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Monthly Archives: June 2017
Tonight’s cocktail comes from a recent article in Men’s Journal; This Summer, Drink More Whiskey: 6 Perfect Cocktails. I found this cocktail intriguing for two reasons. First, I am certain there is a typo in the recipe – it should not take 14 ounces of coffee liqueur – and second because it sounds like a snazzy and jazzy Manhattan… and I like a good Manhattan. So, I picked up some Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth to be sure I was using all the correct ingredients and I adjusted the 14 ounces of coffee liqueur to 1/4 ounce and got busy making this cocktail. And…. wow! This drink is a snazzy and jazzy upgraded Manhattan. I even garnished mine with one of my…
You know how we have labels for some of the days like Taco Tuesday, Hump Day for Wednesday, and Throwback Thursday; well I want to promote Mexican Monday. I think this attribution works wonders as now you can enjoy any of your south of the border favorites like burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, tacos, chimichangas, tequila, cerveza, etc… you get my point. To support this endeavor to recognize Mexican Mondays, I bring you a homemade Enchirito™ – that deliciously confused dish brought to you by Taco Bell. Now as regular readers should be used to, of course I tweaked this fast food for personal dining. I added spices, garlic, chunky onion, red and green bell pepper, and pinto beans to the ground beef filling. I topped it with enchilada…
Can you believe another month has passed by already? I can’t, it really feels like I just posted a Sunday picture post! But nevertheless, another month has passed and here are some pictures of meals I made that did not become posts. I hope these dishes inspire you to get into the kitchen and make something for yourself! Guanciale Fried Rice Double Bacon Double Cheese Burger with Fried Onions and Sauteed Mushrooms Stir fried Prawn Top Ramen with Broccoli and Carrot Cheese and Vegetable Omelette smothered in Sausage Gravy with Hash Browns Macaroni and Cheese Cavatappi with Sausage Ragu and Cheese Ssamjang Fried Rice with Prawns, Radish and Scallion Oat Flour Pancakes with Maple Whipped Cream Beef with Rice Noodles and Vegetables Penne with Tomato/Sausage…
Hey, what’s up? Have you missed me? Well, I had to handle some business this week and that kept me out of the kitchen, but I am back at it now. And with this being the first week of Summer, this week’s cocktail was better suited to Saturday mornings than a Friday night. This cocktail holds a special place in my heart. The first time I had one was in Venice at Harry’s Bar, where the drink originated. And my girlfriend and I were thoroughly entranced by this delicious sipper. So much so, we bought one of those 6 packs of pre-mixed Bellinis available all over Venice. Well, while taking the train from Venice to Rome, I was clowning around with…
Tonight’s dinner is one of my favorites to order when out at my local Chinese restaurant. Sometimes rather than go out, I make this simple and tasty dish at home so I wanted to share it with you. In my opinion, this dish is diet-friendly. It has a moderate amount of beef for the protein, you can control the amount of starch through the portion of rice (or noodles) you pair with it and the rest is vegetables and sauce. So… easy to prepare, flavorful, and healthy – what’s not to like! With all that going for it, let’s get cooking! Save Print Beef with Broccoli Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 40…
With all the news media coverage about possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and alleged collusion, here’s a way to collude with the Russians that won’t involve Senate, House or FBI investigations. The only risk is that these drinks might interfere with your sobriety if you are not careful! За здоровье! Save Print Black Russian Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 5 parts vodka 2 parts coffee liqueur (like Kahlua, Tia Maria, or Galliano Ristretto) Instructions Chill a highball or martini glass with ice. In a shaker with ice, add the vodka and coffee liqueur. Empty glass and add fresh ice. Shake well then strain into the glass. 3.5.3226 Chill a highball or…
Tonight I re-visited a dish I made back in January. I had a hankering for jambalaya and decided to tweak my previous recipe. The result was this revised recipe which turned out extremely tasty. The use of canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste added a sweetness to balance out the heat from the cayenne pepper while the trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper provide a solid flavor canvas to support the smoky andouille and gentle prawns. The thyme, oregano and creole seasoning add enhanced flavors for a robust, yet well rounded dish. Of course, omit the cayenne pepper if you prefer your jambalaya not very spicy, but I love that little extra kick. Having satisfied my hankering for jambalaya while enhancing a previous recipe, I call…
How about another dessert? Here we go with another cherry dessert and who can blame me? We are having a banner year for cherries in the Pacific Northwest and these gems are perfect for snacking and making desserts. Heck, I may even post how I smoke cherries for the Smoked Old Fashioned and Rob Roy cocktails given the amount of you asking about it! Well, back to this dessert. It is a simple, yet elegant dish perfectly suited for after dinner or even for breakfast. The cherries take center stage – encased in a slightly eggy custard with a golden brown top. Did I mention clafouti is versatile? That it is since you can use many different fruits like peach, pear, apricot, blueberries, raspberries, etc when making it…
It’s Negroni week so there was only choice for this week’s cocktail. Known as an apéritif, the Negroni has a convoluted history. Some say it was created in the early 1900’s in Florence when Count Camillo Negroni asked for gin to be substituted for the club soda in his Americano. Another story claims another Count de Negroni, General Pascal Olivier de Negroni, created the drink in Senegal in 1857. Call me a cynic, but I am more inclined to believe it was created by a bartender/mixologist via experimentation; maybe for a customer named Negroni. Regardless of how it was created, it is a simple yet elegant drink. And the Negroni’s popularity is evident – how many other cocktails…
Tonight I am sharing with you another side dish perfect for summer grilling. I tested this dish for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. It is simple to prepare and uniquely robust in flavor, definitely a change from your usual cauliflower dishes. I prepared this dish with just smoke, but you can also enhance it any way you like – season the cauliflower with dukkah, berbere, garam masala, curry, coriander, etc or drizzle with a sauce like balsamic glaze, sriracha mayo, apple cider vinegar, etc or any combination of the above! Of course, the wood chips will impact the final flavor, so don’t forget that aspect. I opted to use applewood chips as I wanted a fruitier flavor over a more resinous flavor…