Dutch Oven TV Spots, and other events!

This week has been a fun and busy Dutch oven week!

Last Tuesday, I had a remarkable opportunity!  I was able to do a cooking demo live on TV!  As a part of Channel 2's noontime news show, I got to show how to make Chicken Wrapped Bacon!  Here's a link to the video of the event!

It was lots of fun to do.  I was pretty nervous.  I have done TV interviews before, but never when I was cooking.  Still, I think it came off ok! You be the judge.

Then, on the weekend, I got to go to the West Jordan Stampede and help the Storm Mountain Chapter of IDOS do demos for the passers-by.  I did Chicken and Potatoes, and Pizza, both from the book.  I also got to judge the cookoff, doing the breads.  My friend Andy from backporchgourmet.com was there, also, judging for his first time.  Then, later that evening, his wonderful wife gave birth to his wonderful baby!  Congrats to Andy!

Then, today, I made my version of the Deconstructed Hamburger.  It turned out great, and I'll include that recipe as a separate posting.


Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.

My Strange Dutch Oven Weekend

I did a lot of dutch ovening this weekend, and it was all under kind of unusual circumstances.  The best laid plans of mice and men, etc...  Everything changed up.

On Saturday, our church men’s group (the Elder’s Quorum, for those of you who understand Mo’ Speak) hosted a dutch oven cookout activity in the park.  I was in charge of planning it and pulling it off.  The idea was to have us all gather in the early afternoon, and do some cooking.  I’d be there to show how to do it, if the members were feeling unsure.  Then, at about 5 or 6, we’d all eat what we’d all cooked.

The turnout was terrible.  There were quite a few guys who had told me they were going to show up and cook along with us, but only one came (
That's Richard, in the picture).  Later on, my wife joined us, as did one other guy and his kids.

I was pretty bummed, but I still had a good time cooking.  I did a spicy turkey (a small one) and some no-knead bread.  I added basil, oregano, and cilantro to the dough, and it made for a delicious flavor.  The other Elder that came over and cooked made a chocolate and marshmallow pudding.  Really, great food.  Too bad so few were there to sample it.

Then, on Sunday, I had planned on cooking dinner for my father-in-law.  I’d pretty much decided on doing a dinner-in-a-pumpkin, but he injured his back and was immobile, so he couldn’t come over.  I decided to do it anyway, and it turned out great. 

I’ve been working on an overall outline for a cookbook on yeast breads in a dutch oven, and I’m very excited about it.  I’ve started writing some of the parts, and I’ll be posting them here as they come.  Stay tuned for that!






Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.

Mark's Other Blog Posts: Working on The Third Time, A Big LDS Game, Free Speech?

Updates and News

Here are a couple of bits of exciting Dutch Oven News:

First of all: Andy, over at Back Porch Gourmet, did his Beef/Leek/Cinnamon challenge dish!  It sure looks great!  It's a cinnamon glazed roast.  Check it out.

Second:  This weekend is the Spring Convention of the International Dutch Oven Society (IDOS).  Here's the details.  I'll be at Taste of Dutch again this year, but I haven't decided yet what I'm going to cook.  I'll probably do some kind of bread, and maybe a pasta dish. I haven't made up my mind yet.  But come on out and taste some great dutch oven cooking!

Here's what it was like the other years that I went:  2009, and 2008






Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.

Brendon Covers the DOG!

Here's the video that Brendon and I made of the Dutch Oven Gathering (DOG) this weekend! He did most of the videography and the narration, and I edited it.



His Baked Ziti was one of the biggest hits of the event! There was a lot of other great food there, too, including the BBQ ribs, and the Jambalalya! I'll have our recipes posted up over the next few days. In the meantime, enjoy the video!


Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.

A Dutch Oven Gathering that Almost Wasn't

This last Saturday was my birthday Dutch Oven Gathering. I almost canceled it, because I didn't have many respondents. But in the end, we did it anyway. Only my good friend Andy was able to make it for some great outdoor cooking. We did move it from the park to my house, and that was cool, except that Andy had a really hard time finding my house. Eagle Mountain is not the easiest city to navigate.

We both cooked up some good stuff. I made some bread, and this honey mustard salmon crusty thing, that I'll write up later this week, and Andy made what he calls "Mushrooms Bellagio". I was blown away by it. It was essentially a stuffed mushroom dish, but it was totally different from all the other variations I've ever seen, in indoor or outdoor cooking.

First of all, there wasn't any cream cheese in the stuffing, second, it was all topped and blended with a marinara sauce! That alone turned it from a simple appetizer to a main dish. In my mind, I'm thinking it would be really cool on top of a plate of hand- rolled fettuccine! The 'shrooms would replace meatballs in the sauce!

But anyway, her's Andy's recipe:

Dutch Oven Mushrooms Belaggio

12" Dutch Oven

20 Coals Below
10 Coals above

• 6 pounds mushrooms, stems removed
• 1 pound sausage
• 1 pound Asiago cheese (get the real stuff)
• 16 oz Marinara sauce
• Dash Basil
• Dash Thyme
• Dash Oregano
• Dash Garlic Salt

Light the coals, and as they heat combine the precooked sausage, 1/2 the Asiago and all the spices. I mixed them in a ziplock bag to save on dishes. Stuff the sausage mixture into the mushrooms where the stems were. Layer them crown down in a 12" Deep Dutch Oven. Top each layer with the remaining Asiago, and pour any remaining sausage mix on the top. Cover with the lid and heat until the mushrooms are soft and the cheese is melted.

You may need to baste out some of the juices, and can save that as a mushroom gravy if desired. I found a large water syringe works well as a turkey baster if one can't be found... in fact, I'm going to nab the next one I find for my outdoor kitchen! Add the marinara and cook until the sauce is bubbling. Serve immediately.

--
Andy Johnson


Thanks, Andy! He's a great iron chef. It was wonderful to sit with him and talk about music and things, while the food was cooking down. Go check out his songs at his facebook page.

Oh! And I almost forgot! He gave me a wonderful birthday present: The Magic Dutch Oven Spoon! It's a big, wide, wooden spoon, and he's etched the heat/coals chart into the back! So, whenever I'm out cooking, and I need a heat guide: I can consult the Magic Spoon! Ingenious!

	Here's a shot of the Salmon. There'll be more on this one when I write it up in full recipe form on the blog. I cooked it a second time the next day for my parents and sister/bro-in-law. It's really good!
	Mark: Master bread maker or psycho killer with a knife. You decide, and comment below.
	Here's the magic spoon. Apparently, even though I aligned the picture correctly, it's not magic enough to display that way. I guess you just have to turn your head. Still it's invention is sheer genius!

Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.

Putting on the DOG

Planning a DOG isn't easy, you know? I've been trying to get through to city hall to register the park pavilion, and there's just a lot of personal scheduling stuff getting in the way of that, but I'm confident I'll have it all set really soon.

I've also been thinking about what to cook. I think I'd like to do a really nice bread, maybe a sourdough. I've been wondering whether to go simple or fancy. I probably should go simple, but I do so love to go fancy!

I was thinking about the salmon for a Coulibiac. I haven't done that one in years. Or, I've been thinking about doing a minestrone soup. I haven't ever done that...

Are any of my Utah followers going to be able to make it? I'd love to have a chance to meet some of you face to face! Those that are coming, post a comment, and tell us what you might like to cook!

Here's the official information:

Eagle Mountain DOG

Come celebrate Mark's birthday (of the Mark's Black Pot blog), by cooking in iron!

Saturday, August 22nd, at Walden Park in the Eagle Mountain City Center (4201-4457 N Frontier St, Eagle Mountain, UT 84005). A link to a google map is here: http://tinyurl.com/waldenpark The park is just to the south of the church. For any questions about directions or arrival, call Mark at 801-455-7375

Cooking will begin at about 2:00 for a dinner call at 5:00 to 5:30 There are playground facilities in the park, so families and kids are welcome.

I would appreciate an RSVP contact at mrkhmusic@yahoo.com, but it's OK to just show up, too!

Mark has discovered a love of Dutch Oven Cooking. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his MoBoy blog.