CeramicChef

Jeff - that's a great looking gasser. Congrats to you!

@bernux - congrats! I love the color and your KK really looks grand in its new home! But the best picture is of those two precious youngsters in their new KK playhouse! You're a lucky man twice over. Kudos!

@Jeff S - Jeff, that's one fine looking rotisserie shot and a helluva money shot! Kudos to you.

Oh my goodness! This I've GOT to try. What a beautiful pastrami! Kudos all over the place to you!

As a former jock, a baseball catcher, I have to ask Just what you think an amateur amounts to being? I had my college education paid for by playing baseball. I traded my services for tuition. I got paid a stipend along with that. That amounts to pay for play, the very definition of a nonamateur. I also played in the minor leagues. What I got paid was a pittance, but I still got paid. I never made it to The Show, never even got to see The Big House. Have never made a major league roster, was I am amateur? It has been widely reported that the Aussie Olympic team took one look at the sorry state of their assigned housing in the Olympic Village and booked accommodations in a Rio hotel. Given Kevin's arguments, I certainly hope those Aussie jocks are paying for those rooms out of their own pockets! I used to live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, home to the largest USOC training facility. Our "amateur athletes" are subsidized in more ways than you want to know. They are on the payrolls of Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc. and their jobs are to train and win medals. The IOC and the USOC are billion $ entities. The guys who run the IOC and the IOC and the other Organizing Olympic Committees are all paid well into 6 figures at a minimum. So much for "Amateur" status, huh?

Oh yeah! Wonderful cook, Aussie! Kudos to ya.

@MacKenzie - wonderful cook! Kudos! Could you please post the ingredients besides tomatoes? It looks as if you put some sort of cheese as a base. I've gotta make this. Thanks in advance.

+1^ @Memphishusky - you should be just fine. Have fun and eat well!

I think this is a great post! It just means that Doc is about to begin an entirely new phase of his life! KUDOS!

This looks like a very good beginning!

I loved this post, Charles, right up to the Mud Slide. Then it was all downhill from there into a sugar coma! Great cook, Charles, simplly a great cook, Sugar Coma Included! Kudos!

@Bruce Pearson - I wouldn't advise using a heat deflector as a baking stone. First, the finish on the baking stone is much superior to the finish found on the heat deflector. Second, the thermal properties are significantly different between the baking stone and the heat deflectors. Third, the thermal mass is of the baking stone far outweighs that of the deflectors. The baking stone is designed to provide just the right of thermal mass to aid in baking multiple pizzas, give great crusts to breads, and really radiate back heat to the bake. Heat deflectors are built to block heat. Finally, there is a real difference in the materials used in the baking stone and the deflectors. If I'm not mistaken, the deflectors are built from refractory, but I could be wrong on that.

The baking stones are wonderful additions to my arsenal of KKs. The baking stones require preheating, but they produce the best pastries, breads, pizzas, etc. I think the baking stones are just about my favorite accessories.

+11^ What Charles said. Steaks are a great reward for doing the burn in.

@qundoy - those Hatch Chilis are beautiful. It's that time of year when the Hatch harvest should be hitting the stores. Roasted Hatch Chilis are a real treat and can be laid up for enjoyment later in the year. Great job on tose Chilis!

Bosco - that's a beautiful deep dish pizza pie. It's enough to make our buddy, Wilbur, pine for his Chicago home! Beautifully done! Kudos.

@MacKenzie - killer cooks! Grilled cheese is, next to a burger, my favorite sandwich. Beautiful, just beautiful money shots. @Syzygies - that's one seriously great summer salad. Beautiful presentation. That has to be so very refreshing during these hot summer evenings! Kudos to you both.

@HalfSmoke & @Aussie Ora - congrats to you both! Not much longer and you'll both be mesmerized by your new KKs! We wanna live vicariously thru you guys as you unpack and fire up,your KKs for the first ti.me. Mthat means lots of pics, Ok?

Every KK needs a little sister! TheBeast has Beauty! and your KK needs a sister! Get on the phone and do it! Enjoy!

@MacKenzie - beautiful loaf of bread! Run a slice of that thought the toaster oven, add some really nice homemade jelly or preserves, and you've got a slice of heaven! Kudos.

bosco - this is a really beautiful cook. And I bet it's really tasty. But those eyes on that fish just give me the willies! That said, I'd eat this cook any day of the week! Gorgeous pics! Kudos.

Aussie - you life is about to change forever! Congrats on the new arrival! Lots of pics, okay?

That looks positively delicious! Wonderful looking crust and great color. Kudos!

Tony - that's some kind of delicious looking cook! That's a really beautiful mone shot. Burgers and dawgs are just right for a nice simple meal. Kudos!

Wow. Just WOW. What else can be said? WOW! Congrats. WOW!