It's official! My cookbook is finally available for sale! It'll be available at retail locations on Tuesday.

When I started cooking....

Hi, I'm Ron Merlin. I live in Seattle, Washington, and have been cooking and baking since I was a little guy who learned to cook by helping Grandma in West Springfield, Massachusetts. (I'll never forget the homemade donuts, she made them EVERY time we visited.)

Anyway, some odd years later, I've decided to share with you the recipes, techniques, and the love of fine food I've learned over the years.

Grandma lived in a red little house with white trim way up in the Country with Jim Patterson my step-grandfather. (Is there such a thing?) I remember Grampa Jim apparently didn't like kids much as he rarely spoke, just sat in his rocker, smoked a big old smelly pipe, and watched TV. Grandma waited on him hand and foot. He scared the hell out of me frankly.

But you can't make this stuff up. I was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts and lived with my Mom and once at Christmas and once in the summer, we would travel to Grandma Patterson's home 85 miles away up in the woods. It was during these trips I learned about baking, and cooking, and blueberry fields, and cowpies and how all the 'neat' stuff in Grandpa Jim's garages was NOT to be messed with.

I realize now, that at the time I was living the picture card Christmas life. We would drive for two hours, up into the 'hills' west of where we lived, and drive and drive through fields, sparsely populated, covered with snow, and eventually, at the top of some hill off the highway, hit a gravel road, turn right and travel a half mile to this little red and white farmhouse, covered in snow, smoke coming from the Chimney, (which was attached to both the fireplace and wood burning stove in Grandma's kitchen), with crooked Christmas lights hung here and there, because Grandma had placed them, Grampa Jim wasn't into that kind of stuff. I would walk in, and there was Grandma, greeting her grandkids as generations of Grandparents have done no doubt, so glad to see us.

And every time, EVERY single time, Grandma would say to me...... "Ronnie (yes, grimace, I was called Ronnie in those days) would you like to make some donuts?

And Grandma and I would enter the "pantry" to the right of her kitchen......Pantry is a joke, it was the size of a small closet, with shelving on three sides from floor to ceiling, and just stuffed with canned goods, bags, seasonings, etc. etc. etc. On one side was a small wooden, well worn counter-top. She would place a wooden bowl on it, and to my amazement begin to make donut dough......No recipe, no measuring, no nothing. As liquids were needed Grandma Patterson would hand me the right sized measuring cup or utensil and send me forth into the kitchen to retrieve the liquid. Meanwhile, much to my amazement at 5 or 6 years old, begin to create a dough, with no help whatever, that within 30 minutes we would begin to deep-fry on an old wood stove. Misshapen donuts and little donut holes.......Which then it was MY job to shake around in paper bags filled with sugar and cinnamon and nutmeg.....

And then, and then, I was rewarded with the best donuts I have ever had, with ice cold milk, me and Grandma, eatin' donuts in the kitchen.

It amazed me how she could do that. And I admit, it's what got me started on being interested in cooking....and to this day, I love to cook and bake with NO recipe.....(although in this blog, I will try to measure things out)

Anyway, in honor of Grandma Patterson, I think my first recipe should be Homemade Buttermilk Donuts, compliments of her. God Rest her Soul.......

What do YOU think? By the way, when is the last time you have had homemade donuts? Huh? You a Krispy Kreme freak?

Try these, and if ya have kids, give them some. And let THEM shake 'em up in a 'sugar bag'

They might write a blog about YOU some day.....

Merlin

This post was re-created at the suggestion of Patience Brewster. I thought they had a good idea for Mother's Day, so I recreated my first post.

My cookbook now available!

Himalayan Salt Block

You know what a Himalayan Salt Block is?  Well, neither did I. Due to my penchant for cooking, baking, and posting on this blog, my children occasionally provide me with gifts related to food, which is kind of cool.

Last year my youngest Son gave me an Ice Cream Maker for Christmas. My daughter bought me some beautiful Creuset dishes.

This year he gave me some infused oils and balsamics. (Try some garlic infused grapeseed oil in your mashed potatoes sometime.)

My daughter this year gave me a Himalayan Salt Block.

A Himalayan Salt Block is 600,000 years old, and is pure salt mined in the Himalayas and is pink in color.

You can heat them up and actually cook on them or chill them and use them as a serving platform. In either case it imparts a bit of saltiness to whatever you cook or serve. Fancy restaurants will sometimes heat up a block (it retains heat for quite a while) and bring it to your table and actually sear steak or seafood and vegetables on it right at your table.

After using it, you merely wipe it clean and use it again and again.

I thought this was a COOL Christmas Present and couldn't wait to try it.

I drove home Christmas Day back to Seattle, and got on the internet and began reading about my salt block. I read use, and care, and preparation, and recipes etc. etc. for about two hours.

A Salt Block can be heated directly over flames such as a gas grill or a gas stove, but it cannot be heated directly on an electric stove. The block must be elevated over the electric element by 1/2 inch or so. Fortunately, my pressure cooker had a metal trivet that was the perfect height so I used that.

I decided that I was going to make (plebian, I know) a cheeseburger on my new salt block, just to try it out.

So I set it carefully on top of the trivet on the heating element, and as per instructions, starting heating it very slowly. In fact I was over conservative, and I let it heat at a certain level for 30 minutes at a time, before I raised the temperature. The first time you use it you're supposed to "temper" by slowly heating it over time. I gradually upped the temperature over a two hour period, just to be on the safe side.

The burger was ready, cheese at the ready, and a hamburger bun buttered and ready to toast on the block also. (Along with some Burgerville special sauce)

The block was HOT and water drops sizzled when splashed on it.

I was at my desk ready to go, when I heard a KABOOM from the kitchen!

I ran out and saw the salt block had exploded and cracked through the middle.  As I was standing there, it blew up again, showering me and my entire kitchen with salt. I was ducking and covering my eyes as it exploded FIVE more times! I turned off the heat, and had salt EVERYWHERE! In my hair, clothes, kitchen, floor, etc. etc. It's been a week and I still find chunks of salt somewhere.

We do have a happy ending however. The next day I called my daughter and thanked her for the exploding Christmas Gift, after which I emailed the place she bought it from in Portland, Oregon. They immediately agreed to replace it, and ended up sending me not one, but two new stones. They explained that every once in a while, a block deemed cooking worthy can have defects that can't be detected visually, and that sometimes this happens.

I'll have you know I heated one up yesterday morning and cooked bacon and a sunnyside up egg, and they were delicious.

More to follow I'm sure as I continue to experiment with recipes for the Himalayan Salt Block. As long as I don't blow myself up.  Ha ha.

I have been a bit negligent with my blog. Haven't felt like creatively cooking for a while. Life has a way of getting in the way some times.

I got laid off. My daughter got married. Did the unemployment gig. Found a job. Had a small health issue or two. And, to top it off, three weeks ago, got laid off AGAIN!

And yet, I'm in a good place. I'm doing the unemployment gig again, and........yet am in a happy mood...I'll find a job. I might even move closer to Portland, OR to be closer to my Son and my Daughter, and my........ (drumroll)

I have a granddaughter.  Please meet Ms. Audrey Jane Skidmore.

And I promise to start picking up the blogging of good recipes again.

Savings by the Chopstickful: Send Your Taste Buds to China

Anyone who has ever lived on a student’s or otherwise restrictive budget knows that eating out can be a real luxury. The remedy for any student’s dietary blues is often Chinese food, which uses inexpensive ingredients and is filling. Here are three recipes that cut out the middleman and let you take control of the Chinese food you eat:

Chinese Boiled Chicken

Spark People provides us with this method for preparing a truly versatile dish:

• 1 chicken or chicken cutlets, boneless or otherwise
• Chicken bullion

Preparation is easy: bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop the chicken into it once it reaches a rolling boil. When the boiling stops, remove the chicken and cover the pot. When boiling starts again, replace the chicken in the pot. Cover the pot again, remove heat, and leave for one hour. This easy preparation method readies your chicken for anything with minimum hassle!

Wonton Soup

Everybody is familiar with wonton soup, and now your wallet will love it as much as your kids! This recipe comes to us from the Food Network:

• Meat from 1 spare rib, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 12 wonton wrappers
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 cup broccoli

Once you’ve got these items together, mix the meat, carrot, and scallions in a small bowl. You can make the wontons by filling a wrapper with a tablespoon of filling and sealing the edges with dampened water. Then, bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan, add the wontons and broccoli and cook for three minutes.

Chinese Fried Rice

Rice is so inexpensive and comes in such a high quantity that it practically pays for itself! Doctor up your plain white rice with this cheap recipe for fried rice. You’ll need:

• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 drops soy sauce
• 3 drops sesame oil
• 8 ounces cooked, lean boneless pork or 8 ounces chicken chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot 
• 1/2 cup peas
• 4 cups cold cooked rice, grains separated
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups bean sprouts (optional)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

To start, heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok, add the onions and stir-fry until onions brown. Mix your egg with a few drops of soy and sesame oil and cook quickly in the wok. Once your egg is cooked, chop and set aside. Oil the wok again and add your choice meat along with carrots, peas, and cooked onion. After two minutes add the rice, green onions, and bean sprouts. Once these are cooked, add your egg to the rice mixture, heat, and serve!

These fun recipes will wow your guests and keep your wallet plump!

Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth

I have never made homemade Chicken Broth but always wanted to. Yet it always seemed such a hassle

until I started cooking with a Pressure Cooker and realized how quick and easy it would be. And now that I've made it, I suspect I'll make it from now on. It freezes wonderfully and makes all the difference in the soups I'm making.

Again, if you don't have a pressure cooker, just follow the instructions but place all ingredients in a heavy pot, or Dutch Oven and simmer for two hours. (It'll foam, so you'll want to skim that off at the end)

The best way to go about this I think is to ask you something. Do you serve whole chicken?  Homemade or bought at Costco, or Sam's or Safeway?   Perfect!  Use up all the meat, and save the carcass in the refrigerator. When you're ready to whip up some chicken broth, just do the following.

Ingredients and Method:

1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered

2 stalks celery, washed and coarsely chopped

2 carrots, washed and coarsely chopped

10 cloves garlic

10 whole peppercorns

4 quarts water (check your pressure cooker for it's fill line)

1 teaspoon salt

1 chicken carcass

Add all ingredients to Cooker.

You could use cheesecloth to tie up the vegetables and spices and make it easier to strain, but

you're gonna have to remove all the chicken bones anyway, so I don't mess with it.

Cover and bring up to pressure. When it begins to steam constantly, turn the heat down to medium low

and let cook for 30 minutes in the Pressure Cooker.

Remove from heat and let cool down slowly. Do not use the "cold-water" method to arrest the cooking.

When it's safe, remove cover, and strain ingredients from broth. Now here's a hint, there will be enough chicken left on the carcass to make soup with, and I wouldn't waste it. Throw out all the bones, and spices and vegetables, but save the chicken pieces for soup. It's cooked already, flavorful, and ready to go. Just refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Pour the broth into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight. The following day, remove and skim off all the fat. Divide and freeze into two containers, unless you are using one right away.

A note: I say divide into two bowls, because although it may not be enough broth for a soup, you can add some water with no loss of quality, or even canned broth. This way, your homemade product will last twice as long.

Enjoy!

And watch for my two upcoming soup recipes.

Bewley's Tuscan Tomato and Bean Soup

 I know the photo doesn't look like much, but trust me, this soup will make you famous.... I live in Seattle, Washington and have begun frequenting an Irish Pub in West Seattle called A Terrible Beauty.  I really enjoy it there, the staff is very friendly and attentive, and the food is really very good. No argument there.

But, let's assume you work there. No matter how good the food is, you can get tired of the same menu choices over and over after a while.

Since I like to cook and have to service this blog with a post every once in a while, I've started to occasionally bring them in something different to try.

One week I brought in my Potato Chips, and another time my Chicken and Rice Soup.  

This time, I decided to go with an Irish dish adapted from Bewley's Grafton Street Cafe Tuscan Tomato and Bean Soup from Dublin, Ireland. I daresay it came out well and was consumed by the staff rather quickly.

And although I am certainly a meat eater, this is a wonderful vegetarian soup also.

I might also add, I scarfed a few bowls at home, myself. And, once again, I made it in the Pressure Cooker in only 15 minutes!

Give it a try.

Ingredients and Method: 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 yellow onions, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, washed and diced

3 carrots diced

1or 2 large diced fennel bulb(s) (Video on how to prepare a fennel bulb)

1 28-oz can Marzano crushed or diced tomatoes with puree
4 fresh plum tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 quarts vegetable broth

Salt and pepper to taste (Cook first then season, it will take quite a bit of each but test after each addition)

2  15 oz cans Cannelloni Beans (white Italian kidney beans), rinsed and drained. (Get that scum off them ha ha)

Now, throw that olive oil in the bottom of that pressure cooker, and turn the heat up to medium....  (If you're doing this in a traditional pot or dutch oven, just do everything the same, except, cook it for like 3 hours, until all the vegetables are very tender.)  Otherwise, exactly the same...

Saute, the potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and fennel, until the onions wilt.... 10 minutes, stir 'em up occasionally....

Now, here's the cool part. Well, Cool Part No. 1.  Dump everything else into the pot except the beans.... Yeah, just do it....  I love this recipe and I love a Pressure Cooker....That's it below.... just heap it in...

Now stir a few times, turn the heat up high, put on the Pressure Cooker cover and valve....and wait until that sucker starts steamin'...... Turn the heat down to low, and let it steam for 15 minutes....  (Or stir and wait three, hours, I'm jus' sayin'.... ha ha, love you slow cookers, I'm one myself)

After 15 minutes, remove, and place under faucet and do the quick cool down with cold water over the top....

Don't get it in the vents, of course....  Now.....  open carefully.... return to mild heat on the stove...

Add the Beans, (remember them?)  And stir gently and heat a bit for ten minutes....

And then get your Immersion Blender. (Here's the second cool part)   (Don't have one?  What's wrong with you?  ha ha....  Anyway then,, move hot liquid from pot to bowl and puree about half and pour it back in.  (Apparently I have a Pressure Cooker bias, I do. you have to try it.)

Take your Immersion Blender, and be careful now, you want to leave about half the soup with bite, and vegetables, and onion, and delicious fennel, yet you also want a firm and delicious background to the beans....with vegetables.... If you pulse too long..... (just a thought) it'll pulverize the soup and you'll have no vegetables and beans, ya know?

So, it's easy.  Put that sucker in the hot pot of soup, way down, and pulse it like six quick times. Stop, and check, and eat, and salt and pepper, and if it's not how you want, pulse 3 more times.....  You're done...!

And not to totally horrify my vegetarian friends, but you could cut up some boiled Kielbasa, and heat it up there too, ya know what I mean?   :)

Now, 

Stir, and salt and pepper some more, you want it just right.

And spoon some into a bowl, with a dollop of sour cream, or, as I did last night, I heated the soup with a slice of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar....  delicious....

Thank you Ireland....

p.s. Joni, thanks for the kind words. You should post them as a comment. You might be my new Food Critic, ya know?

Let me know what you think. Soup with Fennel is cool. There's a sentence I thought I'd never say.

Dutch Oven Bread by Izzy.... (w/my help)

I was contacted via email by someone named Izzy Woods. She offered to write a post on my behalf, regarding my cooking/baking favorites, and I welcomed her to do so.

If you'd like to talk to her about a "guest post" on your blog, let me know, and I'll put you in touch with her.

I suggested Dutch Oven Bread, because of it's unique effect on baked breads, and she did a wonderful job.

She obviously studied it, and enhanced my post on the same subject: Merlin Menu Dutch Oven Bread

By the way, she did this for free, she only asked she get to display a furniture link, so if you're looking for some furniture, give it a click.

Enjoy.....

Bread with a Difference

Home-made bread: there really is nothing quite like it. The smell of it wafting out the kitchen can make even the dullest rented flat feel like home. There is something earthy about baking bread, something that appeals to the simplest of instincts: those of home, family and food. Many home bakers constantly experiment in search of the perfect bread recipe, experimenting with different grains, seeds and flours, often with impressive results. Unfortunately, the cooking stage can sometimes let down the perfect bread recipe. Modern domestic ovens just aren’t made for bread-baking, as moisture is vented out of them, producing a dry heat which tends to lead to dry bread. A wetter, steamier oven will produce moist, soft loaves with deliciously crusty outsides: the holy grail of bread-making.

Traditionally, bread was baked in wood-fired ovens very similar to the pizza ovens seen in most modern Italian restaurants. However, it’s not easy to build this kind of oven in the average domestic kitchen! The solution is to use a Dutch oven: a large cast iron cooking pot. Dutch ovens retain moisture, so the steam stays in the pot while the bread is cooking. A Dutch oven is a cheap, easy way to transform your bread baking.

Dutch ovens cook bread in a very similar way to professional baking ovens used by commercial bakers. Those ovens use steam injection to keep the bread moist as it cooks. A Dutch oven does the same thing, without the need for expensive equipment. It gets and stays very hot: cast iron is a great heat absorber. The tight-fitting lid keeps steam in the pot, preventing drying, with fantastic results.

Making bread in a Dutch oven is very easy, not just because of the cooking method, but the recipe needed. Dough for bread that is to be cooked in a Dutch oven doesn’t need to be kneaded. It can simply be left to rise, shaped, and cooked. This makes Dutch oven baking perfect for beginner bakers: if you’ve been scared off in the past by the seemingly complicated bread-making process, use a Dutch oven.

Cooking bread in a Dutch oven seems to bring bread-making back to its origins. Many of us are reluctant to try making bread, believing it to be a complicated process, almost akin to alchemy. It really isn’t, but it’s not hard to see why so many have that view. Look at a bread recipe, and it will often appear long and difficult. However, people have been baking bread all over the world for thousands of years. It is a fundamental part of our culture, referenced in religion and common phraseology. The concept of ‘breaking bread’ is a highly powerful one. The breaking of the loaf and sharing of it at the table is a representation of community and family. ‘Bread’ in slang can mean, simply, ‘food’. The loaf of bread in the kitchen is almost part of the furniture, central to how and what we eat.

When you think of bread in these kinds of terms, what do you think of? It’s probably not a sliced supermarket loaf. It’s more likely to be exactly the kind of bread you can make in a Dutch oven, with very little effort. Dutch oven loaves both look and taste wonderful. The inside (or ‘crumb’) is soft, melting in the mouth. The crust is thick, crispy and full of flavour. Think about that dipped in some warming soup, matched with tangy cheese, or simply slathered in creamy butter. These are simple pleasures indeed; but very tasty ones. This is the kind of food that we dream of when we dream of home.

Perhaps you’ve struggled for months trying to make the perfect loaf, or perhaps you’ve thought it wasn’t worth trying. Dutch oven baking is the answer. It does not have to stop at basic bread either. You could try flavouring with herbs and seeds, for example, or making rolls rather than loaves. You can also try other kinds of baking in a Dutch oven, including biscuits and pastries. The Dutch oven is one of those most rare and useful kitchen utensils: something that is both highly versatile and very  easy to use. So what are you waiting for? Get baking!

My Daughter's Wedding

I know it's a food blog. I know most of you might not care. But some of you will.  So I post this link.

And I'll get back to food next week.


I have 3 children. A daughter, and two boys. My daughter is my eldest. And she got married this weekend,
and it was amazing. Check it out. Mt. Hood, Oregon, way above Timberline Lodge.

God Bless You Both!

And the following is a little video I put together....Be sure to play with audio so you can hear the sound track.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ronmerlin/Movies?authkey=Gv1sRgCInGodurxP6NqgE#5603795187681251810

Artist here is: Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland

And a second video for your viewing pleasure:  https://picasaweb.google.com/ronmerlin/Movies?authkey=Gv1sRgCInGodurxP6NqgE#5604798621483727410

Artist here is: Joe Cocker

St. Patrick's Day Roundup

Now that my blog has been established for a couple of years, I find that I have enough recipes posted that
I can perhaps provide a quick reference to the Irish inspired things I like to make. So here it is:

Ha ha, admittedly only five recipes, but I do what I can.  If you try nothing else, do the cake or the soda bread. Both are wonderful. And enjoy a pint or two.

Guinness Stout Ginger Cake 

Guinness Beef Stew

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Brown Bread

Corned Beef and Cabbage        

The Merlin Menu Top 10 Recipes for Year 2010

I know, it's February, not January. This is the kind of post that, were I up on things, would have been posted right around the New Year. But, I've been a bit distracted trying to find a new position at my company. That's my excuse, anyway.

But here's the deal. As I looked through my newsreader in 2011, I noticed a number of blogs posted their top recipes from the previous year. And I found, that I liked being able to just click on whatever recipe I wanted to without having to scroll through page after page of blog. I figured therefore, that other people probably like this convenience also, so I decided to do one for my blog. And here it is. Hope you find at least one or two things you'd like to try, and maybe catch up on a recipe or two you might have missed over the last year.

Salted Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars Decadent and delicious.

Dutch Oven Bread A little baking magic from a Dutch Oven

Cinnamon Currant Bread Another Dutch Oven Bread

Eggs Benedict Who doesn't love Eggs Benedict. Make them at home for 1/10th the price.

Homemade Potato Chips Delicious and easy and fun to make.

Irish Brown Bread Authentic and delicious.

 Lime Cake with Strawberry Compote Light, refreshing, and a great flavor combination.

Salted Caramel Butter Bars Decadent and delicious.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies Just the title says it all.

Three Ingredient Tomato Sauce 3 Ingredients and knock your socks off good.

My personal Top Ten from my Blog for 2010.

A Giveaway!

This giveaway ended on November 2nd, 2010 at 5:00 PM

That being said I'm about to announce the winner of the $60.00 gift certificate.

I wish everyone could win, but only one can.....

And the winner is:

BETHANY - Entry Number 13!!!!

So let me ask you a question. If I gave ya a $60.00 gift certificate, what would you buy?

Would it be: A Krups Espresso Machine?

Or a set of knives?

Or a slow cooker?

Or one of thousands of other products? Well, you might get the chance as CSN is helping with another giveaway. 

CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from stylish handbags, to modern bar stools, or great cookware!

I naturally showed pictures of cookware and stuff for the kitchen because I have a food blog, but you can buy whatever you want at their sites. If you win the drawing, I will have them send you a promotional code worth $60.00 for anything they carry. Not a bad deal.

All you need to do is leave a comment telling me what you might buy. Doesn't matter what you finally decide on if you win, just let me know what you might buy. And leave your email address in typed out format so I can contact you if you win. That's it!

I will use Random.Org to select the winner after the deadline which is November 2nd at 5:00 pm West Coast time.

Thanks for reading my blog, and visiting, and thanks for entering. I value each and every one of my visitors.

Good Cooking! The Merlin Menu

You Know You're a Foodie Society Member if.....

1. You actually plan your shopping list by searching the recipes you want to make, and post,  and buying those ingredients too.

2. You wind up two weeks later throwing out about two of the things you bought because you just never "got around to" making the buttermilk pound cake or the ricotta cheesecake.

3. You've ever covertly tried to take photos of the meal you just prepared for your guests, before you serve it, because you don't want to look like a geek and photograph their dinner as they watch.

4. You have your own contact for special Balsamic Vinegar. (Thanks Steph for that one)

5. You have your own "secret" source for cheap vanilla beans.... (Yeah, I'm guilty of that one.  See Link.)

6. You decide to cook/bake things based upon expirations dates upcoming. Usually stupid things, like, I just made peanut butter rice krispie bars because my peanut butter chips are a month away from expiring.

7. If you've ever delayed making something, because the natural light should be better tomorrow.

8. If you've ever built a "photography light box"....  Yeah, guilty of that one too, see here.

9. If you are conscious of the fact that you spend hundreds of $$ on groceries, and even more on gadgets, and pans, and cookers and such, and you make a measly paltry sum of tiny revenue of $xx.xx  from an ad or two you have on your bog.. And you don't care. You love to cook.  ha!  Cough, cough, Pioneer Woman excepted of course!

10. Speaking of The Pioneer Woman, I love her and all that she does and has accomplished. But, I have to admit I looked one time at the number of "comments" only she received to one of her posts, and I calculated that times 30 days in a month, (in other words, not even counting the ones who visit who don't comment) and multiplied it by my measly rate of CPM stats or Visits or Impressions or whatever the hell it is..... and if I had THAT many visitors.....

I'd get a $22,000 check each month!!!!

I gotta find me a Cowgirl and move to Oklahoma!!!!

11. You take shitty pictures of a meal you had at a restaurant because you were thinking you might blog about it, until you get home and see what you shot looks like.

12. You have a business card for your blog.   (Again, guilty!)

13. Your internet reader is constantly updating food blogs so you can pore over potential new ideas, concepts, or recipes to adapt, even though, you already have a thousand in draft form saved on your blog, and another 1200 saved as favorites in your reader, which if you made them all would take you until you're 137 years old if you made two a day. Yet you STILL save more, it's an addiction I tell ya!

14. You own more than four types and flavors of salt and you know what 87% cacao means.

15. You're at the store and see an ingredient or two that you have no recipe for.  BUT, you've ALWAYS wanted to make something using that, so you buy it, and then scour the net and your lists trying to find something to make.  Always the chance too, that this will wind up on the, shit, gotta throw this away, it's expired list. (See item 2, lol)

16. If you have more pictures of food you've made than you do of your children on Flickr or Picasa online.

17. You own a Dutch Oven. Period.

18. You have, or are thinking of buying a Pressure Cooker, because it sounds cool to cook in.

19. You loved the movie Julie & Julia although if you're a guy, like me, you don't admit it.  (Same goes for The Notebook, but for different reasons)

20. You can't wait until they open a Sur La Table near you.

Project Food Blog

As some of you know, I'm affiliated with Food Buzz, an online Food Blog Community.

They have initiated a competition for their bloggers called the Project Food Blog and I decided to participate.

It's a 10 step process called Challenges that range from preparing a classic meal to photography, to video, to creating recipes from given ingredients and others.

I decided to enter it because it promises to stretch my blogging talents and force me out of my comfort zone. I welcome the challenge and the opportunity to learn more.

One of the things I pride myself on is publishing recipes that are tried and true. I want them to be foolproof so that you can depend on my blog as a reliable source to supplement you cooking and baking. I also enjoy researching and finding foods I haven't made before, perfecting them, and offering them to you so you can experience them with me.

Anyway, part of the judging is done by YOUR VOTES, so I would appreciate you taking a moment to vote for me and allow me to continue in the challenge. Here's the link to vote: Vote for the Merlin Menu

Or click on the badge on the left hand side of this page.  Thank you for your consideration.

I'll do my best.

Homemade Potato Chips

I'm ashamed of this post. I really am.  It's so simple, and so short I am self-conscious about posting it.

But I had to, because it's SO freaking good! Something I never thought about making at home but knocked
it out of the park when I did.

So here's the deal.  I told you about the Beringer Great Steak Challenge in a previous post. The night before the Saturday challenge the Beringer folks had a welcome reception at the Capitol Grille in Seattle. I had never been there but as soon as I walked in, knew I liked the place. Huge, a bit dark, heavy mahogany paneling, brass, a long bar, and nothing but dry aged steak. That's it, steak!  How appropriate considering we were all cooking a steak in competition the next day.

Anyway, after the reception, what better thing to do, than to mosey on up the bar, with my son, settle in, have a cold beer and a huge perfectly aged steak.

And as we're served a cold beer, the bartender placed some clear bowls of "bar food" in front of us. The bar food was......(wait for it)  ......                homemade potato chips!   They were out of this world. Thin, crispy, deliciously salted, browned to perfection!  I almost ate so many of them I didn't want a steak.

When I asked how they made them, they told me. White russet potatoes, deep fried, and salted. Whut???  And they taste this good?  And I've never made them?  Are you KIDDING me? They make Lay's potato chips taste like a piece of cardboard.

So I made them, and like I said, knocked them out of the park.  Do try these. A bit of a pain with the hot oil and all, but so simple.  I used sea salt on mine which was divine, but I'm thinking next time using some flavored sea salt. Like smoked sea salt?  Chipotle sea salt?  Imagine the possibilities.

Ingredients:

2 large rusted potatoes, washed, not peeled.
Canola or peanut oil
Sea Salt

Using a Mandolin or a slicer of some type (a necessity because you want the slices thin) cut off the tips of the potatoes and slice the remainder into thin strips. (I used the next to lowest setting on mine) Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water for one hour. (Takes the gumminess and some starch out of the potatoes)

After an hour, remove chips from water, paper towel them dry, and lay on paper towels for 15 minutes to let them dry further. In the water and while drying they will curl by themselves forming that perfect potato chip look.

Heat oil to 370 to 380 degrees.

Drop 7 - 10 slices into the oil at a time. They'll separate just fine. Cook for 2 minutes per side, turning once. Cook them a minute or two longer if you like really dark chips. (My favorite is the darker ones....)

Drain on paper towels and salt one side. I find less salt is better but it's your personal taste.

Let the oil heat again to the proper temperature in between batches of chips. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked. Now tell me, you didn't try one from the first batch you made..... I bet you did.

Store in baggies for up to 3 days. Enjoy, these are killer, and they won't last 3 days, I bet ya. ha ha

Beringer Great Steak Challenge

Yesterday I competed as a Regional Finalist is the Beringer Great Steak Challenge and came in third place.

What a wonderful event. I've not had such a good time cooking in my life. The folks at Beringer are top notch, professional and treated the 10 of as as if we were royalty. Which I guess we were for a couple of hours or so. And the other contestants were so enjoyable with everyone pulling for one another. Very nice.

We started with a welcome reception at the Capital Grille in Seattle on Friday night. We were each given gift bags which included a beautiful boxed stainless steel carving set. We were housed at the W Hotel a few blocks away.

The following morning, we went by shuttle to the Bite of Seattle to a large tented area for the Beringer event. Wine aplenty, a crowd of hundreds milling about, and 5 beautiful new Gas Barbeque's arranged in a semi-circle.

Everything we needed was supplied to us in individual containers at the beginning of the 30 minute competition, for which there were two groups of five each. Music blaring in the background, a professional emcee roaming, questioning, and filming of our cooking efforts every step of the way.

Four judges, two of whom were Paula Deen's son's, Jamie and Bobby.

And away we went.

Thank you Beringer for such a quality event. I'm definitely entering again next year. And this time, I'm gonna win it.

And, best of all, my youngest son, Nate, came up to attend, cheer me on, and take photographs!

Beringer Great Steak Challenge

Guess What?  This is a portion of an email I received today!

Dear Ron:

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as one of the Regional Finalists for Region 1 in the Beringer Great Steak Challenge for your Filet Mignon with Balsamic Shallot Reduction. As a Regional Finalist, you have won $1,000 to use towards travel expenses to attend the Regional Final at the Comcast Bite of Seattle at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA.  Once there, you will cook your recipe live against 9 other Finalists from your area.  The winner will then fly to Beringer Vineyards in Napa Valley for a chance to win $15,000 at the Beringer Great Steak Challenge Finale, filmed and aired by the Cooking Channel! 


Woo-Hoo!  I'm cooking at the Bite of Seattle as a Regional Finalist!  I am so pumped.


Here's the Beringer Great Steak Challenge link:  www.GreatSteakChallenge.com

Here's the Bite of Seattle link:  http://www.comcastbiteofseattle.com/

And here's the link to my Blog Recipe for the sauce I'm making for the Filet Mignon

Wish me luck!

And The Winner Is....

Two weeks ago I announced a giveaway of a Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick 2.5 Quart Shallow Sauce Pan with Glass Lid.

I had twenty-two contestants and I used Random.Org to select the winner. The winning entry was number Three.

And, the winner is:  VIVIAN!

Congratulations Vivian. I hope you enjoy the cookware.

Thank you all for visiting and participating.

I'm sure there will be more giveaways in the future!

A Giveaway....

Here's my beat-up old saucepan.

Here's YOUR brand new saucepan!

THIS CONTEST IS OVER

Yes, A giveaway.  I'm giving away a Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick 2.5 Quart Shallow Sauce Pan with Glass Lid.

The kind folks at Corner TV Stands are donating a prize from a sister site, http://www.cookware.com/. These sites are amongst 200 sites at CSN Stores which offer an amazing array of household products with  great prices.

The sauce pan specifics are as follows:

Features:

* Nonstick surface makes cleanup easy and promotes low-fat and non-fat cooking

* Heavy-gauge aluminum construction guarantees even, efficient heating

* Shallow design

* Rounded bottom for easy scraping

* Matte-finish Cool Touch handle stays cool on the stove top and provides a stable grip

* Versatile vessel shapes that accommodates several different cooking techniques

* Oven safe up to 450 degrees

* Clear lid for easy food monitoring

To win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post indicating what is the first thing you'd like to prepare in your new saucepan. That's it. 

The winner will be chosen randomly and cookware.com will send it directly to you.  Be sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you for shipping details.

The entries will end on April 25th.

Soy Source and Me

Yes, Soy Source, not Soy Sauce.   Soy Source is the name of a local Seattle newspaper published for the Japanese community. Nice play on words I thought.

Why do I bring this up. Well because I met the editor for the paper, Teruyo, and she wanted to do piece on men who cook for her paper. I agreed and she and a photographer came by the house one day and I made Cinnamon Swirl Bread while they interviewed me. The bread literally translated is Shinamonroru.

Anyway, it was published today and although totally in Japanese, is kind of cool I thought. It's not The Food Network, but gosh, I never thought about being published in anything.

Here's the link:  Soy Source

I'm kinda liking this blogging thing, ya know?