Was The Juice Worth The Squeeze?

I had to take a break from my usual, to report the following experience. I think you will see how this all works together. 

When my wife is home with the kids, she sometimes likes to keep the television on for some background noise.  We are very conscious about what television programming our children see since so much of the content is filled with innuendos, violence, and material that does not conform to our religious views.  That being said, our old fall-back is usually the Food Network.  The shows are family friendly, their commercials are not inappropriate and the bonus... we both love the Food Network.  Since my daughter was old enough to pay attention to the television, she has loved one of the network's personalities; Giada De Laurentiis.  She asks to watch her, wants to cook like her, and reminds us every day that Giada (or Giwada, as my daughter calls her) is on.  A few weeks ago, my wife tells me that Giada is going to be over at a Costco near us signing copies of her new book and we should take our daughter.  I agree and immediately start to envision my daughter being so excited to meet Giada in real life and then my daughter being so disappointed by the rushed and hastened process that is the usual book signing event.  I jokingly tell my wife that if everyone in the world thought of "celebrities" as I do, there would be no celebrities.  Generally, I don't care about famous people.  My wife will tell you that my old saying is "why should we care, do you think they care about you?".  So now, I think that I have adequately set the stage for the trip to pay tribute to some TV personality.      

 Yesterday, my wife and I trek to Costco with our kids, buy the new cookbook, and get into the line of about 100 people with camera in hand.  As I look around and observe the "Costco advance team" scrambling to set up an area in a Costco store for the grand arrival, I am reminded of the time I had the privilege of meeting President Bush #1, and my contempt for the "celebrity" appearance grows.  Finally, the line starts to move and it is our turn.  Book, proof of purchase, camera, and child in hand we make our way to the greeting area.  What follows is truly remarkable.  My daughter starts to scurry towards her favorite TV chef, and I watch Giada's whole personality change.  She switches off the factory book signing routine and turns into a real person.  She leans over her desk and starts to engage my daughter.  Her face lights up and her voice changed to the higher-pitched kid voice that all moms possess.  She spoke with my daughter for a minute or two as the line stopped moving, she showed her a picture of her own daughter who is similar in age to mine and she suggested a recipe for some pasta for my daughter to "cook with her Daddy".  This was the best $19.99 plus tax and two hours I have ever spent. 

So much of what we consume, whether it be food, media, or some type of durable goods are FAKE.  Big companies know that we want to buy into the "genuine" so they sell us their ideas about what is and what isn't.  This is nothing more than reengineered reality. Part of the reason I am writing is to chronicle my own efforts to weed out this "FAKE-NESS" in my household.  

My daughter met Giada De Laurentiis yesterday for three minutes.  I'm not claiming to know this woman like family, but I know how she treated my daughter.  She is the real deal and her show will continue to be on in my house.  I appreciate seeing that she isn't just an engineered personality!

Bringing Home The Bacon

Do you really need a bunch of hipsters to tell you that bacon is one of America's favorite foods?  Let's get real, like me, you have probably been saving your bacon until all the pancakes are finished so that the bacon can be the last thing you taste. Plus, it's always more satisfying when you can eat a few pieces of bacon consecutively, right? Like you guys, I've loved bacon since before it was cool. And let's not forget, pork bellies were traded as a commodity on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for fifty years!
So this week's project is making one of my all-time favorites better. I am going to try curing and smoking my own bacon. As I started to research the process a few days ago, I couldn't help the urges I felt for just a little taste of this culinary treasure. In my haste, I laid out some maple bacon on a cookie sheet and lightly sprinkled some Bella's Backwoods BBQ rub. After a few minutes, I realized I had discovered something amazing here. Perfectly smokey and a bit sweet, it elevates bacon to much more than a side note to a meal.
I was wondering how to season my own bacon when I make it this week. By that I actually mean: "how to further season my bacon, in addition to maple", which is an obvious no-brainer. Bella's Backwoods BBQ rub is a perfect partner. I designed this rub for pork, and bacon is tops when you're talking pork. Wish me luck, I'll keep all you bacon hipsters posted!!

Pork Chops & Potato Apple Hash

I decided to make a meal for my family that included all the products I am now selling in my Etsy store.  The Pork Chops had Bella's Backwoods BBQ Rub on it as well as Mr. Snarky's BBQ Sauce.  It has been beautiful out so I uncovered my grill and went to work.  The hash I made has potatoes, apples, bacon, and Hickory Smoked Salt.  My family loved it.  First grilling success of the season!

You can get all of my products at www.etsy.com/shop/roccoscountryspice

Mr. Snarky's BBQ Sauce

Fathers day is quickly approaching! Make that special guy in your life the BBQ champion he already knows he is. This simple, straight-forward BBQ sauce is perfect on pork, chicken, beef or just about whatever else is going on the grill.
Named after our infant son, who we most affectionately nick-named "Mr. Snarky", this amazing sauce is just sweet enough to perfectly compliment it's slight vinegar kick. And just like our very own Mr. Snarky, it's just the very best!


Custom label printing available. Makes a great gift for Father's Day, birthdays, Host/Hostess gifts or the guy who has "everything".

Are you hosting a golf outing or corporate event? Ditch the usual, and make a statement with your custom label. Contact us for volume pricing.

Pair with our Bella's Backwoods BBQ Rub for a truly amazing BBQ experience.     
  
Please visit my new store for some great homemade items!
www.etsy.com/shop/roccoscountryspice 

You can't feel the heat unless you hold your hand over the flame

I am not one to take any sort of pleasure in using lofty words to describe myself so, I'll keep this simple.  I am passionate about my faith, my family and friends and food, but more specifically, cooking.   My personality is reflected in everything I cook.  My tendency to have a more pragmatic outlook often times leads me to become my biggest critic.  I don't discriminate against any food, just against lazy food.  If its not from the heart of the person making it, it's just not worth eating it, and impossible to truly enjoy it.  For me, cooking is intimate, it allows me to share a piece of myself with those I choose to serve.    The way I see it, when it comes to serious home cooks, there are two kinds; there are those who cook to impress the the people around them and there are those who cook because they love cooking.  They love the process, the ritual, the constant search for the best ingredients, but above all, they love the people for whom they are serving.  In my kitchen, a compliment is nothing more than a pleasant side-effect.   More recently, I've started an experiment to see if what the national food companies say or portray is actually true.  Is it impossible to make great food that people love without some soulless, prepackaged food from a grocery store?  Well, my opinion is a resounding  NO.  The following is a record of my experiment.  Stay tuned