Nick Can Cook!

If you follow my blog at all you know I like to cook, hell I love to cook.  I do about 95% of the cooking at our house and I find it to be very theraputic and relaxing.  Yesterday I got the opportunity to take my talent to Springfield, MA and have my “face made for radio” on not just one but two different TV stations.  I work for BJ’s Wholesale Club in the PR department and was asked to participate in a few segments for “Men Who Cook.”  It was a great opportunity to take some of the great products we offer at BJ’s and go on a couple of TV stations and show off my cooking skills.  

These were dishes designed to be easy and non-scary so men who are not accustomed to spending time in the kitchen would not be afraid to try them.  I first visited WGGB’s morning news program for a 6:45 AM segment.  While this was the second time I have been on TV as a rep for BJ’s it was the first time I had been asked to cook something.  Cooking is a passion of mine, but doing a segment that last 3 minutes on a TV program is a lot different than cooking anything I want in my own kitchen.  The term dance like no one is watching comes to mind here.  Luckily the recipes were easy to make and a little TV magic helped to present two finished dishes in the time allotted while not stumbling over my lines too bad or burning anything down.  

Next I rolled over to the set of Mass Appeal, (think Kelly and Michael in the local Springfield, MA market.)  Seth Stutman is one of the nicest guys you could meet and we planned out our time together in advance of my segments.  We bantered and joked around for a solid 10 minutes while we grilled chicken and broiled lamb chops.  It was a great day and I had a ton of fun doing it.

I think the logical next step is get me on the Food Network.  If I can handle the rigorous demands of local TV in Springfield, MA I am ready to be criticized by Anthony Bourdain.           

Letter to My Future Son Oliver

Brad Paisley wrote a song a few years ago “Letter to Me” where he as an adult wrote a letter to his 16 year-old-self explaining how life is going to change and become infinitely better as he grows up.  Luckily for that 16 year old he grew into a multi-millionaire country music superstar, not everyone is going to be so lucky.  I thought in the same vein why not write a letter to my future son and drop a few pearls of wisdom that I as a 34 have acquired walking this earth.  This is of course in the event I am actually psychic and that dream I have been having about being crushed in a freak snow cone accident does happen and I am no longer around to share these thoughts in person.  So in no particular order here are some things to keep in mind as you grow up.

Treat every woman/girl you meet the same way you want someone to treat your own mother or sister.  I can not stress this enough!  Be respectful, caring and polite.  Not every woman/girl loves the bad boy and nice guys don’t always finish last.  I can only imagine the kinds of laser guns dads will have when you start dating so you really will want to follow this one closely.

That being said please remember to have some fun.  You will go through so many types of relationships over the years that it will make your head hurt.  My advice is to be a good man, but realize that who you date at the age of 16 will most likely not be attending your 10 year reunion with you, and that is OK!  Play the field, and know that your life will not be over when your homecoming date breaks up with you the next day.

Swearing, I love to swear.  Your father has the mouth of a sailor on shore leave.  I am going to work on that before you get here.  That is not to say that I will not be using a few colorful words around you as you grow up.  Let me tell you this though, if I ever hear you swear in front of an adult I will take you behind the proverbial wood shed for a man-to-man talk.  Two things in this world send my blood pressure sky rocketing; people who smoke around kids and kids that think they are tough and cool swearing.

Try and be accepting of everyone you come across.  I am not saying you have to like everybody and agree with everyone, which is never going to happen.  I simply ask you to keep an open mind.  Life is too short to be filled with hate and anger.  Sometimes I think life would be so much simpler if we all had green skin.  Inevitably though the emerald green people would get pissed off when someone with hunter green skin tried marrying a person with neon green skin and all hell would break lose.  Realize that there can be many answers to the same question, and no one has it just right.  Don’t be afraid to listen and ask questions.

Stand up for yourself and for those around you.  There has always been bullying in this world.  Some caveman probably got mad at how small his rock was, so he went and knocked another caveman’s rock over just to be jerk.  Bullies are always going to exist but if you stand up to them you take away their power.  I am not saying you need to fight every kid that calls you a name.  Take the appropriate action when the time is right.  That may be as simple as coming and talking to us about it.  DO NOT ever stand by and watch bullying happen either.  If you have a friend being picked on do something about it.  If you have a friend who is a bully you better straighten his ass out.  (There I go with that colorful language again).  Middle school, JR high and high school are hard enough without some dick constantly pointing out and ridiculing other people’s faults.

Let’s see what else…oh tattoos (if your Grandma LaLonde asks we never had this conversation).  They are painful but look really cool.  Just know a few things right off the bat; never get a girls name, a sports figure, a band or a cartoon put on your body.  Get something that has meaning to you and that will still have that meaning in 10, 25 even 50 years later.  Also pick one out and wait a week or two.  If you are still into then go ahead.

Last but not least know that we are not always going to see eye to eye.  I certainly didn’t with Grandpa’s LaLonde and Shields.  Just know that everything I do I do it because I love you and want you to be happy.  We are going to argue, we are going to fight, you are probably going to hate me at certain points of your life and that is alright.  I don’t need you to always like me.  I just need you to know that nothing in this world matters to me as much as you do.   This got a little more sappy and less funny than I originally intended so BABA BOOEY!

Patent Pending

I have been working in Social Media one way or another for the majority of my career.  From starting and maintaining the lion’s share of social endeavors at Rounder to being the Asst. Manager here at BJ’s.  I recently cobbled together a phrase in a meeting that I want on record as coming from me and this will serve as the proof of my statement.  (I am being overly dramatic here for comedic purposes.)

“On Facebook I am telling you a story, on Twitter I am selling you a product and on Pinterest I am selling you a dream.”

If you hear this down the road and I am not given proper credit please drop kick whoever you heard it from, this post will serve as your written approval to do so.  Just make sure you run away and don’t get caught.  

When it comes to using Social Media as a medium for a business there are three thoughts that are always in the back of my mind. 

On Facebook I have the opportunity to engage with you and share my brands message.  I can tell you about products, about sales, and basically get you the information I think you want as not only a customer but as a fan.  This is also the opportunity for me to listen to you and hear your notes on my story subject.

Twitter is where you go for the basics.  You’re in you’re out.  I get 140 characters to entice you to click a link to read something, to buy something, or to sign up for a demo.  There is no room for sugar coating, just the facts ma’am.  

Finally we have Pinterest which is a place for inspiration and aspirations   This is where you come to get away and see your dreams come to reality.  You are mesmerized by the possibilities!  ”Sure you can do that!”  ”That recipe doesn’t look so tough!”  The possibilities are endless and so is Pinterest.  A board is simply a river flowing into an ocean of ideas that are only limited by you and your amount of free time.  

Have You Drank Your Spinach Today?

So here it is.  Another year past, another holiday season in the tail lights and another batch of Christmas cookies shoveled down your throat like you were Santa himself.  If your office is anything like mine, the minute Thanksgiving was over sweet old ladies started bringing in tray after tray of cookies and fudge.  IF you are anything like me than you also have absolutely no will power to resist these sugary delights.  I am literally powerless when I am around sweets.  I cannot say no, and even though I spend a good 45 minutes a day working out I still managed to gain some winter LBS that need to go away!  

First step to this challenge is to change the diet.  I also need to build up some will power to stay away from sweets.  In this effort I have started to carry gum with me at all times.  Fruity sweet gum that is sugar free.  Every time I have to walk down what I now refer to as Diagon Alley (where the sweetest of the sweet old ladies sit with their tempting confectionery delights) I pop in a piece of sweet gum and get the feeling that I already have something good to chew on and I don’t need whatever it is they are peddling.

I am also desperately trying to cut out soda from my everyday life.  My wife gave me a Sodastream for Christmas and I have not used it as much as I thought I would, however making carbonated water could become a tool in my arsenal if I can manage to break the stranglehold that Diet Coke has on me.  ”One can not know true freedom until they can break the shackles of a Diet Coke addiction!”  That is going on my gravestone.  

There are going to be a couple additional changes I will make as I move on through the rest of these winter months.  The biggest addition to my diet has become the Green Smoothie.  If you are looking for a great breakfast idea, or simply a snack to keep you moving through the day then I would recommend this super food drink!

In a blender add a cup of raw spinach, regular or baby, a cup of frozen fruit, (dealers choice on this one) a cup of water, flax seed and some natural honey for taste.  Blend this bad boy and you will have a satisfying and refreshing drink that is actually pretty damn tasty.  Their are all kinds of substitutions you can do here as well.  Kale or any other leafy green can replace the spinach.  I will say though spinach blends up a lot better than the others in the leafy green family.  The fruit combinations are endless although try to avoid those fruits high in water content as it just makes a more runny smoothie.  Milk of any kind can be used, soy, 1%, fat free, skim.  This is all about personal preference and taste.

So this is step one for me.  Over the course of the next few weeks I am going to try different ideas and techniques.  Changing up my workout routine, eating less meat and more veggies and most importantly working on that will power issue we talked about earlier.  ”Hmmm?  What was that?  Beer?  What about it?”  Oh yeah, I am going to also be *gulp* cutting down on how much beer I drink.  Fine I said it, I will be loading a few less silver bullets into the fun gun in an effort to drop some weight and get ready for bikini season!

 

Pork And Hominy Chili (Leave Out The Hominy Because 3 Stores Didn’t Know What It Was)

Holy damn, it has been a while since I have written a post.  I am back simply to regurgitate a recipe I came across and was dying to cook and enjoy.  Some of you may recall I had gotten laid off back in April from my gig at Rounder, and it was the best thing that could have ever happened.  I spent the summer just hanging out with my dog, grilling every night and just clearing my head from nearly a decade of working in a very tumultuous  industry.  We are now nine months removed and I have been gainfully employed as the Social Media Community Assistant Manager at BJ’s Wholesale club since August.  It was a great summer vacation and I probably should have written a lot more, but if you recall a post from that time The Pros and Cons of Being Unemployed, I played a lot of Modern Warfare, and watched a ton of shows on Netflix.

Since working in the world of wholesale warehouse grocery and general merchandise, I was introduced to the Cooking Light brand.  They not only provide recipes that are healthy and delicious but you can also buy some of their amazing heat and serve dishes at our clubs.  Some of their soups have as little as 4 ingredients that are all natural and good for you!

Enough plugging lets get down to cooking, for this Cooking Light chili you will need these things:

2 teaspoons canola oil
8 ounces boneless center-cut pork chops, trimmed and cubed
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
1 (15.5-ounce) can golden hominy, rinsed and drained (substitute frozen corn if you absolutely have to)
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup light sour cream

This is a one pot dream dish.  Brown up your pork in the oil and feel free to add in or even substitute chicken here, I found a nice mix was a great addition to the flavor and texture of this chili.  after about 7 minutes add your onions and peppers; and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until veggies get soft.  Toss your garlic and spices into the pot and stir continuously for 1 minute.  Next add your tomato paste, hominy, diced tomatoes and chicken broth.  I love hominy and there is a great Mexican restaurant that serves it with every dish just down the road from us, yet I could not find it after visiting 3 local stores.  Now either Sierra’s imports there’s or they clean out the shelves of all the local grocery stores before anyone else can lay a hand on these beauties.  I soldiered on substituting frozen corn, next time I will travel to more exotic locations like Framingham to get Hominy.   Bring your pot to a boil and reduce heat allowing this concoction to simmer and thicken up for about 10 to 20 minutes.

Top with a dollop of sour cream, a little fresh cilantro and some hot sauce!

This will easily feed a family in one sitting or seal and freeze leftovers for a cold day.

Let’s Grab A Drink From the Bar: Mangotini

If you know me you know I enjoy a good beer, scratch that I enjoy cheap beer but beer none the less.  Give me a cold Coors Light and I am one happy fella, give me 10 and I’m an incredible dancer (just ask me; I will tell you several times very loudly while invading your personal space.)  My wife on the other hand would rather drink sweat wrung from a fat guys gym shirt than drink a frosty beverage.  How’s that for vivid imagery Creative Writing teacher from 7^th grade?

Tracey enjoys a good Margarita or fruity cocktail from time to time and that inspired me to try my hand at making a fruity little drink right here at home.  Since we met we have had a standing “date night”.  Once a week we have a night just for us, we go out to dinner, bowling, or catch a movie.  Since I have been unemployed we have been tightening the purse strings if you will and have been having date nights at home.  While a margarita or Arnold Palmer are common in our house I wanted to surprise the Ol’ Lady with a fruity treat.

I started by taking a fresh mango and carving off the skin.  Color really does not matter when it comes to a mango skin.  You really have to feel it and you are looking for some give to the fingertips.  If it is rock hard leave it alone.  For carving I use a birds beak peeling knife for this.  This knife makes this chore so much easier and are great for this slippery fruit.  Once the skin is removed use the same knife to start shaving off the meat of the fruit.  Once you hit the pit you can stop.  Don’t throw that pit away though, unless you are some kind of ninja with the knife I am sure there is still lots of good fruit still attached.

Take 1 cup of sugar and mix with 1 cup of water.  Add your mango slices including the pit and bring to a boil.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.  Once you got your boil on turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes is up kill the heat and let your simple syrup cool down.  Remove the pit and mix your fruit syrup in a blender.  Chill in the fridge until needed.

To assemble your drink fill a shaker with lots of ice and add your ingredients and shake like it’s going out of a style.

2 oz. good vodka

1 oz. Grand Marnier

2 -3 oz. of your mango simple syrup

If you really want a cold drink take your serving class and fill with ice and water while you are mixing your drink.  Dump out your ice and poor your drink.  Top it with a lime, or sugar the rim for added flavor.

Having some sweet cheap glasses from TJ-Maxx didn’t hurt the presentation.

Macaroni & Cheese | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond

If you are in the mood for a good mac and cheese recipe I’ve got one for you.  Thanks to my friend Katie Pinke over at The Pinke Post for introducing me to Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman.  I did make a few little tweaks like using medium shells as opposed to elbow macaroni.  I also stole a topping from Alton Brown’s mac and cheese recipe by melting 3 tablespoons of butter and mixing it with a cup of breadcrumbs (panko if you’ve got them).  I tossed that right on top of my cheesy noodles in a dutch oven and baked for 10 minutes and broiled for 5.  This is definitely going to be a winter go to meal, a bit heavy for the middle of summer but if you just have to have some mac and cheese this is absolutely the way to go.

Macaroni & Cheese | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond.