joe eats

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One thing that I’ve learned about my wonderful wife in our last six years together is that she loves surprises, but she loves to ask about what the surprise might be nearly as much. So this time, whenever she would mention her upcoming birthday, I’d feign apathy – “I don’t know, we can do whatever you’d like.” As the day grew nearer, I told her that I wanted to do something special for her, but exactly what we’d do was still up in the air. I made sure she knew that heck, I might not even be able to get off from work. I never revealed that I had already thought out an entire scheme to really surprise her with something special. [ Read the full article ] »

I can’t tell you how awesome it is to come home tired from a long day of work and have a delicious meal waiting for you from your wonderful wife. Ok, I can tell you – it is really awesome! It was such a treat to have Marney cook a delectable and simple meal for me, and trust me, I hope this is a trend that continues. The combination of tomato, basil, and parmesan are classic and she presented it in a refined yet comforting way. Thank you Marney for being such a sweet and thoughtful wife, and for always knowing how to fill my love tank (read: stomach).

One of our goals in writing this blog is to introduce newbies to the joy of cooking. The first key is to not be afraid to fail or make mistakes. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is! Think about what flavors you like and what ingredients you want to cook and just go for it. I’ve messed up so many attempts at meals along the way to discovering new combinations and dishes that I really love. Some of my best home-cooked meals were ones that I just whipped together with whatever was lying around. Like anything worthwhile, it takes practice and thought. And always have fun doing it, because no matter what, the worst thing that can happen is . . . you have to order takeout.

Joe [ Read the full article ] »

I don’t know about you, but growing up for me was like a culinary merry-go-round. Sure my Mom might make a variety of dinners for our family to eat, but too often it was from the same playbook week after week. As a kid, my favorite time of year was always the holidays, and not because of the presents – because of the food!

No matter what you celebrate, the holidays are always a time to bring together family to celebrate life around the ritual of food. Everyone has memories since childhood of one or two dishes that are so sacred that a special occasion is the only time they will be prepared. For me there are two. My Dad is a pie master, and any time that our family gets together you can be assured there will be heavenly pie to be had. But the one food that brings back childhood memories for me like no other is my Mom’s brisket. [ Read the full article ] »

You know, a few years ago, I would not be caught dead drinking a beer. That yellow, flavorless piss in a can that my college buddies lived on would have been my beverage of choice behind room temperature skim milk and flat soda. No offense if you enjoy mass-produced commercial beer – I didn’t know any better at the time either.

Maybe that was the world we lived in here in North Carolina before they popped the cap back in 2005 and allowed beers with more than 6% alcohol by volume to cross our borders. As a food fanatic who has always saught the highest knowledge of all things culinary, I was determined to dive head first into these uncharted waters.

Fortunately for you and me, the Triangle is an oasis of outstanding bars and beer shops for anyone who is willing to go out and explore. In the last couple years I have sampled and savored my way through as many diverse and distinct quality brews as I could lay my hands on, while constantly educating myself on what else is out there. [ Read the full article ] »