Chew on these stories...

Sometimes, there just isn't time for anything more than "dump a can and go". However, by choosing the right ingredients, even lowly canned food has the potential to become something wonderful. A can of black beans, a can of tomatoes and chiles, and a bag of frozen corn lay the foundation to carry a slightly spicy and smoky-sweet dressing that turns so much pedestrian pantry fare into something that's downright difficult to stop eating.

It seems like anytime you get shredded beef in a taco anymore, folks wanna call it "barbacoa". It tastes great and all, but so often we're talking about something braised or simmered that is totally devoid of those smoky, charred nuances that are synonymous with slow-cooking beef over a bed of coals. I happen to think it's possible to have the best of both worlds, and this hybrid barbeque/braise method elevates the lowly and economical beef chuck roast past the pedestrian Sunday pot roast.

When a small Northwest Kansas town gets a new restaurant, folks can't help but take notice. However, when an area know for their conservative Volga German Heritage up and gets a Sushi Bar, whoo boy! Now you know you're somebody! Sake2me Sushi Rolls recently opened for business in our little patch of rural America, and I sat down with owner, chef, and all-around swell guy Mike Huskey for an interview to learn what it takes to start something big in little Hays, Kansas.

Baking a proper layer cake is a big undertaking for me. Up until a few years ago, I couldn't even do a pan of chocolate chip cookies properly. Nonetheless, with it being my wife's birthday and all, I decided to cook out of my comfort zone; and I figured if I was gonna do it, I'd do it with gusto. The toils of my labor are two decadent layers of cake that are chock full of cocoa and dark chocolate; separated by a layer of salty sweet peanut butter buttercream frosting. The last of the chocolate comes in the form of a peanut butter chocolate ganache coup de grace enrobing the entire cake. Chocolate overload? Maybe. Crazy good? Definitely.