Going away parties are always bittersweet events. You go and have a great time, but in the morning you have fewer friends. Todd and Joy are heading home to Canada tomorrow and had a beach party last night to say goodbye. I decided to take some pics to post here for 4 reasons. First, nothing I have on the site is simple, so sometimes people think I can’t eat normal food. Like I have to spend 2 hours cooking dinner or I won’t enjoy it. I think no matter how immersed you are in the food world, if you cant eat a hot dog, you’ve crossed the line into snob territory. Second reason, Mandi loves s’mores. So do I, but not as much as her. Last summer every time we lit the grill she would have a s’more appetizer. In my opinion, it is the best desert flavor combo. Whenever I ever see a s’more dessert at a restaurant I have to try it (and I usually don’t get dessert). We even tried to make a s’more ice-cream cake once and bought a mini blowtorch for it but it didn’t turn out that good. The third reason for me posting these pics is to say goodbye to Todd and Joy. I have worked with Todd, and Mandi has worked with Joy, for over a year and they will be missed in the office, at the work events, and of course, at the parties and bars. The final reason for this post is I’m wicked behind on cooking since our return and I had nothing else to put up! Click below to see the rest of the pics.

Last weekend was the 7^th annual Mexican party hosted by Amy and Cheryl.  Mandi and I were lucky enough to go last year, and this year TFIMB was the corporate sponsor (without actually giving any money).  A great time was had by all and I took some pictures of the festivities.  There will be no recipes today except for one vague one for the pork that everyone requested.

Dan:  hey you think i could get the pork recipe for the post today?   im not going to put up any recipes except that one cause it was such a big hit.

Amy: There wasn't a recipe actually.  I put a Mexican dry rub on it that I bought at Target (Archer Farms).  In the bottom of the pots, I put a mixture of orange juice, lime juice, garlic and oregano.  Roasted at 425 for about a half hour to brown a bit, then took it down to 300 for about 5 hours.  Each Boston Butt was about 5-6 lbs.  Oh my god, I'm hungry!

Mandi always claims she hates burgers.  I think one of the reasons is that when I make them, they always end up huge and have no direction.  I put in whatever is in the fridge and they end up tasting more like meatloaf than cheeseburgers.  Now that grilling season has begun, I am trying to make more focused burgers and turn around Mandi’s opinion. My first attempt was a taco burger.  An obvious choice due to her love of tacos!

Ever go to a BYOF BBQ?  Ya know, when your friend says “Hey man, come by tonight, we’re gonna fire up the grill and you can bring some meats or whatever you want to throw on there."  When this happens what do you end up bringing?  I bet the answer is a burger or hot dog.  Now not that those things aren’t delicious but I think it is much more fun to bring something like this.  This particular day we weren’t going to one of those BBQ’s, we were going to the beach, but this is a great recipe for one of those situations.

I decided to grow some plants in my backyard.  I have always wanted to, and a combination of being an impulsive dude, the right time of year, a beautiful day, and reading this article (I’m reading his book at the moment) made me run out and get some containers and seedlings.  Suddenly I had a small garden.  Now I am by no means an expert on this, I’ve never done this before.   But I still wanted to post up some pictures because I think these plants are beautiful.  Also to show people who think they don’t have enough space and expertise that it is really not that hard.  Its not too late either!

We went to Amy’s for a Cuban dinner party this past weekend and it was a great time.  I have never had some of the ingredients and flavors she worked with and I was excited to try them all week.  Mandi went over and helped her take pictures and cook in the afternoon, then we all showed up around 7.  Amy will be writing the rest of the post, but I may leave a few comments in red.  Also the Recipes (as usual) are at the bottom of the post.

For the “about me” section of the website, I decided to have some of my friends interview me via email for the past couple days. This was hard for me because I don’t like writing about myself.  Anyways, here is the result.

Since Bermuda only has one fast food restaurant (kfc), which one is your first choice when visiting the states?  What is it that you missed?

Well, I love me a nice McDonalds cheeseburger, we usually get this first because it is usually on the way from the airport to wherever we are heading. But in reality what I miss most is taco bell and Qdoba.  We try and get taco bell 3 times on every trip to the states.  Other then that, I stay away from most fast food.  Trips to the US are basically eating frenzies for us because I miss all the food in the US.  Some restaurants here are really good, but only a handful, and as they get better they get crazy expensive.  The unlimited restaurant cornucopia we get when visiting the states is a bit too much for us to even handle.  I think I gained 8 pounds on my last trip.

Today is the coldest, windiest, dreariest day we have had here in Bermuda this winter.  Just when I was thinking the weather would turn and we would be at the beach in a few weeks, we get this crazy storm.  I had coffee today for the first time in months when I got in to work because the ride was so crazy.  Gigantic waves were crashing into the sea wall and splashing upon the road.  Gale force winds threatening to toss my bike like a child’s toy off of the asphalt and on to the rocks below. 

To further warm my body and mind, and remind me that spring IS coming here in Bermuda, I have decided to post some beach BBQ pictures from last year. Click below for the rest of the pics

I had a great time at the Bermuda gourmet getaway this past weekend. Mandi and I went to “Grillin & Chillin” on Saturday night and the Viking Village on Sunday afternoon to see the finals of the Escoffier cup. If you want my opinion on both of these events, and a few pictures, click below to continue reading. If you don’t, why are you here?

Last Friday, we had a few people over for a pizza party. We made 9 different pizza varieties and fun was had by all. In a month or so, I will be doing a real pizza post, detailing the cooking process, dough, and toppings. For now, I leave you with a few pictures of what the kids call “food porn” complete with the pizza upskirt.