Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Come on, who doesn't say bacon?

Fat Casual--Macedonia, OH

Fat Casual in Macedonia, OH

My dream bakery would be one that I could get a huge, fresh selection; but not have to get there first thing in the morning to get the huge, fresh selection.

Bacon, bacon, bacon...and pastrami

This summer, attending Camp Bacon at Zingerman's.

Love, love, love Bourdain. He is an original. At this point, a lot of different chefs, writers and bloggers have adopted many of his techniques, philosophies and mannerisms. But it seems to me like he was one of the first to really put out what his true feelings were on a variety of food related subjects. Kitchen Confidential pulled the curtain back on the restaurant life. He has a definitive perspective; agree with him or not, he is passionate and eloquent in expressing this.

He is the antithesis of the ugly American traveler. He absolutely respects the effort and traditions of other country’s' foods. I think he has so many Asian shows because he loves the food and wants to expose Americans to cuisines and cultures that aren't on our radar.

At this point, his show is becoming a bit repetitive. But when the show hits its mark, it is still great. The France shows (Brittany and Provence, I believe) this past season made me want to jump on a plane the next morning. When he has passion and enthusiasm (which admittedly is not as often as earlier seasons), the show is still one of the best on TV.

We named our dog Paddy, after an Irish whiskey.

Being a Clevelander, I'm always happy when Great Lakes Christmas Ale comes out. Good to see it getting some love here. Another beer worth mentioning is Corsendork Christmas Ale. Haven't seen it this year, but had a couple last year. This is one delicious beer.

I love making home made bacon, so much better than anything I can find at the stores around here. Not sure how this would work in an apartment setting, but I use the technique Alton Brown used to smoke salmon.

Seal up one end of a large box.
Punch some dowels through the box to rest a rack on.
But the cured belly on the rack.
Use a hot plate and light weight pan inside the box.
Use saw dust.
Smoke away and enjoy!!!

Peppadew peppers, smoked gouda, aioli.

I don't remember the name, but probably 20 years ago there was a place in North Myrtle Beach, SC that was unbelievable. Small red house with picnic tables and paper towels. It was quite an eye opening experience for a 10 year old from Cleveland. The ribs were amazing. If anyone knows the name and if it is still there, I would be most appreciative.