Disclaimer: The photographs you see in this post are of poor quality due to lighting, and my blackberry. Yes, I was too lazy to go grab my camera. Sorry. Oh yeah. And this isn’t very healthy. Moderation please.

I’m told that food is the way to a person’s heart. It’s very true. Whenever my Mom prepares something with me in mind, she wants to share her love through her cooking. I try to have the same mentality when cooking for others. And myself.

Earlier this evening, I ventured off into various markets and picked up all kinds of random things. Onions, a papaya, English cucumbers, kosher salt, yadda yadda yadda. You get the picture.

When it came time to make dinner, I got a bit adventurous. I had enough “stuff” to make turkey burgers, but I didn’t want this to be some cookie cutter burger. I wanted to be a bit aggressive with my palate.

I felt the urge to go sweet, but also bold and hearty. I came up with the “Near Perfect” burger. I gave it this name because it literally is…near perfect. Not quite perfect, because that would involve something that has been tested amongst food critics, eaters and others. It’s near perfect because after wrapping my lips around this burger, and taking a bite…I experienced the full gamut of flavors. Everything I wanted, and needed. The sweet, the salt, the hot, the cold…it was damn near perfect.

If dragons are mythical creatures, then dragonfruits must be equally full of lore. Right?

I’m a big believer of the theory that “playlist selections tell a story”. Today, I was going through some old belongings, and I came across my very first burned CD. It was titled, “The Hidden Dave Nadkarni”.

A bit unsure as to the contents, I immediately imported this album into my iTunes and many of the songs brought back some old memories. These were songs from my high school days (Class of 98! Cottonwood High. What!)

After finally getting through some articles (see previous post) and recipes for Chinese Snow Peas, I finally crafted my very own version. This dish was inspired by Mark Bittman‘s 2008 Minimalist piece on Chef Peter Chang and a simple recipe.

I am still trying to fully embrace a minimalist mindset in my cooking, but I kept the ingredient list for this recipe short. I wanted to add some red chili and some garlic. These two things seduce my palate. They are must-haves.

A few days ago, I picked up some Chinese Snow Peas. I was trolling around the Internets for some inspiration, and came across this old article.

Hope I don’t get in trouble for sharing this article.

Chinese Snow Peas Sparked With Flavor — Mark Bittman – New York Times.

Several months ago, I tried to cook an artichoke. I had no idea what to do with it, let alone how to eat it. Point being, it was an epic fail. Shortly thereafter, I started crafting my “bucket list” aka 30 Before 30. I added the artichoke to the list because the thought of failure bothered me.

Today, after some careful preparation, patience, and directions, I properly cooked an artichoke, and then in good form, devoured it.

Before I get into the recipe, I should give you a little background of how this all came about. What a day! I woke up at 5am, got ready and left the house for a 6am spin class! Who doesn’t want to start a Monday like this?

After spin, I paid a visit to the fantastic folks at Cheyenne Dental and the incredible Dr. Tran. I hadn’t been to the dentist in a number of years, but finally gave in. Dr. Tran was fantastic! Today’s treatment involved the usual X-rays, cleaning and dental exam. I needed some work done, so the good doctor and I both agreed to take care of this today. I’m not exactly sure what my procedure was called, but the best way to describe it was an extraction that was a little more complicated than usual.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been playing around with different recipes for turkey sliders. At first, I used just salt and pepper. Then I spiced things up a little by using Montreal Seasoning.

While these were great, I wanted something that was very bold in flavor. Something spicy. Something a little salty. But more importantly, something BOLD. Here is my latest recipe for Spicy Turkey Sliders.

Medal (Noun)

1 : a small usually metal object bearing a religious emblem or picture 2 : a piece of metal often resembling a coin and having a stamped design that is issued to commemorate a person or event or awarded for excellence or achievement.

As we get through summer, I can’t help but feel a very heavy sense of pride for my many friends who are training for various 5k’s, 10k’s, half-marathons and even marathons. No race is “a walk in the park”.

Some of us are in better shape than others. Others have the mental fortitude that people like myself don’t. The one constant for all race runners, particularly half and full marathoners, is the medal. For some, this “piece of metal” signified an accomplishment.

In the fall of 2006, I began training for my very first marathon through the AIDS Marathon Training Program. I spent seven months preparing my body for a 26.2 mile run. Throughout the whole process, all I could think about…was getting a medal.

I was that “husky” kid in school. I never won medals, trophies or belts. I was awarded certificates for academic achievement…but I never got any recognition for my athletic efforts.

Pineapple Dessert Sliders

Here is a recipe I “cooked” up last weekend. It’s not the most healthy, but it is one of the more delicious. All things in moderation kids. All things in moderation.

These are dessert sliders inspired by the various mini burgers I have enjoyed in many different capacities. This is a unique creation using King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. SO TASTY!