What's to Eat?

To a chef, the scariest three words in the English language are, "What's to eat?"  That's because when asked that question, a chef can feel kind of like a prisoner caught in a spotlight.  Unlike restaurants that have printed menus, when your friends or family suddenly decide that they're hunger is your responsibility and you hadn't intended to feed them, you're on the spot to come up with a tasty treat.  To keep your blood pressure from spiking when you're suddenly put to the test, I decided to dedicate this week's blog to guerrilla cooking, Man Cave Munchies Style.

Got Beer?

One thing that every red blooded American male has in his fridge is beer, right?  While you can drink it, you can also use beer to make a number of crowd-pleasing favorites that are sure to satisfy your guests.  Below are 5 of my favorites:

Is One the Loneliest Number When it Comes to Cooking

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy Man Cave Munchies

I started Man Cave Munchies to help teach my bachelor buddies how to cook some tasty, basic meals that didn't require a lot of exotic ingredients.  Most of their refrigerator were either stuffed with half-eaten takeout containers or their freezers looked like the frozen food aisle at the Wynn Dixie.  In short, their idea of cooking was to nuke something out of a box when they came home from work.  When I asked them why they did this, their usual excuse was that it was too much trouble to cook for one.  My response was always, "Well, do you plan on eating for one?"

Who Says There's No Substitute for Success?

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy Man Cave Munchies

While I've pointed out in past episodes that no recipe is chiseled in stone, what foils many chefs is coming to the realization that they don't have the necessary ingredients to complete a dish.  While there might be time enough to hop on down to the grocery store or spice shop if you've yet to begin cooking, when you're smack in the middle of preparing a meal only to realize that you're missing a vital ingredient, many chefs tend to panic.  Having been a man cave man all my adult life, I've learned that when push comes to shove, you can sometimes substitute one ingredient for another without anyone being the wiser.  Hell, improvisation is part and parcel of the man cave mantra.  Below you'll find my down and dirty list of substitutes that can save the day when you're midway through food preparation only to realize that you forgot something.

What's Cooking at Man Cave Munchies?

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy Man Cave Munchies

After taking a 2-year hiatus from the show, I thought it was high time to finish what I started.  When I began production 7-years ago, I wanted to provide viewers with the one thing that I couldn't find on TV: a cooking show for guys.  With that in mind, I came up with a format that every guy could get behind.  Each episode would demonstrate how to prepare meals that were easy to make and that didn't require a lot of expensive equipment.  The other rule was that at least a quarter of the episodes were required to use the one thing that every guy has in his fridge: Beer.  Since the start of the show back in 2013, I've produced 70 webisodes that ran the gamut from burgers and barbecue, to Cajun, Italian and all-American favorites, including homemade liqueurs and mouth watering desserts.

Do Real Men Bake Quiche?

By Carl Weiss

It used to be said that real men don't eat quiche.  At least that was Bruce Feinstein's opinion back in 1982 when he penned a satirical book with that title.  It was written to poke fun at American macho stereotypes.  Bruce's definition of a quiche-eater referred to a male that might enjoy eating a piece of quiche, but would never think of making one, since that would be considered "women's work."  How the times have changed during the past 35 years.  Not only do real men now unabashedly eat quiche, they bake it with gusto.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

by Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of flickr

Thanksgiving isn't really over until you can't stand the site of turkey for another year.  At least, that's my opinion.  That being said, you want to come up with a few creative ways to doctor up those leftovers so you won't be forced to eat the same thing a half dozen times.  In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I would devote this week's blog to giving you some creative ways to convert those leftovers into something you will love to gobble up.

The Boozy Bunch

By Carl Weiss

A funny thing happened when I was perusing the 63 videos on my YouTube channel.  I noticed that 2 of the top-10 videos on Man Cave Munchies were homemade liqueurs: Irish Cream and Double Dutch Chocolate.  At that moment it hit me...My audience REALLY likes recipes with booze.  So, I decided to up the ante by devoting the month of November to booze-infused recipes.  For a starter, I decided to give you guys yet another favorite homemade hooch of mine: Amaretto for $5 a pitcher.  (see the video at right) The great thing about making homemade liqueurs is that you can use the cheapest booze on the shelf, since the alcohol is more about function than form.  You can also control the flavor, since you are in charge of that as well. Add a pinch of this or a double dash of that and you will wind up with a whole new taste sensation.

White Guy Thai

By Carl Weiss

Pad Thai courtesy of Man Cave Munchies

One thing my friends have discovered about me over the years is that I am no one-hit wonder when it comes to cooking.  I don't know if that's due to the fact that I have lived in so many places in my life, or if it's simply due to the fact that my taste buds are fickle.  By fickle, I mean my palate gets bored if it isn't stimulated on a regular basis.  As a consequence, I can cook everything from Southern barbecue and classic American dishes, to Cajun cuisine along with Italian, German and Greek food.  But by far, the thing that causes my tongue to take a trip far afield, is when I add Asian elements to my repertoire.

That's a Wrap

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of Man Cave Munchies

Lately I have begun experimenting with wraps. I'm talking about those deliciously simple creations made by filling a soft tortilla with various ingredients, then wrapping them burrito style.  While the basis for the wrap is most decidedly south of the border, what you will quickly discover is that a wrap knows no geographic boundaries. Even better is the fact that you can create wraps using all kinds of ingredients.

Football Favorites

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of Flickr

Now that it's football season once again, I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes that are sure to please and feed a crowd. The secret to fabulous football fare is to have 3 courses, the appetizers that you will serve at the start of the game, the entree you will feed your friends at halftime, not to mention dessert for the fourth quarter.