The Best Pork Rub Recipe

Virginia is pig country and pigs mean one thing: Barbecue! Good barbecue joints here usually coat their pork in a flavorful dry rub before dousing it with a vinegar based sauce when finished. Vinegar sauces are good, but this dry rub is so good that you don't need no stinkin' sauce!

Kickin' Crab and Corn Chowder

Many restaurants, particularly in Virginia, offer a spicy corn and crab chowder on their menu Most of these "chowders" are just thin soups with trace amounts of crab and very little corn flavor. NEWSFLASH RESTAURANTS: A chowder cannot be called a chowder unless it has potato in it! It's sad to think that restaurants are charging $4 a bowl for a thin soup with the essence of crab and corn.

This crab and corn chowder recipe is what the restaurants should serve.

Saffron Risotto with Shrimp and Peas

I've been cooking for what seems like forever, however I didn't make my first risotto until a little over a year ago; actually April 6, 2009. I had been so terrified of screwing it up that I never wanted to try. When preparing risotto, there's a delicate balance between creamy and al dente, and glue. Fortunately the glue stage can only happen if you aren't paying attention. Risotto takes some babying, but all of that stirring is worth it. Once you make a basic risotto, the additions are endless!

Welcome!

My name is Kristin King and I would like to welcome you to my very first blog! Yay! I'm so excited to have another outlet in which to share my favorite stories, tips, tricks and recipes. My goal is to show people that every meal can be of restaurant quality without spending restaurant prices. Because of my knowledge of restaurants and catering, I can provide all of the tips and tricks that they use to make the food cheap, easy and delicious.

I must admit, I thought the whole "blog revolution" (as I call it) was stupid when it first started.