I think this is the funniest thing I've read online.

I was searching for some vodka infusion techniques. I am in college after all. I came up with some good ones that I will post once I give them a try, but I came across these two sites. I laughed my ass off. No skipping lines! Read the whole thing!
Weenie-tini
Pork fat rules?

Panini with Chocolate and Brie

I need to credit food network, my mom, and the lovely Giada de Laurentiis for this one. Not only can Giada cook, but she is absolutely gorgeous! If I had to pick one chef to be in a foxhole with it would be a tossup between her and Alton Brown.

A few nights ago my mom tells me about this panini Giada is making. Brie, semisweet chocolate chips, and basil (not sweet basil but it may be worth trying). I love all of those things, but together?!? I was skeptical. Brie is great, one of my favorite cheeses, but not so easy on a college budget, especially if its for a more experimental purpose. Luckily, there was a ton left over from a reception I was working after a concert. There was snow and a lot of cancellations, hence lots of cheese left over for us scavengers in the houses close to the PAC. I grabbed some and stashed it in my fridge until I got some good bread and fresh basil.

The recipe (Panini) calls for a panini grill but I don't have such appliance in my kitchen. Instead I used a heavy skillet under medium high heat and applied pressure with a pot filled with cereal bowls. Necessity is the mother of invention. I didn't get grill marks but the bread did brown nicely and everything was all squished together.

The verdict: WOW! Unique taste. Just when you thought brie and chocolate were rich and creamy enough, putting them together gave such a velvety texture. The crunchy bread was a nice contrast. Definitely a repeat. I would use a little less chocolate chips. I never saw Giada make them so perhaps I couldn't eyeball it properly. I figure for each ounce of cheese, use 3 or 4 chocolate chips. I think there was a little too much chocolate for some more subtle and complex flavors to come through. It definitely masked the basil, but here and there through the panini where there was less chocolate per bite, there was a really nice balance. Could try it next with sweet basil as well.
Wish I had my own pictures for this one. Damn camera.

Let the Games Begin

I really wish I had started this earlier...
I've been wanting to journal my food adventures for some time now, just because I love it so much. It doesn't make any sense to go back the past year and recount what I've done over the past year or so when I started to get serious about food, so I'll start from scratch. Whenever I make/read/eat something of interest, I'll post it here. My camera is broken but once I get a new one expect pictures as well.
I grew up around food and cooking. My Dad owned a plain and simple Italian Steakhouse and everyone I was related to cooked. We are a big Italian family. I guess it spread to me through osmosis. I can proudly say my first solid food after the bottle was one of my Grandma's meatballs. I messed around with cooking and loved doing it, watched the food network, and made some very nice things for a kid my age, but it was really more playing than anything else. Over the past two years I'd say, I got more serious about food and cooking. I started appreciating and creating, rather than just messing around. Currently, I am in an off campus house and have my own kitchen. That gives me two benefits: lots of hungry college friends to try your stuff, and freedom to cook whenever and whatever I want. Plus if the stovetop isnt immaculate I don't need to worry about Mom ripping me a new one. It's a good situation. So while most college kids survive on pizza, peanut butter, and beer, I'll be impulsively putting something crazy together with brie...which leads me to...