When Jeff’s outside smoking meat, it’s a relaxing experience – for me. I’m lounging on a lawn chair, sipping lemonade, laughing and watching Henry the Wonderdog poke around in the back yard. But Jeff is One with the meat and the smoke and the fire. For him, it’s a Zen experience. I’m just there for the wings.

If you’ve always been a little hazy on the difference between grilling and smoking, grilling is done quickly over high heat; smoking is a slower process done over lower, indirect heat. Smoking the meat tenderizes it, infusing it with the flavor of the wood as well as the smoke, so that – with a little time and care – you can turn a cheap cut of meat into something people will fight over.

Like these Spicy Smoked Chicken Wings.

Continue reading: Spicy Smoked Chicken Wings

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

Sometimes when I’m out with Jeff, I slip into “girlfriend mode” and say yes to things without thinking them through. Like eating a big, fat, drippy meatball sub in public. There’s just no way to do it and maintain your dignity. Or your shirt. You basically just have to shove it into your face and hope for the best, which is actually kinda fun, but the whole thing got me thinking about Meatball Sliders.

Little one-meatball sandwiches I could eat in a few bites AND keep my shirt clean.

Maybe.

I mean, dignity. Who needs it? But at least my clothes would have a fighting chance.

Anyway, these sliders turned out really, really well. Good enough for Jeff to break into four-letter words when he forgot there were leftovers and ate something inferior. So I wanted to share them with you, just in case you’re fishing for some party eats or you just need to get some more meatballs into your life.

Continue reading: Meatball Sliders

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

On my nephew Jack’s birthday, when he alone has the power to decide what the entire family eats, he always picks the same thing for dinner: chili. And that’s fine by us, because my sister Jennifer’s chili is the kind that makes you moan before you can stop yourself. She promised to share the recipe if I’d bring petit fours to baby Riley’s first birthday party, so done and done.

By Jennifer Rather.

Chili. A culinary problem child. Everyone has a different idea of what it should should be in it, how to use it and what it should taste like. You’ve got your all-beef people. Your beef and bean people. Chicken chili. Vegetarian chili. Cincinnati chili.

Hot dog chili is a different breed from cracker chili.

It’s more confusing than sending a man for tampons.

I wanted a chili that would work for our entire family, so a few years ago, I came up with a plan. Over the course of one football season, every Sunday, I would try a different chili recipe, and the men (my husband and two boys) would grade the attempt, ranking what they liked and disliked

Continue reading: Rather Good Chili

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

I’ve never been to New York. My sister lived there for a while, but back then, I was too broke to visit, and she was too broke to rent an apartment big enough to do a jumping jack in. So, I have yet to experience the miracle of a real-deal New York pizza.

That’s why, when I saw this recipe for Grandma Pizza in “Cook’s Country,” I had to try it.

Grandma Pizza is a Long Island specialty. A local secret. A square, thin-crust pizza topped with a little mozzarella, crushed canned tomatoes and fresh basil. According to an article by Erica Marcus, it was something simple that Umberto and Carlo Corteo, of Umberto’s Pizzeria, would make just for themselves and their friends. Something like their mama had made in Italy. But the brothers didn’t want to add another pizza to their menu, so Grandma Pizza didn’t really catch on until two of their former employees opened a shop and actually started selling it.

I assume the brothers were cool with that.

So, what makes this pizza so different?

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

The Year of the Dragon starts at midnight.

I’m not sure exactly sure what that means, but it sounds like things are about to get awesome.

Jeff and I intensely prepared for our Chinese New Year celebration by Googling traditions and latching on to only the fun ones.

Sweeping away last year’s bad luck? Gimme that broom.

Lighting firecrackers to scare away evil spirits? They’re in the junk drawer.

New red undies? Always good luck.

But my favorite part of the day was making a huge platter of Pork Egg Rolls for our Chinese New Year feast. Even though it took me a few practice runs to get the wrapping technique down, I’m happy to report that the butt-ugly ones tasted just as good as the pretty ones. Mad egg roll-wrapping skills are not required. Thank God.

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

Cacio e Pepe.

It sounds like a cartoon about a constipated elephant and a horny skunk, but literally, it’s Italian for “cheese and pepper.”

Cacio e Pepe is a classic Roman pasta dish made with Pecorino Romano and freshly cracked black pepper. Some say it should be made with just those three elements (and a little pasta water). Others make it with a little butter or extra-virgin olive oil.

The nice thing is, it’s so simple that no matter how you make it, you’ll never need the recipe again.

Continue reading: Meatless Monday: Cacio e Pepe (Pasta with Cheese and Pepper)

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

This crockpot barbecue recipe comes straight from my sister, Jennifer, whom you might recall from stories such as this one and this one. She has agreed to teach me the Way of the Crockpot in return for showing her how to make a decent biscuit. Done and done. Take it away, Sista-Friend!

By Jennifer Rather.

Our favorite barbecue joint has a great deal for a normal family: a pound of barbecue, a few buns and a couple of sides for around $10.

Too bad I don’t have a normal family.

My family is large. Two adults and four kids (12, 7, 2 and 11 months). The youngest isn’t gnawing pulled pork quite yet, but the oldest is a 12-year-old boy, fully capable of putting down a pound of barbecue by himself.

It didn’t take me long to realize that, unless we wanted to take out a loan for barbecue, something had to change.

It was time to break out the crockpot.

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

Something about the word “detox” makes me want to slide head-first into a big plate of shrimp and grits. Specifically Barbecued Shrimp and Cheese Grits.

They’ve been on my mind.

I found this recipe a few months ago, before the holidays and our round of Bubonic Plague. Back then, I printed it off and stuck it right in the middle of my planner. A message to my Future Self to MAKE THIS! So, when I was finally well enough to care about what was in my planner, I opened it up and there was my seafood centerfold.

Continue reading: Barbecued Shrimp with Cheese Grits

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

I’ve been obsessed with making this Mushroom Lasagna since I saw it in this month’s “Cooking Light,”and if you love mushrooms like I do, you need to block out the fungus-haters and make this happen, too.

Preferably on a night when you don’t have much crack-a-lackin’, because it takes a little time.

And focus.

But it is so worth it

Continue reading: Meatless Monday: Light Mushroom Lasagna

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.

Most decent people have their Christmas decorations put away by now.

But Jeff and I had the Bubonic Plague from Christmas to New Year’s Eve (aka Our Anniversary), so we’ve decided to keep the halls decked until Elvis’ birthday, Jan. 8.

If your holidays went a little wonky, or you just want to keep the party going, please join us in having one final holiday blowout this weekend.

We’ll bring the Elvis Paninis

Continue reading: Elvis Panini

© 2011 Rebecca Crump. All rights reserved.