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.