Raising Champions: Are NBA Players Born or Made?

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DISCLAIMER: As much as I try to measure each ingredient, a majority of the measurements included in this recipe are guesstimated but well within reason. I cannot guarantee that using this exact recipe will yield the same result I had so please taste as you cook. Improvise, enjoy, these are recipes for real (yes, that was cheesy).

Day 8: Cici's Pizza (January 13)

I haven't cooked in a few days and I apologize! I know you are all heartbroken by not having new and exciting, plus amazingly delicious recipes from me. You'll live, trust me.

My parents decided to come in to town for the weekend a day early and it's almost tradition now that we hit up Cici's Pizza buffet. Plus my daughter was craving some noodles.

When eating anywhere I only expect to get out of the food what you would based on price, location, type of cuisine, etc. I don't walk in to McDonalds and expect a 5 star meal, hell I rarely expect good service. But if I am going to go somewhere and throw down $15 for a steak and pay for sides, I expect a lot more from the taste, quality, staff, ambiance, etc.

With Cicis, you get what you pay for. While this is no where near the best pizza, or even great pizza, it is good. And at $5 a person for all you can eat salad, pasta, bread sticks, pizza and dessert, there is no way you are going to get better food at a better price.

The one thing I love about Cicis and that they are inventive. Where else can you get mac and cheese pizza or a taco pizza? Plus, who wants a whole mac and cheese pizza to begin with? I like that you can sample and taste all kinds of pizza and not be stuck ordering a whole pie.

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DISCLAIMER: As much as I try to measure each ingredient, a majority of the measurements included in this recipe are guesstimated but well within reason. I cannot guarantee that using this exact recipe will yield the same result I had so please taste as you cook. Improvise, enjoy, these are recipes for real (yes, that was cheesy).

Day 7: Outback (January 12)

I am on a cooking hiatus for the week for a few reasons. One, I am tired. Two, the pantry and fridge are bare, and three, today was my little girl's 3rd birthday!

We gave her the choice of going to two of our favorite places to eat. Sticky Fingers Ribhouse or Outback Steakhouse. She chose the land down under!

We had a decent group of 6 adults, my 3 year old and my 6 month old. Outback is in no way fancy enough to garner reservations but I do really enjoy their call ahead seating. The Outback near us can easily be packed on 4:30 on a weeknight, so calling ahead for a party of 6+ is a must.

Anyone reading this has probably been to Outback so you know the food is good. But this night I decided to switch up my normal steak and (something, be it shrimp, lobster tail, etc) and decided on the Pork Tenderloin. I'd also be trying their green beans for the first time.

I have to say, this pork tenderloin rivals their steaks! The portion was huge, the meat was perfectly cooked and sliced and served with a sweet and tangy sauce. I opted for a baked potato which was cooked to perfection, as though they had actually cooked it just for me and it had not been sitting under a heat lamp. The green beans were possibly the best vegetable I have ever eaten. Done with (my guess) oil, salt and pepper, they were lightly seasoned and fresh.

I would easily go back and order this again, possibly even over a steak! Now if they'd just pair it with shrimp.

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DISCLAIMER: As much as I try to measure each ingredient, a majority of the measurements included in this recipe are guesstimated but well within reason. I cannot guarantee that using this exact recipe will yield the same result I had so please taste as you cook. Improvise, enjoy, these are recipes for real (yes, that was cheesy).

Day 6: The Frozen Tundra! (January 11)

I am sorry, but day 2 with no new recipe! I know, I know, you are dying for another of my amazing creations right?

Well some days you are just too tired or get home too late to make a good home meal. So you reach for the freezer in hopes of satisfying your stomach, as well as your 3 year olds!

We decided on frozen chicken nuggets (and I use the term chicken loosely) and french fries.

It is amazing to me that companies can even get away with labeling these processed nuggets as chicken. Nothing inside the tiny bite looked, smelled, or let alone tasted like chicken. But I supposed that is what you get on a BOGO 5 pound bag right?

Anyway, look soon for my review of a wonderful dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I can almost picture you ooo-ing and ahhhh-ing.

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DISCLAIMER: As much as I try to measure each ingredient, a majority of the measurements included in this recipe are guesstimated but well within reason. I cannot guarantee that using this exact recipe will yield the same result I had so please taste as you cook. Improvise, enjoy, these are recipes for real (yes, that was cheesy).

Day 5: Leftovers! (January 10)

Hey, every once in awhile, ya gotta eat some leftovers. I decided on some leftover chicken pot pie and added a Caesar salad.

But, I will not leave you hanging, I know you'd still like something to leave this page with, so here is a list for you. It is only 6, because everyone else does 10 :)

The Top Six Kitchen Items You Could Live Without, But Probably Shouldn't


Pizza Peel
I'll warn you now, this list is pizza gadget heavy! I love to cook pizza at home, but I also don't mind picking up the occasional frozen pizza from the store to make life simple. Regardless of whether you are scratch making a pizza or throwing a frozen disc in to the oven, a pizza peel makes life simple, along with my next two items.

My recommended pizza peel of choice? Wooden Pizza Peel

You could spend a lot more on a stronger, longer lasting peel, but why? This one is durable, cheap, and gets the job done. I usually replace it once a year or so, but at $10 each, who cares?

Pizza Stone
More pizza! Again, whether you are scratch making a pizza, or picking up something frozen, a pizza stone makes any pizza that much better. Make sure to preheat the stone in a hot oven and slide it right on with some cornmeal. I use mine for homemade bread as well. Don't bother washing with soap and water, you want a nice seasoned stone. Just scrape off anything that burns to the stone and wipe down with warm water.

My recommended pizza stone of choice? Pizza Stone

Again, cheap and durable. It gets the job done at a low price. I have had mine for over 4 years now and it still works like a champ!

Pizza Knife
I don't even know the proper terminology here. Knife? Cutter? Chopper? Either way, cut your pizza like the pros! When you use a standard rolling pizza cutter all the cheese always goes with the blade.

I do not have a preferred knife as I am betting they are all similar but here's one

Pasta Machine
Pasta is extremely easy to make at home and tastes 1000 times better than the dried pastas you can buy in the store. Want to impress your friends and cover yourself in flour all at the same time? Get one today!

My recommended pasta machine? Pasta Machine

It's sturdy, not too expensive and comes with a clamp to attach to your counter top when in use. Also comes with an attachment to make either linguine or spaghetti noodles.

Fryer
Fried food is delicious. Whether making wings or experimenting in late night drunken fried desserts, no home is complete without an indoor, tabletop fryer. Make sure to get one that has an electric interface with temp control and timer. Again, make your life easy would you?

Chef's Knife
This seems ridiculous to list, I know. But so many people buy blocks of knives from Target and pretend like they are going to use every knife there. There is no need. I do 90% of my cutting with a good chef's knife. Instead of spending $100 on a block of useless knives, spring for a good $50-$60 chef's knife.

I personally love my Pampered Chef chef's knife and would recommend one close to this. One of the best purchases you can make




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DISCLAIMER: As much as I try to measure each ingredient, a majority of the measurements included in this recipe are guesstimated but well within reason. I cannot guarantee that using this exact recipe will yield the same result I had so please taste as you cook. Improvise, enjoy, these are recipes for real (yes, that was cheesy).

Day 4: Chicken Pot Pies (January 9)

I watch a lot of Food Network. I can watch most any show on their at any time and enjoy getting ideas from it. I DVR Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and have 10-20 saved so I can watch at any time.

The problem with always watching Food Network is that it makes you always want to cook something and always makes you hungry.

As my wife and I watched a chicken pot pie showed up in “The Best Thing I’ve Ever Ate” and my wife immediately wanted some. I gotta be honest, I don’t know that I have ever had pot pie and the thought of making it intrigued me.

So I did what I always do, I looked up a few quick recipes online, made mental notes, and decided to go on a quest to develop my own Pot Pie. We had all but about 3 of the ingredients I would need in the house already so after a quick trip to the store, I was ready to go.

Flaky Crust (from http://www.ochef.com/187.htm and slightly edited based on my experience)
3 Sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ -inch pieces
3 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup chilled water (I only ended up needing about 1/3 cup)

Put the butter in a clean bowl and chop it roughly with a knife. Dump the flour and salt on top and work with your hands to cut the butter and flour together. When well combined, but still dry and rough, add the water, a small amount at a time, and mix with hands. It will look like a mess, but it produces beautiful dough.

Scrape all dough from bowl and place on a work surface with flour or use a pastry mat. With a rolling pin, begin to roll out the crumbly dough into a 6- by 8-inch rectangle. Use a dough scraper or other flat surface to fold the two short edges of the rectangle to the center, and then fold the bottom side over the top, as if you were closing a wallet. Turn the dough 90° and roll it out again to form a 6- by 8-inch rectangle. Repeat the folding process. You may need to dust the dough and counter with flour occasionally to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. Place the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate for ONLY 15 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and repeat the roll and fold process two more times. Use immediately (I refrigerated mine as the original instructions said and the dough was so hard I had to thaw it out slightly wrapped in a paper towel over boiling water). When you're ready to assemble the pot pie, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick and use bowl tops to cut 6 circles.

Filling
6 Boneless/Skinless chicken tenderloins, boiled in water till cooked, then shredded finely with hands
1 Baking potato, chopped in to ½ inch pieces
1 Yellow Onion, diced
1 Stick unsalted butter
2 Cups frozen peas/carrots mix
6 Cloves garlic, diced
2 Cups Milk
2 Cups chicken broth
¼ Cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Teaspoon pepper
1/3 Cop Chopped green onion
1/2 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon Crushed Rosemary
¼ Cup flour

Combine onions, potato, butter, peas/carrots and garlic in saucepan over medium heat and cook until onions are translucent. Add milk through rosemary and simmer for 15 minutes. Slowly stir in flour and simmer until sauce thickens.

Fill 6 oven safe bowls with equal amounts and top with crust. Cut 4 slits in crust and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until crust is brown.

Getting the wife involved!

Letting it simmer

Cut the dough to fit your bowl for great individual servings

Filler up!

Finally baked goodness. I had to give a shout out to my Blue Devils, even though food!

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DISCLAIMER: As much as I try to measure each ingredient, a majority of the measurements included in this recipe are guesstimated but well within reason. I cannot guarantee that using this exact recipe will yield the same result I had so please taste as you cook. Improvise, enjoy, these are recipes for real (yes, that was cheesy).

Day 3: Pasta! (January 8)

My father in law retired on the 7th after working at the same company for 41 years! They had gotten me a pasta machine for Christmas, so what better way to celebrate his retirement than with homemade pasta!

I wanted to do two different kinds, one with fettuccine and a white sauce, and one with spaghetti and a red sauce. What was born is what you see below! I will break it down as well as I can.

First, the pasta:

Rosemary Linguine
2 eggs, beaten
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon crushed rosemary
Water (as needed)

Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour,salt, garlic powder, and rosemary. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width. Hang pasta to dry (I used some PVC pipe, coat hangers, and chair backs, see pics below!)

Spaghetti
2 eggs, beaten
1 Teaspoon salt
2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
Water (as needed)

Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour,salt, garlic powder, and parsley. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten egg, and mix. Mixture should form a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a pasta machine or by hand roll dough out to desired thinness. Use machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width. Hang pasta to dry (I used some PVC pipe, coat hangers, and chair backs, see pics below!)

Red Sauce
2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 Whole yellow onion (diced and sautéed in olive oil)
5 Tablespoons garlic
½ Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon crushed rosemary
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
½ cup chicken broth
1 Teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients on crock pot or saucepan and cook for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Chicken Parm
10 Boneless/skinless chicken tenderloins
4 Eggs beaten
2 Tablspoons milk
2 Cups flour
1 Cup Italian breadcrumbs (I like to make my own and store. Pulse stale bread, some rosemary, parsley and garlic in food processor. Store in air tight container.)
Salt
Pepper
1 ½ Cup shredded mozzarella
½ Cup shredded sharp white cheddar

Combine eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Combine flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then flour mixture. Toss to coat.

Heat olive oil ½ inch deep in pan until back of wooden spoon inserted in oil bubbles. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes per side.

Spoon 1/3 of tomato sauce in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Layer chicken. Cover with 1/3 of remaining sauce. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Remove and add cheese over dish and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Spoon out and serve over cooked spaghetti.

Shrimp and Crab White Wine Sauce
1 cup of Day 2’s crabmeat stuffing
2 Cups milk
1 Cup dry white wine
Juice of one half lemon
2 Tablespoons rosemary
¼ cup fresh cut flat leaf parsley
5 Garlic cloves, diced
Cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold milk)
1 Pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tablespoon garlic powder

Sauté crabmeat stuffing in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes till the aroma fills the kitchen! Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes or until thick.

Toss shrimp with garlic powder and sauté in olive oil until opaque. Add to sauce and simmer an additional 3 minutes.

Serve over cooked linguine.


This was truly an all-day event and came out better than I could have expected. For the cost of about $50 I was able to provide an outstanding scratch made meal better than most any Italian place I have been to for 8 people.

My makeshift pasta rack!

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DISCLAIMER: As much as I try to measure each ingredient, a majority of the measurements included in this recipe are guesstimated but well within reason. I cannot guarantee that using this exact recipe will yield the same result I had so please taste as you cook. Improvise, enjoy, these are recipes for real (yes, that was cheesy).

Day 2: Crab Stuffed Mahi (January 7)

I promise to do all 30 recipes, when I get them up, may be a day or two late! Also, I am doing my best to write down amounts to get an exact recipe but it really slows down the cooling and yanks a bit of fun out of it, so most of this is still an educated guess!

I am not big on fish, but I do love shellfish. We wanted something good and different and to go well with a nice white wine.

Crab Stuffing
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cup cubed bread (I used some leftover baguette)
1/4 copped green onions
8 ounce crab meat (I used claw meat to save on money, but I would recommend jumbo lump if you can swing it)
1 egg (beaten)
1 Tablespoon Old Bay (the seasoning of the Gods)
4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped (no seeds or ribs)
Juice of 1/2 lime

Toss the bread with the milk and let sit till moist. Combine remaining ingredients and stire to combine.

Pre-heat over to 350.

Take two fresh mahi fillets and cut a small pocket in each. Seasoning with creole seasoning and garlic powder. Open and stuff each with a 1/4 of the crab stuffing (as you can see, that is only half the stuffing, we will refrigerate the remainder for Day 3's recipe).

Place the stuffed mahi fillets in an oiled oven proof sauce pan. Bake f or 25 minutes.

Lemon Rosemary Sauce

1/4 cup white wine
1 Tablespoon Rosemary
1 Tablespoon Old Bay
Juice of half lemon
4 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Milke (I don't use heavy cream to cut at least some calories!)

Set oven to broil.

Remove from oven and place over medium heat. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add butter and let melt. Add remainder ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place in oven to broil for 2 minutes.

Plate stuffed fish and spoon the sauce over top. I served mine with some garlic bread, steamed green beans seasoned with a bit of butter, salt and pepper and a lemon wedge.

Crab Stuffing

Bout to make the sauce!

The finished product (I shouldn't have covered the stuffing with sauce for presentation purposes)

Day 1: Grilled Pizzas

I had some ingredients at home that I wanted to take advantage of which included chicken, garlic and squash. I decided to do pizzas and thought with squash this could turn out really good or really bad. I made two different pizzas and cooked them on the grill, one of my favorite ways to do pizza. I can also do two pizzas at once and have them cook evenly whereas I cannot in my oven.

I got home late and decided to stop by the store and buy pre-made dough instead of taking the time to make my own. A lot of grocery stores carry pre-made pizza dough in their bakery section and I highly recommend checking it out. I have also been told you can call some pizza places and purchase their pre-made dough. Let the dough rise at room temperature for about an hour.

The Sauce
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 Sangria (I like to use a sweet red wine because the sweetness helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes)
2 Tablespoons garlic poweder
2 Tablespoons crushed rosemary
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
2 Tablespoons dried basil
1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Combine all in a saucepan and simmer on low heat stirring every 15 minutes while you let your dough rise.

Chicken Squash Pizza

2 small squash, thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegarette
salt
pepper
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breast cutlets
1 Tablespoon garlic salt
1 Tablespoon rosemary
pepper
2 Cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 Cup prepared sauce
1 Ball pizza dough
Cornmeal

Combine squash, balsamic vinegarette, salt and pepper in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Remove from fridge and wrap in tin foil. Combine garlic salt, rosemary and pepper and sprinkle over chicken. Cook chicken in a pan with olive oil till done. Remove and cut into small pieces.

Turn on grill to medium heat. Roll out or hand toss your pizza dough and place on a pizza peel covered with cornmeal. Place pizza dough and wrapped squash on grill for about 5 minutes, or until the pizza begins to brown slightly and has grill marks on the bottom. Remove from grill and flip over so the non cooked side is now down.

Top with sauce and 1 cup cheese. Add chicken and cooked squash, then remainder of cheese and sprinkle with rosemary (or use chopped fresh basil). Place back on grill over medium heat until cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes. Cut and enjoy!

Garlic and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza
1 Whole roasted red pepper, cut into thin slices (you can buy pre-bought roasted red peppers but I prefer to do it myself under the broiler)
6 Heads garlic, thinly sliced
2 Cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 Cup prepared sauce
1 Ball pizza dough
Cornmeal

Turn on grill to medium heat. Roll out or hand toss your pizza dough and place on a pizza peel covered with cornmeal. Place pizza dough and wrapped squash on grill for about 5 minutes, or until the pizza begins to brown slightly and has grill marks on the bottom. Remove from grill and flip over so the non cooked side is now down.

Top with sauce and 1 cup cheese. Add roasted red peppers and sliced garlic, then remainder of cheese and sprinkle with rosemary (or use chopped fresh basil). Place back on grill over medium heat until cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes. Cut and enjoy!

The pizzas topped and cooking!

Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Pizza

Chicken and Squash Pizza

30 Days of Flogging......

So I am going to try something. I usually have great ideas, get them rolling, and then get too bored or lazy to carry on but this time, with it being a new year, I can do it!

I am going to have 30 days of flogging (food blogging).

I love to cook and cook at home most every night. I never write anything down and I never measure. Sometimes the food is good, sometimes it is GREAT! I can then never re-create that exact recipe. I want to start keeping track of what I cook so I can go back and have it again, plus it is a good way to share.

Starting tonight, and continuing for the next 30 days, I will post what I make each night, along with a recipe and picture. If I don't cook or eat out, I'll include a review.

Please share with your family and friends as I hope to have some great recipes.

Here goes nothing!

Christmas Hangover....

Christmas is easily one of my favorite times of year. It takes a backseat to a nice spring/summer day when I can sit outside and listen to music and grill and enjoy a beer.

But Christmas has such a feeling, so much that surrounds it that it is hard not to enjoy.

Until it is over. Holy shit what a Christmas hangover! With now two kids and having traveled for the holiday, we won't be caught up financially or have our home back in order till God knows when.

Setting up for Christmas is such a joy. Within like two hours you get everything from the attic, you set it up, you enjoy it. Putting it away is like a 4 day event. We spent one day getting empty boxes from the attic. Then another day packing them. Then they sat in the living room for a day. And eventually, dammit, I'll get them back in the attic!

When getting all your Christmas stuff down, you refer to it through memories, and countless stories. When putting it away it is crap and junk you can't believe you have.

I've always thought if I won the lottery I'd be smart with my money and use it for good and spread it amongst family and friends. I can tell you one thing though, if I was butt ass rich, I'd throw all this Christmas crap away each year and by new once December rolled around again.