Two Fat Guys And A Neil

03/11/2026

{Curt}
If you’ve ever had Marie’s bread before, you understand what a wonderful bounty this is.
If you haven’t, just know it’s like living in a boulangerie.
I am truly a fortunate man.

03/11/2026

{Dave} Lunches for bunches of days. Ground chicken (Adobo spiced) with yellow rice, green peppers, and chick peas... cold tomatoes chopped up and mixed in after the rest is heated.

03/08/2026

Craving an old school, succulent and savory porchetta sandwich?
Here. Rastelli’s is where you go.
A chewy roll toting an amazingly practically perfect porchetta with the spices and herbs and crispy skin. I added thinly shaved provolone and long hots, but roasted peppers and rabe are offered as well.
And the jus is spot on.
And in my backyard…is this heaven?

03/07/2026

{Dave} My kid said I make the best cheese sandwiches. I smash the bread with the cheese in it. I'd probably be sued if I served this in a prison.

But he likes it.

03/03/2026

{Curt}
Today is my day, my day to expand my culinary repertoire!
And by request, I made dahl, a South Asian staple, made as a stew or soup (your call.)
And this is my first time assembling something intentionally vegan, using a recipe and multiple steps as opposed to a single ingredient side dish.

Red lentils, vegetable broth, coconut milk, onions and garlic and ginger and turmeric and garam masala, come together with a savory fragrance. It’s often made with cumin and coriander as well, but I stuck to the recipe Marie gave me. My one addition was finely diced jalapeño to give it zest, and I used sliced grape tomatoes to give extra freshness, as opposed to canned tomatoes.

Forgive the bland pics, as I’m not the master stager Marie is. The picture of the bowl is mine, with a pita in the bottom, sliced pan-fried shawarma chicken thighs (I am not vegan myself) and the dahl ladled on top.

The verdict was quite favorable. I’ll gladly undertake this again.

03/03/2026

{Curt}
Marie again with baked rigatoni, sweet sausage, ricotta and other cheeses, and adorned by earthy baked and bubbled mozzarella.
Almost forbiddingly rich, yet irresitable, it’s simply…fabulous.

(And turned up the volume on the video to hear some oven-baked music.)

02/28/2026

{Dave} Anything is breakfast if you throw an egg on it.

02/25/2026

{Dave} Lunch for the rest of the week. Ground chicken (spiced with Sriracha salt, Adobo, jalapeno, and a pepper blend) with green peppers, quinoa, and edamame. (NOT Limas, Curt.)

02/17/2026

{Dave} I love any chance I get to use the little mortar and pestle. I needed to grind up some chunks of Himalayan black salt. It has more of an earthy, savory taste.

I'd share the dish I used it in but Curt would complain. Either way it made lunch better and it's really fun to use.

02/12/2026

{Curt}

When I was wee, my parents would take us to Nichols department store in Maple Shade one Sunday morning a month, and I’d get to pick out a 45 (or two, if I’d been good, which is to say, I usually got one.)
When I was about nine (1971ish) I picked Black Magic Woman from Santana’s second album, Abaraxas (his finest, in my mind.) As a young guitar student, Santana was a guitarist I’d latched onto when I heard his first album at my cousins’s house, so this was an easy choice.
When i got home i played the A side and it was all I’d expected, having heard the song on the radio.

But then i flipped to the B side, not yet fully understanding that the deeper cuts were often the hidden gems from albums. This song taught me that lesson, and how. The song was Hope You’re Feeling Better, a surprisingly keyboard forward, spacey psychedelic piece of period rock. The guitar tone had wah and more grit than i expected and I was wowed by the way Carlos made his guitar scream. I wore out the B side long before the A, and to this day it’s my favorite Santana song.

Now here’s a cool note.
The singer and keyboard player on that song was Greg Rolle, who in 1974 left Santana along with the guy who’d joined for albums three and four as the band’s second guitarist. That guy was Neil Schoen, and they left to start the band Journey. My feelings on that band are complicated and a story for another day.

Here’s the song. Enjoy.

Rate & Comment...Hope You're Feeling BetterSantanaAbraxas1970Is that youYour eyes slowly fading?Is that youYour mind full of tears?Is that youSearching for a...

02/09/2026

{Dave} I kept it really simple for the big game this year... but simple doesn't mean it isn't tasty.

Smash burgers with bacon and Cooper sharp wrapped in crescent rolls for a "bun."