Hey everyone, I 'm so stoked to post today. I am finally launching my new show "Food, Drinks, and Rock n' Roll LIVE!" on www.Ustream.tv this Saturday at 12 EST. http://www.ustream.tv/nathanlippyfooddrinksrocknroll -OR- http://apps.facebook.com/fooddrinksrocknroll/?ref=bookmarks I am scheduled for 13 episodes starting this week. WooHoo! Here is the recipe and shopping list...
Whiskey Braised Cherries

Whiskey Braised Cherries with a Chocolate and Cherry Cream
Recipe by Nathan Lippy
Serves: 4
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 package frozen puff pastry cups, at room temperature
1 ½ cups fresh cherries, pitted and sliced in half
1 cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
2/3 cup Dr. Pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ cup dried cherries, chopped
1/3 cup chocolate morsels, chopped

Action:
1. Place puff pastry cups on a non-stick sheet tray and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (or until golden and fluffy)

Most of you know me pretty well by now. You know that I love Dr. Pepper, Jack Daniel's, Ramen Noodles and that I could never have enough BBQ. mmmmm Dr. Pepper and Jack Daniel's = The Dr. Feel Good You know that I love the art of food and the playful attitude I usually take when it comes to creating new dishes. But, you guys may not know about my appreciation for fine dining. I am classically French trained and have a complete love for fine dining and elegance when it comes to food. Cooking at Caliza The awesome people at the Viking Company www.VikingRange.com invited me to cater one of the 15 private events for the Destin Charity Wine Auction. Aside from being an absolute honor, it was a great chance for me to explore one of the most beautiful parts of cuisine and eating: Fine Dining.

I BBQ’d some BabyBacks this week on my Viking Gravity Feed Smoker, and Smokin' the BBQ as the smoker was chugging away, I started think about the word “Barbeque.” What does it actually mean? Nate in Tampa I did some research and found some differing theories of the words origin, which isn’t really surprising, it seems BBQ’ers can’t ever agree on anything, why should they agree on the words origin. The most popular theory is that “Barbeque” comes from the West Indian word “Barbacoa” which describes the process “Slow cooked meat over Natural heat (or Coals).” Coal Chimney Another interesting theory is from Tar Heel Magazine that suggests the word comes from a 19th century restaurant advertisement featuring “Bar, Beer, and Pool” = Bar-B-Que. Im not too sure of that one, hahaha pretty funny though.

Summer is here and its time to BBQ my friends! I wanted to show you guys how to do a great BBQ recipe without using a smoker. If you have a smoker... USE IT! WooHoo! For all of you who don't have one, check it out... Bone-In Country Style Pork Ribs Country Style BBQ Ribs and a Dried Cherry Cole Slaw all done inside. I love my Dr. Pepper-Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce so I added it to this dish. Add spices to BBQ sauce First thing, make your BBQ sauce. Small dice some onions and cook them in some olive oil until they begin to caramelize a bit, add a bit of chopped garlic at the end for about 1-2 minutes. add some D-P Using a large sauce pot, add some ketchup, whole grain mustard, worchestershire sauce, Paprika, Smoked Paprika, Chili powder, salt and pepper, Dr. Pepper and Jack Daniel's Whiskey. Mix and combine all ingredients.

I had an awesome trip this past week. I ventured into Michigan Cherry Country with a bunch of bloggers from around the country to learn all that is "CHERRIES." It was such an awesome experience. Wendy Bazilian We started by attending a lecture by Wendy Bazilian who is a Dietician and all around smarty-pants when it comes to food. She explained all of the health benefits of cherries including anthocyanins Cherries lecture and Twitter feed (the active antioxidant that is an anti-inflammatory) Apparently cherries are great for Arthritis, Heart Disease and general muscle health and recovery. After that we visited The Gregory Cherry Orchard and toured the entire grounds. Rows of Cherry Trees We saw the rows and rows of beautiful bright Tart Cherries and Sweet Cherries. We even got to sit on the "Shaker" and harvest the cherries ourselves... WICKED COOL!