Black Friday Survival

Black Friday is a scary time of year - the shopping, shoving, fighting and all out war that we call the day after Thanksgiving. For those who want to make it through today without serious injury, here is what you do:

1. Shop with a shirt that say's "Police" on it. Not the band, just the word.

2. Shop with really big friends.

3. Act like you are crazy; that scares everyone.

4. Hide what you want to buy today, yesterday. For example. Say Walmart is selling a robotic toy for $25 that is normally $75. The day before the sale, take one and hide it somewhere where no one will ever find it, like under a lawnmower or potting soil.

5. Get a job at the store you want to shop at a week before the sale, then quit. Make sure you hold onto the work shirt though......Yup I do think of stuff like that. Bad I know.

6. Stay home, shop online, eat leftover dinner and eat some pumpkin pie. This is what I suggest.

I know that this post is a day late and you are now a dollar short, but just think of the jump you will get on next year! Gandy

Turkey Bone Soup

This recipe is dedicated to my 11 year old son, Carter "Bones" Gandolph.

Mom used to make turkey soup every year when the bird was all picked over.
Here is a simple and delicious recipe. Enjoy, Gandy

Save that meatless turkey; there is a lot more meat on those bones than you think. Take the whole turkey and put it in the largest pot you have. fill the pot halfway with water. Chop up 3-4 carrots, one small onion and half a stalk of celery. Let this boil for about 2 hours. Let cool and then pull the carcass out. The meat will literally fall off the bones. Shred the meat; skim through the soup to make sure you did not miss any bones. Throw all bones away. You should not need much salt and pepper but add it if you like. Throw in 2 cups minute rice and bring back to a boil for 10 minutes. That's it and wow is it amazing. Throw in corn if you like. I am eating some right now. Happy Black Friday. Stay alive out there!

Happy Thanksgiving

My Favorite day.....Hope everyone has a great day. If you have nowhere to eat, stop by. We would love to have you and yours. Just bring PIE! I am so thankful for all the many blessings in my life. Clarence (Carrie) and I celebrated 23 years together, the kids are geting older and my dog Mookie still thinks I am king of the world. Life is good. Gandy

Brine your Bird!

If a succulent, juicy turkey is what you are looking for tomorrow, brine your bird today. Williams Sanoma has an incredible turkey brine that you mix with liquid and soak your turkey in overnight. Believe me, Clarence does this every year and we have the juiciest, plumpest, mouth-watering turkey ever. Trust Me! Gandy

Here is a recipe you will love....

Ingredients

1 gallon vegetable broth

1 cup sea salt

1 Tbsp crushed, dried rosemary

1 Tbsp dried sage

1 Tbsp dried thyme

1 Tbsp dried savory

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Lowers perfect blend poultry seasoning

1 gallon ice water

Directions

1.In a large stock pot, combine vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.

2.When the broth mixture is cool pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in ice water.
I use a large storage container that you get at Walmart. Use something big enough yet not too big.
The brine needs to cover the whole bird.

3.Wash and dry your turkey. (This is actually very important) Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure the cavity gets filled. Put the lid on and place bucket in the refrigerator overnight. In this weather you can get away with leaving it outside your door - but watch out for cats.

4.In the morning, carefully remove the turkey from the container, draining off excess brine; pat dry. Discard brine as enough has soaked into the bird to make your drippings for the gravy wonderful.
(Use Rocco's gravy recipe below.)

5.Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster, so watch the temperature gauge. This last step is very very important: cover the bird with foil while cooking. This locks in the juices. Uncover for the final 1/2 hour to crisp up the skin.

Awesome Thanksgiving Gravy

Gravy makes or breaks your Thanksgiving feast. Here is a recipe that I use every year. Enjoy, Gandy

About 15 minutes before your turkey is finished, drain the drippings into a sauce pan. You will need 2 quarts of liquid for this recipe so make up the difference in drippings with chicken stock. Strain out any floating pieces from the drippings and put the pan over medium heat. In a skillet, cook up one medium sized onion, diced small in 2 Tbsp butter (2 Tbsp Marsala wine to deglaze the pan would definitley not hurt) . Cook until onions are clear. The smaller the pieces, the better. In the sauce pan, add 2 tsp each granulated garlic and granulated onion. Add 1/2 cup flour (Wondra flour works best) and whisk immediately. Unlike the potatoes, lumps are not welcome in my gravy. Add the onions to the gravy and mix well. If gravy is not thick enough, mix 1 Tbsp corn starch into 1/2 cup cold water and add to gravy. Make sure to stir gravy constantly. Once boiling, remove from heat. Salt and pepper to your liking.

Mashed Potatoes Rocco Style

Love Thanksgiving.....Really my favorite holiday. No Presents to buy, no stress, and plenty of awesome food to eat. Here is my personal mashed potato recipe. Fat Free? Heavens NO! Enjoy, Gandy

I make alot, so cut this down to as much as you need.

10 pounds yukon gold potatoes. Peel, dice and boil in salted water until done. Drain. While still hot, throw back in cooking pot and add:
     2 8oz packages cream cheese.
     2 sticks butter
Let sit in the middle of the hot potatoes for 5 minutes so they start to melt.

Add:

     2 Tbsp minced garlic

     salt and pepper to taste

     1 cup sour cream

     2 tsp garlic powder

     2 tsp onion powder

Smash and crash these spuds by hand or with your mixer. Remember, don't whip out all the lumps, the best mashed potatoes have texture. This is a simple, but delicious recipe. Stay tuned, more to come as we count down to Turkey Day.

NBA FOODFEST #1

Well, tonight is the first annual NBA Foodfest at my house. The entire family and all friends are invited. One room, three TV's, three games on. Jazz play the Spurs at 7pm, Bulls play the Mavericks at 7:30pm and the Knicks play the Warriors at 8:30pm. All the following teams will be represented by rabid fans.....Stop by. Gandy

Clam Chowder on the slow.

My wife is brutally honest. I always know what is good or not so good when I cook. She is always my first test.... Today I made some clam chowder in the crock pot and it was a huge hit. Clarence (Carrie's nickname) loved it; called this recipe my best chowder EVER! That, my friends, is the best rating in all the world. Enjoy....Gandy

This one is for my niece Brooke. She loves clam chowder and asked me for a recipe last week.
Here you go Brooke!

Start by cutting 1/2 pound of bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and cook in a skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Dice one large onion into small pieces and cook with the bacon (no oil needed) until onions are clear. Using a slotted spoon, place bacon and onion mix on a paper towel lined plate to drain off the grease.

In the crock pot, put 32 ounces chicken broth, 4 large diced potatoes, 1 package frozen corn, 2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp worchestshire sauce, 1 Tbsp salt, 2 tsp pepper, and bacon/onion mix. Set pot to cook for 6-8 hours. Half an hour before it's done, add one large can of Clams with the juice. (These cans are restaurant sized, you can get them at costco, $13 for 2 cans.) I believe that Clam Chowder should be overloaded with clams. Don't be shy with the clams! Add 2 twelve-ounce cans evaporated milk. Stir well. Mix 5 cups of liquid from the crock with two cups cream soup base. (Walmart has this in bulk #10 cans.) If you can't find it, Bear River makes a creamy potato soup mix that will work. Mix all back into the crock. Cook an additional 10 minutes and serve. Let me know how it worked for you.....

Swedish Meatballs, Crock Pot Style

I love meatballs in general. Nothing screams dinner for me like spaghetti with Rocco's Italian meatballs. Having said that, nothing seems better tonight than Swedish meatballs with gravy over egg noodles. So here goes. Enjoy, Gandy.

In a medium sized pan, heat 2 quarts beef broth to a boil. Meanwhile in a skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter. Add 1 medium sized onion, diced small and 1 Tbsp minced garlic; cook until onions are clear. Pour this mixture into the beef broth.

When broth comes to a full boil, add 2 envelopes PORK gravy mix, stir well to make sure all lumps are dissolved. Add 1 8oz package of Philadelphia cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream. Mix until smooth. Pour entire contents of pan into the crock pot; cover and set for 6 hours.

In a large bowl, mix the following ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef, 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp onion powder. Roll meat mixture into 1 inch balls and drop into crock pot gravy. The meatballs will cook over the next 6 hours.

30 minutes before the meatballs are finished, cook 32 ounces of egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and serve immediately by pouring meatballs and gravy on top of noodles. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired. Serve with your favorite veggie and you have an awesome meal that cooks while you enjoy your day!

Chicken & Rice Soup

This one is for my awesome nephew Andrew Cerrone

In the words of Lightning McQueen, we are cooking this soup..."LOW & SLOW"

Another fantastic crock pot recipe, so easy and so delicious.

Set the crock pot to cook for 8 hours. Throw in 2 quarts chicken stock, 5 medium sized potatoes diced with skins on, 3 medium carrots diced unpeeled, 1 medium onion diced, 1 cup celery chopped with leaves. (I put the veggies on the bottom of the pot so they will cook all the way through); Take 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes and throw in the pot raw. On top of the chicken add 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 Tbsp Lawry's perfect blend chicken seasoning, 1 Tbsp chicken base, and 2 Tbsp tomato sauce. Cover and cook all day. 1/2 hour before you eat, throw in 1 1/2 cups dry minute rice. Stir all ingredients well. After 1/2 hour you are good to go. Serve with a bread bowl you can buy at your local bakery or grocery store bakery.
This soup is really healthy as well as awesome. Just another example that I am looking out for all of you! Enjoy Gandy

Uncle Craig and Andrew chillin' in the Florida heat.

Bean And Bacon Soup

When I was a kid, winter was one of my favorite times of year.  I loved curling up next to the heater with a bowl of Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup. We would butter a couple of pieces of bread for dipping and the term comfort food was invented right there in my house. My best friend John Kruger called me one day to tell me if you mixed milk into the soup instead of water, the creaminess was awesome. That is how I've made it ever since.

Yesterday I started creating my own B&B soup in the slow cooker. One word, the Campbell's company might hate me forever. Here you go.....Enjoy Gandy

Take 3 cups Great Northern beans and soak them in 3 cups water overnight. This is a very important step so please do not skip it.  This takes out the acid from the beans and if you skip it.....I take no responsibility.

After soaking, place 2 quarts chicken stock in a large crock pot, set the timer to 8 hours. Drain the excess water from the soaking beans and add to the chicken stock. Throw in 3 medium sized diced carrots, 3 ribs diced celery and 1 medium sized diced onion. Cook 1 lb bacon, dry on a paper towel, crumble and throw into the pot. Add 1 Tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning. Let this cook for 7 hours. Add 2 cups milk for the final hour of cooking and get ready to curl up in front of some sort of heated device and remember to bring buttered bread along for dipping. I think I'm going to call Johnny K and see what he is up too.

And if all else fails, go buy a can of Campbell's.....it still does the trick for me.

The Breakfast Lobby gets a win!

                  Oddly enough, lunch no longer can claim this Soda stalwart as it's own anymore....

Pam Tuft's Hodgepodge Chili

A good friend of mine, Pam Tuft, sent me this recipe on facebook tonight. She even sent a sample over. It is very good. Enjoy....Gandy

HODGEPODGE CHILI
submitted by Pamela Tyler Tuft

1 lb mild Italian sausage
1 lb ground beef
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic
2  jalapeño peppers (optional)
1 Tbsp each chili powder, cumin seed (I use ground)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 can (15 oz.) EACH: kidney beans, great northern beans or any combination
1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes, drained
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 can (16 oz.) chicken broth (I make my own)
1/4 c. EACH: cilantro, parsley

In a skillet, cook the sausage and beef in 2 Tbsp oil until browned. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic and jalapeño. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar. Thanks Pam....Enjoy.

Crock Pot Beef Stew - Rocco Style

All right, here is the first in the crock pot series of recipes. I made this today and it filled the house with incredible aroma's all day. enjoy..gandy

In a 4 quart crockpot, place 4 cups chicken stock, 5 large potatoes (diced skins on), 3 large carrots (diced and unpeeled), 1 medium onion diced, and 2 pounds stewing beef. (Walmart sells this already chopped for you.) Cover with 10 ounces tomato sauce. Salt & pepper generously. Set on medium for 6 hours. After the six hours, add 1/2 cup steak sauce or Heinz 57 and mix well. Add 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce and 3 cups frozen peas. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. This is a stick-to-your ribs dinner the whole family will love. If not, you need a new family.

Evie buy's me a Canoli

Visted my big sis Evie on Long Island two weeks ago and we went out to a local pizza joint for some of the best NY pizza ever. She even bought me a chocolate covered canoli.....I did take a small bite! Thanks Ev.

Get your crock pot ready....

I am so into slow cooking right now. I have so many great idea's that make dinner easy and fun.
So to get your crockpot all warmed up and ready to go, try this on for size.

4 cups water, 2 sticks cinnamon, 1 Tbsp whole cloves, 2 bay leaves, the peelings of an orange, and the peelings of a lemon. Put that on medium heat, and leave it. Within 2 hours your house will smell like a holiday! Trust me it will make you happy. And get the slow cooker ready for some comfort food.  Gandy

This little three pot crock is awesome. You can get it at Sams Club. 

Food travels coming to an end...

Well I sit here in the Atlanta airport waiting for a flight home. This has been a worldwind 10 days - eating my way accross the country and playing hardball at the same time. Does life get any better than that? It will when I touch down in SLC and see my family.

Starting at Brennan and Carr last Friday, I was brought to some really cool food and now I have some awesome idea's going forward. Thanks again to Ed Sullivan for showing me around the restaurant. I will wear my B&C shirt proudly.

Thanks to all the boy's at L&B Spumoni Gardens for the quick lesson in the art of making a fresh sauce Sicilian Pizza. It was so good and I will try it back home.

Thanks to the crew at Michelangelo's in Eastport NY. I grew up eating pizza there every day of high school. The linguini with white wine sauce and clams was just as I remember it.

And thanks to Ted, Linda, Teri, Janet, Laura, Patti, Kevin, Donna and the gang for helping me remember how fun HS really was. The Triangle looks the same as it did in 1982 I am sure. And yes....I still don't drink! LOL

Thanks to John at EHS, the old one. You are a stud and I will never forget what you did for me. Christrmas will be incredible this year.

Kent and Ted, breakfast was very good at that little corner spot in Riverhead. Until next time.

Evie, my sister, awesome hooking up once again and meeting your wonderful family. The Chicken Marsala pizza was to die for. The Cannoli......well lets just say spot on. You Rock!

The Cuban in Florida, The Ribs last night. Wow, I love food.
Thanks to the Brew Crew for a fun week of baseball. And yes I am an awful scout!
And finally, thanks to Adam Richman, my soul buddy who does not even know who I am. Thanks for a great show. Keep it it.

Best French Toast ever!

Tomorrow morning try this recipe and create an instant family favorite...

Start out with a nice thick Texas toast. (Cinnamon raisin works well too)
Mix 6 eggs, 1 cup milk, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp cinnamon until blended.
Cook French toast as you normally would. Top with your favorite fresh fruit. Berries, bananas, whatever you like. Then pour this fantastic homemade syrup over the top...

=

In a sauce pan, melt 1 1/2 sticks butter, add 1 1/2 cups sugar (or sugar substitute) 2 Tbsp corn syrup, 3/4 cup buttermilk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; add 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix well and serve. This is fantastic! Be very careful with this syrup. The addiction rate is very high. Enjoy Gandy

Ball Park Dogs

Hot dogs are one of my favorite things in the world. As much as I enjoy the simple mustard or ketchup style dog, there are so many awesome things you can do to make it a meal worth remembering. Try these on for size.

1. Chicago Style-dill pickle relish, tomato, onion, pickle spear and hot peppers. I like mine with mustard...spicy mustard.

2. Nacho Mama's Dog- nacho cheese sauce, crumbled taco meat, salsa, and chopped onion

3. Frito Dog-chili, more chili, Frito chips, and shredded cheddar...yum.

4.-Pastrami Dog-loads of pastrami, Swiss cheese and mustard.

5-Pizza Dog- marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, and black olives.

Try them for dinner tonight. Enjoy Gandy

Pork Barbacoa...Burrito's or salad

If meat could possibly taste like candy, this is the recipe to do it...
I posted this back in February and since I am craving Mexican food today I decided to re-post.

Use this to make aweome burrito's (Cafe Rio Style) or incredible salad or even the best pulled pork sammy you have ever had.
Get a 5-6 lb pork roast, (Sams Club has a great one) place it in a crock pot. Fill pot with water about an inch above roast. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 of an onion for flavor. Place lid on crock and cook on low for about 6 hours.
In a separate bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cans Dr. Pepper (NOT DIET) 1 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 ounce Chipotle sauce (any store will have it) 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 cup taco sauce (or finely chopped salsa), 1 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp cumin. (Taco seasoning will work)
When meat is cooked, drain liquid from crock pot and SAVE. Set aside. Throw onions away. Pour bowl mixture over the pork roast then shred the roast using two forks. Let the sauce soak right in. Cook this shredded delight for about 2 hours, covered.

Green sauce:

Take the liquid drippings and place in stock pot. Pour in 1 large can (quart) of green enchilada sauce. bring to slow boil and add 3 Tbsp corn starch mixed with 1 cup cold water; stir in. This will thicken the sauce. Do not burn.
To make burrito's, slightly warm a large flour tortilla. Add some Mexican rice (store brand is fine), black beans (canned are fine) and Barbacoa pork. Add cheese, green sauce and roll. Cover burrito "enchilada" style with more green sauce. Guacamole and sour cream are optional.

For salad, chop fresh Romaine lettuce; add Mexican rice, barbacoa pork, and tortilla strips. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top with guacamole and some Pico de Gallo.

For pork sammy, place pork on soft roll, add cheddar cheese, light mayo and slice of tomato

Chicken Marsala

I made Chicken Marsala for Fred and Tammy Cerrone last night. Fred and I met 16 years ago playing baseball in Florida and we have played together ever since. He his from Toledo Ohio and a huge Notre Dame football fan. This recipe is one of my favorites, so I ressurected it from the archives....Enjoy, Gandy
PS to cook the alchohol out of the wine, you must boil for at least 3 minutes.

Get yourself the biggest frying pan with a lid you can find.Cover the bottom of the pan with 1/4 inch of olive oil. Add 1/2 stick of butter and let it melt over medium heat.

Take a boneless skinless chicken breast and dredge it in a mixture of 1 cup flour, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. (Dredging means to lightly coat the meat all over.) This will help big time with the gravy later.

Place meat in frying pan and sear on one side for 5 minutes. The meat should be lightly browned. Carefully flip the meat over and sear for 3 minutes on side two. This process will seal the flavor of the meat.

Take 16 oz of fresh sliced mushroooms and spead them all over the pan and the meat. Take 1 cup marsala wine and 1/2 cup dry sherry wine; pour over contents of pan. Add chicken stock until meat is just about covered in liquid. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Check meat for your desired finish.

Set meat aside in a covered dish to keep hot. Drain mushrooms [SAVE LIQUID in pan] and place mushrooms over the top of the meat for presentation.

There should have been some reduction in the amount of liquid. Add more chicken stock to desired level of gravy that you want. Bring to slow boil. In a sepatate small bowl combine 1/2 cup corn starch to 1 cup COLD water. Mix well.

Slowly pour corn starch mixture into slowly boiling frying pan. Mix well. Add 1 Tbsp each granulated garlic and granulated onion. Salt and pepper to taste. This mixture, once it comes to a slow boil, will thicken quickly. DO NOT BURN. Stir constantly and once it thickens remove from heat.

The combination of flavors from the meat drippings, the wine, the stock, the spices...YUM!

   Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, pasta....awesome. My favorite thing here is to chop up fresh carrots and potaoes with skins on, boil until done in salted water; drain and pour gravy right on top. Maybe some green beans? Dinner!

When in Florida.....Eat a Cuban Sandwich

I have come down to Florida to play baseball for 14 years now and I love this place. A couple of years ago a good friend introduced me to authentic Cuban food. Chicken, rice, beans plantains...YUM. Well, of all the Cuban fare, the "Cuban" sandwich is my favorite. It's easy to make if you have the right ingredients. Enjoy......Gandy.

Ingredients
1 lb thinly sliced roast pork (*recipe on bottom)
1 lb thinly sliced ham
1 lb sliced Swiss cheese (has to be Swiss- once you go Swiss you will never miss)
1 cup Dijonaise  (3/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup Gulden's spicy brown mustard)
6 dill pickle spears, cut into 3 thin slices each
celery salt to taste

You can use sliced sour dough or even rye if you like, but a real Cuban is made on a sweet roll.  Take your roll, cut in half and put a generous amount of Dijonaise on both sides. Add the pork, ham and Swiss in the amount that you like. (I like mine with alot of everything.) Place pickles on top and sprinkle with celery salt. Place the whole thing in a panini press or George Foreman grill for 3-4 minutes. Slice and enjoy. YUM!

*Roast pork-buy a nice small pork roast, place in pan with a little water, sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and seasoning salt. Cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes per pound. Let cool, slice thinly.