JASON KAPCALA ONLINE
  • North to Lakeville
  • About
    • Appearances
    • Publications

Stacking Stones
​A Creative Craft Blog

From the mind of Jason Kapcala comes an eclectic journal dedicated to the study of creative writing, rock music, tailgating, and other miscellany. The musings, meditations, contemplations, and ruminations expressed here are my own unless otherwise indicated. Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, and opinions, but do so respectfully and intelligently.
Return to Stacking Stones

Taste of West Virginia: Good Food for a great cause

6/16/2017

0 Comments

 
Meatball Sliders lined up
Meatball sliders, lined up and ready to eat!
The Taste of Morgantown Event is an annual tradition in my town—a time when different restaurants can get together for some friendly competition and flex their culinary muscles (and imaginations!) for a great cause—the American Red Cross. This year, at the 9th Annual gathering, the event was opened up to restaurants and chefs from all over the state of West Virginia, and the spread of dishes did not disappoint.

Read More
0 Comments

Guest Blogger: Dominique Bruno -- Taste of West Virginia 2017: WVU Alumni Center

6/15/2017

0 Comments

 
Erickson Alumni Center Table
Erickson Alumni Center prepares a winning table.
​The Taste of Morgantown (now the Taste of West Virginia) has become an early summer staple for the West Virginia University community for nine years.  Two years ago, I went with a friend and fellow writer, and we were surprised to find that the best food at the event actually came from the venue itself.  The Erikson Alumni Center outdid itself in the summer of 2015, but it was no surprise for me when they won People’s Choice at the 2017 event, sponsored by the American Red Cross. 

Read More
0 Comments

Guest Blogger: Susan Truxell Sauter -- Sargasso at the Taste of West Virginia in Morgantown 2017

6/15/2017

0 Comments

 
Bao Buns and Cantaloupe Soup
Bao Buns with Cantonese Char Siu Pork and Cold Sherried-Cantaloupe Soup
Real food, worth eating, with artistry. In a room full of offerings, Morgantown’s Sargasso stood out at the Taste of West Virginia, an event presented by the American Red Cross one June evening at the Erickson Alumni Center.

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Super Bowl 50

2/7/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's been a long season, and we've come along way since opening kick off in September. Teams have risen and teams have fallen, and now we're down to two: the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. In many ways, it's a battle between the old and the new. Set against the backdrop of the Super Bowl's 50th Anniversary, this has the potential to be a game to remember. Which is why we've been racking our brains trying to come up with the perfect recipes to do justice to the enormity of the game. Along with the help of Kap's mother, we're looking to put a final stamp on the 2015 season . . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Pro Bowl

1/31/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Pro Bowl is here, which means that football fans eager for one more game before the big one can, if they are desperate, watch fourth and fifth-string Pro Bowlers put forth half effort in a game that doesn't matter. 

More importantly, however, it also means that we'll be revisiting our old Pro Bowl tradition: Brinner. That's breakfast for dinner, for those who don't know, and it's one of the all-time comfort food classics!

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Conference Championships

1/24/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Tom Brady audibles at the line . . .
Winter's here with a vengeance and we're getting all the snow we can handle in West Virginia. (It took me 4 1/2 hours to get home last week, and I only live 1 1/2 miles away from where I work.) Still, despite the cold, things are heating up on the gridiron with four teams vying for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

Mina and I have decided this week, with the season coming to a close, that it's time to reflect on our great cooking friendship. Which is why we are paying tribute to each other with this week's recipes . . . .

Note: I accidentally hit "publish" on this post way too early. We'll get the pictures added on Sunday and update it again then. So please check back!

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Divisional Round

1/16/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Last week, we were talking--this season has flown by! Maybe it's because we've had such good luck with our recipes this year. Every dish we've made, every cocktail we've concocted, has tasted good to us.

That's not always the case though.

This week, we're revisiting a few recipes from last season that didn't quite live up to our expectations. Kap is going to revisit one of Mina's dishes, and Mina is going to revisit one of Kap's. Our goal: to recreate (and improve upon!) the original dish . . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Wildcard Weekend

1/9/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Wildcard weekend is here, and so things are, naturally, getting a little . . . wild, around here. Four teams will be eliminated and four will make it one step closer to the big game.

To celebrate this wildness, we'll be taking a cue from one of our favorite cooking shows, Masterchef, and performing our very own mystery box challenge. We've each compiled a list of our twenty favorite food ingredients. With some help from our staple pantry, we're going to turn these into some delectable tailgating delights . . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 17 (New Year's Edition!)

1/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
We've made it--one more calendar year under our belt! And to celebrate the start of 2016, and the end of the regular season, Kap and his mom are opening their kitchen and sharing some of the recipes that made the cut for our New Year's Eve and New Year's Day parties--all of them taken from our favorite social media platform: Pinterest.

Also, it wouldn't be New Year's without resolutions, so Kap and Mina will be sharing their goals for the upcoming year, as well. . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 16

12/26/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
We're into the stretch run for this season. Only two games left to go, which means it's time for Mina to take a little vacation and for our tailgate squad to do what any good team does at a time like this: call in the back up. In this special Saturday edition of the Tailgate my mom, Barbara Kapcala, opens her kitchen and shares her cooking expertise, as we prepare some belly-warming comfort foods (even if the weather isn't really cold enough for it!).

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 15

12/20/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
We've had a scary warm December here, so far, in West Virginia. On one hand, it's kind of nice not shoveling snow or waking up to a cold apartment. On the other hand, it's left us craving some of our favorite cold-weather foods--like chili!

Last year, we played with a few fun chili recipes and it was a big hit. So this year, we return with two more varieties of this cowboy classic. . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 14

12/13/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
We're three quarters of the way through the regular season and heading into that final stretch run. For a few teams like the Patriots, Broncos, Bengals, Cardinals, Panthers, and Packers, a playoff seed is a virtual guarantee. For some other teams, like the Chiefs, Colts, Texans, Steelers, Seahawks, and Vikings, it's make or break time. A hot streak could earn them a trip to the post season. The NFC East, in particular, is a conference that is wide-open right now, with the top three teams deadlocked at 5 and 7, and the team from Washington (who shall remain unnamed) holding the top spot for the time being.
We at The Tailgate don't feel that skin color makes for a very cool nickname--regardless of tradition. (Just rename the team the "Pigskins" already. In fact, it would be a good excuse for your fans to resurrect one of the franchise's better, more charitable, traditions.)

This week, we're going to focus to a different team of "skins"--one that's easier to digest and pairs more fittingly with the great American institution of Sunday afternoon football. . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 13

12/6/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's true that not all of our recipes are equally well suited to easily feeding the masses. (We leave the logistics of that issue up to the reader, generally.) No one can accuse us of that today, however, as we turn Kap's counter in a "Build-Your-Own-Biscuit Bar" that will feed hungry friends without bankrupting the host.

We also reflect on the NFL's recent announcement concerning the Super Bowl halftime show, and weigh in on which artists we​ would invite. . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 12

11/30/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's the week after Thanksgiving and we're still working off our turkey hangovers here at The Tailgate. So, in this Monday night edition we're keeping things simple and revisiting another feathered friend and tailgate staple: the mighty chicken wing.

You may remember last year's foray into wild Wing flavors. Some were delicious (Strawberry-Jalapeno, Garlic-Whiskey), and others just didn't pan out (Bloody Mary Wings, Orange Crush Wings?). This year, we return with some new flavors, and we hope our record will be better than .500 this time around. . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 11 (Thanksgiving Edition!)

11/26/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Happy Turkey Day, everyone! It's Kap's favorite holiday, and he'll be stuffing himself with turkey and the fixings and settling in on the couch to fall into a tryptophan-induced slumber and watch the Eagles face off against Detroit. Meanwhile, Mina will be gathering with her family and helping prepare the traditional family meal.

Because of our busy schedules we won't be sharing any recipes this week, but we will share photos of our Thanksgiving tables, and in following with Thanksgiving tradition, Kap will release the first round of playoff predictions, and we'll each share something we're thankful for this year.

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 10

11/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
John Madden--man who knows both good football and good eats--posing in front of the most famous truck in NFL history
From our Week 3 Glamgate to our Week 7 foray into French Cuisine, we've done a lot of fancy cooking this season at The Tailgate. This week we're taking it in the other direction, challenging ourselves to create tasty tailgate treats using only the ingredients that can be found at our local gas station quick mart or truck stop.

Before you write this off as a joke or gimmick, consider that Kap is a big fan of travel and an equally big fan of the foods you can find on the shelf at these inauspicious little marts. There's something special about sitting on the curb, eating a hot dog that's been turning on a roller al day, and watching the traffic roar by, before jumping back behind the wheel for the next leg of your journey. And that's what we're going to attempt to recreate here this week . . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 9 (College Football Edition!)

11/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's that time again! Every season, we do a special college football edition of the tailgate. We've done Kap's alma mater (a few times, in fact!). And we've done Mina's alma mater. But we've never done the one school we have in common, the school where we work: our home among the hills, West Virginia University. Until now. . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 8

11/1/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
We've hit November--the heart of football season--and even though Halloween is officially behind us, spirits still abound. Alcoholic spirits, that is! 

It's no secret that we love our beers, wines, and cocktails here at the Tailgate. But liquor is also an excellent ingredient for cooking, adding complex flavors and bringing out the best in other ingredients. So this week we're making tailgate-ready dishes featuring our favorite libations. Cheers!

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Halloween Edition!

10/31/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Happy Halloween, Tailgaters! Mina's off carving about a hundred pumpkins this weekend for a Halloween-themed wedding (don't ask), so Kap has taken it upon himself to celebrate this spookiest of nights with a few tasty treats (no tricks!) We've got our regularly scheduled tailgate coming up tomorrow, too, so don't forget to check back!

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 7

10/26/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
​It's week seven already--this season is flying by!--and we're going to do our first Monday Night Edition of The Tailgate.

This week, our theme is a bit more health conscious. (Don't groan--we heard that!) We will admit, football fans are not necessarily known for their love of salad. After all, you don't see beer commercials with people standing in the backyard, huddled around a big bowl of leafy greens, or sports bar commercials where people feast on kale beneath the glow of the giant televisions. Still, that doesn't mean that a salad-based tailgate can't be successful, especially if you pack on some proteins. There are ways to make this light fair more tailgate-appropriate. (We've done it before and it worked out great!)

​
This week is also something of a two-fer because we've snuck in a second unconventional theme from our list, one that is even more controversial than salads. . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 6

10/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
We're back from our bye week, which means that we are hungrier than ever for this week's Frankenfoods tailgate. What is a "Frankenfood?" We're glad you asked. 

A Frankenfood is a unique mash-up of two completely unrelated foods. We're not talking about Hawaiian pizzas here or pizza burgers. We're talking complete and utter culinary madness--Gyro Eggrolls, Peanut Butter and Jelly Fishsticks, and Ramen Burgers. Our only requirement is that this spooky fusion of flavors tastes good!

So come and join us . . . if you dare!

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 5 (Bye Week)

10/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The throwing of the "flowered flag" can only mean one thing: it's time for a culinary Bye Week!
Every team needs a week off from time to time, and we're no different here at The Tailgate. We'll be back next week with more fun foods. In the mean time, enjoy the games and let us know what you're eating!

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 4

10/4/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The start of October can only mean one thing: pizza week. This tradition dates back to our very first tailgates two years ago, and has continued on since then.

​
Our goal is simple: to redefine what goes on a pizza. Anyone can throw on marinara sauce and mozzarella, but it takes real vision to dig deep into the refrigerator and come up with the outlandish pies we're featuring this season.

Still, it never hurts to have a few "traditional" pies on hand to feed the less adventurous. . . .

Read More
0 Comments

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 3

9/27/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
The "Great Outdoors"
​Every so often, our themed tailgates lead us into high-class territory that is . . . well, let's just admit it: hoity toity. Still, there's no rule that says tailgating or couchgating has to be an unrefined affair. It's like the growing trend of "glamping" where, instead of roughing it, would-be campers take a glamorous approach to the great outdoors with full table service and all the amenities of home. 

People are, understandably, conflicted about this. To Kap, it sounds great. (Bugs? Rain? Sleeping on the 
ground? No thanks.) But for Mina it's different. As someone who lived in a tent for two months when she was in high school as part of a park clean-up program, there is something special, too, about the no-frills variety.

This week, we are bringing the glamping philosophy to our "Sunday Afternoon Glamgate," focusing on traditional campfire favorites, but re-imagining them through the lens of fine dining. Bon Appétit!

Read More
1 Comment

Kap & Mina's Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Week 2

9/20/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
We had a lot of fun last week with our Cultural Heritage tailgate, exploring our personal histories through food, and we wanted to keep that energy going this week by taking a look at the produce available at our local farmers market and co-op, cooking with the freshest local ingredients available. Hence this week's theme: Farm-to-Tailgate.

As anyone will tell you, it really does make a difference when you are using ingredients straight from your local farm, talking to the people who grew and harvested them. You can taste the earth, the water, and above all, the care and expertise that goes into producing these fine ingredients. We hope you enjoy as much as we did!


Read More
2 Comments
<<Previous

    Jason Kapcala

    Writerly meditations, craft notes, tailgating recipes, musical musings & more.

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe to Stacking Stones


    Categories

    All
    Artist Interviews
    Autobiography Vs. Memoir
    Avoiding Cliche
    Contests
    Course Announcements
    Cover Letters
    Essay Structure
    Ethics
    Featured Student Writing
    Fictive Devices In Creative Nonfiction
    Fictive Devices In Poetry
    Flow
    Foreshadowing
    Form
    Fraudulence
    Free Writing
    Guest Blogger
    History
    Humor
    In Memory
    Journal Reviews
    Kent Haruf
    Metaphor
    MFA Backlash
    Multi-Genre
    Must Read!
    Name That Blog Contest
    Narration
    Narrative Structure
    Nonfiction Vs. Creative Nonfiction
    Novel Writing
    Open Vs. Closed Narratives
    Other
    Planning
    Plot
    Poetic Turn
    Point Of View
    Publishing
    Reading Poetry
    Reflection
    Revision
    Rock & Roll
    Saturday Morning Soundtrack
    Setting Goals
    Sideshadowing
    Strange Bedfellows
    Sunday Afternoon Tailgate
    Teaching Writing
    The Challenger
    The Challenger
    Time In Writing
    Transcribing
    Triggers
    Truth Vs. Truth
    What Makes A Writer?
    Woodworking
    Workshopping
    Writing And Television

    Featured Links

    Amy Correia 

    Canyon Voices

    Cleaver Magazine

    Cubicle Struggles

    The East Bay Review

    Eccentric Chai

    Fletcher's Grove

    Four Way Review

    The Good Men Project

    Green Chamber Studio

    Justin Wants to Feed You

    Long Story, Short

    ​Main Street Rag
    ​
    Masque & Spectacle

    ​Outrider Press

    Prime Number

    Recommended Reading

    Renée K. Nicholson

    Saturday Morning Soundtrack 
    (@ Youtube)

    Saw Palm

    Sling Magazine

    Souvenir

    SummerBooks

    The Summerset Review

    TypeWell

    ​Urban Farmhouse Press
Write to live.
© 2020 Jason Kapcala. All Rights Reserved.
Photos used under Creative Commons from kirstyhall, Keith Allison, haxney, kirstyhall, xoque, Keith Allison, Wouter Verhelst, Joe Bielawa, Keith Allison, Sister72, marc.cappelletti, bionicteaching, bluesbby, Jon's pics, Wouter Verhelst, ViaggioRoutard, xoque, Beverly & Pack, cwwycoff1, K.M. Klemencic, DOCHKAS, Justin Block, Anuj Biyani, aprilandrandy, Ron Cogswell, 4nnakin, Tom Pumphret, tenpixels, billsoPHOTO, Navin75, kozumel, Berto Garcia, dgoomany, Gerry Dincher, AJ Guel Photography, Eric Kilby, Picturepest, Keith Allison, rattler97, Cabe6403, bionicteaching, KatVitulano Photos, garryknight, Keith Allison, MHS Touchdown Club, Zengame, supermattzor, trekkyandy, phill.lister, marcen27, twosheffs, daniel spils, kla4067, sydneyduhh, Marcus Q, slgckgc, J McSporran, jasonmurphyphotography, nflravens, Keith Allison, Keith Allison, bob stephan, CraigInDenver, dbecher, Moe_, amseaman, Js473, weeklydig, Keith Allison, Môsieur J. [version 9.1], dluders, DoD News Features, uyht, zzkt, billsoPHOTO, Keith Allison, Edvill, Edvill, SteelCityHobbies, Mobilus In Mobili, fantasyfootballswami, Bob Jagendorf, tedeytan, waferboard, Rev Stan, andymag, dluders, George Vnoucek, Keith Allison, aprilandrandy, Mike Morbeck, Piano Piano!, Jim Larrison, Erik Daniel Drost, CraigInDenver, VaMedia, Kool Cats Photography over 2 Million Views, Jo Naylor, vixyao, deege@fermentarium.com, kirstyhall, sara biljana (vacation), AllenCisneros, greenchartreuse, swanksalot, Daquella manera, takomabibelot, kla4067, kk+, tnarik, New Deal Lions Sports and then some, herrkloeppel, emdot, Nirazilla, MIKI Yoshihito (´・ω・), Patrick Feller, brian.gratwicke, ToGa Wanderings, fpharpua2002, dustpuppy, kirstyhall, kirstyhall, HelloImNik, sergis blog, sergis blog, kirstyhall, kirstyhall, MvanM, Erik Daniel Drost, kirstyhall, ArranET, David Guo's Master, M.Pastor, Michael Fleshman, Matthias Murphy, michaela.raquel, Quasic, Sh4rp_i, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Northern VA, D Simmonds, Fadzly's eyes, Dano, jvc, Bright Adventures, kirstyhall, PhilipRobertson, jasonmurphyphotography, Alan Cleaver, 96dpi, left-hand, bixentro, kirstyhall, mrkumm, StockMonkeys.com, lucianvenutian, jacilluch, roland, Moe_, kirstyhall, JohnSeb, Bari D, laogooli, Joybot, projectnada, Phil Roeder, rick, Cappellmeister, akeg, h.koppdelaney, mikecogh, Alison's Eyes, weegeebored, suvodeb, jakuza, SnowViolent, KJGarbutt, striatic, kozumel, DeFries, katerha, Chandler Abraham, Brandon Grasley, the_gman, kevin dooley, dno1967b, JohnSeb, kirstyhall, Moe_, Javier Kohen, OakleyOriginals, craigemorsels, TschiAe, Jeff Kubina, jDevaun, modomatic, Linking Paths, Tulane Public Relations, PDA.PHOTO, Moe_, Tiger Girl, Will Folsom, alvarolg, kirstyhall, hectorir, Editor B, rust.bucket, bert23.com, DeeAshley, kirstyhall, Patrick Hoesly, bibendum84, kirstyhall, kirstyhall, madaise, breahn, Rusty Clark, Gamma-Ray Productions, Dougtone, Visual Artist Frank Bonilla, HowardLake, Francis Storr, goingslo, ewan traveler, KJGarbutt, CarbonNYC, flakeparadigm, C.Y.R.I.L., James Willamor, legalizefreedom, tnarik, h.koppdelaney, basheertome, Nicholas_T, BrownGuacamole, gnomonic, afroboof, Global X, Martin Cathrae, Lorenzo Sernicola, kirstyhall, hoyasmeg, Hollingsworth, jameskadamson, Jennie Faber, this lyre lark, The Nothing Corporation, kirstyhall, LTHWRK, MHS Touchdown Club, JSam76, Matthew Straubmuller, kirstyhall, John-Morgan, Canned Muffins, Dennis Vu Photography for Unleashed Media, rbrwr, kirstyhall
  • North to Lakeville
  • About
    • Appearances
    • Publications