Tag Archives: photography

Happy Egg Bake Easter!

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Don’t you just want to dive right into this…in all of its straight out of the oven fluffy cheese and egg glory??

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I know I do…even though I just did, and I’m really full! But this wonderful egg bake that Heather made for Easter brunch will settle flat in about 15 seconds, so now is the time! Sliced up, it’s a great way to satisfy your whole Easter brunch crew, and it can bake away while the Easter egg hunt is going on.

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Grapefruit and mimosas are a good pairing!

The recipe is super simple and is prepared the day before.

  • 10 slices Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread, cubed
  • 1 lb. grated cheddar cheese
  • 8 eggs, beaten
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper

Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Alternate layers of bread and cheese. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour mixture over layers. Refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 325˚ for 1 hour.

It should look like this before baking.

It should look like this before baking. Count flavor not calories! 🙂

A tip from my wonderful chef: the Pepperidge Farm bread is a key ingredient, and other bread doesn’t work as well. Heather kept this egg bake kid friendly, but don’t be afraid to add any pre-cooked ingredients such as ham, peppers, onions, sausage, or anything else you can dream up. You could also experiment with different kinds of cheese. Let us know what you come up with!

Enjoy your Easter! Cheers!

Happy St. Tito’s Day!

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Yes, I know there is no St. Tito. Well, at least I don’t think there is. (Is there?) So I guess I also need to officially say Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I thought I’d put an American spin on it this year, blending the totally Americanized McDonald’s Shamrock Shake with Tito’s Handmade Vodka. I don’t frequent McDonald’s very often, but if there is a highlight, the Shamrock Shake is it. If any of you managed to get to SXSW in Austin this year, I hope you  got to experience the excellence that is Tito’s vodka. Tito’s has been one of the top finalists at our vodka tasting parties (and always gotten my top vote), holding it’s own against the expensive imports.

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The Shamrock Shake made it home from the drive-thru a few ounces short of full (hey, I did say it was a highlight). I added 3 oz. of Tito’s to the shake, mixed it up and put it back in the freezer. After re-freezing, I ran it through a blender and poured it into two glasses, topping them with fresh whipped cream. A delightful St. Patrick’s Day afternoon treat.

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Wherever you go and whatever you do,
May the luck of the Irish be there with you.

Sláinte!

A Real Saucy Character

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My amazing wife Heather and her awesome brother Dave have a new book coming out this Friday! I’m so proud of them! It’s called José Picada, P.I.: Deception Al Dente. You can find it here. In honor of this occasion, I decided to do an interview with one of their main characters, Chef Marco Augustino. What role does Chef Marco play in the book? Well, you’ll just have to read it to find out! But, in the meantime, I’m looking forward to trying his pasta.

Rich: So, Chef Marco, I understand you’re no longer with your restaurant, Bistro Italiano. Why did you leave?

Chef Marco: Yeah, we’re not gonna talk about all that.

R: Oh. Okay. Well, there go all my interview questions. We’ll just wing it. So, uh, thanks for making this beautiful plate of pasta I just photographed. It was fabulous!

CM: Yeah, it was. The secret is the sauce.

R: It really is a great tomato sauce! What makes it so special? Do you use a certain type of tomatoes? What herbs do you prefer?

CM: Yeah, we’re not gonna discuss my culinary secrets, kapeesh?

R: Oh. Um, all right. So, in Deception Al Dente, you cross paths with the main character, Josie Cates. What’s Josie’s favorite dish?

CM: I don’t know and I don’t freakin’ care. That girl is a real pain in my—

R: Uh, this is a family-friendly blog, Chef Marco. Let’s just get back to the pasta. What would you pair it with?

CM: Some crusty bread, a nice Chianti, and badda bing! You’re good to go.

R: Okay. Well, that pretty much covers it. I had a lot more planned, but you sort of derailed the entire interview.

CM: Whatever. You got any more Chianti?

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Heather and Dave have a unique writing process, where they e-mail the manuscript back and forth. Whoever has possession can alter anything they see fit. It’s a fun process to watch and listen to as they chat on the phone during their planning sessions. You can follow along with them at Driving Blind and on Facebook. Cheers to a job well done!

Old San Juan, El Batey, and Ron del Barrilito (take me away)!

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We discovered Barrilito “three star” rum on our actual honeymoon and were instantly hooked. Enjoying a glass of this smooth aged rum in our living room always takes us right back to Old San Juan…and more specifically to El Batey, the best little dive bar in Puerto Rico (or possibly the world). Conveniently located right across the street from Hotel El Convento (our Puerto Rican home away from home), this place has cheap drinks, an eclectic mix of songs on the juke box, and loads of character (and characters!)

After our tour of the Bacardi factory in 2008, the Cuba Libre (basically a rum and Coke with lime) became a favorite cocktail of ours . Despite our fond recollections of the tour, we really prefer to make ours with Ron del Barrilito (Rum from the little Barrel) “three star.” That seems to be the consensus of many people we’ve talked with in Old San Juan. The picture below shows a Cuba Libre “El Batey style”: a small glass filled almost entirely with “three star” and ice, then topped off with Coke and a lime.

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The Cuba Libre, El Batey style.

I would also recommend just drinking the “three star” from a snifter.  It’s the older of the two Edmundo B. Fernández, Inc. rums, featuring a blend of rums aged between 6 and 10 years. Sipping will let you enjoy the layers of honey, butterscotch, molasses, spice, vanilla, smoke, nuts, and oak. The finish is warm, smoky, sweet and very lengthy.

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Ron del Barrilito “three star.” Note the neck label, the only difference from the two-star, less-aged variety.

That long finish takes us away to El Batey. The most intimidating bar we’ve ever walked into, it is also one of the most friendly and interesting. Each visit has provided great conversation with the patrons and the bartenders, and endless visual appeal. The highlight of our most recent visit was a brief chat with the owner, David Jones. He is obviously a man who knows how to enjoy himself as he was surrounded by friends, drink, and a bag of cigars. I think this photo captured him perfectly as this is how he chose to sit when I asked to photograph him; elusive, gruff, intense and relaxed all at once.

Owner David Jones.

Owner David Jones.

I leave you with a toast to David Jones, especially for choosing to leave the graffiti on the walls for over 40 years! Peruse through these highlights and imagine yourself sipping a Cuba Libre. Cheers!

Our names, still on the wall after our honeymoon visit in 2008.
Every time I look at this I see something new.
Layers of character!
The light fixtures….with business cards hanging off them.
The wall above the bar, featuring character portraits. Owner David Jones is on the left. Notice the resemblance?
There aren’t too many things that can take my eyes off the wall at El Batey. But, I will for Heather.
The El Batey entry, beckoning.

A grappa toast post!

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There is quite a storied history behind this post. But before I begin, let’s get to the toast. Cheers to our friends Gina and Dave and their new baby boy!

So…now for the story. It starts in August of 2010. Heather and I were on a short honeymoon getaway to New Orleans, eating dinner at the Green Goddess (home of the bacon sundae), when we heard Scotty the bartender and Chris the chef discussing grappa. For those of you not familiar with grappa, it’s basically a spirit distilled from the leftovers of the grapes after making wine. Prior to this trip, I may have referred to grappa as fire water. But  I was intrigued by chef Chris’s description for Suprema grappa refosco, “That’s good frakking grappa!” (Note the Battlestar Galactica expletive, as I’d prefer to keep this family friendly 🙂 ) I ended up trying a taste and replying, “That is good!” Chef Chris just looked at me. “That’s good frakking grappa!” I amended. A cheer was given by all.

So…circle back to Dave and Gina, and trying a couple different grappas at a local restaurant after telling the above story. Both of the grappas fire waters were very disappointing. I finally managed to track down a bottle of this good frakking grappa, and am looking forward to sharing it with Dave and Gina while toasting their new family addition in person. Cheers!

Suprema grappa refosco. Worth drinking from a snifter.

Suprema grappa refosco. Worth drinking from a snifter. Your initial taste is smooth and refined with a bit of dried fruit, met with a scent of vanilla coming off the top rim. There is a long pepper finish with hints of vanilla and honey. Good frakking grappa!

Café Puerto Rico, Old San Juan. A must do!

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For the first post of the new year, I am finally following up on the new years eve post with a must do for all of you traveling to Old San Juan. Heather had done lots of research on where to go for local cuisine, and the first place the hotel concierge mentioned lined up with one of her options. Café Puerto Rico. A few blocks walk from El Convento (more on this wonderful hotel to come), we ended up on the edge of Plaza Colon and entered the cafe. It was crowded and lively and we were told to come back in 38 minutes. Yes 38. Never have we received such an exact return time. We wandered a few doors down to the Parrot Club for a cocktail, and listened to a jazz trio for 36 minutes, then quickly returned.

Heather at the Parrot Club.
A mojito seemed like an appropriate first drink, along with a coconut martini.

We were rewarded for our patience with a private table on the balcony overlooking Plaza Colon. I can’t say how lovely a view I, in particular, had without showing you my view.

Heather at Café Puerto Rico, overlooking Plaza Colon.

Heather at Café Puerto Rico, overlooking Plaza Colon.

We ordered mero (grouper) and tiritas de churrascos (skirt steak) mofongos rellenos, and a couple of tropical drinks. This ended up being our favorite meal of the trip!

Refreshing!!
Mofongos, lit with the dimmest of streetlights. Stellar.

Here are a few more visual highlights from the evening. More from Old San Juan to follow soon. Cheers!

A garita at sunset overlooking Bahia de San Juan.
Garita detail.
Bahia de San Juan at sunset. The Bacardi factory is across the bay.
La Rogativa monument.
A view down Calle Las Monjas. Cats are a prominent feature of the area.
One of the many spectacular house number signs that can be seen throughout Old San Juan.

P.S. If those of you who subscribe (thank you so much for following along!), could let me know if the galleries appear correctly in your e-mail, I’d appreciate it.  They look lovely in the on line post, but it showed up in my and Heather’s e-mail all broken and random. I’ve contacted WordPress about it, so hopefully we can get it resolved. Thanks!

Happy New Year! (Old world style)

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This may be an unconventianal New Year’s Eve post, but it really makes sense. Don’t we all ring in the new year by thinking about some highlights from the previous year? And pledging to do more of what makes you happy in the upcoming year? (And kissing your someone special as the ball drops in Times Square!) So….these pictures are from our 5th Anniversary honeymoon trip to Old San Juan — a definite highlight during this past year. And Heather and I call every trip we take together a honeymoon….which I hereby pledge to do more of this year! (Along with kissing her at midnight!)

This latest honeymoon was about eating and drinking in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a lot of cool sights in between sips and bites! I took so many pictures over the course of 4 days that it will end up as multiple posts. Here are a few highlights to get us started!

Garita at sunset.
Heather at Café Puerto Rico, overlooking Plaza Colon.
El Batey wall.
Purple balcony.
Ceviche at El Asador.
Paseo de La Princesa music man.
San Cristobal sunrise.
Old San Juan red door.
The Captain.
The iguana king.
Ceviche on the mezzanine at El Convento.
The view from El Morro.
Sunrise over El Morro.
Tranquil morning on the wall of El Morro.
Sunrise over La Perla.
Angel from Cementerio Santa Maria Magdalena De Pazzis.

So here’s to a happy, healthy, prosperous new year to you all. Cheers!

Café Puerto Rico cheers. Happy new year!!

Café Puerto Rico cheers. Happy new year!!

Have a very merry breakfast!

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Merry Christmas! I hope Santa was good to you. If ever there was a day to do a less than healthy breakfast..this is it! Cookies and a fresh squeezed tangerine mimosa! At least there is a little vitamin C in there for you. I definitely recommend the tangerine juice version versus orange juice. No tangerines? I know all the stores are closed, so the morning light of tomorrow seems like another reason to be merry! Go hug your family and enjoy the peaceful moments of this special day.

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Have yourself a merry little pomegranate martini!

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The pomegranate: that beautiful red fruit that you walk by in the store and think, “I have to buy one.” And then you get it home and think, “what am I supposed to do with this!?” I’ve never had much luck getting a lot of juice out of one, so I’ll heavily suggest you purchase a bottle of POM Wonderful to go along with it. Cutting the pomegranate apart and grabbing some of the seeds to garnish your merry little pomegranate martini is a lot easier, albeit messy!

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In a cocktail shaker over ice add:

  • 2 oz. Tito’s vodka
  • 2 oz. POM Wonderful juice
  • 1/2 oz. simple syrup
  • 1/2 oz. meyer lemon juice
  • 8 dashes Fee Brothers orange bitters

Shake until chilled and pour into a martini glass. Toss a handful of pomegranate seeds in the glass and garnish with a meyer lemon twist.

Make enough for all and toast to your family and friends. And we’ll toast to you all having a safe and happy holiday season. Cheers!

The merry little pomegranate martini. Cheers!

The merry little pomegranate martini. Cheers!

Happy Black Friday! Happy Thanksgiving! And thank you!

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Yes, this was supposed to be my Happy Thanksgiving post. But we all know that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. So…….due to this large plate of food and the glass of red wine (Hahn pinot noir, that I will definitely feature in another post) and a small sample of Custom Brewcrafters coffee porter (thanks to my brother-in-law), consumed at my wonderful mother- and father-in-law’s, inducing a nap on the couch with Heather and then an early bedtime (and then this run on sentence), my post never even got started. I was going to try and tackle preparing this year’s Thanksgiving with Friends. That will be coming sometime in the near future….because you can be thankful for good friends anytime!

Heather also pointed out how fitting our son’s school project from 6 years ago is to us and this blog, so I wanted to share it with you. I’m thankful for all of my readers and friends out there….thanks for listening to us, and hope you’ve enjoyed! Cheers!