on this It Gets Butter I get to sit down with long time friend and professional gay, Chuck Henson. Chuck has been on tv, announced for national band competitions, and now is a licensed massage therapist and loves to bake. Here how we got here and how he stays so positive through is all in our first ever "call in" episode.

Apple Strawberry Pie:

The Flaky Double-Crust Dough Yields one top and one bottom crust. Ingredients: 2.5 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water Instructions: Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in Butter: Add the cold butter cubes. Use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits of butter remaining. Add Water: Drizzle in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently until the dough just starts to come together. It should be moist but not sticky. Chill: Divide the dough into two disks, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Roll: Once chilled, roll the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. The Apple Strawberry Filling Ingredients: Your pre-cooked, chilled apple mixture Fresh strawberries, sliced 3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (to thicken the juices) Sugar (to taste, depending on the sweetness of the fruit) Instructions: Combine: Gently toss your chilled apples and sliced strawberries together. Thicken: Sprinkle the flour and sugar over the fruit and toss again until evenly coated. Assemble: Place the bottom crust into your pie plate. Fill with the fruit mixture, then top with the second crust. Vent: Be sure to cut slits in the top crust to let the steam escape—this keeps the crust from getting soggy! Baking Instructions High Heat Start: Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Finish: Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling beautifully.

My friend actor/comedian Chris Grace does an episode while we were in Los Angeles. This is the first ever episode on the road, outdoors, and with these mics. We talk about loss, grief, and anxiety. Chris also gives us a couple noodle recipes that are quick, easy, and something for everyone.

Enjoy the recipes and devour the episode.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

1lb ground beef

Brown ground beef, season with salt, pepper, msg

Add jar of sauce (your preferred jar)

Cook noodles (spaghetti or bucatini)

Combine

A “more asian” dish

Linguini cook and then combine with

Salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, scallions (to your own ratio)

This episode I get to talk to a friend and former coworker Brittany Pregliasco. This episode she talks about trusting and believing in yourself as well as meal prepping (so you're ready for the bad days), and a new take on an old classic...Lasagna Soup, which brings up an old childhood memory for me.

Enjoy and try the soup!

Most of the same ingredients used in lasagna are incorporated into this soup.

• Italian sausage: Whether you choose sweet or spicy, sausage is a smart way to add an immediate layer of flavor to soup. It also has more flavor than using ground meat.
• Aromatics: Onion and garlic are must-haves, but a bulb of cored and diced fennel is a nice addition—and it drives home the Italian flavors.
• Seasonings: Store-bought Italian seasoning is not an ingredient we often call for but it's just right here—and can be used for other dishes like meatballs and Bolognese.
• Canned tomatoes: You can use puréed or crushed tomatoes or try our favorite trick: If you have diced or whole peeled tomatoes, use an immersion blender to break them up a bit.
• Broth: Chicken or vegetable broth work for lasagna soup. Even water will do—just add a few bouillon cubes if you have them.
• Lasagna noodles: Break up whole noodles into three or four pieces each before adding to the soup. You don’t need to use no-boil noodles, but you can if that's what you have, and it will reduce the cooking time by about five minutes.
• Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated cheese is just the thing to serve with this soup. We also throw in a Parmesan rind as the soup cooks. We store the rinds from pieces of Parmesanther in a re-sealable bag in the freezer and use one every time we make soup. They bring big flavor and work for everything from chicken noodle and minestrone to creamy potato leek soup.
• Ricotta cheese: Instead of layering the ricotta into lasagna, for the soup version of the dish it is spooned over each serving. It immediately starts to melt into the hot broth.

Italian Seasoning: It's easy to make your own Italian seasoning at home. Simply combine two parts each of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme with one part ground fennel seed.

Dinner will be on the table in just six easy steps.

1. Brown the sausage: Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and add the sausage (if it has casings, remove those first). Use a spoon to break the meat into bite-size pieces and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until well browned and cooked through–this will take 6 to 10 minutes. Once browned, transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels. If more than a few tablespoons of fat are left behind, discard some of it.
2. Sauté the aromatics: Add the onions, fennel, and garlic (and a hefty pinch of kosher salt to the pot. Sauté until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. You’re not looking for a lot of color, just for the vegetables to soften.
3. Toast the seasonings: Add the Italian seasoning and let it toast in the fat for a minute or so, just until it smells super fragrant. A little tomato paste can also be added here for more depth of flavor.
4. Add the liquids and bring to a boil: Stir in the broth and tomatoes, add the sausage back to the pot, and let the whole mixture come to a boil. Add a Parmesan rind if you have one. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, just until the broth mixture thickens slightly.
5. Stir in the noodles: Add the noodles and return the mixture to a simmer. Cook until they are al dente; this should take 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Season and serve: Before serving, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese, a dollop of ricotta, and a drizzle of olive oil. Some fresh herbs, like chopped basil or parsley, are a nice fresh touch.

This episode of It Gets Butter we sit with Chef Patrick Gossett. He talks about the communal food he remembers and that still bring his family together, while giving us 2 recipes for us to use. We also talk about what he went through with his family when they found out their young daughter was diagnosed with cancer. The choices they had to make and the support that helped getting through it. Sit back, enjoy, and know there's others out there going through it to

Pasta Dough

• 2 Cups 00 flour, plus more for surface
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 large egg Yolks
• 1 tsp. Good olive oil

Combine all ingredients in mixer until combined, kneed on table and add flour if needed until a soft solid ball is formed that allows small indent from thumb.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.

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Chicken pot pie

INGREDIENTS

Crust

• 1 refrigerated pie crust (2count), soften per instructions.

Filling

• 1/3cup butter or margarine
• 1/3cup chopped onion
• 1/3cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon pepper
• 1 3/4cups Chicken Broth
• 1/2cup milk
• 2 1/2cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2cups frozen mixed vegetables

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1

Bring crusts to room temperature by removing outer package and placing on your counter for 15 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.

• 2

Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press crust firmly against side and bottom, allowing any extra crust to hang over the edge.

• 3

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.

• 4

Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until well blended.

• 5

Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

• 6

Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat.

• 7

Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pie plate.

• 8

Place second crust over the chicken mixture. Fold excess top crust under the edge of the bottom crust, pressing edges together to seal and create a thick rim.

• 9

Flute the edge of the pie crust by placing your thumb and index finger about 1 inch apart on the outside edge. With your other thumb, push the pastry toward the outside to form a scalloped edge.

• 10

With a small knife, cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust to allow steam to escape while baking.

• 11

Bake 15 minutes. Then cover edge of crust with foil to prevent excessive browning.

• 12

Bake an additional 15 to 25 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown and filling is at least 165°F. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This episode we talk to Matt Lowery about breakups, his advice for getting through one, his grandmother's Macaroni and Cheese recipe, and why I don't think that's his true comfort food.

My grandmother's macaroni and cheese:

½ lb pasta

2 cans evaporated milk

1/3 C butter Salt and pepper

1 ½ C sharp cheddar cheese

1 ½ C mild cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta until just done. Mix evaporated milk, butter, and salt and pepper. Add pasta and mix until well-combined. Add sharp cheddar and mix until smooth. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle top with mild cheddar. Cover with foil and bake 20 - 25 minutes. Uncover then bake until golden brown.

In this episode of It Gets Butter, I get to talk to Eddie Shasek. He gives great advice when you have to travel a lot for work, and we talk about the toll that can take on you. But silver linings, that travel can introduce you to new flavors to cook with and Eddie shares his personal recipe for some slow cooked ribs. We also talk the comfort in cooking as well as the comfort of eating.

Shaz Apple Smoked Ribs:

Barrel smoke @ 275 for 3 hours

Binder: minced garlic

Rub: sea salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, garlic powder and onion flakes

Bind and rub ribs, wrap in plastic wrap and fridge for at least an hour up to 24 hours (ideally 6 hrs) Spritz: 50/50 water and apple cider vinegar with some honey

Sauce: sauté 1/2 stick butter, lrg.Vidalia onion, three small apples cubed with skin, 1/3 cup Worcestershire. Then blend smooth with immersion blender and add 32 oz simple catchup, bunch smoked paprika, small bag brown sugar, few oz apple cider vinegar, about 1/2 cup honey, bunch black pepper.

Cook low heat until flavors mix. Dashes of sea salt to taste. Get lump charcoal with some apple wood chunks up to stable temp 250 to 275 Hang ribs directly above coals no deflector plate or water pan. (or other smoker arrangement) Keep closed and stable. Spritz every 40 min or so Pull to wrap when internal temp is 165 Wrap in heavy foil (not butcher paper, don't care what your daddy told you) from bottom like a boat so easy to open without losing juice. Meat side down. In wraps before rib put down butter, sprinkle of brown sugar, honey and some sauce. Then some of same on bone side w/o butter. Wrap tightly but don’t push bones through foil. Back on grill grate flat meat side down at 275 until internal temp is 205. Carefully unwrap (don't lose liquid) and place ribs on grate meat side up. Combine wrap juices with fresh sauce 50/50 to make hot glaze and paint ribs liberally on meat side with glaze. Let glaze cook for a few min in heat then pull and let rest for 15 min before cutting. Add some glaze during rest as needed for even look. (we eat with our eyes first) Cut individual ribs and Serve with side of frest warm sauce w/o glaze

This episode of It Gets Butter we talk to Alex Veronica. She has been friends with me over a decade and we get into how she handles (or doesn't) breakups, which one stays with her the most, and her relationship with food. Also, we get a simplified recipe from her which helps explain why she prefers not to do "fine dining". She's funny, she's a dear friend, and she's got stories...enjoy Alex's It Gets Butter.

Kielbasa and "Mashed Potatoes":

"Cut up the kielbasa in skinny slices and fry with lots of onions and for the mashed potatoes just prep an instant pouch"

In this episode I get to talk to Dave Borman, owner and creator of Tampa Bay Gay online and an L.M.T. We talk childhood trauma, losing his mother later in life, coming out, and the line between "hippie dippy" and holistic. Dave also gives us his mother's recipe for a "mock Lasagna". Sit back and enjoy us learning about #journaling #therapy and #comfortfood

Mock Lasagna Recipe

• Prep time: 15 mins

• Cook time: 40 mins

• Pan: 9x13 inch Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef, turkey, or sausage

• 1 jar (24-32 oz) marinara or spaghetti sauce

• 1 lb pasta (rigatoni)

• 15 oz ricotta cheese

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided (fresh shredded is best)

• 1 egg

• Seasonings: Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper Instructions

1. Prep: Preheat oven to 375℉. Optional: Grease 9x13 inch pan.

2. Pasta: Boil pasta 1-2 minutes short of package directions (al dente). Divide in half

3. Meat Sauce: Brown ground beef, turkey, or sausage, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Drain fat, then stir in marinara sauce, Italian seasoning and simmer. Divide in half

4. Ricotta Cheese Mix: In a bowl, mix ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Divide in half

5. Assemble: Bottom Layer: ½ of the pasta, ½ ricotta mixture, ½ of the meat sauce,1 cup mozzarella cheese. Then the top layer the same way, ½ of the pasta, ½ ricotta mixture, ½ of the meat sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and some Italian seasoning.

6. Bake: Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly.