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12 February, 2016

Meat & Potatoes and Guys & Dolls

Meat & Potatoes and Guys & Dolls
Posted in : Restaurant Reviews, Uncategorized on by : johnyrocko
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All cards on the table, I had my annual physical today. Things are pretty good. My cholesterol is a little high but I don’t have to go on medication. I do have to get my diet under control, lose a pound or twenty and cut back on the whisky. But the reason I mention this
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26 November, 2015

Thanksgiving

Posted in : Uncategorized on by : johnyrocko

  Some musings about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has always been very special for me. It’s the time where Mom and I work together to make the best meal we can for our family and loved ones. I started helping Mom with the Thanksgiving dinner when I was about 10. Brad used to help sometimes but he
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25 October, 2015

Big Pancake: Simple and Delicious Sunday Brunch.

Big Pancake: Simple and Delicious Sunday Brunch.
Comments : 3 Posted in : Recipes, Technique on by : johnyrocko
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  Sunday Brunch. Is there anything better? Gastronomically speaking, not much. Where else do you get to combine the best of two separate meals, with a flexible start time, and maybe a Bloody Mary or two? Throw in a New York Times and some carefully selected music and you have Sunday, the right way. One
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19 August, 2015

Behind The Blue Apron

Behind The Blue Apron
Comments : 2 Posted in : Product Reviews on by : johnyrocko
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In the culinary world, student and apprentice chefs traditionally wear a blue apron to distinguish them from the instructors in white. Hip American restaurants like French Laundry have all their chefs wear blue aprons, to symbolize a desire to keep learning everyday. When you subscribe to Blue Apron, the largest fresh ingredient and recipe delivery
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2 August, 2015

The Best Way to Make Corn on the Cob. Ever!

The Best Way to Make Corn on the Cob. Ever!
Comments : 1 Posted in : Recipes, Technique on by : johnyrocko
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My Mom and I love corn on the cob, especially when it’s incredibly fresh and cooked right. We got our corn early this morning at the East Liberty Farmers’ Market (next to the Home Depot), one of the oldest Farmers’ Markets in Pittsburgh and the corn was about as fresh as you can get other than
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17 July, 2015

PICCOLO FORNO and GRAPPERIA Bar Classico

PICCOLO FORNO and GRAPPERIA Bar Classico
Posted in : Restaurant Reviews on by : johnyrocko
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  My first trip to Italy was in 1996. It was a small little town called Trevi and it looked like a fairy tale village perched on a mountaintop. There was only one restaurant where we pretty much ate every night. The mother worked in the kitchen, the father worked the register and the bar,
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16 July, 2015

Welcome!

Comments : 1 Posted in : Uncategorized on by : johnyrocko

Here’s the story… I was a very picky eater as a child. I hated mushrooms. I refused onions. Nary a vegetable I liked, much less enjoyed. But Mom’s cooking and her intense love of all kinds of food, from Fine Cuisine to Comfort Food Favorites, slowly began to expand my palate. My Dad, rest his
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