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This stuff is the spicy mustard I’ve ever had.. Mix this...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:04:10 -0500

This stuff is the spicy mustard I’ve ever had.. Mix this with water and put on your ham. You’ll cry tears of joy and pain

Happy thanksgiving

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:29:49 -0500

Happy thanksgiving

Low country

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:18:28 -0500

When i was a little boy, i ate grits every morning, it was part of my day it’s just what I did. I like cheese grits, grits with bacon and cheese, plain grits with butter and grits with bacon. I really don’t care what they are ( they are coarse ground corn) they just do It for me.

When I met my wife we went out to breakfast one morning on one of her first trips to Florida, and I got grits. She had no clue what to think! She was totally confuse by what I was eating, she had never seen a bowl of these things before. I you ever need to explain grits or I guess even if you don’t know they are, the best example I can give you is they are sorta like polenta, but a bit thinner. They are kinda like farina (cream of wheat) but a bit thicker.

Low country baby, low country, what that means is a serious of counties in the lowest part of south Carolina. This region has developed thier own bit of cuisine, that is considered “southern delicacy” in a lot of the world. Grits are a big part of this my personal fav is shrimp and grits. Usually in this recipe cheese grits are used with grilled shrimp mixed in and a bit of spice for kicks. This dish I would say is one of my fav southern dishes. Over time, “modern cuisine” has sorta gotten to this low country dish, people have added peppers, other various vegetables and such additions to make it more “modern” which i undertand, but I’m more of a fan of the plain stuff when it comes to this dish.

Charlestown, South Carolina is a killer place for this dish and there is everyone on king street claiming thiers is the best. I think there are a ton of food spots but I come from te school that thinks making it at home is better.

Here my deal:

2 cups whole milk 2 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 ounces sharp Cheddar, shredded Directions Place the milk, water, and salt into a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once all of the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and cover. Remove lid and whisk frequently, every 3 to 4 minutes, to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps; make sure to get into corners of pot when whisking. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is creamy.

Remove from the heat, add the pepper and butter, and whisk to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually whisk in the cheese a little at a time. Serve immediately.

This is alton brown’s recipe for cheese grits

Shrimp in large bowl take one pound medium-large shrimp (peeled and deviened) toss with a pinch black pepper, a pinch of chili powder, a pinch of cayenne pepper and three tablespoons of green tabasco sauce. Grill till done and serve on top of grits.

Yum!

So so so Good.. Oyster po boy at virginia’s in charleston...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:46:15 -0500

So so so Good.. Oyster po boy at virginia’s in charleston south Carolina

Charleston,s.c.

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:33:25 -0500

Charleston,s.c.

Gobble

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:21:00 -0500

There is a bazillion things that make thanksgiving great. Turkey, dressing, the incredibly varied side dishes. There is a part of thanksgiving that I think gets overlooked though. After the meal, after everyone wakes up from thier food-coma, we are stuck with a gazillion leftovers.

When i was a kid my dad would take left over turkey breast and just dip it in mayo, sound gross?? Yes, yes it does and that’s because it was, I have an idea on how to use some of this stuff in the days after the turkey day.

Aaron’s left over thanksgiving sandwich perfection:

You’ll need:

A handful of turkey breast

Any sort of bread ( preferably a hoagie roll though)

Cranberry sauce

Leftover stuffing or dressing

Ranch dressing

Couple of tomato slices

Couple slices of red onion

Two slices havarti cheese

K, assemble like this spread cranberry sauce and ranch on bread, next put turkey and dressing down. Too with tomato and onion. Cover with cheese.

Preheat broiler to high and melt cheese with sammie open.

Problemo solved!

sleepover

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:28:05 -0500

Tonight somewhere in this country and i’m sure in every other corner of the globe, there is a band on tour in a van, they are dirty, hungry and having a ball. They get like four bucks a day and did i mention they are hungry? You taking them in to stay at your house is beyond appreciated and they will remember it for a long time. If you feed this gaggle of stinky, greasy haired musicians they will remember it forever.

Me and the boys traveled a long time sleeping on floors and we sometimes late at night talk about those experiences and revel in how great or bad they were. The ones where the people fed us are the ones that we always remember as the best or the worst. When feeding a band people tend to get card board pizza or cheap packaged spaghetti. Now don’t get me wrong, anything is so appreciated, but when you put a little thought and care in it things get remember and talked about. I know, i know its so expensive, but i have a fool proof plan to feed a band for under thirty bucks. Ready? Lets do this.

Aaron’s feed a dirty rock band meal 1.0:

1. 2 pounds ground chuck

2. 1 half small yellow onion ( diced)

3. 1 half green bell pepper (diced)

4. four pounds red creamer potatoes ( or i regular sized back)

5. kosher salt

6. black pepper

7. minced garlic four tablespoons

8. four ears of corn

9. 2 sticks butter (non salted)

10. chili powder (1 tsp)

11. three tablespoons worcester sauce

12. 1 can diced tomatoes ( 14.5 ounce can)

13. 2 cups quick cooking oats

14. 2 large eggs

15. 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

16. 8 oz. sour cream

k, in large bowl combine meat, eggs pinch of salt, pepper 2 tbls garlic, oatmeal, can of tomatoes, onions, peppers, worcester sauce, mix well and put in a cake pan

preheat oven to 375 and then bake for an hour

( this recipe is madam paula deen’s but i added a few things it rools!!!)

potatoes: boil all potatoes with skin on in salted water until tender, drain of water and mash the spuds together with sour cream, half stick of butter, and cheese add 1 tbls garlic and mix until desired consistency.

corn. take 1 stick of butter and melt in microwave with 1 tbls garlic, a pinch of salt a pinch of pepper and chili powder, grill corn husk of until slightly tender brushing with butter mixture periodically.

they will be beyond happy i promise.

Fellinis pizza, Atlanta, georgia

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:44:35 -0500

Fellinis pizza, Atlanta, georgia

Affair

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:32:30 -0500

I’m sure you’ve heard me dote about it. I bet I’ve even made your head hurt with my ranting. I would assume your so sick of me talking about it your ready to puke.

Nashville, nashvegas, country music city, the vegas of the south. However you want to put it, this town has a special place in my heart. I don’t just mean I kinda like it, this city embodies everything I love and to boot has incredible food.

I’ve never been one to be able to fully understand all the people who don’t like country music coming here and buying the “uniform” ya know the one, right? A pair of overly pointy cowboy boots, some bedazzled shirt, or maybe a strange bolo tie from that gift shop on broadway.

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not hating on this, I’m making a point. Sink your teeth into some southern BBQ, or maybe the loveless cafe, or take your tired hungover bones down to pankcake pantry and try the carribean pancakes. They are perfect and fluffy, topped with cane sugar syrup and bananas and the ever perfect shaved coconuts. It almost like you can feel the suntan lotion inbetween your fingers.

I gues what I am saying is there are some places that draw you in. Some places that roll out the proverbial welcome mat. I challenge you come here, eat your way around. Try the watering holes, you’ll see the best musicians you’ve ever seen. Dip into the brewery, try jack’s BBQ, go to loveless cafe, the food taste like I’m At home.

Love each other, Aaron

I have nothing good to say… Usually can find the positive,...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:34:15 -0500

I have nothing good to say… Usually can find the positive, but dang

Meatloaf… I’m Feelin old school

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:17:11 -0500

Meatloaf… I’m Feelin old school

Season!!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:51:25 -0500

It’s pomegranate season. Try putting these bad boys on cereal and yogurt. So so so good. This fruit also is proven to help blood circulation. Although tricky to open and prepare, they are so perfect for healthfully sweetening any dish.

...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:58:00 -0500

Life is a sandwich, don’t trim off the crust

sweet.

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:35:00 -0500

When i was a kid would go with my father every night to clearwater beach where i grew up and watch the sunset. My father would always say,”if you watch the sun just as it hits the water, you’ll see a green flash”. I never saw the flash, but i was always excited for what came next.

Dad and i used to ( against the law, mind you) go to the bait shop and buy discount bait shrimp and eat take them home boil them and eat them. Yep, you now think i’m a barbarian and have no idea what i’m talking about. Really though, we did this, not always but we did. Now, my dad knew the shop and where they got their shrimp, so it was safe. I mean you shouldn’t in a fit of poetic inspiration go out and get bait shop shellfish and have at it. I tell you this because it tugs at my southern, gulf coast heart and cause i think its a killer story to share, but mostly cause it explains me.

I grew up and still live on central florida’s Gulf coast where your either an angry native or a “snowbird”. Well, i guess maybe you could be a spring-breaker, but then we are not mad at ya, we just wanna take you money. Well not me, the cities ( hell, relax its only commerce)

The food here is unreal, maybe i’m biased and rightfully so, but at least i admit it. There are so many family owned fishing businesses that hock their wares daily from our warm gulf waters. Shrimp, crab, mullet, stone crab, grouper and of course real southern style bbq.

Bbq is a dang touchy subject. Is is brisket? Is it pork? Is the sauce vinegar based? Is it tomato based? Every region of this country has an opinion on what is right when it comes to meat and smoke. i’m sure somewhere right now there are two large men in white tank tops fighting it on on whether texas or north carolina bbq is best. God bless those two men, i dunno if there is a right answer or not.

For me there is a right one. Bbq is pork butt or pork shoulder cooked slow as possible over a hard wood fire and then chopped to bits slathered with sweet tomato based sauce and placed on bread, then served with sweet, smokey baked beans and some stewed to death veg, that has probably been soaking in a ham hock.

Every time my band underoath gets together to rehearse, we go to lunch or dinner first at a place called, “first choice bbq”. This place is a small store front join that daily smokes up the most succulent, tender bbq possible. They have baked beans that are so sweet and wonderful they taste like Christmas. The atmosphere is so lackluster it could be a gas station. They don’t need atmosphere, they have the whole town eating in their establishment. We all sit there enjoying the smokey, sweet and perfect bbq, hoping that next time we get back to first choice its still there.

I wanna know about your home, your local food gem. Hold onto them, preety soon we will all just be writing about what once was. If we keep eating and telling maybe it’ll last forever, who knows?

Well Portland, your a beautiful spot and I love you. However, I...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:56:53 -0500

Well Portland, your a beautiful spot and I love you. However, I think I may love voodoo doughnut more than you.

Have you ever had a maple bar with crispy bacon on top? No? Well lemme tell you at voodoo doughnut in Portland they have this confection and it tastes just like a perfect pancake breakfast.

They also have tons of interesting flavours: tang, Oreo peanut butter, bananna fritters, just to name a few. So if tour in Portland and get a hankering for a rediculously tasty treat hit up voodoo.

http://voodoodoughnut.com

Avocado

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:34:49 -0500

What is California cuisine? I guess that depends on you. If your driving across this state in a band van living on five dollars a day, you prolly eat the delicious, ethics filled chain that is in and out, or maybe your a del taco guy or gal?

For me this state has the most unreal southwestern/ Mexican fare. I have has the priviledge of going to mexico for a few days and I really feel like southern California really rivals the food of that region.

When I was younger and we would beg our parents for money and drive our poor selves out to corona Cali in effort to play the showcase theater and the infamous chain reaction. For me I was stoked about the shows, but I would be lieing if I told you I wasn’t dreaming of the melty, salty, unfamilair fast food tast e of in and out burger. The thing with this place is: no dehydrated onions, no frozen mystery meat, no frozen potatoes. Just real world, thrown back to the 1960’s Burger stand delicious.

Northern California offers so much of a melting pot I can’t wrap my brain around it. San francisco has possibly my favourite china town in America, not to mention they have a large seaport so fresh fish in prevalent. Thier close proxemity to wine country spawns load of food savy peeps coming in to whet thier palates on something fresh, different and fun.

Hollywood however terrifies me. I could never nor still can’t wrap my southern mind around what goes on in this town. The food is all about fusion, people opening restaurants only to close six months later. I think this is because thier proprietors set out to do something different and in the process forget about the food.

Yesterday I had the priviledge with my buddy jay to cook on, ” that morning show” on e! It was rad. The thing i never really wrap my head around is how fast it all goes. We had six minutes to make our food. To say the least I was stressed, I accidently left a pan on and then poured bacon grease on it much o my white, smoking dismay. It was fun man, real fun, and it’s airing all weekend on e! Check it!!

Here’s what we made on e:

Aaron’s weekend breakfast Sammie:

Toasted multigrain ego waffles
Six large eggs
Six slices havarti cheese
Six slices pancetta ( Italian bacon)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
1 half small white onion
Eight or so leaves of clean, dry spinach

K, in large bowl crack eggs add salt, pepper and garlic powder, whisk and set aside

In skillet crisp pancetta and save the grease

In large skillet sweat onions in reserved bacon grease add eggs and cook until finished

Build sandwich between two toasted waffles in this order: eggs, bacon, cheese and spinach

Get crazy!!

Behind the scenes where all the magic happens at Jamba Juice in...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:30:00 -0500

Behind the scenes where all the magic happens at Jamba Juice in Houston, TX!

Stars are big at night, and bright to

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:38:39 -0500

You wanna know what fun is not? Driving across Texas in a non-desript van and trailer set up dragging broken musical equipment and dirty clothes. You know what is fun? Doing this with your friends and living to tell the story.

Texas is our largest American state and is quite possibly one of the most monotonus drives that a human can emabark upon. I remember driving across said state with underoath in the beginning days, no air or money to speak of, one cd stuck in the deck and no shirts on. Talking crap and stopping at every side of the road eatery or has station Just to break the insanity.

Texas is prideful about thier state and I would dare to say even more prideful about thier food. I have had a hard time really understanding what exactly “Texas” food is, but the last few days with a tinge of adventure, a bit of an overworked stomach and some help from my good friend brian I think I may have a bit more of an idea.

BBQ is a favourite of mine. Now don’t get me wrong I’m picky about it, really picky. BBQ to me is pork, a pork shoulder slow cooked over hardwood to a wonderful, succulent consistency, slathered in a tomato based sauce and washed down with overly sweetened iced tea. I called in brian to help mr understand “Texas BBQ” I was nervous, texans do eat pork on occasion, but it’s all about the brisket here. Low and slow cooked beef brisket typically served up in sandwich form and accompanied by your choice of country tinged side.

Brian fetched me yesterday for lunch, we braved the hellish afternoon Houston traffic and went to a place called Goode and company BBQ. At first site this place look like and old barn. Picnic tables outside, people eating everywhere and taxidermied animals hanging everywhere, with that sorta ” we are carnivoirous” vibe close in tow. Brian said I had to get a brisket sandwich but also the jalapeño smoked sausage. Now here at Goode they make thier own sausage, use local cattle and everything is sourced through the local peeps. This stokes me out.

The sandwich is smoked to perfection. The meat just slightly pink with the beauties that only hard wood smoke and time can impart. It was slathered in a spicy concoction that albeit not my fav paired wonderfully the the tender, moist beef. It was served on a buttery jalapeño bread that was just soft enough to soak up the juice and just rigid enough to hang on to the thick meat and sauce. However the star here was the sausage. Man this stuff was good. Spicy, savoury and melt in your mouth spicy. I can’t express enough how wonderful some good sausage can be, and it not just about the product itself, it’s about the cooking of it. Low and slow tender just to right point.

This is Texas eats to me. Rustic, meaty and smokey rolling right out from all thier freeways and chain restaurants. There is tons of fantastic southwestern influence here as well, but those are other words.

Texas eats bloggage comin soon

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:55:57 -0500

Texas eats bloggage comin soon

chateau or apartment?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:23:27 -0500

Man, this blog won’t be that great, and it probably won’t be eloquently written. The reason behind this is: i have no idea how to describe to you my love for the city i spent the day in today. New Orleans. Man oh man, if you like food, culture, and great music this is your spot. I almost wish i had an elastic stomach so i could eat my way around this city.

This morning i awoke on decatur street to the busy sound of the french quarter, in all its smelly, old, perfectly aged glory. After a few strolls around i decided to have lunch at Johnny’s po boys. Every once in a while you eat a sandwich that makes you angry its so good, and to be honest this was that sandwich times ten. Now when eating a sammie in “nawlins” people always seem to gravitate towards those of the fried seafood variety. Now don’t get me wrong, i fully appreciate the wonderfully crunchy, perfectly seasoned, fresh from the sea fries dealio,BUT there is one popular po boy sandwich i like so much more. The muffuletta. This sandwich isn’t distinctly creole in flavour and isn’t french either. It was created in 1906 by a man named Salvatore Lupo and a place called, “central grocery” in the french quarter. Now this sandwich is hardly ever seen outside of New Orleans and that is a dang crime. There are a few different takes on the thing, central grocery still makes it, so if you want the “real” deal go there. A muffuletta is a wonderful mixture of ham, provolone cheese, salami and olive salad. This briny, salty, crunchy salad is what makes this thing great. The best olive salad has been marinated for at least twenty-four hours. Toast this thing just to the point where the cheese is melted and your mind will be blown.

I can’t explain to you the melting pot that this place is. There are so many different cultures represented and the food will blow your mind. It almost isn’t fair the stigma that has been put upon this town. They have suffered natural disaster to the tenth degree and have come out swinging. No matter what you do visit this place, eat your way around. The seafood is incredible, the people are kind and the city is full of culture.

aaron