We recently hosted a barbecue for a group of our friends. On the menu that evening were applewood smoked pork chops with jalapeño apricot chutney to pair with Bush’s Texas Ranchero Grillin’ Beans. Ole’s here to show you how easy it is to transform your everyday charcoal grill into a smoker for the pork chops. People who know me know that I live for cooking outdoors, and they are usually most curious about the ribs and pulled pork or briskets that I make on my smoker because... more

We invited our neighbors over for a “how to smoke barbecue ribs” session a while back. There’s nothing like a lazy afternoon with your neighbors, sitting in the backyard as the baby back ribs smoke in the background. One of our favorite things about our neighborhood is the neighbors we share it with. We couldn’t have asked for more when we bought our house three and a half years ago. Whether it’s backyard barbecues or taking turns feeding everyone’s pets... more

One of the good things about having sick kids is that I came nowhere near using all the pizza dough for Friday night’s dinner of prosciutto and artichoke pizza, and there was plenty left stored in the fridge for an impromptu Sunday lunch by tossing a few leftover ingredients (bacon, Alfredo sauce and fresh mozzarella) from the fridge together with a bunch of spring asparagus and some feta you happened to have on hand for a meal later in the week. With Ole out of the house and me on my own,... more

I’ve been drooling watching everyone talk about their spring artichokes. Alas, here in MN there are none, and the fresh ones there are tend to be exceedingly pricey. In an attempt to put off my cravings until some California artichokes land in my lap, I made a pizza. One with artichokes of the marinated and canned variety. There happens to be a bit of prosciutto on there too, but that’s just an extra bonus. First, let’s start with the dough. What is a good pizza without a good... more