You wanna go where people know people are all the same...

You wanna go where everybody knows your name...
OK the place isn't named Cheers, but it is called PW's Sports Bar or PW's for short. If you go there enough, yes people will know your name. Why am I writing about PW's? The food is freaking awesome and cheap...did I mention you get a lot of it too? You can check out the menu here. ← Click that!

Here is another cool fact about PW's...It's a GAY sports bar. Is that not cool? Actually they are friendly to all open minded people. The majority of my gaggle of friends that hangs there are straight. Everyone is friendly and I always have a great time.

Mama Debbi Enjoying
her Mimosa!

I have ate here several times over the last six or seven months. Everything I have ever tried is delightful. My Mama Debbi introduced me to PW's and I am very glad she did. The first thing I ever ordered there was the wings. I got regular Buffalo and the were awesome, but HOT. It those are the normal ones I would hate to taste the hot ones. I've also had the BLT (count the bacon...there is a TON), the bacon and 'shroom burger among other things. The menu has a great variety and they have daily specials. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My new favorite meal there being the Sunday Brunch.





Crab Omelet



I've been to the Sunday Brunch a few times now. It is a relatively new thing. They have many flavors of Mimosas and a build your own Bloody Mary bar. I haven't had a Bloody Mary yet but I do indulge in the Mimosas. The crab cake Eggs Benedict is to die for. This past Sunday I had the crab omelet. It was divine. It was basically a crab cake in the omelet with Swiss cheese. It was sooooo good. Every brunch plate comes with fruit, asparagus, and home fries.

The evening life is nice too. Jackie and Melissa the sexy Bartender, will take good care of you. They both make great Amaretto Sours. On Monday nights this summer, Melissa the sexy Bartender offers up several flavors of margaritas. I personally recommend the Billy's Ocean. It's blue!!! Both of the bar ladies also offer up great mixed shots and awesome service.

If you are ever in the Baltimore/DC area, I suggest you check out PW's. You might just run into this fat kid. I will either be eating, singing karaoke, or playing trivia...maybe a combination of all three.

Inch by inch, row by row

I have a small yard but manage to have a large garden for its size. What does J.J. Have growing this year, you ask? Here is the breakdown:

• Pumpkins
• Tomatoes
• Jalapenos
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini

• Yellow Squash

Purple Sweet Peppers

• Purple Sweet Peppers
• Orange Sweet Peppers

I'm very sure that I will be writing about my fresh veggies in the near future.

Yellow Squash

Baby jalapenos



Now down to business...in less than a month, on August 2nd this blog will be a year old. How are we going to celebrate? Here is what I want you to do for me...send me your favorite recipes...like me on Facebook...tell your friends and family about J.J....follow me on twitter...follow me here on blogger. I am going to try to be better about posting more often. I do need some recipes to try out. I would like to aim for a posting once or twice a week. A bare bones minimum of twice a month. Send me your feed back! cookingwithjj.baker@gmail.com

 

As for cooking...I haven't been doing much lately. Even I get in a slump. Fast food has been my poison or the Cookie Monster has been feeding me. Did anyone happen to try the banana pudding milkshake at Chick-fil-A? That thing was phenomenal. I was hopping they would keep it around. I have a new Friday night thing where I go get a milkshake. Sometimes with the Cookie Monster, sometimes alone. In this fat kid's opinion, Chick-fil-A has the best milkshakes of a fast food place.

 

 Also thanks to the Cookie Monster...I have a new ice cream addiction: Blue Bunny Bordeaux Cherry Chip. I can't even describe how good this stuff is. I am not a huge ice cream fan...I know hard to believe...I do like my milk shakes, but regular ice cream...meh. I know my Mom reads this and she could testify in a note about the ice cream thing. Now this BBBCC...I can eat that every night and go back for seconds. For me, that makes it EPIC ice cream. I'm thinking about making a milk shake with some of it to try. That bad part about the BBBCC...in my area, the only place you can find it is Wal-Mart. This Fat Kid hates Hell-Mart...being a former employee and all.

 

Finally, yesterday was my birthday. The fabulous Melissa remembered me and got me a new griddle! SWEET! It is a sweet griddle...it has a nice weight and cooks pretty evenly. You know I had to try it. I wasn't in the mood for pancakes or french toast, so I fried some ham on it to go with my eggs. Tomorrow I will try a grilled cheese.

Post 4th of July

So the 4th of July has come and gone and it is now four days till this fat kids 34th birthday...I revisited some recipes I have covered before this year for Americas birthday. I did make some changes. I made lemonade pie again this year...still delicious. It was even more delicious with the changes I made. I first brought you lemonade pie in August of last year.

Frozen Lemonade Pie

Ingredients
For the Crust
•2 cups graham cracker crumbs
•1/4 cup sugar
•7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


This year I used pre-made tart sized crust for miniature/baby pies. I bought 12 but propably could have used 18.

For the Filling

•2 cups heavy cream - the original recipe calls for Cool Whip
•1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
•1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate (do not thaw) [I used 12ounces] – This year I used pink lemonade...this made for a better over all flavor.

For the Topping
•1 cup blueberries
•1 cup raspberries
•2 tablespoons sugar
•1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press firmly on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes; cool completely.

Make the filling: In a cold medium bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, stir together the condensed milk and frozen lemonade. Gently fold the lemonade mixture into the whipped cream. Pour the filling into the crust; freeze overnight.

About an hour before you serve the pie, make the topping: Toss the berries in a medium bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Set aside until ready to serve.

Let the pie come to room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting. Top each slice with berries

I also grilled some chicken this year. I love grilled chicken thats been kissed with BBQ sauce. This chicken was the bomb. I rubbed it down with a newly created rub this year. I would have ate it without the sauce, but I love the sauce. I import it from back home and only use it for myself or very special people. I love Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce. The Montgomery Inn is a restaurant in Cincinnati/Montgomery Ohio and they have hands down the best ribs and I think the best bottled BBQ sauce on the planet. I would seriously drink this sauce if you asked me to. As for this rub I think I want to try it on a pork loin at some point.



J.J.'s Chicken Rub

• ½ cup brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon fresh course ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Chipotle seasoning – I used the one you get from Pampered Chef

Rub on chicken at least 4 hours before grilling/cooking

.

One potato, two potato, three potato, four! Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more!

What is cooking in this fat kids kitchen? Tons of interesting things. I have been entertaining the last couple of weekends and twice baked/loaded mashed potatoes has been on the menu.

 

 

J.J.'s Twice Baked Potatoes

 

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes, about a pound each
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar/Gouda cheese
• 4 strips bacon
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion or chives

1 Bake the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the potatoes clean under running water. Poke each potato in several places with the tines of a fork so that when the potatoes are cooking they don't explode. Rub the potatoes all over with a little olive oil. Place directly on the middle or top rack of the oven. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. They should give a little when pressed.

 

If short on time you can bake the potatoes in the microwave, 10 minutes on high heat for 2 potatoes, 15 minutes for 4 potatoes. The skins of microwave baked potatoes aren't nearly as crispy, so you may want to rub a little olive oil on them and finish them in a conventional oven at 400°F for 10 minutes.

 

2 While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.

 

3 Allow the potatoes to cool to touch. Slice the top third lengthwise off the potato. Use a spoon to scoop out the insides, forming a potato "canoe", leaving about 1/4 inch of potato on the skin.

 

Alternatively you can slice the potatoes in half, lengthwise. In this case you may want to bake an extra potato so that you will have more potato filling to mound into the potato boats.

 

4 Place the scooped out potato insides, sour cream, milk, cream, and butter into a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher. If you want a creamy texture, beat with an electric beater until desired consistency. Note, do not over-beat potatoes, they can turn glue-y.

 

5 Mix in the extras with the potatoes. Reserve some of the extras to sprinkle on the tops of the potatoes. Spoon fillings into the potato shells. Sprinkle with extra toppings.

 

6 Heat oven to 350°F. Place potatoes on a pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.

 

 

Amish Potato Salad

• • 2 lb Potatoes
  • 1-1/2 cup Mayonnaise 
  • 1 tbsp Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Mustard
  • 2 med Celery stalks
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Pepper
  • 1 Onion
  • 4 Eggs, hard cooked

  
  

   

  
  

  Prepare and boil potatoes, cool slightly, cut into cubes. Mix  mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in four quart glass bowl. Add potatoes, celery and onion. Toss. Stir in eggs, cover and refrigerate for at least four hours. Makes about 10 servings

 

 

 

Hash Brown Casserole

 

Ingredients

• 1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion  
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken/mushroom soup
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray one 9x13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

 

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, onions, soup and cheese. Gently mix and pour into prepared pan or dish. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.

 

Ladies and Gentleman, light your grills!

Here it is almost the end of May and I haven't written...shame on J.J. I have had multiple things going on and not to mention injuries. It may have not been mentioned before, but J.J. is a klutz.

 

Here in the U.S., this weekend is Memorial Day. It is supposed to be a weekend to reflect on those soldiers who gave everything so us Americans can enjoy the freedoms that the majority of us take for granted. It is now mostly known as the official kick off season to the summer and grilling season...I will get to the grilling and cooking part here in a second kids, but I wan to give you a little history on Memorial Day and say: Thank You to all those soldiers living and no longer with us, who fight for the freedom of this great country. They enable me the freedom to produce this blog and you to read it. So as you are spending time with friends and family this holiday weekend...take a moment to remember why you are able to celebrate and break bread.

 

Memorial Day*, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.

 

Memorial Day* was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee. Since the late 50's on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

J.J.'s Grilling Tips

• While you're waiting for the coals to ash, scrub the grill grate. That caked-on gunk from last Labor Day doesn't "add flavor" like some folks say. It's just gross, and it adds funky flavor. You're better than that.
• Scrub the grate with a wire brush or even some balled-up heavy duty aluminum foil and once the goo is gone, slather it with some cooking oil so food won't stick.
• If you feel like getting a bit fancy, throw in a few sprigs of water-soaked rosemary or a handful of mesquite or hickory chips that have been soaking in beer. This adds an irresistible smoky scent and bang-up flavor to just about any food - even tofu. 
• The grate should be screaming hot when the meat hits it.  A closed lid will also aid in cooking your burgers and steaks quickly and more thoroughly once they're in. To gauge the heat of a fire, hold your hand about four inches above the grill grate and start counting: "One Mississippi, two Mississippi." Over a hot fire, you'll get to two or three Mississippi before you're forced to move your hand; over a medium-high fire, four to five Mississippi; over a medium-low fire, eight to ten Mississippi.

 

Burgers

• Don't skimp on fat. yes, you're trying to eat healthily, and we applaud that, but we've never met a 90 percent lean burger that's not painfully dry. Opt for 80 percent or even 70 percent and just skip the extra slice of cheese.
• Don't handle the meat too much. Form it into loosely packed patties that are slightly lower in the middle than on the sides. The dimple will even out as the meat cooks.
• For the love of all that is holy, don't mash down with a spatula while the patties are cooking. Yes, it's big, manly fun to hear the tsssssssss sound as the juice hits the coals, but that's flavor you're wasting.
• Don't fuss with the patties while they're cooking. Cook on one side, flip once and cook the other. That's it!

 

 

Steaks

 

• Most of the burger tips apply to steak as well - grill screaming hot, don't move it around too much, just the one flip, don't skimp on fat.
• I will, however, make an exception for grill marks. Halfway through cooking a side, lift the steak and rotate it 45 degrees for a killer, professional-looking crosshatch.
• Blot the meat with a paper towel before you season and cook it. Wet spots just steam the meat and you're cheating yourself out of delicious char.
• Speaking of seasoning, kosher salt, fresh-ground pepper and olive oil all are you really need. It's great to get fancy with marinades, but it's STEAK. Just enhance the glorious flavor of it, and you'll be good to go. 
• Once you take the steak from the grill, let it rest on a board for about 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute. It'll be uniformly delicious and cut like butter.

 

 

Hot Dog Styles

 

• New York - Nothing fancy here. A hot dog sold from the typical sidewalk cart is adorned with little more than brown mustard and onions stewed in tomato paste.
• Kansas City - At Kauffman Stadium (home of the Kansas City Royals), this hot dog, an ode to the Reuben sandwich, comes topped with melted Swiss cheese and sauerkraut and is tucked into a sesame-seed bun.
• Atlanta - At the Varsity’s famous drive-through, Atlantans order their hot dogs “dragged through the garden”―in other words, slipped into a top-sliced bun and blanketed with coleslaw.  
• Chicago - Residents of the Windy City like their hot dogs dressed to thrill: Yellow mustard, relish, chopped onion, tomato slices, sport peppers (spicy pickled green peppers), a pickle spear, and a dash of celery salt sit atop a frank nestled in a poppy-seed bun.
• Detroit - Called a Coney Island, after the place where hot dogs were first popular-ized, this Michigan frank is served smothered in all-beef chili, raw white onion, yellow mustard, and shredded Cheddar.

 

 

Happy Grilling!

 

 

*Taken from www.usmemorialday.org

 

Strawberry Shortcake goes Hawaiian!

I have been experimenting with left overs. I did a take on something I had at a Pampered Chef party ages ago on Monday...it was the consultants recipe I believe as I can't find it anywhere. I have also decided that my grill pan makes the absolutely best grilled cheese...long time readers will know I love any excuse to use my grill pan. I digress...anyway Monday around lunch time J.J.'s Hawaiian Grilled Cheese was born.




J.J.'s Hawaiian Grilled Cheese

• Sliced Ham
• Sliced Swiss – I used Jarlsberg because that stuff rocks!

• 2 Pineapple rings
• Dijon or a spicy Mustard of your liking
• 2 Sliced of your favorite bread
• Butter

Prepare the bread as if making a grilled cheese...place one slice, butter side down in piping hot skillet, grill pan, or panini press. Layer cheese, pineapple, and ham. Before adding the second slice of bread, add as little or as much mustard as you like to the unbuttered side. Cook until golden and crispy on both sides.

Serves One

I have also been playing around with strawberries. I don't know where my roommate gets them but they are huge suckers. They have good flavor. The thing is...after all these years strawberry shortcake gets boring. I had to make it a bit more exciting. I have been playing with it all spring. I gave it a bit of a kick that I am willing to share with my adoring public! I have added 3 tablespoons of dark, spiced rum to the strawberries and sugar. It gives a delicious underlying taste you just can't quite put your finger on.

Easter Feast for and Army of Two

Easter has come and gone, but my recipes will carry on! This was the first time I have ever cooked an Easter dinner entirely by myself. I was very impressed with myself...It turned out to be a stellar meal and I thought I would share some of the recipes I used and the photos of the food!

The Menu

• Ham
• Deviled Eggs
• Smashed Potaotes/Gravy
• Cole Slaw
• Pickled Beets
• Green Beans
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 9 slices pineapple in juice (from 14-oz can), drained
• 9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• Pecan halves
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg

 

Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.

 

In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

 

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.

J.J.'s Slaw Dressing

• ¼ c. mayonnaise
• ¼ c. salad dressing
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 1 to 2 tbsp. sugar

 

Mix all ingredients and use for your cole slaw. Best if mixed the night before for full flavor. Enough dressing for 1 pound of cole slaw.

Mom's Pickled Beets

• 2 c. drained, sliced or whole beets, reserve 1/3 c. liquid
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. reserved beet liquid
• 1/3 c. vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp whole cloves

 

In medium saucepan, combine sugar, liquid and vinegar. Cook until mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cool and poor over beets packed in jar. Add cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or over night before serving.