Bacon IS a trail snack.

I often wonder what happened to the man who MADE the Food Network what it is today?  In the late 1990's early 2000's you couldn't get away from "BAM!" or being told to "Kick It Up A Notch!"   He was everywhere and to that I say bravo to his marketing and branding team... they did an amazing job.   In 2007, the Food Network said good-bye to Emeril...dropped him like a hot potato actually. Sad I thought, since he nearly single handedly launched the little cable network and made it what it is today. I have to thank Emeril for re-igniting my interest in food... food as a celebration!  I watched his show religiously, writing down the recipes, trying them out and, I'm not embarrassed at all to tell you I was failing miserably.  That was until I started to read, and I mean REALLY READ cookbooks.  Of course I had all of Emeril's cookbooks;          I hig...

What is it that makes a sandwich so popular?  Where did the sandwich originate from?  And really, who DOESN'T LOVE a sandwich?   Everyone has a favorite sandwich.  I have two that are tied for my "go to"... one is a Toasted Western Sandwich (I've yet to find this on any American menu's as I believe it's a Canadian creation) and two, is my infamous "11PM on Thanksgiving night turkey on focaccia sandwich"...it's more than a sandwich at this point... it's practically a religion. But before we talk about how to make those, let's first, let's go back and find the origin of the "sandwich"...  Once upon a time, the 4th Earl of Sandwich was on an all night gambling binge and requested something to eat from his cook. This meal required no utensils and could be eaten with one hand, leaving the other free to continue the game. It was sliced meat between two pieces of toast.  Sadly, the name of real inventor of the s...

My heart truly breaks for those lovers of the culinary arts who have never experienced REAL vanilla beans, fresh from Madagascar. Lucky for me, I have a "source"!  The well-read, well-traveled, humanitarian Laura Sweet was kind enough to bestow upon me a few of these wonders of the culinary world.  Wasting no time at all, I scraped the beans, scalded the cream and immediately made Creme Brulee.                                                                                                                Wouldn't you? Now of course, not to be a horrific food snob, you can always use liquid vanilla but make sure it's PURE VANILLA, not the "artificial Vanilla extrac...