Today is the third Blog Day of 2007. In the spirit of Blog Day, I'm listing 5 non-food blogs that I like. Blog Day 2007 The first, inspired by yesterday's Scotch whisky entry, is The Scotch Blog, written by Kevin, a scotch enthusiast that lives in Virginia. The next is a great photo blog of Labrador Retrievers... Labster. Some funny photos of my favorite dogs can be found here! And one of my favorite non-food things... Buckeye Football!!! The Buckeye Blog is a great place for Buckeye football info. My wife and I are fans of the show "Scrubs" on NBC, going into its final (sadly) season. Zach Braff plays JD on the show, and has a fun blog. And my last blog link for Blog Day is for a hobby that I'm hoping to develop a bit... PhotographyBLOG. Take some time and visit the links... There's good stuff out there! Read More »
Scotch for barbecuers
30 Aug ’07
The typical barbecue drink seems to be beer. I have nothing against beer. I like beer, in fact. I'm probably most partial to nut brown ales, especially English nut brown ales. I like microbrews, too, and I think it's great how good beers are easier to find today than they used to be (however, I think the day of the local microbrewery restaurant has mostly passed... It's too expensive for most places to stay open if they don't bottle and sell outside of a restaurant). The Accidental Hedonist recently asked about good Scotch whisky, which made me realize I don't think I've mentioned how well Scotch can go with barbecue. Scotch is a different level of drink. It's not something you drink as a beverage, to help wash down some brisket. Shiner Bock does that really well. Scotch is more something to have after barbecue. Sound odd to put scotch and barbecue together? I don't think it's odd at all. Read More »
Cooking at home vs competition cooking
28 Aug ’07
I've seen several threads on message boards about whether barbecue competitors cook at home just like they do for competition. The answer is often 'Yes'. I sometimes wonder, though, if this is due to wanting to practice or because of preferring competition barbecue all the time. Here's how I see competition cooking being different from cooking at home: It's simply that, when I cook at a competition, I concentrate on making 6 servings/slices/pieces/ribs as good as I can make them. Read More »
Another class coming up
27 Aug ’07
On September 10, 2007, Mark and I will be conducting another class at Cooks' Wares in Springboro, OH. This time, we aren't trying anything too fancy... Just straight barbecue! In May, there were timing issues for a grilling class, though I did hold a private grilling class that month. The newsletters got out late, and, I think, the menu wasn't what people necessarily wanted. So this time, we're going with real competition barbecue as a theme. We'll be doing pulled pork, brisket, beer can chicken, spare ribs, tomato pie, cole slaw and Krispy Kreme bread pudding with whisky sauce. The good news is that the class filled up in less than a week! The bad news is that some people are on a waiting list. If you're local and want to learn a bit about competition barbecue, get in touch with the store... We can try to talk them into another date! Read More »
Why blog about food?
22 Aug ’07
One of my favorite non-barbecue food blogs has been Pinch My Salt. Nicole writes this blog, usually from her home in Sicily, but recently from a visit to California. She's got a great blog about being yourself (not food related). I encourage you to go over and read Find Your Inner Bumblebee. I've been thinking of the whole blogging thing. I'm mostly catching up now that I have a new computer, though I still need to get some stuff on WellFed.net! I've also been going through a lot of old photos that were on my ex-Dell, moving them to the new MacBook Pro laptop we have. Read More »
City Barbeque fire
20 Aug ’07
On August 11, 2007, City Barbeque in Centerville, Ohio, sustained $550,000 worth of damage due to discarded smoking materials (read somebody tossed a cigarette butt against the building). The flames spread up the side of the building into the attic. The attached Graeter's Ice Cream shop had some smoke and water damage, but the firewall between the buildings stopped the fire from spreading to the adjacent shop. City Barbeque is allowing its Centerville employees to work at other locations (City BBQ is a 12 store chain now). They expect to reopen in less than 60 days. Read More »
Announcing the september carnival of food photography
14 Aug ’07
As summer peaks, start taking your food photos celebrating the best that summer has to offer! This edition of the Carnival of Food Photography is all about summer and summer foods! Gather up the best the season has shown you, take some photos of it, put it in your blog, and enter it here! I know some people that are reading this are capable of not only great photos, but know how to get a shot that says 'SUMMER'!!! (yes, I'm talking to you, Nika and Nicole, and others!) Read More »
Bacon Tomato Sandwiches
13 Aug ’07
Pretty much wherever in the US you happen to be, it's pretty obvious that summer is here in full swing. I think we've had 15 straight days at 90 or above in SW Ohio; I'm ready for a break. However, humidity isn't the only thing that goes on in summer... Foods are fresher than any other time, right off the farms and into the kitchen! In Ohio, where I live, this time of year brings out farmers' stands with fresh corn, beans, and anything else they've got in their fields. Summer fruits, though mostly from south of here, are usually readily available, too. Read More »
American lamb board
9 Aug ’07
A while ago, I was contacted, along with several other bloggers, to review some American lamb, thanks to the American Lamb Board (http://www.americanlambboard.org). They are the premier nonprofit promoter of American-raised lamb. I promised to review the lamb, and I am finally getting to it! I know several others have already reviewed it, and I'll have trackbacks listed to some of them, too. But on with the review! Read More »
Food related research blog
8 Aug ’07
I came across a site called Table Fuel the other day. Mariel runs the site, and the focus is to help with research for her Masters in Design Studies. I started out as an architecture student, and I like anything to do with design of this sort, so I wanted to try to help her a bit by getting people to visit her site. Read More »
Birthday party catering
7 Aug ’07
Last weekend, my wife and I got the chance to cater a birthday party. The couple were both turning 40 in the same week, and wanted to do something fun. We were really glad to have the chance to help them celebrate by letting them not worry about the food or serving. Read More »