Welcome to the AppalachianTrailCafe.net!
Take a moment and register and then join the conversation

Ask a Chef

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • Astro wrote:

      I remember going to work for with my dad when i was young and working for free. He was a general contractor and told me learning how to work was worth more than any money he could pay me.
      I was just glad to be working for him instead of with my mother who grew up on a truck farm after the depression. Believe me she worked and expected a lot more than what you do on the typical construction job. :)
      I've worked for a few companies that hold to that same philosophy.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      The Chevelle was an awesome muscle car.
      I rode in a Chevette once - no muscle, and not awesome.
      I got a hold of a diesel powered Chevette once. The engine blew in the first few miles I drove. Received a ticket for the created oil spill.

      But we pulled the engine and dropped a V-6 with a power glide trans and created a high 12 second at the local 1/4 track. Of course the required 'street testing' was memorable.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • Hi Rasty...... Well here is an interesting story... I got reproached by a good life long friend who is a chef at a prominent hospital that I go to in a pinch... He purchased the same Propane Broiler that I own in the back yard we discussed a few days ago... wanting to know what he can do quickly after preheating from me... whoops. I do detailed work that is time consuming that should not be done in a "restaurant situation" Family BBQ meals that are quick and possibly pre-prepared is the norm - yea we both know that.

      My first idea is a Polpette or Italian meatball that starts with a center of small cut up block cheese - Fontina Cheese and a combination of Turkey meat mixed with Pesto and a topping of shredded Parmesan. Italian bread crumbs and savory spice are the foundation are the glue to hold the meat balls together. I would serve 3 on a skewer on a large ramkin or mini plate and then add a savory on the side.

      Now I need a meat for a second pit such as a quick app. Must be quick and easy and as usual few ingredients. My freind is working in a kitchen without an Ansul hood- so there isn't any fried foods. What he is doing is outside on a propane Grill.

      Any help would be appreciated.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • What's the best recipe you guys have for a squirrel dish, we're having a campout this week end and I thought it'd be a good opportunity to use the 7 squirrels I have in the freezer, I saw a youtube using a crock pot and cooking the squirrel with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery and using chicken stock, they thickened at the end with flour to make a gravy...thought I might try it...I figure after enough to drink the folks will eat it, the venison stew we did last time was a real hit.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Drybones wrote:

      What's the best recipe you guys have for a squirrel dish, we're having a campout this week end and I thought it'd be a good opportunity to use the 7 squirrels I have in the freezer, I saw a youtube using a crock pot and cooking the squirrel with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery and using chicken stock, they thickened at the end with flour to make a gravy...thought I might try it...I figure after enough to drink the folks will eat it, the venison stew we did last time was a real hit.
      I've used a similar recipe for squirrel, though I did add a drinkable red wine, garlic, and chopped parsnips A fellow hiker uses a splash or two of bourbon in her stew. Though at times I think she breaks out the bourbon as an excuse to to have a shot or two while cooking.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • squirrel is awesome. It tastes like squirrel....My mamma was one of the best squirrel cookers in the world...When I was about 13 I used to take my 22 rifle to the local oak woods. No one thought twice about a kid toting a rifle down the road. I would bring home 3-5 squirrels about twice a week. Meat was expensive when I was a kid. I only got one piece of chicken or one skinny pork chop for supper. never seconds on store bought meat. Squirrel was all you could eat. I was a growing boy and loved squirrel feasts.....
      bacon can solve most any problem.

    • Can you imagine the reaction to a kid walking down the road with a rifle today? Frantic phone calls to 911, then SWAT and 11 1/2 federal alphabet agencies pouncing the little bugger and the parents being hauled off to Gitmo or some lesser known place.
      Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. - Robert E. Lee

    • Grinder wrote:

      Can you imagine the reaction to a kid walking down the road with a rifle today? Frantic phone calls to 911, then SWAT and 11 1/2 federal alphabet agencies pouncing the little bugger and the parents being hauled off to Gitmo or some lesser known place.
      I know an adult that had this sort of problem.
      He was deer hunting on some state land where it is allowed and had all the proper licenses and permits.
      He had spent hours walking in one direction and wanted to get back to his car the quickest way so he decided to walk the shoulder of a nearby road. Anticipating people's concerns he emptied his rifle of any ammunition, slung it over his shoulder and started back to his car. The road he walked gets a fair amount of traffic so plenty of people must have seen him and called the police. He was stopped twice by the police, explained to them what he was doing and had his rifle "inspected " by one of them. He also had the police drive past him numerous times while he was walking.

    • Dan76 wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      What's the best recipe you guys have for a squirrel dish, we're having a campout this week end and I thought it'd be a good opportunity to use the 7 squirrels I have in the freezer, I saw a youtube using a crock pot and cooking the squirrel with onions, carrots, potatoes, celery and using chicken stock, they thickened at the end with flour to make a gravy...thought I might try it...I figure after enough to drink the folks will eat it, the venison stew we did last time was a real hit.
      I've used a similar recipe for squirrel, though I did add a drinkable red wine, garlic, and chopped parsnips A fellow hiker uses a splash or two of bourbon in her stew. Though at times I think she breaks out the bourbon as an excuse to to have a shot or two while cooking.
      I never cook without bourbon...and jalapenos...I'll also put mushrooms and spices in it, no telling what else, I'll thicken it up at the end with flour to make gravy to go over the baked potatoes one of the gals is making, after a day of festivities and beer anything will taste good.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Grinder wrote:

      Can you imagine the reaction to a kid walking down the road with a rifle today? Frantic phone calls to 911, then SWAT and 11 1/2 federal alphabet agencies pouncing the little bugger and the parents being hauled off to Gitmo or some lesser known place.
      I grew up with two other friends spending our Summer's pippin' around with our BB guns...it was the Wild West, and nobody said boo. You'd be snatched up real quick today, least around here.

    • mental note wrote:

      Grinder wrote:

      Can you imagine the reaction to a kid walking down the road with a rifle today? Frantic phone calls to 911, then SWAT and 11 1/2 federal alphabet agencies pouncing the little bugger and the parents being hauled off to Gitmo or some lesser known place.
      I grew up with two other friends spending our Summer's pippin' around with our BB guns...it was the Wild West, and nobody said boo. You'd be snatched up real quick today, least around here.
      We had wars with BB guns, can't believe no one lost an eye, thought I'd blinded a kid one day when we were having a sling shot war and I hit him in the eye with a china berry...kid flopped around like a fish but lived to tell the tell, we had wars with dirt clods when the fields got plowed in the spring, bow and arrow, corn cobs...if it could be shot or thrown we had a war with it.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Drybones wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      Grinder wrote:

      Can you imagine the reaction to a kid walking down the road with a rifle today? Frantic phone calls to 911, then SWAT and 11 1/2 federal alphabet agencies pouncing the little bugger and the parents being hauled off to Gitmo or some lesser known place.
      I grew up with two other friends spending our Summer's pippin' around with our BB guns...it was the Wild West, and nobody said boo. You'd be snatched up real quick today, least around here.
      We had wars with BB guns, can't believe no one lost an eye, thought I'd blinded a kid one day when we were having a sling shot war and I hit him in the eye with a china berry...kid flopped around like a fish but lived to tell the tell, we had wars with dirt clods when the fields got plowed in the spring, bow and arrow, corn cobs...if it could be shot or thrown we had a war with it.
      dude, same thing. We had a rule you could only put one pump in cause one of the kids had a daisy spring shot lever action. Well one day I was pinned down by these two fellas and they ran up the trail past me and blasted point blank as they went by, which you also weren't allowed to do, I stood up, jacked my daisy powermaster about 12 times real quick, took aim through my overly powerful scope...and shot that boy in the ass! He bent over like a high school cheerleader doin' a back bend...and acussed me a cheatin' the guys still in my town and to this day the guys a dick! :D

    • Grinder wrote:

      Can you imagine the reaction to a kid walking down the road with a rifle today? Frantic phone calls to 911, then SWAT and 11 1/2 federal alphabet agencies pouncing the little bugger and the parents being hauled off to Gitmo or some lesser known place.
      I lament to folks all the time. I lived 1.5 miles down the main road to both sides of town, from the local rifle range. We had 4 scout troops back in them olden days. Ours had a group who were members of the local Junior NRA rifle team. Summer time, week day, parents at work......throw my 22 over my shoulder, walk down the road, traffic buzzing by. Get to the range, shoot a few hundred rounds.....walk back home. No PD, no swat, no wounded friends or shot out street lights.

    • Bodyman wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      Anyone ever get shot in the finger, phiggin' hurts!
      No, but my brother stuck my sister in the neck with a dart
      brings back memories. i once threw a dart at my baby brother who was running across the yard, never ever thinking it would hit him. sure enough, hit him right in the neck. sure enough, my grandpa beat the crap out of me. twice, once for the dart and once cuz he was still pissed. my brother to this day tells people i tried to kill him when i was 10.

    • chief wrote:

      Bodyman wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      Anyone ever get shot in the finger, phiggin' hurts!
      No, but my brother stuck my sister in the neck with a dart
      brings back memories. i once threw a dart at my baby brother who was running across the yard, never ever thinking it would hit him. sure enough, hit him right in the neck. sure enough, my grandpa beat the crap out of me. twice, once for the dart and once cuz he was still pissed. my brother to this day tells people i tried to kill him when i was 10.
      who's brite idea was it to invent yard darts...and bring em to a picnic for the kids to play with while the grown-ups drink kegg bear. Geez even I could see that one comin'
      But then we use ta all stand in a circle of about 70 feet diameter and shoot arrows up in the air...if ya moved you were out. I can't believe I made it to 18, with all the stupid Shyte we use to pull, I drew the line at jump in' off the roof, though I did skin up a guy wire about 15 feet then let go...bad idea, two sprained ackles, I blame that one on genny creamers, or was it Dickle Arcker...hmm.

    • One of the things we used to do was use garbage can covers as shields and throw little green crab apples at each other. If ya got hit the apples caused quite a welt.

      Or how bout this, pin a long sleeve shirt to a pair of pants and then stuff it full of newspaper to fill it out. Then throw the "dummy" right in front of an on coming train and watch what happens when the engineer slams on the brakes, thinking it was a person.

    • mental note wrote:

      chief wrote:

      Bodyman wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      Anyone ever get shot in the finger, phiggin' hurts!
      No, but my brother stuck my sister in the neck with a dart
      brings back memories. i once threw a dart at my baby brother who was running across the yard, never ever thinking it would hit him. sure enough, hit him right in the neck. sure enough, my grandpa beat the crap out of me. twice, once for the dart and once cuz he was still pissed. my brother to this day tells people i tried to kill him when i was 10.
      who's brite idea was it to invent yard darts...and bring em to a picnic for the kids to play with while the grown-ups drink kegg bear. Geez even I could see that one comin'But then we use ta all stand in a circle of about 70 feet diameter and shoot arrows up in the air...if ya moved you were out. I can't believe I made it to 18, with all the stupid Shyte we use to pull, I drew the line at jump in' off the roof, though I did skin up a guy wire about 15 feet then let go...bad idea, two sprained ackles, I blame that one on genny creamers, or was it Dickle Arcker...hmm.
      I got hit in the head with a lawn dart. Not only was the thing way short & 30 degrees off target it was wobbly. Ishould have just ran in first direction. I kept looking at it thinking doge left, no right, no left. I got a nice gash on the side of my head. After dad shaved it he decide no stiches were needed. I did go thru rest of summer with half a mohawk haircut! :)

    • Mountain-Mike wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      chief wrote:

      Bodyman wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      Anyone ever get shot in the finger, phiggin' hurts!
      No, but my brother stuck my sister in the neck with a dart
      brings back memories. i once threw a dart at my baby brother who was running across the yard, never ever thinking it would hit him. sure enough, hit him right in the neck. sure enough, my grandpa beat the crap out of me. twice, once for the dart and once cuz he was still pissed. my brother to this day tells people i tried to kill him when i was 10.
      who's brite idea was it to invent yard darts...and bring em to a picnic for the kids to play with while the grown-ups drink kegg bear. Geez even I could see that one comin'But then we use ta all stand in a circle of about 70 feet diameter and shoot arrows up in the air...if ya moved you were out. I can't believe I made it to 18, with all the stupid Shyte we use to pull, I drew the line at jump in' off the roof, though I did skin up a guy wire about 15 feet then let go...bad idea, two sprained ackles, I blame that one on genny creamers, or was it Dickle Arcker...hmm.
      I got hit in the head with a lawn dart. Not only was the thing way short & 30 degrees off target it was wobbly. Ishould have just ran in first direction. I kept looking at it thinking doge left, no right, no left. I got a nice gash on the side of my head. After dad shaved it he decide no stiches were needed. I did go thru rest of summer with half a mohawk haircut! :)
      man you earned that one, hope the girls at least dug the scar and it was a meatloaf summer.

    • LIhikers wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      It hit a small plane with a marble shot from a sling shot once, and he wasn't flying low, scared the crap out of me...I can only imaging what it did for the pilot.
      I had a friend that used to fire model rockets at small airplanes. I don't think he ever had a hit but came close enough to make planes abruptly change course.
      Things have changed, kids are using laser guided rockets now.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Mountain-Mike wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      chief wrote:

      Bodyman wrote:

      mental note wrote:

      Anyone ever get shot in the finger, phiggin' hurts!
      No, but my brother stuck my sister in the neck with a dart
      brings back memories. i once threw a dart at my baby brother who was running across the yard, never ever thinking it would hit him. sure enough, hit him right in the neck. sure enough, my grandpa beat the crap out of me. twice, once for the dart and once cuz he was still pissed. my brother to this day tells people i tried to kill him when i was 10.
      who's brite idea was it to invent yard darts...and bring em to a picnic for the kids to play with while the grown-ups drink kegg bear. Geez even I could see that one comin'But then we use ta all stand in a circle of about 70 feet diameter and shoot arrows up in the air...if ya moved you were out. I can't believe I made it to 18, with all the stupid Shyte we use to pull, I drew the line at jump in' off the roof, though I did skin up a guy wire about 15 feet then let go...bad idea, two sprained ackles, I blame that one on genny creamers, or was it Dickle Arcker...hmm.
      I got hit in the head with a lawn dart. Not only was the thing way short & 30 degrees off target it was wobbly. Ishould have just ran in first direction. I kept looking at it thinking doge left, no right, no left. I got a nice gash on the side of my head. After dad shaved it he decide no stiches were needed. I did go thru rest of summer with half a mohawk haircut! :)
      Now you know how a deer feels crossing a highway.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • LIhikers wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      It hit a small plane with a marble shot from a sling shot once, and he wasn't flying low, scared the crap out of me...I can only imaging what it did for the pilot.
      I had a friend that used to fire model rockets at small airplanes. I don't think he ever had a hit but came close enough to make planes abruptly change course.
      In college we used to make rockets by sticking an estes rocket engine in a hi lighter and put fins on it made from notebook covers, tape a piece of drinking straw on the side for a launch guide and use a straightened coat hanger for a launch tower. We'd fire rockets off our 3rd floor apartment balcony at the cows in a field about a 1/4 mile away. Our neighbors thought we were crazy, maybe we were, but damn it was fun watching the cows scatter.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference