Chew on these stories...

I gotta address this up front: A good stack of pancakes shouldn't be about what's loaded on top or mixed in to the batter as much as it should be about the pancake itself. Any joker with a bag of chocolate chips and a jar of sprinkles can make a box mix palatable; so since when did breakfast (and usually dinner at our house) become an excuse to eat dessert? Pancakes from scratch are a simple luxury that every family should be able to enjoy, and lately the recipe that I've been whisking up at our house is a honey and whole wheat variant of the buttermilk silver dollar recipe that fueled my family growing up for many a Sunday. Give these a go and see if the box mix doesn't become a distant memory.

When I asked my BBQ confidant for his best recipe for barbeque pulled pork, what I got was a loose collection of ideas and recipes that give no consideration to relative proportion. Now, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but we all know a home barbeque enthusiast doesn't need to keep a pound of butt rub and gallons of injection brine on hand. To show my appreciation for being handed a great method, I've taken the time to straighten out the collection of recipes and techniques graciously given to me. If you already understand how your cooker works, then what's outlined here is a turn-key experience for a very solid Boston Butt BBQ.

Y'know, sometimes even the guy mixing the drinks gets tired of manning the bar; and when I want something easy, I turn to a pre-mixed cocktail of my own design. For those who've made a minor investment in a mini white oak barrel, the convenience of storing Manhattans in its charred innards actually yields the additional benefits of further mellowing the drink while adding additional color and complexity to an already easy-sipping libation. While I'm not saying that a personal-sized oak barrel isn't a two (or three) out of ten on the practicality scale, there's no denying that it's sure fun to get all mad scientist while pouring bottles down the bunghole (technical…

There's something about spring that makes me crave an herbal-infused cocktail. Thyme was the first plant up this year, and so that's what I ran with in this spin on the Traditional Tom Collins. In my take on this bar standard, a honey is transformed into a cocktail syrup with the addition of a fresh thyme tea. For the beverage proper, this herbed-up elixir is added to the two fingers of good gin and a generous squeeze of lemon.