Big Daddy's Kitchen

Here's What's New in the Kitchen

6/21/2008 - This afternoon we have a 60% chance of thunderstorms as were getting pounded most every afternoon now.  Yep, the dry season is over.  Here is St. Augustine the humidity starts rolling in big time around the beginning of June. and with it the ritual mid-afternoon thunder boomer.  Summer is the rainy season in north Florida and it is generally served up daily - 2" in 30 minutes or so.

Another lazy Sunday around the ranch.  Friday was my son's 28th birthday and he asked for a very simple birthday present - a standing rib roast for Sunday dinner.  So after a trip to the bank where I took out a home equity loan, I went to local butcher shop.  There was joy in the butchers eyes as he watched his kids college tuition walking in the door, and after much crying, wailing and gnashing of teeth I finally bit the bullet and headed home with a gorgeous prime rib.

So it should come as no surprise if I lead off the parade of new recipes with this one for Perfect Roast Beef with Au Jus.  As I say in the lead-in to the recipe I'm surprised it has taken so long for this to find it's way onto my website, but here it is and it is awesome!

DW planted some wonderful herbs in garden this year, and I took a spot for a couple of tomato plants.  These are paying huge dividends already as I put together this wonderful snack of English Muffins with Cheese, Fresh Basil and Tomatoes the other day.  Simply fantastic!

A couple of new creations have come to the kitchen recently.  Wanting to do something a bit more adventurous than sautéed or broiled fish I tried this Alton Brown recipe for Baked Stuffed Flounder after seeing it on his cooking show.  With some good crusty bread and a salad with my Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette this made a terrific dinner. Alton's recipes really are about as fool proof as they come.  Another fabulous meal can be built around this recipe for Golden Noodles with Pan Seared Chicken.  This is simply incredibly delicious.

My son is becoming increasingly active in the kitchen since we've moved, and has recently come up with a couple of winning recipes.  Marking his debut on this website he offers his Kicked Up Deviled Eggs, and his Datil Pepper Beef Jerky.  Both of these are simply fantastic.  Shoot!  It's enough to make a dad proud ☺

One last entry for now, and it's a retro.  It was in "What's New" a long time ago, but after guests raved and raved at the dinner table last night I decided it might be worth including again.  I use this recipe for Honey-Ginger Teriyaki Sauce when I grill pork tenderloins and it is absolutely as good as anything you can do with a pig.  Please do try this if you haven't already.

Cheers from St. Augustine,
 Big Daddy

4/20/2008 - Hello from St. Augustine, Florida where it's another beautiful day in paradise!  Temperature is supposed to hit 80 degrees today, and it won't be long before we'll need to crank up the AC.  Air conditioning in Florida summers is a curse akin to heating a home during the winter in the north country.  But in northeast Florida the weather is moderate enough that we only need AC about 4 months out of the year.  The rest of the time you just open all the windows and let that gorgeous sea breeze stream through the house.

DW is outside working in her gardens, so I thought I'd touch base with everyone before I retire for a nice afternoon nap. There's a lovely chaise lounge out on the patio with my name on it :)  And speaking of gardens, let me tell you about my Datil pepper plant.  I planted this puppy within weeks of our moving into our new home - so that would be the summer of 2006.  It has now survived the frosts of two winters after which it dropped all its foliage, and appeared to be deader than a doornail.  On both occasions it came roaring back as soon as spring sprung (which occurs in late February around here).  It is now chest high and judging by the flowers I would say I'm going to be harvesting around 300-400 chilis in about a month.  And that will be the first of about 5-6 harvests before winter again puts it into hibernation. Dude!  That's a lot of Datil pepper sauce !

The last time I posted I mentioned the possibility of acquiring another picture framing shop. Well, it happened!  We are now the owners of Mikee's, a frame shop that's has been in business in St. Augustine for over 25 years.  My son, Jeffrey,  was working there when the owner announced that he was retiring.  It didn't take us long to strike a deal.  Now Jeff is the shop manager, while DW and I continue to operate Picture Perfect Frames, and hopes are high.  Of course now that Dubya has run the economy into the ground it's hard to be overly optimistic, but we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Okay, enough of the chit-chat - how about some recipes!!  Let's go southern right away with this recipe for Sweet Onion Vinaigrette.  I've had this recipe for a while, but I don't think I ever posted an entry for it here.  This is fantastic stuff.  Use Vidalia's if you can get them, but if not the sweets from Texas are very good! 

Here's a great party recipe, very good and easy to make.  The secret to these Holiday Rum Balls is to let them rest.  Don't be hasty about scarfing them down.  Really!  These are tons of fun. 

Okay, everyone loves green beans.  Good, solid side-dish stand in.  But here's a very, very tasty variation, and incredibly easy to make.  Orange-Dijon Green Beans is a huge favorite around the ranch.  The key is in the first step, if they are blanched properly the rest of the recipe comes together perfectly and easily.

So here's what was for dinner last night - Stir Fried Pork - and was it delicious.  Marvelous flavor, and a perfect compliment to my   Vegetable Lo Mein.  Thinking dessert?  Think very easy.  Old friends from the north country passed along this recipe, and it's disgustingly delicious to be so easy to fix.  Nat and Vin's Dump Cake was a staple at our Townsend Community Couples Club get togethers, and is has found a way into our hearts and onto our table.  Don't tell anyone how easy it is -- they will never know!

Cheers,
Big Daddy

3/1/2008

Wow! Has it really been that long since I update this journal? Oh my!  Well what can I say?  Not much I guess except to catch everyone up on life around Big Daddy's Ranch.

Life has been incredibly hectic since we relocated our life from the frozen tundra of New England to warm, wonderful, delightful St. Augustine, Florida.  We are settled into our new home, and we are now the proud proprietors of Picture Perfect Frames in Palm Coast, just a short hop south from here.  Our shop is a small but beautiful art gallery and frame shop. We have been owners for well over a year now, and are having a ball being shopkeepers, picture framers and art dealers, so much in fact that we are considering buying another similar business in St. Augustine (more on that soon).

In the meantime I have rededicated myself to this website.  I may not have as much time to dedicate to cooking, and developing new recipes, but I do promise to keep this journal current, and to respond to your e-mails. It may not be the rapid response characteristic of my previous life, but I will respond.  In the meantime here are a few goodies that I have had time to perfect since I last checked in so many moons ago.

It seems as though darling daughter #2 has been passed the cooking baton and is no longer the protégé, rather she has become the master. Her creations are marvelous, and far more inspired than mine ever have been.  This recipe for Thai Red Curry Fish Cakes is a wonderful example of her talent as a cook, and her ability to ferret out great new ideas!

This past New Year's dinner we all feasted on this fabulous City Ham.  We've all been eating ham for years, but with this recipe it was like the tasting ham for the first time. The slow cooking resulted in a ham that juicy and tender while the ginger snaps created the perfect flavors to compliment the meat.  This is a must try folks - simply fabulous.  For a very creative side dish serve the ham with this Red Wine Risotto with Parmesan.  It is creamy and bursting with flavors.  It is the first risotto I have created that dear wife (never having been a big risotto fan) loved.

On a more traditional note please try Big Daddy's Beef Stew.  Beef stew has always been one of those dishes that I've always taken for granted, but no longer! After dear wife set me on a quest for truly out-of-the-ordinary beef stew I made an effort to create this American classic that was full of deep, rich beef flavor. The kind of flavor that only comes from using the right cut of beef and, most importantly, beef that's well browned with lots of fabulous fond at the bottom of the skillet.  Add a side salad and a loaf of crusty bread and this is a wonderful meal.

To add a couple of St. Augustine originals to the mix I highly recommend my St. Augustine Honey-Mustard Dressing and Brian's Datil Pepper Sauce. Both of these recipes benefit from the presence of the prodigious Datil Pepper bush growing in my back yard. I planted two small plants about a year and a half ago and they are now waist high and are already responsible for cranking out hundreds of Datils since they matured.  So many, in fact, that I've had to invest in a dehydrator lest they all wither on the vine.

So much for now. The hour is late, and I'm due at shop tomorrow morning. It's wonderful actively working on this website once again, and I look forward to hearing from all of my old cyber-friends.

Cheers,
 Big Daddy