I had an awesome trip this past week. I ventured into Michigan Cherry Country with a bunch of bloggers from around the country to learn all that is "CHERRIES." It was such an awesome experience. Wendy Bazilian We started by attending a lecture by Wendy Bazilian who is a Dietician and all around smarty-pants when it comes to food. She explained all of the health benefits of cherries including anthocyanins Cherries lecture and Twitter feed (the active antioxidant that is an anti-inflammatory) Apparently cherries are great for Arthritis, Heart Disease and general muscle health and recovery. After that we visited The Gregory Cherry Orchard and toured the entire grounds. Rows of Cherry Trees We saw the rows and rows of beautiful bright Tart Cherries and Sweet Cherries. We even got to sit on the "Shaker" and harvest the cherries ourselves... WICKED COOL!

Ramen Noodles When I was in college, I pretty much lived on Ramen noodles and eggs. This is my crazy concoction blending the two lovable staples. Eggs First, cook the Ramen noodles in the broth until they are about half way done, remove them from the liquid and drain off as much moisture as possible. crisp the noodles, then add the beaten eggs Using a non-stick saute pan, over medium high heat, add a bit of butter and olive oil. Add the noodles to the hot pan and let them get golden, then beat a few eggs and pour them over the top of the noodles. Prep for Ramelette The eggs will flow throughout the curly noodles creating the omelette. Chorizo I added some chorizo and grated cheese, with a bit of tomato and green onions, but feel free to add whatever you like.

I am doing another demo tonight at The Rolling Pin www.RollingPinOnline.com I wanted to focus on one ingredient... AVOCADOS!!! WooHoo! Play with the appearance The first dish is a grilled avocado salad with a pomegranate balsamic glaze, bacon toasted pinenuts and arugula, then a spiced chicken with mango and avocado salsa, Chili Chicken and Salsa then an avocado-agave sweet cream. Avocado Cream with Lime and Cilantro Its gonna be a ton of fun! See you guys there...

Later,
Nater

This afternoon, I wanted to do something light and quick. To be honest, I really didn't feel like cleaning up a big mess... and I usually make one. Sun Dried Tomatoes and Black Olives for Tapenade I had half a baguette left over from the other night so I sliced it then grabbed some sun-dried tomatoes and black olives, tossed them in the food processor with some chopped garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and some salt and pepper. I forgot about some fresh basil when I was finished so I went ahead and threw that in too. It seemed like a good idea. chopped garlic A few pulses in the food processor and it was all done. I toasted the baguette and topped it with the tapenade then garnished it with a chiffonade of fresh basil and a few shaves of parmesan cheese. It was super delicious and really quick. I think the tapenade thing may be fun to play with.... Im gonna come up with a few more neat combinations.

Later,
Nater

So Memorial Day is coming up and I'm sure you all have BBQ on the brain... I sure do! I wanted to show you guys how to do a great BBQ recipe without using a smoker. If you have one USE IT! WooHoo! If you dont, check it out... Bone-In Country Style Pork Ribs Country Style BBQ Ribs and a Dried Cherry Cole Slaw all done inside. I love my Dr. Pepper-Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce so I added it to this dish. Add spices to BBQ sauce First thing, make your BBQ sauce. Small dice some onions and cook them in some olive oil until they begin to caramelize a bit, add a bit of chopped garlic at the end for about 1-2 minutes. add some D-P Using a large sauce pot, add some ketchup, whole grain mustard, worchestershire sauce, Paprika, Smoked Paprika, Chili powder, salt and pepper, Dr. Pepper and Jack Daniel's Whiskey. Mix and combine all ingredients.