Food, Wine & Just Good Living With SaucyJoe

Roll 'Em Up!

2011-05-19T12:31:00.004-05:00

Youngest brother, Joe, got married this past weekend, which brought lots of out of town family to gather at middle brother's house. And what do people do when they gather?
So, in preparation for the "after party", the day of the wedding, we made food...lots and lots of food!
Brother Dave, of Dr. Dave fame, brought delicious smoked pork butt and smoked beef brisket which he reheated to perfection. I wrangled some sous chefs and spent two afternoons making roll ups: Pastrami/sauerkraut/Jarlsburg, Ham/cream cheese/Asparagus spears, Tortilla/cream cheese/sour cream/green onion, and Pinwheels: Tortillas/Ham or Pastrami/Artichoke dip/Jarlsburg/diced tomato/Spinach. Add in mashed potato casserole, 4 Bean Salad, Coleslaw and a large amount of crudite (thanks to Mom's mad chopping skillz) and you have a tasty and colorful spread!
I imagine the leftovers have extended the party for a few days extra!

How to Keep Your Smoker Warm in Winter

2011-01-18T19:13:00.002-06:00

Fried Black Eyed Peas

2010-09-25T17:43:00.002-05:00

This snack has been quite a hit at the office. A savory and sweet crunchy snack recipe from the lovely Linda Sullivan!

Fried Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients

8 oz Dried Black Eyed Peas
¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Coarse Salt
¼ tsp Smoked Spanish Paprika
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)

8 cups Vegetable Oil

Directions

Soak the black eyed peas in a bowl of cold water for a minimum of 3 hours.

Drain and pat dry.

Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat to 375° F (reading on a deep fry thermometer).

Working in batches, fry the black eyed peas until golden brown.

Transfer to and drain on paper towels.

Toss black eyed peas and the dry ingredients together to coat the peas.

Store in a covered plastic container (It won’t be needed long!).

Intimidation comes in many flavors

2010-09-03T11:13:00.000-05:00

Saw this today courtesy of our friends at The Wandering Palate.
NOTE: You may need to turn your speakers down a bit.

HELLO Reuben!

2010-08-24T03:45:00.007-05:00

Saturday I was rooting around in the freezer, and I found a corned beef brisket flat cut. It was just begging to be smoked (Yes, corned beef brisket does talk. You just have to listen properly.). So I pulled it out, thawed it and marinated it overnight in a pint of Guinness Draft.

The next day, I made up a quick slather of dijon mustard and Worchestershire sauce (the magic ingredient!). I slathered it over the brisket and sprinkled on some Ribber City Coffee/Chipolte rub I had bought from our friends at The Grill Works here in Marion, Iowa (How's that for two plugs in one sentence?). I poured the Guinness marinade into the water pan in my smoker, loaded up with lots of cherry and mesquite wood chips and fired it up. Into the smoker went the corned beef. Next, being the upright, responsible husband and father that he is, Dr. Dave went off to play golf.

18 holes later, I arrived home to find a cooling brisket. The smoker had run out of propane! The Dr. had made a rookie mistake! It was getting late by then. The corned beef brisket had taken on all of the smoke it needed, so I wrapped the brisket in aluminum foil and placed it into a 250° oven to finish cooking. An hour later, it was not up to temperature. Patience had worn thin, so dinner was made from the side dishes. The brisket was put into the fridge to be heated another time.

Monday, I got to thinking about what to do with that corned beef. My wife is always on the lookout for a good rueben (sandwich). What are the best reubens made from? Pastrami. What is pastrami? Smoked corned beef! I was going to surprise my wife and make reuben sandwiches!

Getting home from work, the corned beef brisket, still in a foil wrap, was placed in a 250° oven. It would come out when the internal temperature, read with a meat thermometer, was 180°F. At this low and slow temperature, the brisket took three hours to finish cooking.

Toward the end, I heated up a small can's worth of sauerkraut. I made a homemade thousand island spread which consisted of 2 parts mayonnaise, 2 parts katchup and 1 part dill pickle relish (not sweet).

I removed the corned beef brisket from the oven and allowed it to sit for half and hour so some of the juices given off during cooking could be reabsorbed. I sliced it up. 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices were nice.

Next, I buttered two pieces of russian rye bread and put them, buttered side down into a hot pan. I spread the thousand island spread onto both slices of bread. I put sauerkraut on one bread and a couple of slices of swiss cheese on the other bread.

To help melt the swiss cheese, I added a generous helping of smoked corned beef. A couple of minutes later, the cheese melted, the two halves were made whole. A fabulous reuben sandwich was born!

Enjoy.

Young (Under 30's) People Making an Impact

2010-08-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

As part of a recent assignment, I am researching young (under 30) professionals making an impact in ecology/environment fields. There are a plethora of directions to follow, but I thought I'd try to pick the brains of the rather astute readers of this blog.

Any suggestions? Links?

Just comment in this post if you know people (or nominate yourself) that are making a difference.

2010-07-14T19:58:00.001-05:00

The Dr. is planning a BBQ extravaganza! Brisket, Pork Butt, Ribs, Salmon, Trout!

Raichlen's Caveman T-Bone Takes Off

2010-07-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

Dr. Dave was the first amongst SJ Editors to spot the Stephen Raichlen "Caveman T-Bone" recipe, and when all was said and done, he demurred in attempting it at home in no small part to the necessary sacrificing of very expensive cuts of meat to the most direct of heat. Kind of like offering up the village virgin to the volcano: it might work but bad things happen if it's not done exactly right.

So, once the caveman was out of the bag, so to speak, Raichlen went on tour (promoting his new book) spewing forth stories of how fire begat cooking begat communal dining begat protein-intake begat brain growth and the whole Scopes-Monkey business. His publicists went to work and and lo and behold, the Bon Appetit kitchens donned their animal skins and featured the caveman t-bone on the cover of their July issue.

Some would argue this is a step backwards into the most dangerous realm of making a bad (for you) thing worse, what with all that increased carcinogenic activity, and although they may be right, that doesn't make them the boss of you. Truth be told, when you read reviews of others who have tried it, it turns out to be more of a show than a gastronomical breakthrough.

Blogger Laura, author of blog "White Fluffy Icing" is in the midst of her self proclaimed Bon Appetit Challenge, whereby she's committed to cooking everything featured on the cover of the magazine in 2010. Here's her take on the process:

We made it this weekend, and let me tell you, this is not for the faint of heart. It felt "wrong" to toss a gorgeous porterhouse directly into a pile of burning embers. The taste was good, but we didn't brush off all the steaks, as the recipe suggested, leaving each diner to decide how much and whether to brush, because we were afraid of "brushing off the flavor". If I did this again, I would go ahead and brush them all. This is a decent cooking method in terms of taste, but it's really great for showmanship. Made for a terrific party - everyone standing around the pit observing and drinking wine. Carnivore/grillmaster types will love it.

Can't say I'm feeling this adventuresome (or wealthy) but I've seen my father-in-law BBQBR some choice cuts of meat (he often gets the beer-to-minutes ratio wrong, at least for the food) and after all it is just meat/money. I am tempted to try it on a lesser cut or smaller portion, perhaps a well-marbled ribeye.

What say you, fellow carnivores?

BocaJava

2010-07-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

One of our favorites here is the coffee from BocaJava. The Saucy One got us hooked before he fled the caffeine scene, and we continue to enjoy delivery of their magical blends.

This offer came through one of our web ad portals and we're passing it along. Enjoy!

And here I thought it was just a fad!

2010-07-06T13:50:00.003-05:00

Here's another installment of meat wrapped in a weave of bacon and this one looks like it won't take too many months off of your life. I'm waiting for the day that the health questionnaire at the doctor's office will ask if you've eaten any bacon weaved food products.

I never thought that my cooking skills would require me to learn how to weave bacon. I've fixed old fold up chairs when the weaving has shredded, so bacon shouldn't be too much harder ... just a greasier endeavor. Maybe I can use screws to hold the bacon in place like the chairs??

The author of the article used an oven broiler to cook the burger since he felt that grilling would cause too many flare ups. This may be true if you were planning direct grilling through the entire cooking process. I wouldn't put the burgers more than a minute per side directly over the flame. Just enough to get a little searing. The rest of the grilling can be done with an indirect flame and some soaked wood chips added to the fire for some smoke flavoring.

In writing this post I was reminded of a brisket recipe that I have that suggests adding bacon strips on top of a lean brisket that's been trimmed of the fat layer. Perhaps a bacon weave will suit the recipe better??

I'll keep you posted on my bacon weaving experiments. Who knows ... you may receive a nice bacon basket for the holidays.

Hot Tub, Wine, Dine, Sleep (Repeat)

2010-05-18T16:03:00.000-05:00

We just read about the DeLoach Winery Guesthouse, a new hot-tub-and-pool-equipped villa in the heart of wine country, available now for all your weekending needs.

Located in the former house of Cecil DeLoach, this is where you'll go for an overnight retreat from the city. Equipped with three suites, you may wish to bring along some coupled friends (or you can rent out the whole thing for a grand). Here, you'll find all the comforts of home—assuming you live somewhere with a 1,000-bottle wine library, and a private chef who will make you steaks for dinner and locally grown eggs for breakfast.

DeLoach Vineyards, a Demeter USA certified Biodynamic® estate vineyard and garden, is among an elite group of sustainable winegrape growers committed to farming in parallel with the Earth's natural cycles. This 17-acre estate is one of only 65 wineries or vineyards in the United States to achieve Demeter certification.

But you're not coming here (only) for the private chefs and vineyard views: there's also a swimming pool (just in time for summer, when the temps can get about 20 degrees higher here than they are in the city). And, the coup de grâce, a fully fledged hot tub, ready to help you and your guests ease those aching muscles.

There's even a new contest (in conjunction with Organic Gardening Magazine) where you can enter for a guest house weekend getaway.

DeLoach Winery Guesthouse

1791 Olivet Rd

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

707-526-9111, ext 100

Primal Urges Satisfied

2010-05-14T11:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, so Dr. Dave shared this link/video/hedonistic offering from Steven Raichlen and we had to post it as well. The only thing missing is a truly good one-shoulder tiger skin and something aged in a cave, say, wine/grog/refreshment.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 4

How: Direct grilling

For the steaks:

4 T-bone steaks (10 to 12 ounces each), cut about 1 inch thick

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and cracked black pepper

For the hellfire hot sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced crosswise

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1. Grill the steaks: Build a charcoal fire and rake the coals into an even layer. When the coals glow orange, fan them with a newspaper or hair dryer to blow off any loose ash.

2. Generously, and I mean generously, season the steaks on both sides with salt and cracked pepper. Place the steaks directly on the embers about 2 inches apart. Grill until cooked to taste, 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare, turning with tongs.

3. Using tongs, lift the steaks out of the fire, shaking each to dislodge any embers. Using a basting brush, brush off any loose ash and arrange the steaks on a platter. Let the steaks rest loosely tented with aluminum foil, while you make the sauce.

4. Make the hellfire hot sauce: Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet directly on the embers, on the side burner of a gas grill, or on the stove. When the oil is screaming hot, add the jalapeños, garlic, and cilantro. Cook over high heat until the sauce is aromatic and the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Immediately pour the sauce over the steaks and serve at once.

The Doctor is ON

2010-04-17T12:57:00.001-05:00

Dr. Dave is holding court on The Delicious Story, Saturday, April 17.
We'll update links so you can hear the recorded version in it's entirety very soon.

First Time BBQ Beef Brisket on a Grill

2010-04-01T09:29:00.002-05:00

I have a friend who is getting ready to BBQ a beef brisket for the first time on her Weber grill, and this is a good strategy for success.

Equipment:
- Circular kettle grill; Weber is the most common type.
- 9” deep circular metal pan (at least 4” deep) for holding liquid.
- Meat thermometer (a griller’s best friend [Other than beer!])
- Charcoal starter chimney for lighting the charcoal. NEVER use lighter fluid. It ruins the taste of your meat.
- 24” Roll of Heavy Duty aluminum foil.
- 1 Large (large enough to comfortably hold the brisket) zip lock plastic bag.
- Wood chips: Mesquite, apple, oak (at least two types)
- 12-18 lbs charcoal (not instant light type!)

Ingredients:
- 8-10LB beef brisket – flat cut
- 1-2 Guinness stout
- 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 TBS garlic powder)
- 1 small onion, sliced (or 1 TBS onion powder)
- BBQ Rub, found on your grocery store spice shelves, specialty stores, your favorite BBQ joint, the internet (need I go on?)
- 4 TBS Dijon mustard
- 4 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 4 TBS Brown sugar
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 flat beer
- 1 or 2 favorite BBQ sauces for final flavor

Directions the day before your big feast:
- Examine your beef brisket. Trim down any pieces of fat which are over ¼” thick. Don’t trim it all off! The fat renders down and add flavor. FAT = FLAVOR!
- Pour the Guinness into the zip lock bag.
- Add the onions (or onion powder).
- Add the garlic (or garlic powder).
- Place the brisket into the zip lock bag, close and mix everything. Place into the refrigerator overnight.

Directions for Smokin! Time!:
- Mix the mustard, Worcestershire sauce & brown sugar together.
- Remove the brisket from the marinade, rinse and pat dry.
- Slather the mixture onto the brisket.
- Sprinkle on the rub in generous fashion.
- Let sit for an hour.
- Soak the wood chips in water, or your favorite beverage. This takes about ½ an hour.
- Place the metal pan in the center of the grill grate.
- Pour charcoal around 2/3 of the area left around the pan. Leave a generous gap for adding hot coals.
- Using the chimney fire starter, add the remaining charcoal to the top, put newspaper in the bottom.
- Light the newspaper and watch the charcoal light up as well.
- When the coals get grey, pour them on one end of the charcoal circle, leaving a gap between them and the other end of the circle. The goal here is to have the charcoal burn around the circle in a controlled fashion throughout the day.
- Cover the grill and adjust your air vents to keep the temperature inside the grill at 225°F. This could take up to ½ hour. You can check this by sticking the meat thermometer into the top vent and waiting for it to stabilize.
- Add the beef broth, flat beer and water to the center pan. As the day goes on, add more water. You are using this to add moisture to the smoke and flavor to the meat.
Sprinkle wood chips onto the hot coals and around onto the cool coals. Reserve some for additional smoke.
- Place the brisket, fat side up, onto the top grate over the circular pan and away from the hot coals. Cover the grill.
- Smoke for 3-4 hours adding wood chips to the hot coals and water to the pan. After 3 hours, check the temperature of the meat. When the meat reaches 160°F remove it from the grill. Keep the grill covered.
- Place the brisket on a double layer of aluminum foil. Pour 1 cup of water over the meat and wrap the foil tightly.
- Place the meat into a pre-heated oven. If you have a long time until serving, set the oven at 225°F. If your time is running out, set it to 245°F. Heat until the meat is 185- 190°F as checked by the meat thermometer.
- Remove the meat and let it rest at room temperature for up to an hour.
- Remove the meat from the foil carefully. The juices will steam.
- Slice and pour the juices over the brisket. You might want to sample here. Because you might not get any later!
- Serve with BBQ sauce on the side.

Enjoy your brisket!

Dr. Dave

Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book!

2010-03-31T17:21:00.003-05:00

Hey BBQ fans! This is one very good book for smokers and grillers of all skill levels. Chris Lilly started at Big Bob Gibson's right out of college, and learned how to be a pitmaster at Big Bob's knee. He married into the family, and has been pitmaster for many years. Chris has won quite a lot of BBQ world championships. He shares tips and recipes in this book. The illustrations are clear, the recipes easy to understand.

One of the best sections of the book is how to set up various style charcoal smokers and grills for low and slow smoking. For instance, a round grill should have a ring of charcoal with a gap at some point. Light the charcoal on one side of the gap, and the charcoal will burn around the ring in a nice slow manner, assuring the proper heat for several hours. That's cool!

Last weekend, I made my hot chicken legs recipe, and I made up some of Big Bob Gibson's signature white BBQ sauce. The recipe looks something like this:

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

2 teaspoons horseradish (I put in more!)

1 teaspoon black pepper (I used white pepper for a slower burn)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix and dip the chicken in. The sauce was tart with some heat, and it went very well with my hot legs!

I highly recommend this book!

Dr. Dave

Burnt Ends!

2010-03-24T18:41:00.002-05:00

I've read about burnt ends, those scraps of a beef brisket which are so tasty, folks stand in line for a chance at 'em. I haven't ever had them. So, when I found the recipe in the book; Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book, I decided to try it. I had smoked a full beef brisket during the weekend and was looking to feed our folks at work during a potluck lunch. I followed this recipe:

1 whole beef brisket, smoked 6 hours.

Separate the point of the brisket from the flat.
Place the flat onto a large piece of foil. Lift up the sides to contain liquid.
Add cup water.
Wrap tightly.
Place in a 245 degree oven.

Rub the point with your favorite BBQ rub.
Smoke for 1-2 hours (I used apple wood chips).
Place the point onto a large piece of foil. Lift up the sides to contain liquid.
Add 1 cup water.
Wrap tightly.
Place in a 245 oven.

Roast until the meat temperature reaches 190 degrees.
Let the meat rest out of the oven for 1 hour.

Chop the point into bite sized pieces.

What a fabulous taste!

Dr. Dave's Best Ribs Ever!

2010-03-18T17:39:00.001-05:00

I am not saying last night's ribs were the best ribs ever smoked by anyone. However, they were my best effort ever! They were moist, chewy and spicy, everything I like in ribs.

I lean toward dryer ribs which take some chompin' to gain enjoyment. When someone offers fall-off-the-bone ribs, I get a little turned off. I certainly wouldn't order that type of ribs off a menu (sorry Tony Roma!).

However, When I try to create the combination of moist, flavorful and chewy, sometimes, I end up with dry and harsh ribs. So, I read every ribs recipe I come across. The consensus of most BBQ champions is that one coats the ribs with a dry rub of choice. Smoking is done with apple or hickory for 2-3 hours. Then, the ribs are sprayed with some apple juice and wrapped in foil. They are then put back in the smoker at 225 degrees for another 1-2 hours which moisturizes and tenderizes the ribs. Finally,the ribs are glazed with a BBQ sauce, and put back in the smoker or onto a grill to finish. I try this protocol with mixed results. Sometimes good, and sometimes mediocre. So, I decided to try something different.

First, I got some pork back ribs, which seem to have a bit more meat than baby back ribs. Not as much as spare ribs, but Sam's didn't have spare ribs.

Then to add consistent moisture, I marinated the ribs in a mixture of Worcestershire and soy sauce along with apple juice and brown sugar. Marination lasted ~24 hours. Then, I slathered on a mixture of yellow mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire and soy sauce, plus a little beer. Sprinkling Smoking Guns Hot BBQ rub (http://www.smokingunsbbq.com/products.cfm) on both sides of the ribs added some heat. I smoked the ribs for 2 hours at 225 degrees in my water smoker. I pulled the ribs out of the smoker, placed them in foil and brushed on some raspberry-chipolte BBQ sauce from Sugar Ray's over the meat side of the ribs. I then poured a small amount of apple juice into the foil packet and wrapped things up. The ribs were finished in the oven at 275 degrees for 45 minutes.

Here’s the final product.

2010-03-07T08:07:00.002-06:00

My motto is "Never waste smoke!". Yesterday, I smoked two pork butts in the Big Drum Smoker, and the fire had not burned down, so I went to the store and bought some salmon. I slathered on a mixture of Dijon mustard, beer, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. I liberally sprinkled on Kosher salt and ground pepper. Then I smoked over apple wood and charcoal for an hour plus 1/2 hour.

The result: Some fine salmon shared with good friends.

I wish you all the same great times.

Dr. Dave

2010-03-06T07:26:00.003-06:00

Smoked White Chili

The folks at work, Rockwell Collins Printed Circuits (CPC), showed their generosity once again through cooking and serving food this week. One of our fellow employees has a daughter with type 1 diabetes, and she is riding 100 miles to raise money for research to cure this often deadly disease. The folks at CPC decided to raise money by having a chili and hot dog lunch. Volunteers signed up to provide the fixin’s , and quite a few folks said they’d make chili. Dr. Dave said “Hey, count me in!”.

OK. I am a big chili fan, and fixing chili is as rewarding as eating chili. A really good chili takes as long as smoking a pork butt, and it is very complex in flavor. Many recipes have layer, upon layer of spices incorporated into the final chili. A good chili doesn’t just BRING THE HEAT! It brings a wide array of spices well blended to tantalize!

I surveyed the chili cooks and found that the variety of chili recipes was covering most of the bases. We had several Cincinnati recipes ranging from medium heat to much hotter. We had two Texas chili recipes (NO BEANS!) ranging from hot, to hotter. So, Dr. Dave decided to concoct a white chili recipe.

For those who don’t know, white chili is made with chicken and uses “white” ingredients. No red chili powder, very little cayenne pepper, no tomatoes, no beef (no Beef! OMG!). That still leaves the door wide open on the amount of heat which can be brought on. Dr. Dave decided to push for a medium hot chili made with fresh peppers and a few spices. The market had a pretty good variety of fresh hot peppers, so I decided on Anaheim, Pasilla, Serrano and Jalapeno peppers. Most recipes for white chili call for chicken breasts, but I wanted more flavor from the chicken and chose chicken thighs instead. I also decided to add some flavor by smoking the peppers and the chicken thighs.

Ingredients:

8 Chicken thighs, skin removed
2 Anaheim peppers
2 Serrano peppers
2 Jalapeno peppers
2 Pasilla peppers
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 White onion
1 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs White pepper
1 Tbs Kosher salt
2 tsp ground cloves
48 oz Canned Northern White Beans
1 qt Chicken stock
1 qt Vegetable stock
2 pt Heavy whipping cream
BBQ rub of choice

Directions:

- Slice all of the peppers in half. Remove seeds to keep things from getting too hot.
- Place the peppers in a vegetable grilling basket and smoke for 1 hour at 225°F.
NOTE: An alternative is to roast the peppers in a 225° oven for an hour

Peppers prepared for the smoker

- In the meantime, soak the chicken thighs in a salt brine solution for an hour
- Remove the chicken from the brine solution, rinse and pat dry.
- Lightly sprinkle with the BBQ rub.
- Smoke the chicken thighs for 2 hours at 225°F or roast in a 225° oven for 2 hours
- In a stock pot, combine the chicken stock, half the vegetable stock, 1 pint of heavy whipping cream, the cumin, white pepper, salt, garlic and cloves.
- Rinse the beans and add to the stock pot.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil and then turn to low.
- Finely chop the peppers and onion, then add to the stock solution.
- Cut the chicken meat into ½” cubes and add to the stock pot.
- Simmer covered for at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The liquid will absorb into the chicken and peppers as well as evaporate.
- After simmering, add the remaining vegetable stock and the other pint heavy whipping cream.
- Pour into a crock pot and keep warm until serving.

When ready to serve, sprinkle on some cayenne pepper(adds flavor and helps with the presentation).

Serve with:

Slice black olives
Salsa
Sour cream
Pickle jalapenos
Avocados

I am proud of the CPC folks. We raised $519 for this worthy cause.

USA! USA! CA-LAH-FOR-NIE-AAH

2010-03-05T09:10:00.002-06:00

Gary V, proudly goes to some heavy hitting California reds for your tasting pleasure. Watching his with a bit of spring in the air makes me want fire, wine and RED MEAT.

Enjoy.

But SaucyJoe, what does this have to do with wine, bbq or music?

2010-01-29T10:19:00.000-06:00

Hush, and enjoy the show. There will be time for that other stuff this weekend.
First, we have a little offering from Pee Wee. Some clever stuff here.

Pee-wee Gets An iPad! from Pee-wee Herman

Well listen to this

2010-01-28T22:24:00.000-06:00

Okay, the good Dr. Dave started this insidious thread on Facebook, and since it's now stuck in my head, here are the lyrics.

You must sing it out-loud to exorcise the ear worm.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And no one can talk to a horse of course
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.

Go right to the source and ask the horse
He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.
He's always on a steady course.
Talk to Mr. Ed.

People yakkity yak a streak and waste your time of day
But Mister Ed will never speak unless he has something to say.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And this one'll talk 'til his voice is hoarse.
You never heard of a talking horse?

Well listen to this.

I am Mister Ed.

Auditioning a new advertiser for SaucyJoes

2010-01-26T19:59:00.000-06:00

The Women of Wine

2010-01-14T17:04:00.001-06:00

We're preparing a feature on GuruTrack for the Women of Wine and need a few more candidates for interviews. I have some excellent suggestions from Facebook friends, but thought I'd inquire here too. Know anyone you want included? Nominate them at GuruTrack.com (nominate form is at bottom right of main page) and we'll contact them for more discussions.

Many thanks!

P.s. Hoping to post something yummy this weekend. I also found a successor to two-buck-chuck here in Arlington. A dollar more expensive but a pretty good find nonetheless -- reviews this weekend.

A new way to explore food and wine expertise

2010-01-08T17:47:00.000-06:00

It looks like our friends at GuruTrack are preparing a feature on the Women of Wine for their debut issues (online at gurutrack.com/wine-gourmet.html) this January. Their site is new, but they are promising to give us "backstage access" to the experts we love, and we're rooting for them to pull it off.

We see so many press releases and social media missives about the experts and their breakthrough moments in 2009, it will be good to hear more table-talk opinions and down to earth comments from those making food and wine mojo this year.

One note, the GuruTrack site is just opening so expect changes and maybe some "coming soon" placements. membership is still free though, and even if you subscribe, it is a three-tier build up and you won't pay full boat until month three. Pretty cool. They're also looking for more guru nominations, so if you have someone you'd like to see interviewed, go to their "sneak peek" page and send them a lead.