Rise & Shine; A Farmhouse Breakfast.....

Farmhouse Series...

Farmhouse Breakfast

Madison County, Va. 

Silos @ Madison County, Va.

A few weeks back I went to Madison County, Va with my best friend Rob to visit his parents. Madison is a county that is about 45 miles west of Charlottesville, Va which is home to the University of Virginia. The area here is mostly farmland which fortunately means it's also a great place to find fresh vegetables, fruit, herbs and meat.  

I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland so I'm no stranger to the "sticks" but Fort Washington would hardly be considered farmland. By being here it reminded me of all of the things that I miss about living outside of a major city. From the slower pace, the bigger yards to the family like atmosphere; it really made me appreciate the difference between living in the city and living in a rural area, not that one is better than the other as they both have pros and cons.

While I was there I was able to walk around and take pictures of farm life such as the silos pictured, some farmhouses and was even able to get a close up of the neighbors dairy cows and farm. At one point after I met Rob's father, he asked me what time I normally wake up. I told him that, due to the fact that I am a night owl I normally didn't wake up until well after 10 a.m. He laughed and said very matter of fact-ly," I would have missed out on a full day's work if I woke up that late Mark."  We both laughed and that was that. Of course I'd love to say that I was shamed into waking up at the rooster's first cry, but in all reality I slept so soundly that the rooster didn't have a chance. But that exchange did get me to thinking about the vital role that breakfast plays in farmer's life.

Farmhouse Breakfast

On the menu for today is the Farmhouse Breakfast

Farmhouse Skillet Potatoes, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs with Cheddar and Toasted Baguette


For this menu we will need the following:

• Bacon (3 pp)
• Bacon Diced (1 Slice)
• Eggs (2 pp)
• Yukon Gold Potatoes (1-2 each pp)
• Season Salt (1 tsp)
• Cheddar Cheese (1-2 oz)
• Garlic (1 tsp)
• Thyme (1 Tbs)
• Olive Oil (1 Tbs)
• Baguette 
• Salt (tt)
• Preserves/Jelly (you choose)

When I think of work on a farm I think of a lot of heavy lifting, bending and sweating. I also imagine that none of these things could be done without a hearty breakfast.  Nothing too heavy nor sweet just meat, potatoes and eggs and then time to get to the tasks for the day at least until time for lunch. 

Cook the bacon (both sets) and set aside, reserving fat to cook the potatoes in. Slice the potatoes and place in the warmed skillet allowing to brown on one side then flipping and placing directly into an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 15 minutes add the garlic & herbs and continue to cook for 5 minutes more or until done.

Heat a skillet with olive oil and add the eggs making sure to stir as they are being heated and add the cheese and salt to taste.

Cut the baguette into slices and toast in a skillet with butter, use any type of preserve of jelly you like or have on hand (pictured is sour cherry mash).

Applewood Smoked Bacon

FarmHouse Skillet Potatoes with Bacon & Herbs

Scrambled Eggs With Cheddar Cheese

Cheesy Goodness

Farmhouse Potatoes

Shhh Silent Sundays..........3

Silent Sundays.  An inspirational pictorial.........

Botanical Gardens WDC

Botanical Gardens WDC

Botanical Gardens

Capitol Gardens & Basin

Flag @ Capitol Gardens & Basin

Capitol Gardens & Basin

Capitol Gardens & Basin

Capitol Gardens & Basin

Nation American Indian Museum

Venus Fly Trap @ Botanical Gardens

Columns @ The National Arboretum

National Arboretum

8th St SE WDC

14 St SE WDC

14th St. SE WDC

14th St SE WDC

8th St. SE WDC

Bernard L Crawford Sr.  USMC WWII

In Memory of Charles K. Swann Air Force

Rooster Video:  *Warning Extremely Graphic Content*

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Wednesday Tease "Think Farmhouse"

Home Is Where The Hearth is. Homemade Pizza.....

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Roasted Fennel  Pizza

Spending time with my family & friends is really important to me. More than anything I enjoy visiting, talking with, cooking for and being around my family and friends. On the weekends we meet up, cook, drink play games and just enjoy being in each other's presence. In a large family food is always going to be the highlight of any gathering and when you have a family or friends that cook there's never anyone that will concede to being the non cooker of the bunch. I'm fortunate enough to have siblings that can cook with the best of them. My sister Robin has the baking thing on lock, hands down. My brother Bernard is the "Seafood Guru", while my brother Mike (AKA steak mouth) can make a steak that would shame anything you get at Ruth's Chris or any other steakhouse for that matter. My sister Cheryl, does everything from frying to casseroles and as a matter of fact she threw together some fried pork chops on Mother's Day that had me damn near in tears of joy. My sister Joanie's Crab Cakes are better than anyone's that I have tasted, even mine and I take second chair to no one in that area except for her. The best times of all are when we can all cook together and be together. I can't think of a better activity to bring families and friends together than cooking, and what better to cook on the weekend than Homemade Pizza for the crew. 

On the menu for this Weekend is: Pizza


Thick Cut Pepperoni with Fresh Mozzarella, Basil and Red Onions

Roasted Fennel, Red Onion, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic and Tarragon



Pizza is an indulgence that I reserve for the weekends only. I have a love affair with pepperoni, tomato sauce and bread that can only be described as excessive, so the marriage of the group of my favorites in the form of a single food called pizza is one that I appreciate without compromise. I'm sure that there are plenty that agree, with over $30 B in sales annually and over 63,000 pizza parlors in the U.S. alone the stats certainly agree.

While some prefer the thick Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza, I am a thin crust lover and prefer thicker slices of pepperoni. To me the bread should never dominate the taste of a good pizza, the toppings are and should be the star of this show.

While there are plenty of places that sell a great pizza pie, I prefer to make mine at home with friends and family. Pizza making is a great family bonding activity especially if you have children. It's a time to let everyone contribute to dinner and an easy introduction to cooking for the first time.

You can make you own dough, buy a pre-made shell or use my preferred method of buying the pre-made raw dough and rolling it yourself (see picture below). The advantages of rolling you own dough is that you can determine the thickness all on your own. By making pizza yourself you spend less money, have more quality time with your circle and choose the ingredients all on our own without having to pay an extra .99 cents per topping.

Store Bought Raw Pizza Dough

As far as toppings are concerned, I am a meat lover specifically pepperoni or sausage. While I love thin crust thick sliced pepperoni is all the rage for me. Rolling out you own dough can seem intimidating but in actuality it's quite easy and doesn't even require a rolling pin as you can clearly see in the video above. Just use a bottle covered in plastic wrap. The smell of Basil fresh or baking is so fragrant and inviting that the neighbors just may show up unannounced. The thick cut pepperoni adds contrast to the thin crust and is a much better product than the prepackage counterpart. Finally the pizza sauce can simply be whatever left over tomato sauce you have available or you can just buy pasta sauce. I stay away from buying pizza sauce because I'll never use it all up before it goes bad, with the pasta sauce I can always us it to pasta (frugal).

Pepperoni 

We need the following for the Pepperoni Pizza:

• Raw Pizza Dough (1 Pizza) 
• Flour (1-2 Tbs)
• Tomato Sauce (1/2 Cup)
• Red Onions (1/4 onion)
• Mozzarella (1/2 cup)
• Fresh Mozzarella (4 oz)
• Fresh Basil (7-8 leaves)
• Garlic (1/2 tsp)
• Thick Cut Pepperoni (1/2 #)

You can buy you raw pizza dough from store like Whole Foods, once you plan on using it be sure to let it sit out uncovered for about 15-20 minutes to loosen. On a clear and cleaned counter spread flour and rest the dough on it. See attached video above for a demo on how to roll dough. Once the dough is flattened and sized to the desired liking place on a pan sprayed cooking sheet or aluminum foil. Finally as shown in the video above aerate the dough by poking holes with a fork (see picture below)

Aerated Pizza Dough

Tomato Sauce

Basil First

Fully Dressed Pizza

Add the  sauce as shown in the picture above and then the basil. Add the grated mozzarella, minced garlic and sliced red onions as shown and then the pepperoni adding the fresh mozzarella as shown. Finally place in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes being sure to check frequently, you may need to rotate the pizza for even browning. Once the pizza is out of the oven add fresh basil as shown and allow to cool before cutting and enjoy. Cut the basil into thin strips (chiffonade). 

Viola 

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Roasted Fennel with Sun Dried Tomatoes

For the Roasted Fennel Pizza we will need the following:

• Fennel Bulbs (2 each)
• Sun Dried Tomatoes (1 cup)
• Red Onions
• Garlic (2 tsp)
• Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
• Tarragon (1/2 cup)
• Basil (1 cup)
• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (3 Tbs)
• Mozzarella (1/4 cup)
• Capers (3 Tbs)

Roll the dough as shown above. Combine the capers, basil, tarragon, garlic, parm. cheese and olive oil in a food processor or blender to make your sauce then spread the mixture on the pizza. Julienne the fennel and roast in an oven for 10-13 minutes and set aside. Julienne the sun dried tomatoes, onions  and after adding the mozzarella to the pizza add the julienned vegetables to the pizza. Cook in an oven preheated to 400 for 15 minutes.

Layer 1

Completed pizza before the oven

Roasted Fennel, Onions, Garlic & Tarragon Pizza

Let's Dance

Whistle While You Work... Salt Encrusted Bluefish.....

Fresh Caught Bluefish w/ Mise En Place 

Mackerel

Salt Encrusted Bluefish

I have been fortunate enough to have been surrounded by quite a cast of characters my entire career in a professional kitchen.The common two prevailing characteristics have been a big heart and an even bigger sense of humor.

I started cooking at The Motion Picture Association of America in Washington DC, it was here that I met my first chef, Jim Whatley.  Jim is gregarious and extremely accommodating, and was the first to tell me "stop crowding the cutting board it will only make it harder to use and easier for you to cut yourself!".  Several cuts later I started to listen. In that kitchen we had such a good time with a group of the funniest people that I have ever met in life, but the life of the kitchen by far was Jim. I called him "Good Time Jim" because this dude would keep us laughing at all times. He has remained the most influential chef in my life because of the balance that he instilled in me as a cook/chef. Jim made me realize that while a sense of urgency is key, of equal importance is the ability and necessity of being grounded by the fact that we are cooks and not brain surgeons. We are to provide a service to help others appreciate a place in time by the food and service that we provide to them. He also makes the best bread pudding I have had to date. I'd love to share the pranks but if you ever worked in a kitchen you know that what goes on in those spots can rarely be repeated or shared due to the lack of "PC"-ness that goes on. Just know that Jim was the ring leader in all of the jokes and pranks that went on and he kept us all wanting to come to work everyday to see our family. Jim is also a person that calls me every year on my birthday just to see how I am doing, literally every year. I can't tell you how much this touches me, of course he teases me about something when he calls but that's what we do, make fun of each other. It's all love....

I was a chef at Google for 3-4 years when I first moved to California. The crew I cooked with and learned from on a daily basis had me in stitches on a constant basis. The environment was always loose and funny.  Of course it was hectic at times, after all it is a kitchen. We made breakfast and lunch along with setting up for the dinner shift, but throughout the day we found ways to keep each other motivated through laughter.

There's Scott G, the definition of a professional chef that would crack a one liner in the middle of serious instruction.  Jef P. or as we all called him Old Blue Eyes, this guy remains one of the chefs that I most admire.  I had never seen anyone so serious about cooking and knowing the nature of what he wanted to do before he even picked up a knife to start prep before I met him.  At the same time I don't think there was ever a moment when his dry sense of humor and uncanny timing didn't have the kitchen crying in laughter.  Then there's Joey D this guy has the biggest heart you will ever find and there's nothing he wouldn't do to help anyone out. Joey is a Rock Star in every sense of the term, personality bigger than life, knows his stuff as a chef and now runs FaceBook's Culinary Program as the Culinary Overlord.  Joey is one of the funniest people I have ever met, very blunt and direct with an "I'm just saying" approach. Chris Moss is another chef that I learned from, he was one of the first chef to tie the importance of organizing on a computer and how easy having files of recipes at your disposal via the computer rather than having them balled up in your pockets. My dear friend Virgil, or Young Virgil (in an English accent) as I called him.  Virgil is calm and laid back but will give you a disapproving glare when he knows you are going "too far to the left" with your creative license as a chef. He wouldn't necessarily stop you, he'd just ask you to make a small batch first and when we agreed that it sucked, lesson received, committed to memory, small batch thrown out and chef clowned for the rest of the day. Elaine, by far the most beautiful and one of the most technically sound chef's I've ever worked with would have me cracking up daily.  Ray Ray, is my brother from another mother and there was never a moment that he wouldn't take the time to help me with things.  He's larger than life but a big teddy bear with one of the heartiest laughs ever heard and  he can't wait to offer a helping hand.   Zeke, ole Zeke, where do I begin with him?  Zeke is by far a character for the ages, we would crack jokes from the start of the day to the end and he made one mean Agua Fresca, watermelon, strawberry even honeydew melon there was never a fruit that didn't succumb to his blade and the Agua Fresca Gods. Then there's Dontaye who leans toward Italian food and Soul Food but everything he makes is incredible. He's also the funniest guys I ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. We would make up characters and play them all day on occasions. He's also a chef that takes his time and allows a product to develop in a way that is well worth the wait. The two of us would sit in the lab and just create and perfect dishes. One of the things that we would make for the Googlers was Salt Encrusted Salmon, the salt would keep the fish moist and allow the fish to keep all of it flavor, it also has a wow factor when you present this to be broken at a table. There are too many others at Google that had a profound impact on me and what I do, they will be in later post. For now this is wordy enough.

Working in a high volume kitchen is a grind but if you have the right teammates with you time flies, you learn a lot, teach a lot, laugh a lot and have the possibility of having lifetime friends and that's more important than anything to me.


On the menu today is:

Salt Encrusted Bluefish with Wild Rice, Roasted Corn & Kale

Bluefish with Wild Rice, Sauteed Corn and Kale

For This we will need the following:

• Bluefish (whole, scaled and gutted)
• Coarse Kosher Salt (up to 2 # depending on the size of your fish)
• Egg Whites (6 ea)
• Garlic (6 cloves)
• Dill (2 bunch)
• Sage (1 bunch)
• Bay Leaf (3 ea)
• Lemon (2 ea)
• Orange (1 ea)
• Wild Rice (1 cup)
• Corn (2 cups)
• Olive Oil (2 Tbs)
• Kale (12 oz)

Add the garlic, salt, dill (1 bunch), lemon and orange slices (2 slices each) to a food processor to combine. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks (see picture below) and then fold in the salt mixture to form a paste. Encrust the fish in the mixture (see picture below) and bake in a preheated oven of 425 for 25 to 35 minutes or until the fish is reading 125 degrees internally. The salt mixture will be hard once it's done and needs to sit for 3-5 minutes to allow to cool before presenting or breaking.

Whipped Egg Whites "stiff peaks"

Dill, Orange, Lemon, Garlic & Coarse Kosher Salt 

Salt encrusted before cooking

Cook the wild rice in accordance with the directions on the box.

Wild Rice with Sauteed Kale

Sauteed Kale 

Sauteed Corn

Bluefish after cooking

Breaking The Salt Crust

Bluefish salt crust removed

Saute the corn in olive oil one done remove and set aside then add the kale and garlic until cooked then salt to taste.

Bluefish with Wild Rice, Corn & Kale