Sometimes you need a showstopper.  Maybe you are trying to impress a date with your cooking skills, maybe you need to show up some food snobs at your next dinner party, or maybe you’re just having an old friend over.  Recently for us, it was the latter.  Our good friend Joel hadn’t been over in a while so we thought we’d wow him with my new favorite way to have a steak (that doesn’t require a grill).  The only condition for him was that to earn his meal, he needed to be... more

We try to maintain active social lives, and even though the O6 are a busy family, we usually are able to cram all of our family commitments in and still have time for the occasional show at First Ave. , movie with the gang, or random gathering at a local dining establishment.  This was not the case last week.  We were invited to a happy hour at The Lyndale Tap House, a bar in Uptown Minneapolis which specializes in a classic Baltimore cuisine (yeah, I know, that sounds like an oxymoron) – pit... more

Summer is gone. The 42 degree motorcycle ride to work this morning made it official for me. It is October, over a month past Labor Day. This year was an especially good Labor Day. We hosted our first (annual according to the neighbors) Ribfest and it was a great success. The idea has been brewing for a while now. Every time we make real BBQ people want to know how it’s done, and I happily tell them. Unfortunately, that can take over an hour because I really like to talk about BBQ (real... more

It seems as though everyone has jumped on the mini burger bandwagon as of late. Sit down and fast food establishments alike have been serving up these pint-sized patties for their guests of all sizes. It’s time for you too to embrace the three-bite burger. When Kiwi was five years old she hated burgers. Burger night was met with tears and cries about the evils of grilled meat patties squished between two toasted buns. While I don’t care that she prefers steak to hot dogs and sushi... more

You’ve probably read my other posts about beef tenderloin or filet mignon cuts, and as I’ve explained before, this is something that we would buy only on special occasions because of its higher price.  But not only are full tenderloins cheaper per pound than it’s trimmed and cut filet mignon brothers, but there are sales (try $5.88/lb or even $4.88/lb) on a semi-regular basis at our local food mart.  Regular enough in fact, that just about the time our tenderloin stockpile is... more

Meat-a-balls? You know, like Tony in Lady and the Tramp, “Hey, Joe! Butch-a, he say he wants-a two spaghetti speciale, heavy on the meat-a-ball” Isn’t puppy love sweet? Maybe you’re looking to impress a special someone (or potential special someone) and don’t have Tony’s special spaghetti and meatballs to do it for you, or maybe you just want to bring life to the flickering flame that lies between you and your significant other; spaghetti and meatballs, a tall... more

Summer is great, picnics, pot lucks and back yard grill outs are plentiful, especially in Minnesota where these types of activities are off limits for six months out of the year.  Unfortunately for us, this situation can lead to busy schedules and multiple engagements per week.  And while we always like to socialize, the traditional fare of burgers, brats and hot dogs can wear a little thin, so this year we decided to bring a little flair to the picnic table. The inspiration stemmed from a recent... more