To Post or not to Post

S0 - the dog days of summer are here and we have a plenty of fun and sun until the school year starts so lets keep the grill fired up!

Anyone out there grilling?

Father's Day Give-A-Way!

With Father’s Day fast approaching I’ve teamed up with the folks from MUG® Root Beer to offer five lucky fathers a chance at receiving a Father’s Day Brew-B-Q kit. Each kit includes a cooler, apron and recipe ingredients to make MUG® Root Beer Southern Specialty Brew-B-Q Sauce.

All you have to do is send me a brief 200 word story stating why your Dad is the top MUG® and why deserves the kit. The top five chosen will be listed here and will receive direct from MUG® the Brew-B-Q kit. So get typing and get those stories to me. Be sure to include your name, your father’s name and your address and feel free to include a small jpeg picture of you and your father.

Please send all stories to Sharpsburg@frontiernet.net and in the subject line please write “Brew-B-Q Letter.” The winners will be announced here and Get Your Grill On on Father's Day.

To all those fathers, grandfathers and future fathers to be; HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Chef Scott

Way too long away

Hey, anyone out there interested in recipes, kitchen excitement and just plan old cooking skills? It would be great to see how others are planning their summer cooking.

Let's get a discussion going ---->

Check out these links:

Get Your Grill On - The Cook's Kitchen - Sizzle on the Grill

Keep those grills hot and smokin!

F. Dick Knives

I stumbled upon these knives at a NACUFS National Convention in Seattle Washington two years ago and have recently been blessed with meeting Gabriele Morgan From the Friedr. Dick Company. She has opened my eyes and my knife collection to incorporate several of the highest quality knives I've ever used. The pinnacle of knives is the 1893 Officemesser (Paring Knife) with its beautiful balance, extremely sharp cutting edge and made for you hand leather like material that remains soft but will not let the knife slip.

It's small versatile and sharp and has made small work of many vegetables in my kitchen. From intricate details work to slicing lemons or limes the knife is remarkable. The extreme hardness of the blade - 61 degrees HRC lends itself to a long blade life. Once I used it I tossed away my cheap Russell and Chicago Cutlery paring knifes and gave away my above average Wusthof Grand Prix II paring knife. With over 33 layers of rust-free stainless steel (FD VG 10-33) the Officemesser looks like a samurai sword as you remove it from your knife kit.

All in all this knife is up to the task of any high production kitchen or simple preparations for the budding gourmet chef. I highly recommend this knife and every knife in the 1863 line. Pick one up and try it out, you will not be disappointed and when you take it home it will last you a lifetime.

Give a chef and average knife and he will prepare an average meal; give a chef an Friedr. Dick Knife and he will prepare a bountiful feast.

The Economy and Food Costs

A tad depressed at the thought of another tough year dealing with higher gas prices, inflated food costs and less than adequate salaries to compensate employees in the higher priced market. It's a shame income cannot increase nearly as fast as inflation, higher gas prices and food in the market.

In 1967 the cost of milk was $1.15 gallon and gas was $.33 a gallon. In today's market milk is upwards of $3.00 plus per gallon in places and organic is even higher, and the price of gas hovers at $4.05. With the market demands as high as they are the economy is sure to slide into a recession if it's not already there.

How are people going to cope with 30-40% increases in flour, 20-30% increases in grain and similar commodities and the price of corn going through the roof due to poorly mandated ethanol production that is doing nothing to help the economy! It's had a reverse effect and the flooding out west as taken a toll on what was planted so now the farmers and consumers are more behind the eight ball than before the corn was planted!

Enough is enough, when will society learn from it's mistakes and compensate those in need vs. those in power. Will it take the downfall of the United States economy? Time will only tell!

The perfect drink - mixed, blended and shaved - not stired!

When the Margaritaville Fiji Frozen Concoction Machine arrived it was a very easy setup. The instructions were straightforward and in no time the step-by-step set up had the machine ready to produce some delicious frozen beverages. The craftsmanship and quality were apparent at the onset, and the weight of the machine gave a certain feel of durability. My guests commented that they loved the look of the machine, and the brushed-nickel finish really made it stand out.

I loaded it up with ice, utilizing bagged ice from a local grocery store mixed with ice from my refrigerator ice maker and looked at the instructions to see which drink I wanted to make. I then choose from four preprogrammed drink cycles; margaritas, daiquiris, slides, (mudslides) or smoothies, and then decided whether I wanted one, two or three drink settings. I then flipped the automatic Shave-N-Blend switch, and the machine automatically mixed the right proportion of ice with ingredients and timed it just right. If you decide at the end of the drink cycle that you need more ice or blending simply flip the switch to blend or shave to add what you so desire. I followed the instructions denoting exact amounts of liquids per drink as written in the included recipe book and the first batch of Margaritas came out perfectly.

It is truly a four step machine, add ice, select your drink and size, add your favorite mix, and flip the automatic Shave-n-Blend switch and within seconds your favorite concoction will be ready. The great part about this machine is that if you get guests that prefer thicker or thinner drinks simply flip the switch to blend a little more ice or just blend without adding ice. It’s just that simple, and best of all if you leave the ice sit in the ice bin for an extended period of time the melting runoff collects in a clear reservoir located on the back of the machine. No more thin flavored soupy Margaritas or watered down Mudslides!

The varieties of drinks are endless but the cleanup is not. The glass-blending jar has a unique retro look that lends itself to easy stability when in use with a large glass handle and drip free spout. It’s also great for simply shaving ice for snow cones and adding your favorite syrup and finishing off with a spoon. No matter what the size of your party this machine stands up to mountains of blending action. As long as you have ice to blend and mix to add the Fiji FCM will consistently churn out the proper Margarita, Daiquiri, Mudslide or Smoothie.

When you’ve mastered the Fiji FCM your friends will be asking you to be the Frozen Drink Master at their next party and with the FCM Carrying Bag you can take your machine on the road. The bag is made of water repellant canvas and designed to transport and store the Fiji FCM with straps that hold the pitcher in place during transportation. Simply slide your lost shaker of salt and fresh limes in the side pocket, grasp the nylon carrying handles and head to Margaritaville. You and your friends will have a blast using the Fiji FCM, so get one today, blend up a drink or two and hang on!

Smooth Margaritas

The weather has not been the greatest today, so I'll be making Margaritas - alcohol free since I have to watch the two girls. Most like a mango guava orange rita with a splash of lime and some fresh strawberries!