I sort of feel like it’s slightly too early to do full-on fall flavors, but when the chill is in the air, and your friends are asking, you have to give in to certain demands. I mashed this squash with potatoes to give it the starchy mash potato texture with a subtle squashy taste. I mixed in a whole bunch of stuff we had around, and it was a big hit! It was served with some marinaded steak tips.

This was one of those things that I saw on a menu somewhere and just had to make it right away. It was awesome and all, BUT I made this cheesesteak dip about a year back that was cramazing, and it would have been better to just serve that smothered all over the fries. After all, when I think cheesesteak fries, I kind of think gooey cheese fries with steak on them. I’m posting these pics anyways because this way is easier than making the cheesesteak dip, and was still really tasty, in fact my friends finished it in about 3 and a half minutes.

I have wanted to make hot dogs pretty much forever, so I made sure to finally check that off my list when I had access to the sausage stuffer. These hot dogs came out soo good! Next year, I want to make a huge batch of these at the beginning of spring, freeze them, and use them all summer! As awesome as they were, I would change a few things for next time. They definitely weren’t dry, but they also weren’t juicy, next time I would up the fat content. Secondly, the chipotle maple was subtle in these dogs and needed to be turned up a bit. Despite these shortcomings, they tasted great with an unmistakable beefy hot dog flavor and the natural casing had a perfect snap when you bit into it. Not bad for my first time!

Two of my good friends go to Hooters every sunday at the same time, and I am not invited. Apparently I might mess up the delicate balance they have with the waitresses. See, they think that the waitresses actually LIKE them and want to hang out after work. What the waitresses actually like are the enormous tips they leave at the end of the 3 to 4 hour sessions they have there on the weekly Sunday funday. SERIOUSLY JOHN AND SAL STOP IT! Notice that she canceled your date last week? (oh dip) Maybe I am just jealous though since they won’t let me come. If I DID go, what I would get is the fried pickles, cause they rule. Much different from your standard fried pickle, these are breaded, not battered, and cut into chips, not spears. I made them this past Sunday to drown my sorrows while my friends were enjoying themselves at Hooters again.

My friend Mark is moving from Manhattan to London in the near future, so a bunch of his friends down in NYC decided to throw him a surprise going away party. I went down for the weekend on the cheap bus to see him off and to cook a UK themed appetizer to help him assimilate to his new setting. Mark wasn’t surprised at all, but everyone still had a great time.

These burgers have been on my mind for awhile. I knew I wasn’t the first person to think of them, and a quick google search reaffirmed this theory. Even racheal ray has a version! Most use peanut butter, and mix the sauce throughout the patty. I like this method of smothering the cooked burger in the sauce because it amplifies the flavor, and keeps the burger juicy inside. It also allows the patty to get nicely browned, an important element in chicken satay. Check back Wednesday to see what we ate on the side.

Lemon on the chain with the V-Cuts. Lemon in the shade with my feet up. Lemon Pepper wings and a freeze cup. Lemon in their face watch ’em freeze up! Looking for lemon pepper wing recipes I realized that Wing Stop is known for them. Never heard of Wing Stop cause they aren’t really in New England. Also, a freeze cup is is just frozen kool-aid in the south, but I went with lemon italian ice. Refer to the bottom of this post if you have no idea what I’m talking about.