Dark Roast:

Vince - Thanks for being part of my day! Ham sounds great! Lamb would have been good too! I bet you can cook up one heck of a Leg! Happy Easter!

I have been known to cook up a great leg , but I like the rack myself, olive oil rosemary garlic, a little salt & pepper, with a light mustard seed crust, HEAVEN!, enjoy, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince

Vince O:

Dark Roast:

Vince - Thanks for being part of my day! Ham sounds great! Lamb would have been good too! I bet you can cook up one heck of a Leg! Happy Easter!

I have been known to cook up a great leg , but I like the rack myself, olive oil rosemary garlic, a little salt & pepper, with a light mustard seed crust, HEAVEN!, enjoy, Vince

Getting ready to head over to inlaws. They are cooking lamb. Can't wait!

I havent eaten much at my inlaws as my mother in law is not a great cook, to say she is adiquite would be a streach, my father in law would eat almost anything that was in front of him , , , good or bad, he was there for the fuel, not the taste, & since she was the teacher of my wifes skills, she isnt much better , but this Aug we will be married 40 years, my mother in law is in a nursing home & my father in law is "fertilizer" I realy dont have inlaws to get a meal, my parents have been long gone for many years so I am the cook here , but after being a chef for 40years before I retired its second nature to me , & I love the time in the kitchen. Enjoy, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince

I sell coffee, sauces and spices to restaurants and interact daily with family style chefs/cooks. What type of restaurant did you chef for?

I started out in my grandmothers bestro called the casa de leon, the castle of the lion, , back in the mid 50's , went to a country club near the Pittsburgh airport in the 60's when she sold the place , worked there till i got my draft notice & enlisted in the Navy, , spent a few years cooking on a few ships & when I was at a shore station , i worked in a lot of the local places off the base, steak houses , german food, fish houses, & what ever I could do to keep my skill sharp & keep the food moving, then I had my own catering business for a long time then I RETIRED, it has been one h3ll of a life, worked in Philly, Chicago, San Diego, Cleveland,& PittsburghCulinary school for a short time, , but that was restricting in what I was doing, you had one class 3 or 4 times a day, the same stuff all day, I liked being out in the world, never knowing what was comming in next, , Now i just cook for the wife & grandsons, , if the oldest grandson didnt have a talent for music & computers , he might end up a chef himself, but he spends more time with the piano & computer, than he has time in the kitchen, he is 14 , the younger one (12) isnt big on food but can fend for him self if need be , how ever he is a cigar fan so there is hope for him hahahaha , Enjoy, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince

Good morning , it is Sunday April 11 ,2010, a cool clear morning here in da burgh, a nice day by the words of the weather channel with a high of 65F , not a day to get a trip to the beach , if there was a beach here in da Burgh, swimming in the river is way to cold as of today, the water temp is in the low 50's F so it is chilly to say the lest, we have had a busy week at the shop 2 days were outstanding, but Wed. was so slow I could have mailed it in , we had a master roller in the shop Tuesday, From Don Gonzalez's cigars , Alehandro is a pro , he was a roller at the famed Partagas factory for 7 years in Havana showing me how to roll the correct way, it gets some getting used to , as I have been rolling cigars for some time now & he showed me the classic Cuban cap , which I seam to get on with fine, but with my poor eyesight I have a little problem with the right & wrong side of the leaf, dammmm its tuff getting old, from 10 feet I see the difference but at arms lenght both sides look the same , I guess I will have to trust my finger tips to tell me the difference hahahaha yea like these old crab claws have much feeling in them after years of pulling stuff out of boiling water & flipping stuff on the grill with the fingers & not a tool, dammmmm God gave us fingers long before some one thought of Tools hahahaha I am so glad to see a blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds , vs the dark gray sky with gray to black clouds we have had most of the winter, right now there is a bit of haze in the sky or do I need to clean my glasses again hahahahaha , yep its the glasses hahahaha , the ham & cheese omlet I made this morning seams to have left a light coating of evoo on the lenses , nothing new about that !! , last night the BOSS & I watched Saturday Night Live , & for a long time it has been rather slow & not as funny as it was 35 years ago, dammmm its been on that long ! well last nights show was funny , SNL has given us a lot of great comic's over the last 35 years & the Orginal not ready for prime time players were IMHO the best ,yea some of the later replacements were good , but JUST LIKE LUCY , some of the ones who came after Her were as good but never BETTER ...... Since all the snow has gone back to where ever it came from , the grass is looking a little shabby , there are a lot of pine cones , twigs , leaves & wind blown trash littering the yard & fence line , , , , ., Maybe I might get to it tomarrow, or maybe tuesday, & if I wait till the boss gets tired of wating for me to do it , she might get out there one day when I'm at work & clean it up hahahahahaha yea like that will happen, hey strang events happen when you lest expect them... That brings this weeks BS to the grandsons, ........... whats to tell you about them, 12 & 14 , boys , computers I pods, game boys , Wii , & cell phones & the youngest one taks care of the 180 pound Mastiff who is as DUMB as he is strong..... since today is Sunday & the BOSS wants pot roast, , well you guessed it , its in the oven all ready, the ham 7 cheese omlet we had at breakfast went down smooth with a pot of JOLT coffee, double the cafine of regular coffee, , & so one dementional , that the sample bag will be my Last purchase of this rotgut coffee , I was in the mood for a full right flavor coffee this morning & since the kona is a light roast with a grand taste i was in the mood for a fully chewy coffee, this morning so i grabbed this double cafine bag of pre groung junk, tastes like the package it came in , got my heart racing , but didnt do $hit for my taste buds , now I will need a double Lafroiag to clean out the taste buds before i brew the Sunday morning Kona , the Sunday morning Don Carlos #3 was replaced with a San Cristobol robusto this morning, great cigar in its own right but just not what i was after for the morning smoke, back to the Don Carlos asap why do I try different stuff when I have been hooked on the DC3 for more years than I care to count , yea its nice to look & dream but you go home with the one you brung to the dance ........ You Hope ! well I need to get to the kitchen fire up the coffee pot raid the humidor & get my lazy butt to the Qtr.Deck , Enjoy, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince

Good morning , it is Sunday 18th of April,2010, a cool wet morning here in Da 'Burgh , I am about 25 miles, north west from the Point in PittsBURGH, a great place to grow up & live in , right now our National Football League team the Steelers , well they are having a tuff time with some of the players getting into trouble , from the kicker Jeff Reed , getting drunk & fighting with the police, to the reciever & Super bowl MVP Santanio Holmes , getting High on Weed & testing positive for a second time & the star Qterback Big Ben Rothlesburg, having trouble keeping his Pants up & his manhood under check, having maultable ladys comming forward claiming sexual assualt , Superbowl champ or not , its time to get rid of him, trade him to Oakland Or anyone who will take him , he is a great player , but a very rich child in a mans body , No social graces , he lets the little head think for the big head , he has over looked special needs children to hit on the teacher , refused to sign autographs & have his photo taken , but will chat up almost any thing in a short skirt that he thinks he might have a chance to see whats under it . , Some think he is a wild stud just out doing what he should be doing , but most people think he is a JERK , I look for the 6 time Superbowl CHAMPs to trade his @ $ $ ,for a few jock straps & a stack of clean towls , he might be great on the field , but he hasn't the mind set or the passion off the field to be a roll modle for anyone but but for Charles Mansion......... well now thats thats off my chest ..... lets get back to the Cigars & such.... , this Morning was started off with a pot of kona coffee & the Don Carlos #3 & a brisk walk while I sipped the coffee & enjoyed the cigar , when it was finished I came in & made a bacon & egg breakfast for the boss & my self, & I have a nice hunk of beef to roast later this morning, should be out of the oven & on the table some time about 4 PM , a few onions ,carrots ,potatos & celery with a nice dark beef gravy , I might pull the cork on a bottle of Italian red wine .......... all I need to do is figure out what to have for desert, ......... maybe a baked apple ...... who knows till I get to the kitchen & see whats in the pantry & fridge ... .... the shop was busy most of the week but Saturday was a BUST, , it was Cold & rainy all day , & after the great Friday weather we had in the day , most people stayed home & out of the rain, but the grass is green & the lawns need cutting , dammmmm I hate summer for that reason, I enjoy the beach & the warm evenings outside with a cigar & sinle malt scotch , maybe a little coffee to wash it all down with BUT that DAMMMM grass, , I think its time to sell the house & move into a high rise appartment with a balcony so I can sit outside & smoke , & Tick off the entire city with my cigar smoke , well at lest a few of the people living near me hahahahahaha , right now all I have to overcome is the aroma from the cow pasture next to me , het no problem when the wind is in my favor , But when its in the cows favor , dammmmm its a POWERFUL aroma to over come , but after 35 year here , thay are getting used to me hahahaha , the Grandsons are getting aling well, the 14 year old is in need of a hair cut but tells us he isnt ready yet......... well he will be ready when I go & take him to the barbers........ his 12 year old brother has no problem with a haircut, in fact he called me to take him a few weeks ago as his mother was busy & he wanted a trim before it got on his ears, ,,, , , , I know he has a motive to this & God only knows what the thinking is behind it , he is only 12 but he thinks like a 25 year old man.... always some thing in the end for himself , yea if I get my hair cut I might be able to talk myself into a new Bike or computer game.... when it finnaly comes out what he is after I will be sure to let you all in on it ! We had a nice quiet breakfast this morning , just the boss & myself, , no outside interference , no phone calls , just a little music from the wind chimes on the back porch, the birds at the feeder & the the sound of Bacon in the skillet ..... what a way to start a wonderful Sunday Morning . Enjoy, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince

Wed. update big ben gets a 6 game suspention, time to trade him for a stack of clean towls & a few jock straps, Enjoy, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince

I think your weekly updates should start to have a recipe included. Especially grilling/bbq/smoking recipes. Big fan of yours and read every week. Keep it up.

+1

undulac:

I think your weekly updates should start to have a recipe included. Especially grilling/bbq/smoking recipes. Big fan of yours and read every week. Keep it up.

+1

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Question, challenge, and always keep a fresh battery in your bullshit detector

so you want recipes , dammmm , I have a cook book ( unpublished ) but after 40 years in the kitchen I just might be able to jot down a few ideas or dig out my manuscripts & copy a page every week hahaha, Ok , If i remember I will get on it this Sunday , Enjoy, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince

Vince O:

so you want recipes , dammmm , I have a cook book ( unpublished ) but after 40 years in the kitchen I just might be able to jot down a few ideas or dig out my manuscripts & copy a page every week hahaha, Ok , If i remember I will get on it this Sunday , Enjoy, Vince

sweet.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Vince O:

so you want recipes , dammmm , I have a cook book ( unpublished ) but after 40 years in the kitchen I just might be able to jot down a few ideas or dig out my manuscripts & copy a page every week hahaha, Ok , If i remember I will get on it this Sunday , Enjoy, Vince

"see 'ya " Sunday Vince....

Good morning , it is Sunday 25th of April,2010, a wonderful warm morning here in da Burgh with a projected high in the mid to upper 70's , we should get a thunderstorm this afternoon, , but right now the sky is blue & there is a warm wind out of the south west & I will be out on the back deck asap, the Sunday morning coffee is a pot of Kona & the cigar is a Don Carlos #3, but instead of the traditional hunk of Beef to keep the boss happy , I have a big old hunk of TURKEY , defrosting , it will hit the oven about 1 PM should be done in 3 hours , it is all boned out but for the ***, , I like to keep the *** intact to stuff it with a bread, cornbread & vegatable mix , , witch is a simple mix of onions, celery ,bell peppers & carots. that gets mixed with the breads, a tin of milk,eggs ,butter, salt, sage & a little rosemary, pepper & a pinch of citrus , that all gets stuffed in the bird , in the oven at 325F for 3 hours, should be just fine ..... a little gravy , mashed potato's ,cranberry relish,& some sort of veggie , maybe corn or peas, but I have to look in the freezer to see whats still in there ..... should be on the table about 4 /4:30 so if your in the area be shure to stop ... the week at the shop was slower than I wanted , granted i dont want to run all day long , but sitting for hours at a time with out a customer isnt any way ro run a cigar shop, we need people sitting smoking & SPENDING , SPENDING , thats the key, hahahaha seams like I am the only one spending anything hahahaha but the coffee is always on , the music or the TV is on, the chairs are so comfortable I have gotten in a nap from time to time .......... I have been running specials & discounts & the same people come in day after day GOD BLESS THEM ALL , we need NEW & YOUNG cigar smokers, , I dont have any machine made cigars in the shop, NO swisher sweets, No black & milds or hav-a-tampa , nothing with plastic tips, JUST hand rolled cigars & pipe tobacco NO CIGARETTS...... (they STINK ) , but a cigar emits a wonderful aroma ........ well I know the kids want the junk to slice open to smoke weed in them , so I dont have anything like that, no rolling papers or blunts let them go to a shop that caters to the pot heads , we are a few steps above that, not that we are stuck up & borish, I just want a place to sit , converce, enjoy the company of friends sip a little coffee, whisky,beer, wine , what ever you want, Bring your own , as we cant sell it but I do have glasses & cups in the shop, as well as an opener or two, there is a cooler to keep you beer cold if you so desire & we do have bottled water & soft drinks for sale , so if yourin the need of some BS, a rest for your tired mind & feet, be sure to stop in KING Beaver Cigars in Monaca Pa & say hello, sit a spell have a cup of coffee, a pint or two, maybe 3 & pass the time with a Fine Hand rolled cigar .... yes I know that was a shamless plug for the shop, but its what I do , & who I am hahahahaha the grandsons have been busy all week, I did get to spend a little time with the youngest one yesterday , he is 12 , & not in the best of health he has grown, just 2 inches & only gained 3 pounds in the past 2 years , he eats well, but just isnt growing, he has been to so many doctors in the past year, no one has an answer, , failure to thrive , is all they say, , I have spent enough time with him to find out he is a well adjusted , young man, he has a lot of friends who treat him well, he plays scoccer, plays guitar, & plays with the family dog a 180 pound mastife , the dog has him by 100 pounds but listens to him well, they get along just fine...... when the gradson was here he ate like a champ, 5 of my hand made cheese ravolis, I was only able to get 4 down myself, , they are about the size ofthe palm of your hand , the filling is rich , riccotta cheese, egg, spinich ,paramagino ,romano cheese,& a little crumble of feta cheese , the dough is semilina flour , chestnut flour , wheat flour , a pinch of salt & eggs , a drop of olive oil just because I like the taste ,,,, it gets worked into a dough by hand & rolled out , filled but the spoon full, cut ,folded & boiled , topped with a little red gravy ( tomato sauce that has been cooking all day , the pasta is FRESH but the sauce is a reduction of whole plum tomatos seasonings a spash of wine , & few pork rib bones & a beef soup bone, cooked till the marrow is melted into the sauce , a little garlic bread & a sprinkel fresh grated cheese on top & a little green salid , dammmm it cant get much better than that , so I know the kid is eating well, & not throughing up after , he just isnt gaining any weight ????? so we just feed him what ever he will eat anytime any place , but he sticks to the 3 meals a day, eats sloly but puts it away , I guess he is just going to be a very thin person , , but at times he looks like a refugee from Bergen-Bleson, or Alzwitch, , I dont know what to think about it, his mother is worried & that worries me . the older grandson who is 14 thinks is a crock, just let the kid alone , is his comments, I know they talk to each other & I am sure if there was some thing going on the big one would spill the beans as he is a classic gossip , always has the story to tell & on a mission to gather information to pass on , they are as different as night & day ...... , the Pittsburgh Pirates are getting ready to have there 18th or 19 loosing season in a row, the steelers have a problem with the star qtrback big ben rothlesburger, should have traded him for a few clean towls & a jock strap or 2 & gotten a new Qtr.Back in the draft this weekend, but , he is a 2 time superbowl CHUMPION , , maybe he should be a gelding , that might calm him down ! hahahaha , No I dont think I would wish that on my worst enemey, but since I dont have any enemys that I know of I mightjust be wrong about castration , dammmm that hurts just saying it ! OUCH hahaha, Enjoy,, Vince

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Please pass the gravy, GO NAVY

Enjoy, Vince