A Few Words Of Encouragement

As we mentioned earlier, in addition to food, we'd like to use this blog to share our experiences as entrepreneurs as well.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to discuss the differences between entrepreneurship and what I like to call the "W-2 lifestyle" with a few friends. There are some definite perks to having a W-2 job, but I'd like to encourage our fellow entreprenuers to stay the course. One of the things I noticed in my conversations this week is that, for the most part, we entrepreneurs struggle through the first few years of the start-up phase, watching our friends get promotion after promotion, while we struggle to establish some stability in our businesses. Yes, it is a little depressing at times, but once we get to our late 30's we begin to see things change. Our W-2 friends usually plateau at some point - finding it harder to get the next promotion and really set themselves apart from their peers in making the type of money they'd like to make, and living the way they'd like to live. Entrepreneurs on the other hand, having struggled through the early phases, begin to see the money and stability that we so longed for early on, finally match that of our peers. Now here's the really exciting part.... As the years progress, our opportunities for wealth and work-life balance increase dramatically. While our conterparts are required to work much harder to keep the stability and income they've grown accustomed to, we entrepreneurs should find it easier to grow our wealth and relish in the stability we've created, despite the chaos we lived through years ago. With those odds, I for one am encouraged to stay the course...I hope you are too.

Stop Serving that $2 Trader Joe's Wine

Yes, it is a recession. Yes, times are hard. Yes, money is tight. Yes, we're all on a budget. Yes, as the host providing drinks it is your choice to serve your guests whatever you'd like without going broke in the process. But does that mean you should not use creativity when entertaining your guests? We have noticed a trend lately at various events we have been invited to. The well intentioned host has served Trader Joe's two-buck chuck as an inexpensive way to entertain, only to have his party never get lively and to find himself at the end of the night with the same amount of wine he started with. I have actually been forced to bring home several bottles of the unconsumed Trader Joe's.

We are not against using two-buck chuck, but we are against pouring it straight out of the glass and serving it to your guests. We recommend that you try the following recipes and challenge yourself to come up with a few of your own. Please share your recipes with wine as an ingredient.

Absolute Ruby Riviera

Ingredients

1 part(s) Absolut Ruby Red Vodka
1 splash(es) Club Soda
1 part(s) Orange Juice
1 part(s) Wine Red

Instructions

Build equal amounts of Absolut Ruby Red, wine and orange juice over ice in a wine glass. Add a splash of club soda. Garnish with a ruby red grapefruit wedge.

Cranberry Spice

2 oz. Cranberry Juice
1 oz. Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1/2 oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur
1/2 oz. Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

Instructions

Shake well with ice and strain into a martini glass. Use 3 cranberries for garnish on the rim of the glass.

A Perfectly Seasoned Holiday Turkey Technique

The holiday season is now upon us, and I know we've all been confronted with the inevitable Holiday Turkey. You usually can't escape it on Thanksgiving, but I bet you try to squirm out of the grand ole bird for Christmas. Well, this year try out the BlackTie Barbecue approach to seasoning Turkey and put all of your dry, underseasoned and unimaginitive holiday Turkey experiences behind you.



Step 1
Make a rub with all of your favorite ingredients in a small bowl. Unfortunatly we can't give away the Black Tie Barbecue rub, but I'm sure you can come up with something on your own. I suggest that you combine all of your seasonings and taste the combination together prior to applying them to your meat to prevent over-seasoning, regardless of the cooking technique.

Step 2
With your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the meat of the turkey without ripping it. This will create a pocket to lock in flavor. Using your hands, scoop up some of the rub and begin massaging the meat under the skin. Continue this step until the whole turkey is seasoned under the skin. The legs and thighs may be difficult, but do your best not to rip the skin.

Step 3
Using a boning knife or the sharpest knife you have, make incisions along the breast and the bone as well as along the rear cavity between the thighs. Using your fingers, place the rub in the slits that you've created. This will create pockets on both the top and bottom of the meat - ensuring maximum flavor.

Step 4
Now we're going to oil up the bird. Use a mixture of olive oil and butter and rub it all over the bird. Next,take the remaining rub in the bowl, and begin rubbing it on top of the skin so the whole bird is well seasoned.

Step 5
Filling the cavity. Whether you're going for a traditional bird or an exotic flavor, putting onions, garlic, oranges, apples, celery, carrots, etc...into the cavity of the bird will create additional moisture and flavor during the cooking process.

Step 6
Follow directions for roasting your turkey. A good rule of thumb is 15 minutes for every pound at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 7
Enjoy and let us know how it turns out!

How to grill the perfect chicken breast

Grilling chicken breasts can be tricky. To cook a chicken breast with a beautiful golden brown texture you're usually left with raw or undercooked meat in the middle. To thoroughly cook a chicken breast through you're usually left with a tough and overcooked outter layer, which resembles leather. Your friends at Black Tie barbecue have found the perfect solution to your conundrum.

1. Grill your chicken breasts over hot coals to sear the meat and add a golden brown texture to the outer surface.
2. Move all the hot coals to one side of the grill to create a "hot" and a "not so hot" section on the grill. Place the chicken breasts on the "not so hot" section of the grill
3. Cover the chicken in the "not so hot" section of the grill with an aluminum tray (Allow to cook for about 10-15 mins)
   
4. Using tongs ( We have burned our hands on several occasions trying to pick up the hot aluminum pan) remove the aluminum pan
5. Admire your fully cooked golden brown chicken breasts (note use a thermometer to ensure your chicken is fully cooked, chicken should be 160 degrees F. (71 degrees Celsius))