Inspired By Travel

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Recipes, restaurants, and cooking
  • Sinatra's Menu Favorites from Golden Steer Steakhouse Las Vegas

    Las Vegas has been a foodie town for generations and despite the fancy new places that open up every week, there are still some classics left in town like the Golden Steer Steakhouse. Founded in 1958, it saw the golden years of "Old Las Vegas" and a list of celebrities a mile long, including: Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, Tony "The Ant" Spilatro, Natalie Wood, Nat "King" Cole, Joe DiMaggio, Elvis Presley and Mario Andretti. In 2009 Bon Appetit Magazine even featured it in their feature, "The Best Steaks On Earth." Now, they are revealing some of their famous recipes and we've got a few samples to share!

  • Peace River Seafood Gator Gumbo Recipe

    Asking a chef or cook what their secret recipe is one of those things that I generally try to avoid. After all, there's always more to a great meal than simply a set of directions. That being said, after trying some of the famous Gator Gumbo at Peace River Seafood in Punta Gorda, Florida I just had to ask for the chance to share it with you guys. It's THAT good... and what's even better is that they even have a pet alligator in the pond out back... because of course they do, It's Florida!

  • Mushroom and Chicken Chili Pepper Alfredo With Frankies 457 Pasta And Calabrian Chili Oil

    For this recipe I've created something of an excersise in conflict - the rich, creamy alfredo sauce, topped with the earthy, rustic mushrooms, roasted chicken, and spicy chili flakes spice blend that is brought together with a hearty quality pasta that is better that anything you can find at the grocery store and then a strong drizzle of Frankies 457 Calabrian Chil Oil to bring everything together. OMG it's so good!

  • Skip The Butcher Shop Here's Where To Buy Premium Steaks Online

    If you're looking for the best steaks money can buy, you don't need to go to your local butcher shop. In fact, you don't even need to leave your house! There are a number of premium steak retailers online that offer an amazing selection of cuts and styles, all with the convenience of home delivery. So why should you buy steaks online? Let's take a look.

  • Nanchos Recipe - Indian Inspired Nachos For Your Next Party

    Nachos are one of the great American party foods. It's uniquely American in that it took inspiration from another culture and then made it ours. That's what American food is all about - taking the best from around the world and then making it even more awesome. So in that spirit, I introduce you guys to nanchos! That's right, Indian inspired nachos using nan instead of chips and a blend of spicy and exotic Indian spices.

  • Understanding the Difference Between BBQ Rub, Marinade and Sauce

    Summer is almost here and we've got a few months of outdoor grilling, tailgating and homegating in front of us. As men we are expected to be masters of the grill and while an important part of that is understanding how to "cook" the meat... it's equally important to know how to prepare that meat before cooking it.

    When getting ready to grill, there's really three main ways to go - Rub, Marinade, or Sauce. Do you understand the difference though? This is a subject that deserves to be explored a bit, so let's look at how the preparation affects the way the meat tastes and looks on the other side.

  • Ham and Harvest Hearty 15 Bean Soup Recipe

    For most of you, winter is in full swing right now and that means it's time to warm up with a steaming bowl of hearty soup. I've also found that for some reason there seems to be a lot of spiral cut hams on sale right now. Perhaps it's just that "after the holidays" inventory close out, but who am I to complain. My only problem was that I end up leaving an awful lot of meat on the bone after eating the slices. So, instead of throwing them out - let's make soup!

  • Unveiling The Truth: Are Plant-Based Burgers Actually Healthier Than Meat?

    In recent years, the demand for plant-based burgers has skyrocketed, driven by growing health concerns, environmental issues, and a desire by eco-conscious consumers to reduce damages that they see to the environment by the consumption of animal products. In addition to concerns related to sustainability, plant-based meats and plant-based meat alternatives are also increasingly popular due to perceived health benefits that are widely observed among those men who enjoy vegan, vegetarian, or indeed just a diet that is low in the consumption of red meat and high in nutrient-rich vegetables. Unfortunately, in the past these plant-based alternatives simply haven't been all that tasty. Options that existed in the past like "Bean Burgers" and "Veggie Burgers" were simply not a realistic alternative for hungry carnivores like myself. Things have changed though... meatless burgers today are much tastier but are they actually healthier than meat? 

  • Gluten Free Bacon, Coconut, Peanut Butter Cookies

    Who loves peanut butter cookies? How do you make them even better than they normally are? How about adding some bacon! This is a gluten free recipe that even gluten lovers will ask for more of...

  • Fogo de Chao Brazilian Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe

    One of the challenges with a restaurant like Fogo de Chao is that meat is the centerpiece of the experience (aside from their amazing service of course!) So while the market table is an essential part of the Brazilian churrascaria, often the salads become standardized. One of the things I love about Fogo de Chao is that every time I visit they have new seasonal additions that are unique, innovative, and generally pretty exciting to taste. It's summer and so that means that it is watermelon season and I was excited to see the latest addition to the market table was a Watermelon Feta Salad. Here's how you can make it at home.

  • Fully Loaded Pulled Pork Totchos

    Whether tailgating or homegating it's a difficult balance between creating something awesome and spending way too much time in the kitchen preparing and then cleaning up. As a man, creating ultimate recipes is something I revel in because it's an opportunity to take the gloves off and innovate with no boundaries. So today I'm going to introduce you to my latest creation - Smithfield Pulled Pork Totchos and hopefully inspire you to try something new next time you have the guys over to watch football. 

  • Crispy Baked Coconut Chicken Tenders With Caribbean Rum Sauce

     Chicken Tenders are one of the most versatile menu items out there. The sheer number of options to coat a chicken tenderloin with and sauces to dip it in allow for incredible freedom. Plus, there's the debate of whether to fry it or bake it. For me, I prefer to bake my chicken tenders since while I do enjoy fried foods, baking is so much easier to clean, safer, and healthier. So, with dreams of sunshine and palm trees in my head, I prepared these baked Crispy Crunchy Coconut Chicken Tenders evoking the sweet and spicy Caribbean flavor that I love!

  • How to Eat Blue Crab So You Don't Miss an Ounce of Meat!

    Eating blue crab is a skill that virtually everyone who has spent time living along the Southern coastal areas of the United States has learned how to do. While there may be variations depending on if you grew up in Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay area or Florida, this is something we all learned how to do from the time we were young boys. Once you "get it" the process isn't that bad and actually it is an incredibly fun and social way to spend some time with your friends.

  • How To Make The Perfect Restaurant Quality Strip Steak At Home

    It's been too long since I've been able to enjoy the sizzle of a piping hot, perfectly cooked steak brought to my table. Sure, there's delivery and pickup available but by the time my steak gets home it just isn't the same. Luckily I have the solution to creating the perfect restaurant-quality steak at home and I'm about to share it with you guys...

  • Tips to Help You Eat Healthy While Traveling

    Vacations and even traveling for business may seem like the perfect excuse for overindulging in your favorite snacks. After all, it's easy to order desert or that steak instead of a salad when you've got extra per diem left! However, making the right food choices and maintaining a nutritious diet will boost your energy throughout your trip and generally make you feel better as well as being more productive. Despite what you might think, it IS possible to eat healthy whenever you travel, so here's some of our favorite tips!

  • Carnival Cruise Warm Chocolate Melting Cake Recipe w Peanut Butter

    One of the things I love about cruising is the food. It's not always the "best ever" but each cruise line has some iconic dishes that fans absolutely crave and savor the memories for months and years after the cruise. In the case if Carnival, their Warm Chocolate Melting Cake is undisputedly one of the best deserts at sea. While virtually all cruise lines offer a variation of a "chocolate lava cake", Carnival's is just that much better and we've got the secret recipe below. However, the other thing I love about cruising is that you can always make things better and the crew loves to make guests happy. That is true on almost every cruise I've taken with Carnival and it is certainly true the night we took Carnival's Warm Chocolate Melting Cake to the next level by adding melted peanut butter!

  • Easy To Make Homemade Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

    Comfort food is, well... comforting. Generally easy and cheap to make, recipes like Chicken and Dumplings have evolved over the years from easy - but time-consuming - to relatively quick and easy using shortcuts. That's what we're doing today. Easy to make, homemade chicken and dumplings where we focus on what's important. For me, that's a healthy recipe that you can whip up fast and fill your family's bellies with something other than the mass-produced package foods where you really don't know where things actually came from.

  • Hot Honey Shrimp Tater Cake Bites

    Hot honey is a trend that I've been wrestling with for a while since it's genesis seemingly was Nashville, Tennessee with Prince's famous Hot Honey Chicken starting in the 1930s but other tales suggest it goes back earlier to Brazil and some credit the trend to hipsters and millenials who think they discovered everything for the first time. Regardless of who actually discovered that chiles and honey go well together... this is a winning flavor combination that works well on a variety or proteins. So, to take "hot chicken" to the next level, I've prepared a recipe for Hot Honey Shrimp served on Tater Cakes. 

  • Celebrating Ireland's Heritage with Irish Whiskey Bread and Fish Stew Recipe

    March has begun and that means that it is unofficially Irish Heritage month - even if that's mostly celebrated by St Patrick's Day traditions such as green beer and leprechauns as well as more palatable ones such as a corned beef and cabbage dinner.  Variations on the classic corned beef and cabbage recipes have been what I've eaten for St. Patrick's Day for the past 30+ years, so it's time to try something new and explore Irish culture a bit while doing so.

  • Allen Brothers Steaks - Because the Best Gift For Guys is Meat!

    There are a lot of great gift ideas you can get for the men in your life but there's one that is my new favorite. Meat By Mail! Allen Brothers sent us a box of bone-in ribeyes this week and while I was initially skeptical because they arrive frozen, I'm convinced now that this is probably one of the best gifts for guys who love to grill.