With a personal goal to try new things and push the limits of my cooking, I found a fun inspiration. It seems that Ancient Fire Wines and I have something in common; neither one of us are big pasta eaters. Now that’s not to say we don’t like pasta; we just couldn’t eat it every day. Ancient Fire Wines wrote a blog called Light & Easy Pasta Bake, and it looked wonderful. Now, I didn’t have all the ingredients in the house to make Jason’s pasta dish so I started scheming my own. It is such a fun thing to be able to take a risk and try something new, especially with cooking. You know the flavors you like and usually have a general idea of what tastes good together. That’s when the magic happens: trying combinations you have never tried before and coming up with something tremendous.

Now, just like Jason’s, my wife loves, loves, loves pasta! It’s very funny to read his blog and find these commonalities. It’s also fun to note that every once in awhile we like to make our wives happy and cook a little pasta. This dish is, according to my personal critic (my wife), one of the best pasta dishes I have made to date. Her exact words were, “You can make this any time!” And you  know, when momma is happy, we’re all happy. It’s a simple dish I threw together with random ingredients, and then we devoured. I am learning a great lesson in cooking. You have to take the things that are not your favorite ingredients (in this case, pasta) and find a way to make them their own. I am not a fan of red tomato-based sauces (I prefer cream white sauces). Also, I am a carnivore by heart, so almost any dish that is loaded with meat, I can take it a long way. When you try this dish be prepared for an amazing delight.

Italian Sausage & Linguini

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 Box Pasta, uncooked

1 Small Onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Italian Sausage Links, casing removed

1 Cup Button Mushrooms, sliced

1/4 Cup Olives, chopped

1 1/2 Teaspoons Italian Dressing Seasoning Blend (I used Good Seasons brand)

1 Cup Half & Half

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 Green Onion, diced

3 Slices Tomato, diced

Directions

1. Cook linguini to directions on the box.
2. In a large skillet, saute onions in butter until lightly opaque on medium-high heat.
3. Crumble sausage and cook until no longer pink (about 5 to 7 minutes).
4. Add mushrooms and cook for 1 more minute.
5. Stir in olives, Italian dressing mix, and half & half.
6. Bring to a boil; then simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens.
7. Add tomatoes and mix in right before serving (you don’t want to cook them, just warm them up)
8. Serve and garnish with green onions and Parmesan.
9. Enjoy!

What are you going to accomplish today? Many people feel like they are going nowhere in life. They get up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, and go to bed. They never feel like they accomplished anything. I tell people you get that feeling when you have no direction in life. When you have no target to aim at, you will just fly around aimlessly, hoping that you will land somewhere safe and secure. Wouldn’t it be great if every day before you went to bed you could look back on the day and think or say, “Wow! What a great day!” Well, here is a little tip to make each day a great day. Before you go to bed each night, write down 3 things you really need to get done the next day. Maybe it’s a project for your boss or to go grocery shopping; whatever it is, write it down. (I use 3×5 index cards and aim for 6 objectives a day.) Then, as you go through the day, every time you complete something on your checklist, draw a line through it  and cross it off your list. If at the end of the day, if you did not complete all your objectives, then roll whatever you missed onto the next card. Doing this makes you organize your thoughts and gets you moving in a forward direction. You will be amazed what this simple little trick can do for your life.

Another trick is each morning when you get up, go to the mirror and greet yourself with a huge smile and say, “Good morning! It’s going to be a great day, and watch out world; here I come one more time!” I know they may sound silly, but you will be amazed at the effect it will have on your day. Trust me. You cannot say, “Look out world; here I come one more time” without smiling. I promise you. Then each night before bed, you do two things. First, you write down your objectives for the next day on your index card. Then you go to the mirror, look yourself in the eyes and say, “Wow! What a great day! I completed everything (or x amount) of objectives today. What a great day.” Continue to say, “I am going to sleep great tonight and wake up refreshed in the morning.” You start building this into your routine and you will amazed at the quick transformation it will have on your life. Now onto the food.

Bacon Breakfast Tacos

Serves 2

Ingredients

8 Strips of Bacon

3 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Milk

1/2 Avocado, thinly sliced

1/4 White Onion,chopped

1/4 Cup Shredded Cheese

1/4 Tomato, diced

Lettuce, roughly chopped

4 Taco Shells (Crunchy or Soft)

Sour Cream & Salsa (optional)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees; warm tortilla shells 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Cook bacon until crisp ( I cook it in the microwave).
3. Add milk and salt & pepper to eggs and whisk briskly until combined.
4. Cook eggs over medium to high heat until light and fluffy 5 to 8 minutes.
5. Crumble bacon into base of tacos and top with eggs, cheese, avocado, onions, tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa.
6. Enjoy!

Christmas shopping in our family always gets a little carried away. Anyone who knows my family personally will tell ya we’re crazy when it comes to Christmas. Why? Because we love it we would damn near rather go bankrupt than to not have a huge, gi-normous Christmas. Where talking a Christmas with so many presents that we have to take breaks in the middle of opening presents. Now, I will say at any time we can have up to 3 generations with us opening presents, but still it’s insane. Especially if there is family in from out of town with their kids; then it can get really fun.

Over the last few years, I have introduced this style of Christmas to my in-laws and their family. They think I’m crazy too! Why not have some fun and watch the joy of somebody opening a present? Better yet, watch somebody completely freak out because you got them something they weren’t expecting but what they really wanted. I look forward to it every year.

My wife and I started our shopping this year on the dreaded Black Friday. We spent the weekend on Lake Grapevine camping with my family. It was cold and wet on Thanksgiving day, but it was a lot of fun the rest of the time. We went with the family to ride the North Pole Express Grapevine. It was a good time, only the kids were supposed to dress up in their pajamas, but all of us grown ups decided it would be fun too. You should have seen the looks we got walking through Historic Grapevine Texas in our pajamas. The train ride was okay and Santa looked great, but they could have done a lot more to make it more like the Polar Express Movie. I will say that my parents, my wife, and I really had more fun going to the wineries after the train ride in our PJs, because that’s when we really got some good looks. All in all, it was fun. It’s been awhile since I posted, so I am starting off with an easy one. If you haven’t been to Grapevine, Texas, during Christmastime, well, you’re just missing out. They claim that they are the Christmas Capital of Texas, and I bet that they are not far off on that claim. The whole downtown is done up with that Holiday flair and shows. You can’t walk past a shop or store without seeing wonderful Christmas decorations and holiday cheer.  We had so much fun that we may make family camping on Grapevine Lake a family tradition for this time of year. Where else can you do your Christmas shopping, drink as much wine as you can get your hands on, Christmas shop ’til you drop, and camp all at the same time? What a great time with the family and our dogs (we had 8 out there!).

Now it’s time for the real shopping to begin. We have our Christmas list and our checking it twice and we don’t care who has been naughty or nice. Actually sometimes the naughtier the better…

It’s been awhile since my last post so I am gearing up with a simple one and will get working on Holiday recipes. Christmas is my favorite time of year. I know that Christmas has a lot of different meanings, but, for me, it’s the look on people’s faces when they get something they really wanted that is my favorite.

Simple Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

My brother and I have always had a fun rivalry going when it comes to cooking. We have very similar palates but with very different tastes. We both still go for the meat-heavy dinners; however, we are each finding ways to branch off and be a bit more adventuresome. My brother Scott is on his 20th year in the United States Marines Corps and is home with us before he and his family are to be stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Scott, his wife, and their three beautiful daughters will get the experience of a lifetime in Japan, enjoying yet another wonderful culture for at least three years. I have always, in some form or fashion, looked up to my brother, but now I am completely jealous! What an awesome experience, especially for the kids. I want to personally thank him for defending my freedoms and yours. It is because of the sacrifices that he and the people he serves with make that allow us to do even simple things that we might take for granted, like writing (or reading) this blog.

It is always a running joke with our family when we all get together who will actually do the cooking. I leave it to him most time, mainly because I don’t want him to feel bad when my food is better than his. Even though we could both learn from each other, this meal was amazing. It definitely has the Manly Housewife seal of approval! I’m glad to share it with you. The seasonings were perfect and the meat flawlessly cooked, tender and juicy. The salad with the cilantro was such and exciting twist that I am working on other salads I can add this ingredient to and add some unique, new flavor. This is a meal that will not disappoint.

Scott’s Spiced Pork Steak

Serves 6

Ingredients

6 8-oz Pork Steaks

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Smokey Mesquite Seasoning

1 Tablespoon Garlic Salt

Salad with a Twist

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 Cups Green Leaf Lettuce

1 Carrot, shredded

1/2 Bunch of Cilantro, top snipped

4 Button Mushrooms, sliced

Croutons (optional)

Salad Dressing of Choice

Directions

1. In a Ziploc bag or marinade dish, combine steaks, olive oil, mesquite seasoning and garlic salt.
2. Mix well and marinade for at least 4 hours (8 would be preferred).
3. Before dinner, prepare salad, combining all ingredients in a large bowl and serve with dressing of choice.
4. To cook meat, fire up the grill. You know the grill is at the right temperature when you can hold your hand no longer that 2 seconds 2 inches from the grill.
5. Caution: it is gonna flare up, but you want the high heat to sear the meat.
6. Cook steaks 7 minutes both sides or until juices run clear.
7. Let stand for 10 minutes covered with foil to let juices redistribute throughout steak, then they’re ready to serve.
8. Enjoy!

It’s good to have things that parents can pass on to their kids. Traditions, lifestyles, ethics, and recipes are all things that we inherit from our parents. Most of the knowledge and things that we get from our parents are great, some not so much. However, you get the good with the bad, and, at some point in your life, you determine what is right for you from what you have be given and mold that into the ultimate you.

Last night we cooked a dish that my wife had as a child growing up. Her parents (my guess, her dad) made this recipe (although her mom is a great cook). (She also reads this blog so I have to say something nice.) It’s one of those dishes had I been offered as a kid I would have ran screaming, but my wife’s palate has always been more diverse than mine. It’s a simple dish some would refer  to as  “peasant fare,” which is some of my favorite food. You can make it in big ole batches or, like we did, just enough for two.

Cabbage and Sausage

Serves 2

Ingredients

½ Head Cabbage

1 Package Smoked Sausage, link style

½ Cup Water

1 Tablespoon of Season Salt

Salt

Pepper

Butter

Season Salt to Taste

Directions

1. Dice cabbage into bite size pieces and separate leaves.
2. Cut sausage link into 1- to 2-inch pieces.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add cabbage, sausage, water, salts, and pepper.
4. Once water begins to boil, cover and turn temperature down to medium-low heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until leaves have begun to wilt and sausage is heated through.
5. Serve with butter and seasoning salt.
6. Enjoy!

One of our favorite meals here is smothered pork chops. I know that I
sometimes feature rather less-than-healthy meals that we occasionally
love to cook, and this is one that probably ranks right up there
toward the top of that list. However, for a special occasion, or just a slight deviation from your regular (hopefully) healthful diet, this is a delicious way to stray. While not a quick-fix recipe, it is still somewhat easy to prepare.
Here we go!

Smothered Pork Chops

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 1-inch Boneless Pork Chops
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
¼ Teaspoon Chili Powder
¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder
¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
4 Slices of Thick-Cut Bacon
4 Large Button Mushrooms
½ Sweet White Onion
2 Slices Provolone Cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. In a non-stick, oven-safe skillet, add olive oil and turn to medium-high heat.
3. In a small bowl, or mortar & pestle mix together chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

4. Using half the spice mixture, cover 1 side of both pork chops and
place season side down into preheated skillet. Once chops are in
skillet, sprinkle remaining spice mixture on unseasoned side.

5. Sear chops for 3 minutes on each side.

6. Place pan and all in the oven and let slow cook for 2 hours. 7. With 20 minutes left to cook on your chops, you can begin making the toppings.
8. In another non-stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and
turn to medium-high heat.
9. Cook bacon until crisp (4½ minutes in a microwave on a bacon
dish works well), set aside and allow to cool to the touch.
10. Slice onions and mushrooms and add to pan (with bacon drippings) and begin to sauté until onions are opaque’ (about 10 minutes).

11. Remove pork chops from oven and turn the broiler to high heat.
12. With chops still in the pan, add 2 slices of bacon to each and top with a spoonful of sautéed mushrooms and onions.

13. Cover each chop with 1 slice of provolone cheese.
14. Place pan under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese
melts over all the ingredients.

15. Serve with a light vegetable, such as green beans or asparagus
and enjoy… Of course we served it with deep fried green beans and smothered garlic toast both recipes coming soon!

This is definitely for a hefty appetite, but you won’t be
disappointed.