recipes that are simple and delicious.

I’ve made my share of all things turkey over the last few years, and all of them being really delicious, there was one that stood out, and that was this smoked turkey and ricotta cheese pizza. When I last smoked a turkey breast, I had a bit leftover and I am one to not one [...]

If you do not know by now, I am a fan of Nueske’s applewood smoked meats. They have some of the best products around and once you get a bite of any of their products you will know why. They offer everything from bacon, to liver sausage, to thick cut pork chops. I’ve tried many [...]

I often find it funny that someone you don’t know wants to give you food. What I mean by that is I have a friend in the family whose brother loves to hunt and fish. With that said he often times asks his brother if Dax would like some pheasant, or in this other case [...]

Our families had a recent get together not too long ago. About a week prior we were all talking food and deciding what people should bring to the party. It was a fourth of July party and I could already tell my father-in-law was getting excited when he was talking about making ribs. He gave [...]

Smoked turkey melt. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, you are right. A few weeks back I decided to spend a day outside with my smoker. I admit, I love those types of days where the family schedule is some what free, and I can plan on hours of slow cooking meat on my smoker. I [...]

Anytime I am going to spend a day smoking food outdoors, I often think of what else I could put on the smoker. My go to items are pork products such as shoulder and ribs, and on occasion some pheasant, turkey, sausage, or chicken. Yep, I pretty much smoke a majority of proteins. I do [...]

Everyone has probably had a classic pinwheel at least once in their life. The pinwheel appetizer is a thing of beauty, and I can honestly say that. Not only is it a simple hors d’oevure to create, but it is one that can be made well ahead of time, saving you a bit of time [...]

I, as many here in Wisconsin, have been waiting for spring to arrive. It’s finally here, and as we are blessed with wonderful weather, we are also blessed with farmers’ markets. Spring time in Wisconsin is probably my favorite season of the year, with fall being a close second. Spring time just has this thing [...]

For the most part, I grew up fishing. My grandparents lived on a lake in Indiana, and every time we would go visit, I would wake up early, head out to their pier, and start catching fish. My dad would often times clean the fish and we would head back to their home, fry them [...]

I think, I really do think, that my kids are now starting to explore and try new foods. That is music to my ears, and as I take mental notes of what they are starting to try, whether that be a new sauce, vegetable, or heck, even a mixture of the two, I continue to [...]

We were fortunate enough to have more family move back to Wisconsin. My brother and sister-in-law recently moved here from Chicago in a quaint little neighborhood located near some really fun restaurants, and one in particular called Cafe Hollander. After we first visited their home, we all decided to have dinner at the restaurant that is [...]

It was many years ago when I first encountered what is called siao pao (show pow). I immediately fell in love with these. They are basically steamed buns filled with a meat mixture. It is the bun portion that I fell in love with however. The texture is unlike any other bun. It is soft, [...]

Like most weekends, I tend to make barbecue. The low and slow barbecue. Not the throw things on a grill and take it off within twelve minutes. Whether it is ribs, chicken, pork shoulder, or heck, even sausages, there is always something cooking in my smoke barrel. As much as I love barbecue, I also [...]

Now that’s a mouthful. Beer braised rib tips with barbecue beer sauce. As you can see, beer is the theme for this recipe, and well, rib tips are probably one of my favorite things to eat. I came up with this recipe, believe it or not, after eating some rib tips at one of my [...]

Last week we attended our first wine tasting in town. I am not sure if I was more excited to taste a variety of Sonoma red wines, or be able to sample really great cheeses that the guests would be bringing. I later found out it was both! As I pondered what to make for [...]

That’s right, I said it, smoked pheasant breast. Pheasant is something you do not normally see when you go grocery shopping, however, I was lucky enough to be provided one from a hunter, a hunter I have yet to meet. They call him “Boot”, and as he has been following my site for some time, [...]

I was first introduced to the tri-tip steak while visiting my parents in Las Vegas years ago. As my parents were talking about this piece of meat, you could see the excitement in their eyes and their mouths beginning to water. Tri-tip is something that we do not see in grocery stores in the Midwest, [...]

Back in the late 1990′s I was invited to attend a wedding on the island of Maui. I had no hesitation when I was invited, and to be honest, I had no expectations other than ‘having fun in the sun’. I learned many things while being on the island, one of which there are a [...]

I am a big fan of smoking meat, and this is the season to do just that. Recently I had my mind set on smoking a pork shoulder, as that, and brisket, are typically my favorite types of meat to smoke. My way of smoking a shoulder is completely rubbing it with standard yellow mustard [...]