Cauliflower Alfredo

I know what you're thinking, how can you take a generally bland vegetable and turn it into something as delicious as alfredo? Well it's easy my friends and it is delicious, very. The firs time I made it I was kind of blown away by how it turned out not to mention how simple it was. I have put cauliflower in mashed potatoes before and it was killer so why wouldn't this work? Well it does and it's amazing. So give this a shot and let me know what you think.

Kitchen Notes
* Feel free to use whatever noodles you have on hand they are all good. I just happened to have some tri color pasta around so that's what I used.
* Serve with 4 grilled chicken breasts to make it into a meal.
* I used fat free half and half and it turned out really well.
* Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon minced rosemary
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 pound pasta
- salt and peppter

The Process
1. In a skillet with a lid, add the oil, butter and heat until melted over medium high heat. Add the garlic and rosemary and stir to combine for about 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower and stir again to coat in the garlic and rosemary. Add the wine and let reduce for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover skillet and turn heat down to medium and cook minutes stirring occasionally, for 20 minuted or until most of the liquid is evaporated. The cauliflower should be fork tender. In another pot start the water for the pasta.
3. When the water boils add the noodles. In a blender or food processor add the cauliflower mixture along with any liquid that's left. Add the half and half and the parmesan cheese. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Drain the noodles.
4. Return the drained noodles to the pot you just boiled them in along with the contents of your blender/food processor over medium heat and stir well until everything is mixed together. Cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Serve and ENJOY!

Beef Bourguignon

I know what you're thinking, it's been a while since I have posted anything. The fact of the matter is that I have been ridiculously busy with life, wife and all things in between. You might also be thinking that I haven't been cooking much lately but this couldn't be more incorrect. I have been trying new things, getting new tools, (like a Weber Bullet Smoker and a Paella Pan), and trying to perfect these new recipes. So don't fret yall, I'm still here, doing my thing.

Beef Bourguignon is a dish that I have made quit a few times now and I feel pretty good about how it's evolved in my kitchen. This dish takes some time and because of this I usually make it on Sunday. It also requires a pan that can be used on the stove and also the in the oven that also has a lid. My le creuset works perfectly for this. I really hope you like it and like always if you have questions please let me know.

Kitchen Notes
* If you can't find slab bacon, then use the "ends and pieces" pack that you can find at your store. If you can't find that then thick sliced bacon will work just fine.
* Make sure that your beef chunks are INSANELY dry. It is a very important step because it makes sure that you get a good seer on your meat.
* You can use whatever wine you like but it HAS to be a red. I prefer burgandy wine but I have used merlot and something called Washington Red.
* If you don't have a pan that can be used on the stove and in the oven, then cook everything on the stove and put it all in a casserole pan with a lid on it.
* The herb bouquet is kind of important. Find some fresh herbs and throw them together with some twine and all it good. Mine was rosemary, oregano, thyme and italian parsley.
* If you don't have roasted garlic then you can use regular garlic but add it when you saute the carrots, onion and celery.
* Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound slab bacon cut into lardons
- 3 to 4 pounds beef chuck roast cut into 2 inch cubes
- 6 carrots peeled the diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
- 1 bottle burgady wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 bay leaf crumbled
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 herb bouquet
- 1 pound button mushrooms quartered
- 2 pounds red potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes

The Process
1. Add the olive oil to the pan over medium high heat then add the bacon and cook until the fat has been rendered and it's got some nice color on it about 8 minutes or so. Using a slotted spoon remove from the pan and set aside until later.
2. Add about 1/2 of your beef chunks to the pan making sure not to crowd them. No pieces should be touching other pieces. Brown both sides then remove and place on the same plate with the bacon. Brown the remaining beef then remove from the pot. Should take about 6 minutes per side.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the carrots, onion, celery and dried thyme and cook until onions become translucent about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and roasted garlic and stir until combines.
4. Return the beef and bacon to the pot as well as the the wine, beef stock (you really only need enough to cover everything so you might use more or less), bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir to combine then bring to a simmer. Add the herb bouquet then put the lid on it and put in the oven.
5. Every 30 minutes go and give this a good stir. You should see the liquid reducing each time. Do this for 3 hours.
6. After your 6 stirs and 3 hours are, add the potatoes and mushrooms, stir well then return to the oven. The sauce should be getting thicker. Put back in the oven for another hour giving it one final stir after 30 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, re-season with salt and pepper if needed then serve.
8. Enjoy!

Cubans

This is one of those sandwiches that I wish I would have been introduced to me when I was younger. It took 28 years of my life before someone introduced to me to these delicious pieces of bread and meat and cheese. If you've never had one you owe it to yourself to have one. I bet you looking at the ingredients and thinking that they don't really sound that good. Trust me they are insanely good. So give this a shot and let me know what you think. If you have any questions please let me know.

Kitchen Notes
* You can use whatever kind of pork you'd like. It simply needs to be something cooked through and delicious. I used some left over pork chops I had.
* Traditionally these are made with baguettes but I like this method better. I used como bread.
* If you have a panini press use it.
* Makes 4 sandwiches.

Ingredients
- 8 slices of crust bread
- 2 tablespoons or so of yellow mustard
- 8 slices swiss cheese
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced ham (I used black forest because it's awesome)
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced roasted pork
- 3 dill pickles sliced thin
- 1 stick of butter melted

The Process
1. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
2. Let's make some sandwiches. On all the pieces of bread cover it with the mustard, then the cheese. Then place the pork, ham and pickles on half of the pieces of bread then cover them with the other halves.
3. Put some butter into the center of the pan then add 2 sandwiches on top of it then cover with a sheet pan. When 3 minutes are up rotate the sandwiches 180 degrees to get an even toast. Wait 3 more minutes then cover the top with butter then flip. Do the same thing for this side until you get the desired toastiness.
4. Remove from the pan, cut in half and enjoy. I like mine with a light salad or fries or something else delicious.
5. Enjoy!

The Cundiffs

Here's another person I haven't seen since high school but we have kept in touch via social media sites (I know you know what I'm talking about). She invited me into her home to take pictures of her family including a 2 year old girl named Cameron and a 3 week old newborn named Taylor. Let me tell you they are cuter in person. Not to mention it's really nice to see a couple who is still so in love after being together for quit some time.



Anyways this was my first chance at taking pics of a newborn. My wife, who supports me 100% in anything I want to do was so stoked that I got this opportunity that she immediately went to the craft store and bought all kinds of fabric and props for little Taylor.



We went over there in the morning and spent about 3 hours taking pics of the kids, the couple then all of them together. It really was a blast and everyone did really well with having us in their home.



I really like how the pics turned out but I am always looking for feedback. If you get a moment please take a look and let me know what you think. Also if you are looking for pics please let me know.



Direct Link to Flickr Page

Graduation Pics

Here's another new one for me, grad pics. Now I never got these done so I really had no idea how to approach this shoot.



I know that's it's supposed to be the subject just kind of lounging around being themselves because these are what they send to their family members for their graduation parties and such.



So I took it pretty seriously and I am not going to lie I had a great time taking them.



I spent a considerable amount of time editing them because shooting int the sun is a challenge in itself.



Check them out and let me know what you think.



If you are looking for pics please let me know I am very interested.



Direct Like to Flickr

The Beadles

You know how you have friends that you just can't live without? How they're always there for you with advice, hugs and whiskey. Well Anna and Jared are those people to me. They have been a part of my life for quite a while and Jared was even in my wedding.



He's a good ol' boy from Tennessee who hooked up with this island (Bainbridge Island in case you were wondering) chick, got married and now have a beautiful daughter that looks like them both. It's been great watching her grow up and become a little person.



So when they asked me to take pics of them I was flattered and excited. They did such an amazing job and Lili (the daughter) was in full effect cuteness.



The locale was great even though there were tons of people and the weather was awesome. I broke my old record again of pics edited which is now 156.



So take a look at the pics if you get a chance and let me know what you think. Thanks again Anna and Jared for letting me take pics of your wonder family. Next time we are going to have to incorporate the dogs.



Link to Pics on Flickr

Tamale Pie

Here's a new recipe to me and I have no idea why I have never tried this before. I'm not saying I've never made this dish which I haven't, I have never had a Tamale Pie. What was I thinking? I have lived on this planet for 28.4 years and I have never had this delicious Tex-Mex dish. So I figured I should make this. I had the general idea of how it works. Make some taco meat, mix in some veggies then cover it in cornbread and bake it in the oven. Piece of cake right? It was trust me. So here's the recipe I made up I hope you all like it. Any questions or suggestions let me know.

Kitchen Notes
* If you don't have a cast iron skillet, put the meat in the bottom of a casserole dish then the cornbread mix over the top.
* You can use ground beef or chicken or whatever kind of protein you like.
* While you are browning the meat make the cornbread.
* Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients
- 1 pack of ground turkey (it's about 1.33 pounds)
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 cup corn kernals
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup veggie/canola
- 1/4 cup chopped jalapenos
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

The Process
1. In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, combine the ground turkey, onion, garlic and crushed red peppers in the pan. Using a spatula break up the meat as small as you can while it cooks and all the meat turns greyish.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add the cumin, oregano, chili powder, stock and tomato paste and cook until about half of the liquid has evaporated about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and corn and cook until the corn is heated through. Season with the 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper. Then stir in 2 tablespoons of the flour and stir to combine it should get pretty thick.
3. Combine the 1 cup of flour in a bowl with the corn meal, baking powder and salt and using a whisk, combine. Then in a seperate bowl combine the egg, mild and the oil and whisk well. Stir the wet into the dry and whisk again then fold in the jalapenos.
4. Level your meat mixture as best as you can in the cast iron skillet. Then place the cheese over the top of it and give it a couple of minutes to melt. Then pour the cornbread over the top of that making sure it's as flat as possible. Place in the oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or untilt the cornbread is cooked through.
5. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes until slicing into pie sliced pieces.
6. Enjoy!