Coffee Chipolte Steak

A friend brought over a local cut of sirloin strip beef. To be exact, 1.48 lb of Beef Sirloin Strip Steaks from Willingham Farm (Remington, VA). My initial thought was to do my classic garlic thyme butter treatment. But I wanted to do something new and up the stakes (steaks!) so the wonderful cut meets a rub made of coffee, chipolte, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. This will sit in the fridge for 2 hours, then room temperature before cooking. This is critical to get the flavors into the meat. To make this different than my other steaks I decided to do 2 things, one was a ‘reverse sear’ and the other was to cook in in a cast irons skillet on the grill. This would allow me to cook a bunch of...

Paddle Boarding

To spend more time on the water and to get more exercise, Chase The Dog and I have taken up paddle boarding. Most evenings we can be found on Monroe Bay, enjoying the sunset. My board is a High Society Shadowcatcher. It’s an 11 wide board with extra inflatable pontoons on the side for incredible stability. I also mounted a Larry Chair to...

Chase and I go Glamping

Chase The Dog and I went on our first Glamping Trip this weekend! We stayed in a cool wall tent on 60 acres in the Shenandoah Mountains (only 4 tents). After we settled in we swam in a spring fed pond on the property and then hiked the White Oak Creek Canyon trail to the first waterfall. We didn’t plan on swimming, but it was a hot day, so we found a secluded pool, stripped down to our skivvies (yes, Chase has skivvies) and dove in. It was a great trip and I look forward to returning. I found this on Hipcamp, a great site for non-conventional campsites (people’s back yard, vineyards, vacant property…)...

Tennessee Onions

So here is something completely out of left field. And also completely wonderful. I had this Sweet Onion left from what is now casually called “SmashFest2023®”. So this is one onion, one man, one 9″x9″ glass dish. This is a take off of something that is called a Tennessee Onion. And it is…fantastic. I sliced one sweet onion in about 1/4 thin slices and kept them in their circles. I placed them in a glass dish that was coated with olive oil to keep them from sticking. Heat up your oven to 350°. I coated them with… Dried thyme Dried parsley flakes Garlic powder Dried oregano Dry mustard Cayenne pepper I topped this Kerrygold butter, smoked gouda and cheddar. About a handful of each. This went into the oven for 20 minutes, covered...

Mahi Mahi with Crab Meat Stuffing

Huge thanks to my friend Rich Savage for dropping off some wonderful, fresh Florida Mahi Mahi. I wanted to honor it correctly, so I give you a crab meat stuffed broiled Mahi topped with Tennessee Onions and Basil Herb Goat Cheese. Served with a delightful salad crafted with a balsamic and olive oil dressing, roasted red bell peppers and kalamata olives. The crab meat stuffing is simply a mix of panko, claw crab meat and Duke’s mayo. This is seasoned with dry basil, black pepper and Old Bay seasoning. Usually I would put in some Parmesan, but I was concerned the saltiness of the Old Bay would make it too salty with the parm. In a olive oil glass baking dish goes the first layer of fish, then the topping with same diced garlic on top. This is topped with some...