I previously posted about a BBQ Chicken recipe I was working on for MCL Restaurant & Bakery. But one of my biggest projects of 2011 was a Chicken Pot Pie. Now that it has become a regular menu item I thought I’d give you a sneak peek at what goes on in the test kitchen and explain the effort it takes to launch a new menu item.

Most new items go through a lengthy process which includes recipe development, product testing, recipe tweaking, more testing, and companywide rollout. In all, it can take up to a year to create a new menu item (which is what happened with the pot pie). However there are exceptions. Alterations to current recipes or new recipes that are similar to existing menu items may be fast tracked depending on customer feedback during testing and how much employee training is needed to make the new product. New recipes that prove more difficult to prepare or recipes that have a unique flavor profile usually take longer as we work to iron out all the details. A new item isn’t ready for launch until it can be replicated consistently and has a taste that appeals to customers.

The ideas for new menu items come from many places. Sometimes I get an urge to make a particular dish or I see a food trend and want to put my own spin on it, other times I try to perfect an existing recipe or find a more efficient way to make it. Necessity, the mother of invention, also plays a role. If an ingredient is no longer available or if the quality of an ingredient decreases, I’ll work with a recipe to develop another way to make it.

Once I have an idea, I’ll play around with the proportions, the ingredients and the cooking methods until I get the flavor just the way I want it. Then I share the new item with the MCL executives. If they think it has potential, a small amount will be made and sold at one store. Customers are asked for their feedback and we review this information to make any necessary changes. It can take several months until we feel we have enough positive responses to move to the second phase of testing.

At this point, I’ll type up the recipe and teach a select number of stores how to make the item. Not only are we looking for customer opinions, but we’re also checking to see if the new item is consistent from store to store. We don’t make our food at a central location and reheat it in each store, so it’s imperative that each restaurant be able to prepare, cook and serve the new item the same as the others. This phase of testing is a great time to identify issues with production. For the pot pies, customer feedback was good but the time it took to make each one was very high. I had to work with the bakers to streamline the process and make it more efficient. Only after all the problems have been resolved can the new item be rolled out to the entire company.

In honor of National French Toast Day, here’s a link back to the Cinnamon Roll French Toast recipe I posted a few months ago and demonstrated on Indy Style in honor of Mother’s Day (click here for a clip of the show). While French Toast has traditionally been a breakfast food, there’s no rule that says you can’t enjoy this for dinner tonight!

Click here to view my recipe for Cinnamon Roll French Toast.

Last week I wrote about how stressful it can be when you’re hosting Thanksgiving. Since more of us will be guests than hosts, here are my guidelines for being a great guest. After all, getting invited back means you won’t have to host next year!

1. Offer to bring something…then make sure you bring it on time and ready to serve. Your host’s oven and kitchen space will be very limited, the last thing they need is for you to be cooking your dish, or worse, assembling it and making a mess.

2. Arrive on time. Even if your host is notoriously late to serve the meal, make sure you’re raring and ready to go at the appointed time. Conversely, don’t show up hours early. Your host has enough to do—entertaining you shouldn’t be one of them.

3. Sample the sides. It may look like a lot of food, but it’s also a lot of people, and there may not be enough to go around if you take more than your fair share. So even if the only side dish you like is mashed potatoes, refrain from filling half your plate with spuds. Wait until everyone has been served and then add to your portion. Also, sampling avoids having to choke down a large quantity of something after learning it tastes awful.

4. Bring a gift…but don’t expect it to end up on the table. An edible host or hostess gift is just that—a gift. It’s intended for the recipient and they don’t have to share it with you or anyone else at the party. You may bring it secretly hoping they’ll pass it around, but it might not go with the rest of the meal or there may not be enough for everyone. Whatever the reason, don’t be offended and don’t draw attention to the fact that it’s not out for public consumption.

5. Stay out of the way. This is especially important for overnight guests. Be sensitive to your host’s need to prep for the Thanksgiving meal. Don’t linger too long after breakfast. The kitchen is expensive real estate on Thanksgiving and your host needs every inch of space without having to work around you and your cereal bowl. By all means, don’t eat anything unless it’s offered. You never know what will be used for the Thanksgiving meal so avoid raiding the fridge for a midnight snack the night before.

6. Offer to help. Be ready to pitch in at a moment’s notice, but don’t turn up your nose at your assigned job. It may not seem important, but whatever you’re tasked with is one less thing your host has to do before everyone can sit down to the meal. Whether that’s setting the table or walking the dog.

When November rolls around, hosts and hostesses across the United States brace themselves for what is arguably one of the most nerve-racking holidays of the year. Not only are you expected to cook for a small army, you’re also making food that everyone has an emotional attachment to. There is a ton of pressure (external and internal) to incorporate everyone’s favorite side dishes, even if they’re not your own. If you’re housing overnight guests, the stress level is bumped up tenfold while you try to juggle your guests comfort while simultaneously keeping them out of the way. And most people will take your hospitality and hard work for granted; leaving you feeling like your efforts went unnoticed. Ironically, hosting Thanksgiving can be a thankless job.

I say that doesn’t have to be the case. Here are my tips for removing the anxiety from your Thanksgiving meal so you can relax and enjoy the day.

1. Embrace the potluck.

There’s a reason all the paintings of the first Thanksgiving show the Pilgrims holding bowls of mashed potatoes and Native Americans bringing corn. The two groups shared in the responsibility of the meal. Somewhere along the way we forgot that the essence of Thanksgiving is about coming together and sharing what we have. Bring back the spirit of the holiday by supplying the turkey and asking your guests to supplement the meal with side dishes they love. Afraid you’ll have too many sweet potatoes and not enough green bean casserole if you leave it up to the guests? Make a list of the sides and desserts you want at your table and allot one to each person when they ask what they can bring. If they can’t stand to have Thanksgiving without their favorite cranberry relish then they can bring it in addition to their assignment.

2. Prep now. Play later.

Feeding a lot of people is something I do every day. And while you may not be in the restaurant business, that doesn’t mean you can’t apply some of the tricks of the trade to your kitchen. The biggest of which is preparation. If we chopped, mixed or assembled everything upon ordering, it would take hours for customers to get their food. The same holds true for your Thanksgiving feast. Identifying what you can make and do ahead of time can make all the difference the day of. Write down a timeline starting with a few days before Thanksgiving and going all the way up to dinner. Estimate how much time you think it will take for each step and tack on at least 15 extra minutes because everything always takes longer than you anticipate. Plan your cooking schedule to avoid bottlenecks. Dishes that cook at the same temperature can share oven space, reducing the total cooking time. Mapping out your day will save time and help everything go smoothly, getting you out of the kitchen for the other Thanksgiving festivities like parades and football games.

3. Become a job creator.

You may be hesitant to let others into your kitchen. You know where things are, they don’t. You may not fully trust their abilities. You may not have the space. But chances are good your guests will still congregate in your kitchen whether you intend for them to or not. You might as well give them a job, otherwise you’ll end up feeling like you’re on a cooking show and I know how nerve-wracking that can be! When you’re creating your timeline, highlight the jobs that can be assigned to someone else. Guests that are good cooks can become your sous-chefs. Create a work station with all the tools, baking dishes and food they’ll need laid out. This will keep them out of your way and ensure they won’t be constantly asking for things. For guests that aren’t the best in the kitchen, ask them to set the table or put them in charge of monitoring timers and schedules to keep everyone on track. As with your sous-chef, pull everything they’ll need out of the cupboards to avoid being interrupted with questions.

4. Know your limits.

If you couldn’t find your kitchen on a map, you might not want to make Thanksgiving its first test run. Make what you feel comfortable attempting, but don’t feel guilty turning to the pros to supplement your meal. There are many high quality restaurants that will cater side dishes, desserts and breads. Some even offer cooked turkey. Served in your own dishes, you guests will never know you didn’t make it. You’ll also avoid the sinking feeling you get if you scorch the mashed potatoes or your Jell-O mold doesn’t set like you wanted.

It’s a dough sheeter! Thanks for taking part in our previous post and kudos to everyone who got  the correct answer.

Click this link to see a video of the dough sheeter at work:  Dough_Sheeter

We use this machine in the MCL Restaurant & Bakery kitchens to make hundreds of homemade pies each week. It greatly cuts down on the time it takes rolling them by hand. I’ve been using this particular piece of equipment a lot lately thanks to a new pot pie recipe I’ve been testing. I’ll let you know the next time it’s available to try in one of the stores.

So far I haven’t encountered a dough sheeter for home use, but if anyone else has, comment below with where you can purchase it.

Back in May I told you about my live appearance on the Indy Style television show (it airs on WISH-TV Channel 8 in Indianapolis). Well I must have done alright because they asked me back to cook again! You’d think I would have been less nervous the second time around, but actually it was just the opposite. You see, I have to get there to prep for the show about two hours before the it airs. This leaves a lot of time for me to anticipate the “live” aspect and worry about all that can go wrong.

During my segment I showed Tracy and Andi how to make a meal using a slow cooker. One of the great things about this recipe is that the meat can be used for several different things making great use of any leftovers. I’ve put the cooked pork in empanadas, tacos and even used it as a pizza topping. Thankfully, I didn’t have any great mishaps (like catching the set on fire) and once I got cooking I started to feel more comfortable. I don’t know if I’ll ever get completely used to being on camera, but I’m happy to make another visit to the show if they invite me on again. Hey, they say the third time’s the charm.

Click here to check out my segment on Indy Style (from Friday, September 2, 2011):  How to Make Slow Cooker Carnitas

Click below to download PDFs of the recipes I made on the show.

• Slow Cooker Carnitas
• Sauteed Peppers and Onions
• Homemade Guacamole
• Homemade Salsa

When you cook, buying spices can really get expensive. It’s especially frustrating when you purchase a specialty spice for a dish and can’t find other recipes in which to use it up. To keep your cupboards from overflowing with bottles, here is my list of top five ingredients you’ll be happy you have on hand.

1.  Salt

Salt is the staple seasoning. It enhances the flavor of meats, sauces, vegetables and just about everything else. Plus you use it both in cooking and baking so it serves double duty.

2.  Black Pepper

Black pepper is almost as universal as salt. It adds zing without being overpowering and can be added to almost any dish to keep it from being bland.

3.  Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin pie spice is a great option to replace nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in recipes and gain space in your spice rack. Using pumpkin pie spice instead of a single seasoning like cinnamon or nutmeg also helps add complexity to your dish. It’s great for baking, but I’ve also been known to use pumpkin pie spice to enhance vegetables like sweet potatoes from time to time.

4.  Italian Seasoning Blend

Italian seasoning is a blend of spices, like basil and oregano, which are often used in traditional Italian dishes. In addition to condensing several spice bottles into one, it’s great because it’s incredibly versatile. Use it as a meat rub before grilling or to season your spaghetti sauce.

5.  Cajun Seasoning Blend

Cajun seasoning blend is a mixture of traditional Cajun spices and can be used as a replacement in recipes for cayenne pepper, red pepper, and the like–reducing the number of containers in your pantry. It works well on fish and other seafood, but go easy at first, some people aren’t ready for the intensity these spices can bring.

Simple, yet tasty. The first time I attempted a wedding cake was for my own wedding!

MCL is holding a contest to give away a free wedding reception.  That got me thinking about my own wedding. Fresh out of culinary school, I thought it would be a great idea to help cater my own reception (chefs are suckers for stress). This included baking and decorating the wedding cake, of which I had no experience. I used a basic white cake recipe and filled it with raspberry jam.  Then I covered it with a butter cream icing. Fresh strawberries were used as a garnish.  I had to freeze the un-iced cake in New Jersey (where I lived at the time) and then drive it to West Virginia (where the wedding was being held) to be assembled and decorated the day before I got married.

I don’t know what most guys do the morning of their weddings, but mine was spent with my groomsmen making appetizers in assembly line fashion. Thankfully, there were no mishaps. The cake was transported across state lines and displayed in the venue without toppling over. The food didn’t run out and it tasted the way I had intended. And, surprisingly enough, the pressure of putting out a great dinner didn’t prevent me from enjoying my day.

It seems like a lot of work (and it was at the time) but we saved a ton of money doing it ourselves. In addition to making my own cake, we used a friend’s house for the reception venue and my wife, Meredith, even had her wedding dress made by someone from her church. Best of all, I’m still happily married and we have a beautiful daughter together, proving that the wedding doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy in order to start your marriage off on the right foot.



I have since helped out with a number of weddings. Here’s a recent cake I baked and decorated with Katie, of Kakie’s Cakes in Indianapolis, for the wedding of a mutual friend. As you can see, my skill level has evolved significantly from that first one.

Here’s a cake I also made in New Jersey, however this one traveled to North Carolina for the wedding.



I made this cake for a former boss.

Even though this cake didn't have to travel far, it was still nerve-wracking to transport.

I’ve been developing a new BBQ Chicken recipe for MCL Restaurant & Bakery.  It’s currently being tested at the Broad Ripple, Speedway, Carmel, Castleton and Kettering stores this evening and again all day Saturday, July 9 if anyone is interested in checking it out.  The company looks for feedback on everything we test before it can become a permanent menu item available at all locations.  We also use the customer responses to make tweaks to the recipes so you can affect change!

I’m looking forward to hearing what you think.  To find out if one of the above stores is near your home, click here.