The timing, delivery and atmosphere in which the food is delivered can go a long way toward increasing its benefits.

The military provides the sustenance to live. Whether it delivered as an MRE, box lunch or a full course chow hall meal, our Servicemembers are gonna eat, but when those meals are provided, they are part of the routine; part of the same ol’ grind.

I, like just about everybody else, looked forward to extracurricular events that would help break up the routine; especially those events that included food. Ah, nothing quite like a good Steel Beach picnic to boost the morale!

It is with that little bit of background I would like to introduce you to an organization that makes it their mission to break up the routine and provide an extra boost for the “maintenance of life and the growth and repair of tissues.” Cooking With the Troops.

Cooking With the Troops is a registered 501c(3) charity that provides food events, homefront and frontline support, and assists interested Servicemembers with their transition to a culinary Career.

Today, Veteran’s Day 2011, the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. and Cooking with the Troops are teaming up for a very special Veteran’s Day event at Times Square in New York City. During the event, there will be a series of cooking demonstrations by guest/celebrity chefs, a luncheon, and the NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony (the bell ringing should be televised on CNBC).

To learn more about Cooking with the Troops, watch the following short video;

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Living in the Memphis area, home of the best BBQ on the planet, it is almost a requirement that you develop skills in the art of cooking meat, outdoors, with coals and smoke. You must make an effort to season, prepare and cook the meat in such a manner that when a person tastes your product they feel compelled to utter the words, “good enough to make you wanna slap your momma!” Not sure why the desire to slap one’s momma is an indication of culinary success, but hey, when in Rome…

Pork butt with dry rub

First, the seasoning – the rub. The rub is a delicate and precise mixture of various spices and other dry ingredients that is rubbed into the raw meat before cooking. Usually, I will buy rub off the shelf, but today, I got a little adventurous and made my own. I used brown sugar, paprika, ground pepper, salt, dash of garlic powder because it was next to the paprika, and chili powder. Mixed it all together and applied it to the raw pork butt, then placed the coated meat in the fridge until I was ready to cook it.

Next, I prepared my basting sauce. After about 3 hours of cooking, and about every hour after that, I would baste the meat to enhance the flavor and also to keep the meat from drying out. My sauce was simple. Mostly water, with some ketchup, vinegar, and crushed red pepper.

Note: The red pepper and the chili powder added some tanginess to the meat – they did not make it spicy as you might expect. Carry-on.

Oh, almost forgot, make sure you soak the wood chips you plan on using. I soaked my pecan wood chips overnight. (I use pecan for two reasons; first, it adds a real tasty, mild flavor, and secondly, my neighbor and I removed a pecan tree from his front yard…) No need to have a whole tree’s worth of chips; a good handful added to the heat source during the first hour of cooking is about all you will need. I add it just after I get everything up to temperature so the smoke can permeate the meat and rub before the sugar caramelizes.

Chopped Pork

I cooked mine for about 10 hours at about 235 degrees – internal meat temperature was about 190F. That equates to about 1hr 40m per pound of meat; your cooking times may, very likely, vary.

Once finished, I let the meat sit for about 10 minutes then commence to chopping it up. It isn’t difficult as the large chuck of fat comes right off the meat, and the meat comes easily off the bone. Ensure you mix the what looks to be burnt, but it is not, coating with the rest of the meat after you chop it all up – the flavors are outstanding.

Oh, BTW, I enjoy coleslaw on my pork sandwich. I have never made coleslaw, and more than likely never will attempt to make coleslaw because it is easier to send the wife to KFC and pick some up. KFC has pretty good slaw (its about the only thing they do well, IMO).

Place a portion of meat, slaw, and a couple of hits of hot sauce if you like, on a toasted hamburger bun, and…

Bone-app-E-tit!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Raw Ribs w/Dry Rub

The weather was great so I took advantage of it by firing up the grill to prepare for the BBQ season. I mean spring is just around the corner and to live in the Memphis area you should be able to cook up some ribs, it’s almost a requirement for home ownership.

The base Commissary had a case sale on ribs so my freezer has enough to get us at least to June. That is a lot of ribs but when you cook out in this neighborhood you need to expect someone to stop by for a “sample” so it is always a good idea to be prepared in both quality and quantity.

Firebox

There may be a few ways to do this, I used regular big slabs of ribs. First thing you want to do is get a good dry rub. Dry rubs can come in many flavors, all of them claim to be the best – some a little more spicy than others. To tell the truth I haven’t found one yet I didn’t like… Anyway, rub the dry rub of your choice into the meat. Place a metal pan of water under the ribs – this keeps the moisture up.

If you don’t have a side fire box on your grill you can use direct heat but you want to cover the grilling surface with aluminum foil or as I do sometimes place on a large foil covered cookie sheet.

Memphis Style Ribs

I do have a side fire box. I use regular charcoal and once during the cooking process I’ll add a few chips of pecan wood for additional flavor. I cook the ribs for about two and a half hours maintaining a temperature of about 275-300 in the cooking area. You will need to add charcoal every 35-45 minutes or so depending on the brand you have. I lite the charcoal in one of those chimney starters you use without lighter fluid; eliminates any fluid taste.

Once they are done they will be fall off the bone tender and taste out of this world, well, at least mine did – hope yours does too!

Bone-app-E-tit!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

One thing our United States Navy Culinary Specialists (CS) don’t have on the menu which you can find in other armed forces like those of the United Kingdom is cocktails! I attached an article from the Ministry of Defense web site which describes a meal set up for Valentines Day at RAF Halton. Seems they extended the time honored rum ration to its limit :)

Valentine’s Day the RAF way
A People In Defence news article

13 Feb 09

It is often said that the way to a man’s, or even a woman’s, heart is through their stomach and by keeping true to this theory, two foodies in the RAF have created some Valentine culinary masterpieces which should definitely do the trick.
Ingredients required for a romantic RAF culinary delight

Various ingredients are required to whip up a romantic RAF culinary delight

RAF ‘Top Gun’ caterers Corporals Richie Carter and Shirley Broderick are the brains behind a specially created romantic menu, which includes a luxurious cocktail.

The dishes are designed to show your loved one how much you care about them through whipping up a treat for their tastebuds which will leave them feeling satisfied but without denting your wallet.

At an estimated cost of only £7 per head, the Valentine’s menu they have created is quick and easy to make as most of the preparation is done the night before the meal with only 20 minutes of time needed on the day itself, putting the final touches to your delectable dish.

Experienced chefs Cpl Carter and Cpl Broderick have renamed and revamped a selection of dinner menu classics such as mozzarella salad which is now ‘Maverick’ Mozzarella and ‘Tom Cat’ Tomato. Pork and apple has become Seared Pork with ‘Jester’ Apple Rings and Spiced ‘Viper’ Potato Wedges, and for dessert it is Crushed Strawberry and Chocolate ‘Mirimar’ Meringue.

Cpl Carter, who has cooked his way around the world since joining the RAF in 1989, believes that this is the perfect time to turn up the heat in the kitchen:

“It’s all about good people and good times – food brings you together. I’ll be cooking this recipe for the entire family!”

Cpl Broderick has been training stewards at RAF Halton since April 2008 in various culinary skills including the art of cocktail-making:

“We cover everything from fine dining to field catering”, she said. “But you don’t need to be Tom Cruise to make a good cocktail! You can find everything you might need in your kitchen, or from Christmas drinks leftovers – it’s cheap and easy to do.”

Corporal Richie Carter

Corporal Richie Carter is one of the RAF personnel behind the Valentine’s menu

The Valentine’s Three Course Meal

‘Maverick’ Mozzarella & ‘Tom Cat’ Tomato Salad (Serves 4)

Ingredients

150g mozzarella cheese
3 large ripe tomatoes
Small packet of rocket leaves
50g black olives
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse-grain mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ciabatta loaf

Method

1. Thinly slice the cheese and tomatoes – arrange on a serving dish over the rocket leaves.
2. Place the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mustard and black pepper into a screw-top jar (eg an empty jam jar) and shake well. This is your dressing.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad, and slice the olives, scattering them over the top.
4. Serve with toasted ciabatta (rubbed with garlic to taste – optional).
The Valentine’s menu includes some culinary classics

The Valentine’s menu includes some culinary classics

Seared Pork with ‘Jester’ Apple Rings & Spiced ‘Viper’ Potato Wedges (Serves 4)

Ingredients

6 potatoes
1 large onion, sliced
Pinch chilli powder (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon demerara sugar
2 eating apples
4 pork chops
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas 6, 200C, 400F. Cut each potato into 8 wedges. Place in a roasting tin with the sliced onion. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with chilli powder and pepper, and roast for 15 minutes.
2. Prepare pork chops by trimming off the bones then place between two pieces of cling film and bat the meat until it is half the thickness. Remove the cling film. Season on both sides with salt and ground black pepper.
3. In a frying pan, sear both sides of the chops in a little olive oil and allow the meat to rest.
4. Core the apples and cut them into rings. Brush with a little butter and sprinkle with demerara sugar – heat under the grill until the sugar is bubbling.
5. Serve the pork with the potato wedges and apple rings.
Crushed Strawberry and Chocolate ‘Mirimar’ Meringue

End your meal perfectly with Crushed Strawberry and Chocolate ‘Mirimar’ Meringue

Crushed Strawberry & Chocolate ‘Mirimar’ Meringue (Serves 4)

Ingredients

225ml double cream
1 teaspoon icing sugar
75ml chocolate sauce
125g punnet strawberries
4 meringue nests
1 small bar chocolate

Method

1. Place the cream and the icing sugar in a bowl and whip lightly.
2. Spoon half of the chocolate sauce between 4 glass dishes.
3. Slice the strawberries (save 4 for decoration) and crush the meringue nests into small pieces.
4. Layer the sliced strawberries, cream and crushed meringue into the glass dishes, on top of the chocolate sauce.
5. Garnish with the last 4 strawberries, grate some of the chocolate bar on top and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.

The Cocktails

Try one of Cpl Broderick’s recipes:

Valentini

Ingredients

1 tot of Amaretto
1 tot of white rum (Bacardi)
1 tot of double cream
2 scoops of fresh strawberries
Crushed ice

Method

1. Crush the ice in a plastic bag, using a rolling pin if necessary.
2. Slice the strawberries and place them into a blender – blend until they are in liquid form.
3. Add the Amaretto, Bacardi, double cream and ice to the blender.
4. Blend all ingredients together.
5. Pour into a glass and garnish with a fresh strawberry.

Remember Last Summer (Non-Alcoholic)

Ingredients

1 dash of vanilla flavouring (optional)
3 crushed strawberries
Pineapple juice
½ ounce coconut cream (optional)
Shredded coconut for garnish
Ice

Method

1. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake well.
3. Strain into glass.
4. Garnish with coconut and serve

I think it is time to add the “art of cocktail making” to the skills of our military chefs, bring back our rum ration and send them to some bartending classes!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Easy Pork Chop Meal

As I mentioned previously I like cooking with a pressure cooker. There are many other ways to cook a pork chop but they tend to leave the meat dry and tough. Cooking them under pressure keeps the natural juices in the chop and even infuses some of the other liquids during the process.

Today, for the first time, I decided to experiment with another one of my favorite ingredients, the tomato.

The idea hit me when I opened the pantry and had a 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes staring me in the face. So, besides the pork chops guess what the other main ingredient is!

Put 2 cups of water in the pressure cooker then place 4 thawed medium cut pork chops in the bottom, on top of that round thing with the holes in it. Open and pour the whole can of the tomatoes over the top of the pork chops then season with some basil, oregano and freshly ground pepper. I would also suggest about a half can of Original Rotel, I had a half can left in the fridge so I threw it in – added some tang to the dish but would be your call, don’t think its a meal killer without it.

Once all the stuff is in the pot, close it up and place on the large burner at about 3/4 heat. It will take about 15 minutes to cook once the Tsss, Tsss, Tsss sound starts coming from the pressure being released. Ensure you leave yourself enough time to make the spaghetti – test your skill and time it to finish all at once. If your skill is at my level then you can always turn off the heat to your pressure cooker and let stand without releasing the steam until the spaghetti is done.

After you safely release the steam and open the cover place a couple of chops on a plate, put some spaghetti on and around it. Place a couple of the cooked tomatoes as you see in the picture with a little of the juice from the bottom of the cooker and eat, it was GOOOOD! Yum.

Bone-app-E-tit!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

Pic from Wiki

My Twidget Nuke Son may be stationed in Japan but his ship gets to travel all over the Far East. They had the privilege to make a port visit in Busan (Pusan), Korea, here is one story of the visit,

“So Korea turned out to be much better then I had first anticipated. My hopes weren’t that high because I had just never really wanted to go to Korea so I knew nothing about it. Walking around, the city of Busan is pretty impressive. Its size was amazing. From what I thought would be another Chile experience, Korea left a good impression. We took a bus into the center of the city and were basically cut loose. “Go out and do (good) things”, the good is implied. The stores were clean and new looking, everything was well maintained. We sort of went into explore mode and just started walking. For no purpose other then to head in a direction and see what we could find. We stopped at this one place to eat which had the stove in the middle of your table. It seemed like we would have to cook our own food, or so we thought, but after ordering 4 100g portions of meat, the woman who worked there, speaking Korean the whole time, put the meat in the center, added salt and threw down some veggies and such on the hot area. She pointed to different trays that were on our table, different things to add to the slices of meat. There was seaweed leaves, kimchi, garlic, onion sort of soaked through with ginsing. We also had a tray that was just fresh onions with some sort of sauce at the bottom of the tray which was our main “plate”. Whenever pieces of meat were done cooking, she would start dispersing them between the four of us. Meanwhile we had starting trying “soju” a native drink that’s sort of a soft vodka taste, and a melon sort of soda that tasted really good.

We ate the 4 things of meat without batting an eye and ordered two more, as well as bim..bo..bop..ba… something like that, which was a large bowl of raw meat, some spicy sauce, random vegetables, that we mixed up and ate raw.. sort of. You were supposed to take a bite of the raw stuff in the bowl, and then sort of add this broth that was on the side in your mouth. You weren’t supposed to just throw the soup into the bowl, apparently it just wasn’t good that way. It was good the way she showed us how to do it, so we weren’t complaining. At one point she came around with a half bottle of melon soda and a coffee cup looking thing. She had apparently poured herself a cup of soda and she offered me the rest that was in the bottle. I was like “Sure!” When we finished eating, the tab only came up to 140,000W which for how much we ate and drank, was very very nice for 4 people. We didn’t know if it was custom to tip in Korea, (because you aren’t supposed to in Japan), but we tipped her anyways, giving her 200,000W (Each one of us basically just paid 35$ because the meal was worth about that much.). Oh, and the conversion from $ to won is 1 to 1400. So although I said 200,000W, it was like 140$ between the 4 of us.”

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

OK, empty the beans into a large pot half full of water. Soak the beans for about 6-8 hours – this accomplishes a couple of important things. First it helps reconstitute the bean and second it goes a long way towards making sure you don’t kill your pets and house plants with a powerful and continuous release of poisonous gas after your soup consumption. Drain the beans into a strainer.

Wash out the large pot, we are going to use it again – less dishes for the wife to wash, BROWNIE POINT! Fill the pot to about just over half full and add the reconstituted beans and ham hock – I suggest about a pound and a half minimum, I like a lot of ham (your call) – then add a couple of pinches of salt – if your salt is in a shaker, shake enough salt until just before you think your brain is going to cry, “that’s too much!” Now bring the stuff to boil, then reduce it to a simmer with the cover on and let it cook for about an hour or so.

Now don’t just go sit down and watch TV for the hour, you still have some work to do. Chop up the carrots, onion and celery – place all of it in a bowl and let it sit. When your hour is up you now want to chop up (mince) the garlic cloves, make sure you take the skin off first, then in a small frying pan on medium heat “toast” the garlic.

Now that your hour is up, add the cut up vegetables and toasted garlic to your bean brew. Stir it up with a little bit of pepper to taste, keep in mind your kids might not like pepper as much as you do, then let it cook another 40-50 minutes (your carrots should be tender).

The ham should be “falling off the bone” tender at this point, if not help it along a little and cut it up into smaller pieces. I suggest you serve the soup with a good hard crust bread.

The flavors are amazing in this soup and believe it of not it is even better the second day!

Bone-app-E-tit!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

With that kind of resounding endorsement I feel it is now time I shared my meatball recipe with the world.

So here we go. You are going to need some stuff, these are not imaginary nor are they made with the leftovers you have in your fridge. This recipe should yield (holy crap, I used the word yield and wasn’t talking about driving) about 20 meatballs – you need a pound and a half of ground beef (85-90% lean) and a half pound of ground pork, clove of garlic, tablespoon of virgin olive oil, one large egg, quarter cup of regular bread crumbs, basil, parsley, oregano and ground pepper.

Get a large mixing bowl and a broiler pan, you know, the one comes with most ovens (shallow pan with the thin metal top that has slits in it) and gets in the way when you try and put your cookie sheets away… Ah, you read my blog, your smart, you’ll figure it out. Put the ground beef and pork in the bowl along with the bread crumbs, egg (not with the shell – pick the small pieces out…), olive oil and that clove of garlic. Make sure the garlic is minced very fine – ahh, what the heck, I like garlic, use two cloves (hey, its not like I have this stuff written down and today I feel like more garlic :)). Now add a tablespoon of oregano and a couple of shakes (teaspoon?) of basil – tablespoon is the one you use for your cereal in the morning, the teaspoon is the smaller one you use to shovel the sugar into your coffee. Add a couple of pinches of parsley and a few shakes of ground pepper, if you have one of the peppercorn grinders then you really like pepper, add more.

Now that all the ingredients are in the bowl, if I missed one throw it in now, with your hands (after you washed them of course) mix the stuff – oh yea, take off your rings first.  After you have thoroughly mixed to the point it all has a consistent well blended look it is time to “maka da meataballs”.

Grab about 3 fingers of meat from the bowl and roll the meat mixture between the palms of your hands – the finished ball should be bigger than a golf ball yet smaller than a tennis ball (good size for leftover sandwiches). Place the newly formed ball on the broiler pan – repeat until the bowl is empty.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or really, really hot Celsius. Place the broiler pan in the oven and brown the meatballs, don’t cook them, when they turn brown take them out (maybe 5-6 minutes in the oven total). Add the meatballs to your favorite marinara sauce and simmer them in the sauce until thoroughly cooked (about 45 minutes to an hour).

Bone-app-E-tit!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

When I cook stuff I like it to be fast and only require a little effort – I don’t want to be burning all the calories on cooking the meal I plan to intake before I sit and eat it. Reminds me of what my Grandfather told me long ago, “God only gave you so many heart beats, don’t waste them.” This meal will not use any of your extra heart beats and it tastes great too.

Traditional Goulash is a Hungarian dish – my recipe is neither traditional nor Hungarian. Why do we call it goulash? No idea, it is what my Mom called it – feel free to call it whatever you feel comfortable with if the name is already used on a different recipe in your kitchen.

So, here we go. You will need about two pounds of ground beef, an onion, large can of whole tomatoes, some elbow noodles, hot sauce and salt and pepper.

Start to brown the ground beef, at the same time bring a few cups of water to boil (enough to cook a handful of elbow noodles). When the water comes to a boil put the noodles in, add a little salt (just a couple shakes) – stir occasionally so they don’t stick together.

Chop up the onion, I do big chunks and put in with the ground beef when it is about one quarter cooked (if I have any I also put in a clove of garlic, minced, your call – not a requirement).

Now that the ground beef is cooked (ain’t no red, its all brown) put it into a strainer/culinder (the dang thing you drain spaghetti in) in the sink – let it drain.

In the same pan – oops, should have mentioned that in the beginning – when you cook the ground beef do it in a pot, one with the two hand holders, not the one with the single stick-like holder. Anyway in that pot pour in the whole tomatoes and the juice, let them heat up a bit (this is a good time to slice them up a little, just don’t scratch the bottom of the pot – the wife will get aggravated if you do and you will lose any bonus points gained by cooking the meal in the first place).

Pour the ground beef/onion into the pot with the tomatoes, stir – make sure we are now on low heat, a “simmer” if you will.

The noodles should be about done by now – take one out without burning yourself and taste it, if it don’t seem crunchy its good. Use the same strainer in the same sink, drain.

Pour the noodles in the pot with the ground beef/onion/tomato mixture, stir – season to taste with a little hot sauce, salt and pepper and you have just made dinner.

Bone-app-E-tit!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.

When Bonnie and I had our house built one of the “must haves” was a gas stove. I enjoy cooking. We spent the extra cash and had the builders run the extra gas line and had a great time picking out a super-duper gas range/oven.

The pork chop recipe I am going to post about isn’t difficult, it doesn’t require a gas range and your cooking skill can be nil. It has to be the easiest and most flavorful method to cook a pork chop there ever was. Never again will you have to suffer though a dry tasteless piece of pig!

If you don’t already have one, a pressure cooker, stop reading – get in your car and go buy one. On the way to the store keep slapping yourself as punishment for not having one.

OK, I assume your back or you already had one of the premier cooking devises ever invented. The pressure cooker is essentially the first microwave – it cooks fast but instead of using high power waves of energy it uses the heat under pressure of up to 15 PSI – easily cuts cooking time in half.

So, you have a package of pork chops that have been sitting in the freezer and your in-charge of preparing tonights meal. Get the pork chops out – defrost the suckers in the microwave. Fill the bottom of your pressure cooker with water – about 3/4 of an inch deep. A good guide is make sure the water is just above the round thingy with holes in it (I assume you pressure cooker has that removable round thingy – keeps the food from the bottom of the cooker).

When I cook pork chops I usually cook a few extra, about 8 total, because they taste even better for lunch the next day reheated.

At the bottom of the cooker, on top of the round thingy, place 4 pork chops – I put a little pepper on then cover with half a can of sauerkraut. The size of the can you use is determined by how much you like sauerkraut – I use the 30oz can, like I said, your call. Now place the remainder of the chops on top of the first batch and pepper again. Then dump the rest of the kraut and juice over the top. Close the pressure cooker and make sure the pressure cap is where it is supposed to be (read the dang directions on the box if you can’t figure it out looking at it).

I put the heat to 7 on my big burner – make sure of course the cooker is on the same burner :)

Now let it cook – I wait till I hear a Tssss Tssss Tssss sound start to come from the cooker (it is the sound the cooker makes when it gets to pressure) then I start my timer to cook for 20 minutes. The time will of course be longer for big thick chops and shorter for little pewnee ones.

I suggest serving with a can of peas, maybe a salad and some prepared horseradish on the side, again, your call.

Bone-app-E-tit!

The approved 2012 Military Pay Chart for basic pay, effective January 1, 2012.
The 2013 Military Pay raise estimation based on ECI - Title 37, US Code.