Starting Early

So far: Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Cubanelles, Banana Peppers, and Cilantro.

Christmas Duck

I kinda messed up the whole drying process. Somehow, while placing in the brine still a little frozen, I missed the fact that the duck hadn't been eviscerated. So, after hanging and drying, I then had to gut and rinse out the cavity.

After a little mixing of flavors and rubbing under the skin....

Donald came out pretty damn tasty.

New Camera!

It's about time, I've been going crazy taking crappy pictures with my phone.

This one's pretty awesome so far and I'm not even sure what all it can do yet.

It has some sweet features on it, like 10 frames per second if needed, HD Video and a bunch of other stuff.

Carrie got it for me and I can't wait to take some pictures.

Here's some:

This guys been hanging for a bit in front of the fan. Soon to go into the oven.

Christmas diner like in the "Christmas Story"

This guy is currently soaking in some lovely star anise and cinnamon brine.

$15 from H&L Asian Market in North Chuck. That place is amazing.

Early Christmas

My brother gave me this.

Bourbon is just "one of those things".

I remember hearing in a movie "a man knows what to order when you walks up to a bar" "There's no hmm hawin or ordering something complicated or fruity, a man walks up to a bar and orders a man drink."

I like and I appreciate bourbon, I usually go for the cheaper Jim Beam but I do that because I like the flavor.

This Evan Williams is so smooth though.

Dale's Pale Ale

Yes it's in a can.

I think there's something missed about cans. I freakin love a Pepsi or a Dr. P in a can. Ice colder! For some golf tournament at Kiawah when I was there they ordered about a thousand cases of...water in a can. Ech right?

NO! Delish! Cold! We had buckets of ice water packed with cans of water all summer. Imagine the mightiest of thirst quenched by shot gunning a can of ice water.

Dale's is the same way. It's a better Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and it's in a can. Super hopped from Colorado.

I really can't think of any other beers that might come out of Colorado that might be in a can..... hmmm........nope, nothing. At least nothing anywhere near this type of quality. The can is good. The can is good.

Missed Maybe?

Just found a bunch of older pictures on my girlfriends laptop. I think the mess of having digital cameras that come and go over the years have caused this.
But, this picture reminded me of what I'm not creating right now. I don't really remember what this dish is...but, I'm gonna guess at what I wish it was now. I'm thinking it's a specially seasoned venison leg loin over a chili braised beef and corn stew, masa and savory seasoning braised waffles, with a sauce of Mexican chocolate, natural jus and maple.

It looks like something I'd like to be selling today. Sadly, anything without mashed potatoes is hard to sell right now.

I hate feeling stuck and I hate not being able to create, and man I hate this recession.

Peach roasted chicken

Ice Man

Banana Guacamole

Seared Scallops, Truffled Sweet Potato Puree, Red Hots Pear Crisps and Banana Guacamole.

Pimp yo grill

Real simple.

Purchase at $30, then charge $100

Blue Cheese Brownies

Going Back.

It was hard just to find this picture.

Circa: Barely 2005.

The thought of Blue Cheese and Chocolate was given to me as a challenge for the most part.

Something leftover from the former holder of my position at Charleston Chops. (R.I.P.)

A late night conversation about how Jeff always wanted to pair blue cheese with chocolate and the guy before me was determined to do it...

I was more determined, no offense to that guy.

It's still evolving though.

For so long now, I've been watching and reading about all these trendy spots mixing Chocolate with Bacon.............................................Yeah. OK. It's not as weird as it sounds, and if it gets someone into Food Arts WhyTF am I not in it? I didn't know that when I realized that Chocolate worked better with savory foods, that other people didn't know that. Now it's all over the place. I'm not looking for anything, I'm just sayin....

So, years ago this picture comes out of Chops kitchen and is met with luke warm to cold response and duely so, it's hard for someone to wrap their mind around, along with their taste buds and also being 4 to 5 years ago. I might be wrong actually, it was probably longer.

This happens a lot though, someone gets to be well known for their...oh, lets say their "General Tso's so and so item" It's not like you talked to them about this idea while you worked with them, or placed this item on a personal tasting menu of yours, it's more the fact that someone else maybe forgot that you placed that little gem in their brain a year or so prior to them coming up with it. No, it's more about the guy or girl that's in the moment. The one or two lucky ones that hold the limelight and can put on display anything that you haven't read about yet and claim it as their own. Well, nothings new, I know that. There's no Patent on food. There is that one guy that's trying to though.

That is why food is art, it's interpretation. It's the individual human that made it their way that one time that makes it "theirs".

Bygones be bygones (i don't really know what that means really), under the bridge.

I am a little jealous though. I wish my vision and version of savory chocolate would have struck a nerve with someone years ago. And I'm glad it's still gonna live on. I put the word out to Jeff to "add Bacon Fat to the recipe" like replacing the butter!

Chocolate.

Blue Cheese.

Bacon.

That should be on a tombstone.

Really.

Trotter Totters?

Randy ran the name by me after the fact.
First off, Let me knock the dust off of this website for a minute. PHEWWW.

Still behind on everything I want to do with this career.
My personal life is wonderful though.
The recession "that's the worst in 26 years" (or something like that) is just that, I've been keepin on keepin on. A job is better then no job.



Any who. I was talking about rolling up bbq pork in some leftover mashed potatoes when Randy said " that sounds like something I read about on the new Cypress menu." they called it " Trotter Totters?"
I like the name. Wish I would have thought of the name first. But, still, my current quest for all that is filthy good continues. I just don't own the place in which it will be delivered.

Nor do I own a proper camera at the time.

Smoked Cheddar cream and Sweet and Sour Brussels to complete the other factors of a southern meal all rolled into one. Pun intended.