an incredible lunch this turned out to be. Take a look. . .

Mouth Slappin Meatloaf!

I am always trying to come up with new crazy ideas to try. And purchasing the new toy (grill/smoker combo) made me wanna get even crazier. So I came up with the concept of stuffing a meatloaf with some ABT's (Atomic Buffalo Turds aka Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers). Here's what I did. I took a pound and a half of some ground chuck and flattened it out into a large square on the cutting board. Then I grabbed some feta and fresh mozzarella cheese and covered the bottom of it. Next, I stuffed the peppers with the feta cheese and wrapped them with bacon. I placed them on top of the beef and rolled it up. I smoked this baby low and slow at about 250 for 2.5 hrs. Let me just tell you, those peppers gave it a hell of a kick! This thing was burstin' with incredible flavor from the smoke, all the bacon, the cheeses. I highly recommend trying it and it is something I will definitely be doing again. Here is a pic of the process and then an after pic.

Simple Stroganoff

This idea came to me as I was wondering what in the world to make for lunch. I have always been a fan off the classic beef stroganoff, so I decided to put a little spin on it. Here are the ingredients used.
Sauce= 2 tbs butter 3 tbs cream cheese 1 tsp flour 1 1/2 cup milk salt+pepper

Melt the butter on medium high heat, then add the flour. Stir and cook together for a couple minutes. Add the cream cheese and blend together. Pour in some chicken stock to cover the mixture (just enough for the ingredients to blend). Cook for 5 minutes so the sauce thickens. Next season with salt and pepper. Add the milk and stir. Simmer for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the meal.


In a skillet, brown a pound of ground beef and season to your taste. Meanwhile, boil a lb of whole egg noodles. Once you drain the fat from the beef, add to the sauce and continue to simmer. Once noodles are done, drain and rinse. Place noodles on plate, spoon sauce mixture over top and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese and parsley on top. Here's what we have. . . .

Grilled Chicken Wings-Two Ways

I must say, I am a chicken wing eatin' s.o.b.! There is just something about 'em that I guess I can't describe. I really enjoy the classic fried wing with the buffalo sauce, celery and bleu cheese dressing. However, due to the recent grill purchase I have been coming up with new ideas and ways of doing things. So I got the HUGE pack of whole wings at Sams Club, brought 'em home and separated them. I seasoned them with my poultry rub and let 'em sit overnight. While waiting til it was time to preheat the grill, I couldn't really decide on how I wanted these things done. I knew that Sophia wanted hers done with barbecue cuz she can't take the heat :) So I figured there was only one way left to go. I had her mix up a buffalo sauce for me using some butter, texas pete HOTTER hot sauce and some cholula hot sauce. I fired the grill up and man I gotta say that thing did one helluva job on those wings. Anyhow, here's how they looked. . . . wish you coulda tasted them!