I was on Twitter the other day (www.twitter.com/ChefNathanLippy) and one of my followers posted something I thought was great. He was talking about having breakfast for dinner. It may be a guy thing, but to me there is nothing better than an awesome BLT&E (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and a Fried Egg) at midnight. BLT&E 1 I had one last night and had to post it. I start by rendering the bacon. I like to use apple wood smoked or maple bacon. BLT&E 2 Once the bacon is crispy I drain it some paper towel then fry my egg in the bacon fat. The bottom of the egg get all golden and caramelized while the yolk stay nice and silky. Slice some fresh tomato and add a piece of crispy lettuce to some toasted potato bread and ZaDing! That's it! I hope you dig it... BLT&E 3

Later,
Nater

This is a great dish for a cold winter's night. Its super easy and very hearty. For all of you Guinness Lovers, this one is awesome! Give it a go...

Guinness Beef Stew
Recipe by Nathan Lippy

Serves 4-6
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 lbs. beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (use beef chuck or similar)
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
1 cup carrots, rough chop
1 large yellow onion, rough chop
½ cup celery, rough chop
2 cups potatoes, rough chop
2 pint cans of Guinness
1 quart beef stock
4 Fresh thyme sprigs
2 Fresh rosemary sprigs
1 cup left over coffee (we want the bitterness)
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper

Action:
1. In a large stock pot, heat up a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the beef and brown for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Once the meat is beautifully browned, add the garlic and other vegetables except for the potatoes and caramelize until they have a bit of color. (About 8-10 minutes)

Ever since I was a little kid, Dr.P has been the drink for me. Oh gosh Im rhyming awful, just awful. Anyway.... Dr. Pepper A few years ago, I was in NYC and a good friend had a Dr. P and some Jack Daniel's and as I looked at these two glorious liquid nectars of the western world it hit me... and "The Dr. Feel-Good" was born. Jack Daniel's I love the red fruity flavors in the soda and the maple sweetness if the whiskey, it just seemed natural to put them together. They are a perfect match. This concoction got my mind thinking. I have always liked the adventure of pairing unlikely ingredients together, but the idea of using those "unique" ingredients was very compelling. I started playing around in my kitchen and came up with some cool recipes... Bacon Fried Bananas, Beer Battered Pineapple with Cilantro Whipped Cream, Dr. Pepper Pork Chops, Lynchburg Lime-Thyme Lime and Thyme lemonade.... The list goes on.

As Christmas quickly approaches, I was thinking about this past year. I remember January being so exciting. The year was new and the plan was huge! The economy got crappy, equipment broke, ideas fell flat, new ideas came out, plans changed, new plan were made….yadayadayada. That’s the story on paper, but in reality, it has been one of the best years of my life. All along the way, family and friends were always there no matter the situation and that is the resonating feeling for me this season. In addition to my immediate family, I have made so many friends and honorary family members this year.

The awesome people at Viking have created my new favorite toy. The Gravity Feed Smoker… I smoked a 12 pound turkey this past week and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna do another on or two or 5 more for Christmas. Putting the bird in the Smoker I started the smoker with some hard wood charcoal but added some Jack Daniels wood chips to the mix to make for some sweet smoke. I rubbed the turkey with brown sugar, cinnamon, smoked chipotle and some paprika with some salt and pepper. The trick to smoking is getting a good amount of smoke around your food early. The first 2 hours of the smoking process are key. The Gravity Smoker is perfect for this. It has this sweet valve at the bottom of the fire chamber to control airflow and heat. The BIRD IS DONE!!! The hotter the coal, the more risk you have of burning the wood and creating a bitter smoke…not good. The valve helps regulate the heat so you always get the same results. The perfect smoke has a slight blue tint to it.