Chopped?

Monday night... what's a boy to do? Well, there was the Cowboys game on... and its ALWAYS good to see the 'Boys beat up on the Deadskins... and to spice things up, I invited my friend Dustin, the Chef de Cuisine at Jasper's Austin , over to do a little cooking...

Busted out some venison backstrap and doves from the Medina County freezer... and some artisanal Czech bacon from Kocurek Family Charcuterie in Austin.

Fileted off the breast meat of the doves, wrapped them in the bacon while stuffed with jalepeno and onion. Rubbed down with a little BBQ seasoning, and off to the grill.

Trimmed off the silver skin on the venison back strap, and marinate it with EVOO, salt, pepper, and fresh basil, oregano, purple basil, thyme, rosemary, and parsley.

While the doves cooked and the venison marinated, we blanched off some broccolini and peeled some shrimp. Made a basil pesto marinade for the shrimp, and chopped up some patipan squash.

As the doves came off, the venison went on the grill... seared off then moved to indirect heat... Added the shrimp and broccolini to the grill and sauteed the squash in a little butter...

The result?

It was a total blast getting to cook with my friend... and one hell of an amazing chef. And thanks to our wonderful "kitchen bitch" Jina! :-0 (P.S. I never thought in my life she would actually LIKE the dove... I guess that bacon DOES make everything better! Its all about the pig!)

We will have to do it again sometime soon... be on the look out for the invite...

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

Wow. Shocked. Consider myself blown away. Got the most unexpected email message today.

I knew the 2011 WLS Awards were happening soon. I had seen several of my friends in the WLS community receive nominations. I NEVER, repeat, NEVER, thought I would be one of them.

Lo and behold... I get a Facebook message today from Diva Taunia
informing me that I have been nominated as the "Favorite WLS Dude" along with the immeasurable Rob Portinga
and "ReinventingEd
To be honest, I can truly say its an honor (AND A COMPLETE FREAKING SURPRISE) just to be nominated. I have no inclination that I can win... Rob does so much for the community, from his blog to the Minneapolis radio show! If I weren't running, I would vote for Rob.

That being said, can I pimp myself for just once? Hey, why not! Please, if you can see it in your heart, vote for me as favorite WLS Dude. What do I win if I am voted in? Bragging rights. That's it. Oh, and a catchy logo I can use on this blog.

But, where do I vote you ask? Of course I will provide that for you! VOTE HERE
Voting closes Nov 7. Be a Democrat. Vote Early! Vote Often. Vote for your dead Union relatives! (I kid, I kid. Please be honest when you vote!)

Of course, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't also ask you to vote for my WLS friends and family. Any other time, I would say vote for Rob... sorry dude. You know you got my respect and admiration!

Who are the FOTF (Friends of Token Foodie) that are nominated this year? Some are in multiple categories, and some, unfortunately, are nominated against each other... but please go vote.
Melting Mama aka Beth Ism

Andrea Sopher Ullberg

Michelle Vicari

Michelle Scheiner

Shaawn Harrell Kelly

Waning Woman

Obesity Action Coalition

Rachel Winton (SleevePixie)
Nicole Buckley (saphre64)

I would humbly also ask that you support my friends that have not been nominated this year, even though they do wonderful things for the community.

Shana Watson

Kaitlin Nelson



Also, one last request... this weekend is the Walk from Obesity. Please support the WLS community, and our fight against obesity. Donate to your favorite walker.


Shana's Walk


Beth's Walk


Last but not least... I know I have been slacking. I could make a million excuses... the new role at work. Workout schedules. Drought induced depression (PLEASE GOD... SEND SOME DAMN RAIN TO TEXAS!) I will try to get better! To whet you appetite, I will leave you with this...

Last weekend, Jina and I took a little trip... down the mighty Mississip... just kidding. We met our wonderful friends Tiffany Pressly and Mike LaRocca in Galveston for a fun weekend of doing absolutely nothing. Well, I can't say ABSOLUTELY nothing. We drank a little cold beer (Tecate FTMFW!) chilled on the beach, and as if I needed an excuse to cook, I cooked up a little dinner for our crew (some of Mike's high school friends and their better halves joined us.) So, for dinner, I whipped up a little creole style BBQ shrimp and dirty rice... enjoy.

Oh, two last dimes to drop on you... Token Foodie's best damn snack chip on the market is OFFICIALLY BEANITOS! They are TokenFoodie Approved! Beanitos

Also, if you are near Austin, TX, on Oct 2, please come to the Capitol and support Mike and Beanito's at the Rally4RealFood Rally4RealFood
as we rally for your right to know about GMO's and REAL FOOD!