Monthly Archives: January 2017

Podcast Episodes

What Would Harry Potter Eat?, Blue Apron Test Drive, Celebrating a Milestone, and Other Musings

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Episode 010- It’s a milestone tenth episode of the podcast! Thanks to you if you’ve taken the time to listen to any of the Guys and Food podcasts or read any of my blog posts.  This is truly a labor of love and I appreciate your help in building the Guys and Food community.

There are lots of ways to connect:

  • Go to the contact page.
  • Email info@guysandfood.com
  • Leave a message on the listener line:  716-427-GUYS (4897)

I will  tell you about my recent trip to Florida.  This included a few days at Universal specifically to spend time at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  We ate at The Three Broomsticks and The Leaky Cauldron, two British pub-like places.  Interestingly, the food defied my expectations.  Considering the throngs of people these establishments serve, the chow was delicious and served in a timely fashion.

You will also hear my reflections on two drinks inspired by the Harry Potter books, Butterbeer and the lesser known Pumpkin Juice.  There is a recent interview in Bon Appetit with the guy behind the Harry Potter themed food at Universal, Steve Jayson. The recipe for Butter Beer is secret ( I know because before I saw this article, I tried to pry it from the public relations folks at Universal) but there are plenty of people on the internet who have their own take on how to make it.  

After that, we drove to our usual winter getaway, a place called Marco Island.  We normally lay around, read, go to the beach, and eat.  It’s a very causal time on the island but every year my wife and I go to a fancier place that serves classic French cuisine called The Island Cafe.  My lovely bride and I use this meal as our little romantic getaway together.  This time, however, we decided to take my mother-in-law and our ten-year-old son.  I will talk about his experience eating escargot and mussels for the first time.

After we got home, we caught up on our food show viewing including the finale of The Great American Baking Show.   You’ll recall that in episode 004 of the podcast, I made my guess on who I thought was going to win.  SPOILER Alert–I will let you know who won and how close my guesses were to being correct.

During Christmas, our friends gifted us Blue Apron. We had the delivery of two meals this week, Hosin Chicken Steam Buns with broccoli and marinated carrots and Mexican-spiced Beef and Rice Casserole.  I will weigh-in on the experience.

Finally, I’ll tell you about the interviews that are coming up in future episodes!

By the way, any of the links above are for your use and enjoyment.  None of these are affiliate links.

 

Podcast Episodes

So You Want to Start a Food Truck?


Episode 009- Maybe one of your New Year’s resolutions is to start a food business.  Ayoub Abboud is the owner of the Knight Slider Food Truck.  A few years back he decided to start his food truck business when the food truck craze was just starting up in Buffalo, New York.

During the conversation, Ayoub explains what he did to start the business, some lessons he’s learned along the way, and what he would do differently if he were to do it again.  There is a lot to learn here from a really knowledgeable and friendly guy.

If you want more information about starting a food truck business, one of the resources he recommends is Mobile Cuisine. Another very helpful resource was created by Pat Flynn and is called FoodTruckr.

Also, I baked beer bread from a Paul Hollywood cookbook called 100 Great Breads. In order to make beer bread, one needs beer so I used a coffee lager from Saranac Brewery.  This is the “go to” beer that we have around the house lately.  The bread turned out fine but I lost a lot of the coffee taste that I was shooting for.

If you like the podcast, please forward guysandfood.com or this  episode (or any other episode) onto your friends either through email or via the app you use to listen to the show.  That helps build a bigger and more vibrant Guys and Food community– and we all benefit from that!

Podcast Episodes

Olive Oil- Are You Buying the Real Deal?


Episode 008- Dan Gagliardo is an expert on olive oil.  He is the the owner of D’Avolio Purveyors of Fine Olive Oils, Vinegars, and More. He offers you advice about shopping for olive oil– what to look for and what to avoid.  He also discusses starting his food business and how he decided to olive oil and vinegar was a business for him.

In the interview I mention a recipe for an olive oil cake that I bake. I usually use regular olive oil but recently have taken to using flavored ones such as blood orange flavored oil from D’Avolio.  This is a very tasty recipe and one that I have been making for years.

If you are looking for help selecting olive oils, the blog of the North American Olive Oil Association provides a list of 21 olive oil brands that are certified for authenticity. Also, here is a list of ten olive oil recipes of 2016 from the association.   Note:  I have not had a chance to test drive any of these recipes yet.

On New Year’s Eve, we were invited to the home of some friends and I made my favorite “go to” appetizer, chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon.  Here is a recipe that is very close to the one that I use.  I bake mine for about 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven instead of cooking them in the skillet.  I place them on the baking sheet, bacon seam down and do not use a toothpick to secure them.  Also, I use dried chorizo (not fresh) that is very similar to a stick of pepperoni.

Note: None of the links for this episode are affiliate links.