Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Boating the San Juan Islands

Last month, I got to switch coasts from my last trip in PEI, Canada to the far west coast - braving the rich waters of The San Juan Islands in Washington state.  It was an incredible trip - made better by meeting new friends, plenty of characters, and of course cooking and eating great food.  If you've never been - I highly suggest going.  But to do it right, you need to get on a boat.  Perusing each island on your own schedule, charting your own course - and destiny - is the way this beautiful paradise is meant to be discovered.

The San Juan Islands are an archipelago chain just off the mainland, about a 90 minute drive from Seattle, accessible by ferry, plane, and personal/chartered water crafts.

Each and every island posses its own character - from wild life sanctuaries to islander townies to quaint villages boasting an array of lively restaurants and bars.

You can check out Discover Boating's page for a full guide to The San Juan Islands on your next visit.  Better yet?  They've got you covered on some of the most unique travel/boating destinations in the country!

Getting down to food - you can check out my recipes, some of which are pictured below, in a recent feature from my trip over at The Art of Manliness.  There's a wealth of info in the article, including where to stay, where to go, how to get there - by boat - and also the proper way to filet a big ole king salmon.  Tip - you've got to catch one to filet it!

Anyways, here are some of the pictures and highlights from the trip.  Unbelievable to think I took all these pictures, and I'm in NONE of them!  The joys of being behind the camera I suppose.

Oh well . . . there's always next time.

Cheers!

MM

An Orca and pup in the distance

America - Sunset view from the boat.

My Pal Kirk landing a Pinkie

Choose your own adventure - Ferry vs. Seaplane.  

Dockside Dining

Seattle Sailing Series

Simply Seared Sockeye Salmon

Public Market - Seattle

Dungeness Crab Pasta Salad
Oysters on the Half Shell

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Does this make you hungry?


For me it sure does!  Only a few more days till you get this recipe and more from my post about my trip to the San Juan Islands.  Check out The Art of Manliness on Sept 19th to get all the details!

MM

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Slow Roasted Pork-Shoulder

I was fortunate to spend the recent holiday weekend at my lakehouse in GA with family.  To my surprise, Dad has become quite the grilling enthusiast with the recent purchase of his Big Green Egg smoker.  Seriously, who knew!  I think momma is enjoying her 'break' from the kitchen.

For those who've never used a Big Green Egg, or any smoker for that matter - it's definitely worth your while.  But - they can be quite expensive. 

You know me.  I don't require fancy equipment or expensive ingredients to be a part of my culinary routine.  I believe everyone should be able to cook good food at a reasonable expense.

So here's my recipe makeover.  Don't have a smoker?  Use your grill.  No grill?  Dig a hole in the ground, or use a Clay pot (not kidding).  Too lazy?  Use your oven.

I really don't care about your source of heat, rather I am concerned with maintaining a constant 225 degrees for 5 - 6 hours.  This can be accomplished using minimal amounts of charcoal or gas via indirect cooking - in any device really - or inside an oven, or even in a dutch oven over the stove-top.

See, now that we've got that settled, let's move on to the specifics.

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder - this recipe is for the purist.  If you want to make a dry rub, or herb rub, simply improvise. 


1 4 lb Pork Shoulder (Boston Butt)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Prepare your heat source (grill, oven, dutch oven, etc) to cook and maintain a covered temperature of 225 degrees F.  Prep the pork shoulder by drizzling with olive oil and seasoning very liberally with salt and pepper.  Cook pork shoulder, using covered indirect heat for approximately 5 hours at 225 degrees F - a thermometer stuck into the thickest part (next to bone) should read 165 degrees F.  Remove from heat and wrap in foil for 30 minutes.  To 'pull' the pork, use two forks in an opposing direction to shred and pull apart the meat.  Serve with soft rolls and BBQ sauce. 

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Vents Magazine

Whew - what a whirlwind the past few weeks have been!  Working on some exciting updates, so check back soon!

In the meantime, I wanted to share a recent interview I did with Vents Magazine from my time up in Canada.  You can check out the full issue here.