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.

Stew Crazy

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of Man Cave Munchies

You're familiar with the term Stir Crazy.  This week I went a little stew crazy when I decided to make 3 different kinds of stews: fish, beef and chicken.  The good news about stews is that they are not only real crowd pleasers, but they are extremely easy to prepare.  They can be made in a stockpot or a crockpot.  Last but not least, they can feed an army.  With winter right around the corner, you might want to bone up on some of these recipes that will keep you warm when it is cold outside.

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.

Don't Be a Turkey

By Carl Weiss

Image from Public Domain Pictures

With Thanksgiving only a week away, I thought I'd give you my take on the holiday.  If you are saddled with cooking the traditional holiday feast, you need 3 things:  A plan, patience and a whole lot of alcohol.  Seriously, cooking Thanksgiving dinner isn't all that difficult if you do it in stages.  By that I mean anything you can prepare ahead of time is a blessing.  This can include soup, sides and dessert.  This way you'll only have to contend with the turkey, the mashed potatoes and the stuffing on the big day.  Below are some of my Thanksgiving favorites.

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.

Recipes That Are So Easy, They’re SCARY!

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of Pixabay

With Halloween right around the corner I thought I would share some recipes that are so easy to make, they’re scary.  By that, I mean that there are some recipes that require little in the way of cooking prowess.  These are no-trick recipes where as long as you combine the right ingredients in the correct amounts, you wind up with a homemade treat. 

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.

Some Like It Hot

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of Pixabay

When it comes to kicking your recipes up a notch or two, many chefs bring out the hot stuff.  By hot stuff I am referring to hot sauce, hot peppers, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning or some other form of enhanced seasoning or sauce.  Heck, some signature dishes have made a name for themselves strictly because of adding heat.  Buffalo wings is a prime example of this.

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.

Bock to the Future!

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of Flickr

One of the reasons more than 300,000 people have watched my videos has to do with the fact that beer is an ingredient in more than a quarter of my recipes.  And why not, since it's a great way to add flavor to many dishes.  I mean, it probably won't enhance the taste of your cornflakes.  But it most definitely can add an extra kick to stews, soups, breads and barbecue, to name a few.  Since Octoberfest is right around the corner, I thought I would review some of the ways I have used the humble brewsky in a recipe or twosky.

Grill It, Don't Kill It

By Carl Weiss

Most American males think they know their way around a barbecue.  Experience has shown me that this is not always the case.  Case in point: My dad used to make what we laughingly referred to as "Hockey Puck Burgers" that when served were black on the outside and frozen on the inside.  That's what happens when you throw a frozen burger patty onto a white hot grill.

Looking back at my father's exploits on the backyard grill, I came to realize that while I hate to admit it guys, many American males haven't got a clue as to how a barbecue really works. Let's start off with the fact that a gas-fired barbecue is in reality a grill.  If it doesn't involve charcoal, it isn't real barbecue.

Pity the Poor Pancake

By Carl Weiss

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

If you're like most Americans, you get your pancakes from a box.  This is a pity, since pancakes are one of the easiest recipes to make from scratch.  All it takes is 1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt, a 1/4 cup of oil (never use butter), an egg and 1 cup of milk and you can make a half-dozen fluffy homemade pancakes.  That's all there is to it. 

No More Frozen Pizzas

By Carl Weiss

Beer Crust Pizza Step #1

Those of you who know me realize I tilt at epicurean windmills.  What I mean by that, is it irks me when people who have every technology available to modern man, choose to take the path of least resistance when it comes to cooking.  Chief among my complaints is frozen pizza.  Yes, it's convenient, but it also tastes about as good as the box from which it came.  Even worst is the fact that making homemade pizza is not that big of a deal.