Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Feeding Frenzy at Big Daddy's House
Big Daddy was reminiscing about his days working as an executive chef at the Steakhouse.So he decided to put together a frenzy of dishes and drinks for his ol' steakhouse pals.
Chef started the day by preparing his rubs for his Oven-roasted Prime Rib and prepping up his potatoes for his Garlic Cheese Mashed Potatoes dish.
Once he had the potatoes boiling, Chef put his teacher's hat on and schooled his students on the different aspects of the meat and techniques for preparing it.
He then started seasoning the gorgeous loaf with his rub and dressed it with some Worcestershire sauce before he popped it on a pan to help sear the meat on several sides.
Chef then used a couple of the potatoes to help prop up the rib in the pan to help develop an even sear across all sides - gotta love all those neat little tricks the chef has up his sleeve. He then placed the seared Prime Rib into the oven.
Chef started piling up the ingredients for his Garlic Cheese Mashed potatoes dish. He developed a cream by mixing butter and heavy cream heating in pan. Removed from the flame .. chef mixed in some cheddar cheese and dropped the potatoes into the bowl. Big Daddy then started his yearly workout by getting into a mix-n-mashing session and then placed the covered bowl of mashed potatoes into the oven - since the Prime Rib was getting lonely.
Chef started prepping his Broccoli-Cheese Casserole by cutting his cheeses and blanching the broccoli in a large pot filled with water for several minutes.
Now building his casserole - chef dropped the broccoli and the cheeses into a casserole dish and topped it off with a unique blend of crushed crackers and spices and placed it into the oven.
All coming together - chef sliced the Prime Rib and started building his ultimate cocktail - the One and Done.Let the Frenzy Begin !!
REFERENCES / LINKS
Love Big Daddy? - Let the Food Network know - Here
Food Network Recipe - Oven-Roasted Prime Rib with Horseradish Sauce
Food Network Recipe - Garlic-Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Food Network Recipe - Broccoli-Cheese Casserole
Food Network Recipe - One and Done Cocktail
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Big Daddy & Donovan's Beach Picnic
Big Daddy invited over his brother Donovan for a "beach picnic" in Chef's backyard during the Life is a Beach episode of Big Daddy's House on Food Network.
Chef Aaron and Donovan reminisced about the childhood beach picnics their daddy used to cater for the family - wondering aloud about the lack of a "real beach" and the lack of flavor of the soggy macaroni salad.
It was time to rectify the culinary mistakes of the past as Big Daddy got to work on some Funky Fried Chicken, Big Daddy Ribs, Mega Egga Macaroni Salad and seasoned corn.
Chef started working on his special rub mixing brown sugar, kosher salt, smoked paprika, ground cumin, hot chili powder, cayenne, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.
After rubbing down his St. Louis style ribs and letting them sit for 30 minutes, he popped them into large roasting pans while adding water and cola and cooked them for 1.5 hours.
Once cooked - some ribs were glazed with an apple cider-buttermilk sauce and then grilled to perfection.
For the Funky Fried Chicken - Big Daddy used granulated garlic & onion, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne, paprika for his seasoning. He let the seasoned chicken sit for 15 minutes and then tossed the chicken in a seasoned mix of flour. He then dropped them for a fry in canola oil.
Chef continued with his rich, creamy Mega Egga Macaroni Salad composed of hard boiled eggs, onions, celery, relish, mayonnaise, salt & pepper and to add that special kick - hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
Chef finished off his "beach picnic" with some grilled corn topped off with a seasoning composed of Old Bay, cilantro, salted butter and lime juice.Donovan was ready to throw down !!
LINKS / REFERENCES
- Food Network - Big Daddy's House Feedback Email
- Food Network Recipe - Funky Fried Chicken
- Food Network Recipe - Big Daddy Ribs
- Food Network Recipe - Mega Egga Macaroni Salad
- Food Network Recipe - Sock Em' Seasoned Corn
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Big Daddy Enjoys A Dream Dinner
Big Daddy was on fire during the 2nd episode of Big Daddy's House on Food Network.
Chef Aaron treated himself to his Dream Dinner - a delectable Herb Potatoes au Gratin dish, a rich, colorful Grilled Asparagus & Sun-Dried Tomato Salad and the featured dish - NY Strip Steak au Poivre.
Chef initially prepared the Potatoes au Gratin dish by composing a pan-based sauce using butter, flour, milk and heat - he then added cheese, bouillion, nutmeg and black pepper.
Panko bread crumbs were mixed in a bowl with butter and smoky paprika.Sliced russet potatoes were then topped with the pan cheese sauce and the au gratin was sprinkled on top before it all went into the oven.
Chef proceeded to build his salad by cutting his Asparagus lengthwise and seasoning them prior to popping them unto a stovetop-based grill.
Asparagus was then combined with julienne-sliced sun-dried tomatoes and sauteed shiitake mushrooms.
Big Daddy started getting excited as he smashed some peppercorns that were smeared on both sides of his steaks and then dropped in a pan and seared.
Steaks were then topped with a brandy & shallot based roux.
What dream dinner would be complete without a sweet treat at the end. Big Daddy raised the heat in the kitchen as he topped off his dream dinner with a sinful plantains foster dessert.LINKS / RECIPES
Food Network - Big Daddy's House Feedback Email
Food Network Recipe - NY Strip au Poivre
Food Network Recipe - Herb Potatoes au Gratin
Food Network Recipe - Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
Food Network Recipe - Plantains Foster
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Big Daddy's House Scores Big Daddy Ratings
Big Daddy's House scores a super debut on Food Network - premiering Top 5 in it's target W25-54 demographic.
Congratulations to Chef Aaron !!
NOTE: Big Daddy is calling a TIME OUT from his crazy schedule -- so he can talk to his fans, answer fan mail and respond to blog comments -- Chef Aaron's video blog coming soon -- check back daily.
LINKS
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Big Daddy's House - Boys Night In
The Premiere episode of Big Daddy's House aired on Food Network. Chef Aaron prepared a 3 course family fun meal with a special guest appearance from Mini-Chef Justin McCargo.
Chef Justin inspired Big Daddy with a unique recipe for a Chicken Tenders Salad.
Aaron smashed up tortilla chips to provide the crust for his chicken tenders (nacho-cheese and blue corn tortilla chips).
Big Daddy dropped the tenders for a quick fry while constructing a tasty salad bed featuring Romaine Lettuce, Tomatoes, Jalapenos and Cheddar Cheese.Big Daddy's oldest son inspired the next dish - a popular item at the ol' McCargo's restaurant - Josh's Roast Pork with Broccoli Rabe.
Aaron seasoned, seared, roasted and sliced a beautiful pork loin while blanching up a pot of broccoli rabe. Once cooked, the pork and broccoli rabe were placed between inverted slices of ciabatta bread topped off with provolone cheese.
Finally, Chef Aaron pressed the assembled sandwich with a grill press - to provide the perfect texture to the perfect Roast Pork sandwich.
Oven-baked seasoned fries wrapped up 3 fun-filled courses.
Big Daddy sat down with Justin for the most anticipated part of the day - Dinner Time !!LINKS
Food Network - Big Daddy's House Feedback Email
Food Network - Big Daddy's House - Boy's Night In
Food Network - Big Daddy's House - Next Episode - Aug. 10
Friday, August 1, 2008
Big Daddy on the Neelys - Saturday at 11 AM
Big Daddy will make a guest appearance on Down Home with the Neelys Saturday, August 2nd at 11AM ET/PT on Food Network.NOTE: Replay on Food Network on Sunday, August 3rd at 1PM.
During the Down Home with the Neelys Ain't All About the Pig episode, Chef Aaron joined the soulful duo and collaborated to make a Lemon Dill Chicken with Wild Mushrooms over a Pepper Fettuccini dish.
Pat and Gina started the episode by creating a set of Spicy Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli Sauce.
All chefs wrapped up at the dining table with a bottle of white (or was it champagne?) as Pat & Gina congratulated Big Daddy on his Big Win on The Next Food Network Star.LINKS
Neelys BBQ Website
Neelys Bar-B-Que Restaurants in Tennessee
Food Network - Down Home With the Neelys
Food Network - Big Daddy's House
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