read more posts by

Kent

Twisted Tabbouleh

Here is a twist on a recipe that might either start a fight or end one. As many of you know, I was single for a bit and Cooking-4-One was a personal indulgence. I could eat what I wanted to try, buying whatever ingredients I needed. But in all fairness, that is not practical when you plan meals for two. Each person’s likes and dislikes and level of experimentation have to be considered. Frankly, another aspect is storage. Even with a large kitchen, storage is a premium and buying an ingredient you may not use but once in a great while is not practical. So today’s recipe is a twist on the typical tabbouleh – substituting couscous for the bulgur. I know…

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Cherry Almond Compote

Today’s breakfast was a pairing for these two recipes – Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Waffles and Cherry Almond Compote . These two together made a wondrously tasty breakfast I just had to share, especially with cherries being in season. I omitted the blueberries in the waffle recipe and just made pancakes with the batter for a silky and tangy result. The compote would be great on cheesecake as well just in case you are heading to a picnic or summer barbecue and want to treat your friends to a delicious desert. Putting the two together resulted in a flavor explosion to start our Saturday. Here’s the photos of our scrumptious repast… and don’t forget the recipes are in the links above. Enjoy…

A Mother’s Day ‘Toast’

Cooking for someone is it a great way to show your love for them.  Let’s celebrate our Mothers and the loving women in our lives today and every day.  Sending out blessings to my daughter Amanda and all other Mothers as I share this special French toast I made as a treat for the ‘star’ in my life today. And in remembrance of my mom, who let me experiment in the kitchen and allowed me to learn how to create simple, delicious meals that I enjoy sharing with all of you here. May this and each day be a celebration of life.  Enjoy…

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce

OK, calm down… I haven’t jumped the shark just yet!  But I am exploring several vegetarian recipe ideas to support a family and friends that ‘eat clean’ by choice or for medical reasons. The idea for this recipe actually came to me in a dream several weeks ago and sort of stuck in my mind, percolating and brewing into the results below. Yes, I know that sounds weird dreaming about recipes, but it is what it is. I tested this recipe on myself first and was quite impressed with the depth of flavor. If you did not share that it was vegetarian, I bet many people would not realize it lacked meat. And isn’t that the desired result when you try…

Chicken Fried Steak and Country Gravy

Today I want to share with you how I make chicken fried steak. There are many recipes for this delicious breakfast (typically) and I won’t even profess mine is the best – but I will say it is satisfying and has never received a complaint! This dish is easy to prepare – it is very much like a beef version of schnitzel – except this dish has a different breading.  This is my go-to breakfast when out and I don’t know why since I am typically disappointed by the results. I think it must be the deep fat frying most restaurants use for this dish. I won’t be deep frying anything, but I will shallow fry it. Are you ready for…

Szegedin Goulash

Tonight, let’s go old school European with this famous Hungarian dish made with pork, paprika, caraway, and sauerkraut. I have found many variations of this recipe and this one from the Daring Gourmet is the one I found most interesting (and easily adaptable to Cooking for One and a Half). I like the simplicity of this dish and really doesn’t take much time to put together before it is slow simmered until done. Now this isn’t fast food either, it does take 45 minutes or more to simmer until done, but it is perfect for a simple weekend dinner served with a crusty bread and a salad. And don’t be turned off by the sauerkraut. It melds into the rich…

Mangú

Today’s recipe is a delicious Dominican staple made from mashed green plantains, served with cooked onions, fried cheese, and/or a fried egg or fried salami. My wife makes this amazing dish for me, but today I made it for myself since she is away visiting family in the Dominican Republic. I was missing her and craving her cooking so I took matters into my own hands. This dish is simple to prepare – a real treat for a busy weeknight dinner or a relaxing weekend breakfast. Now I know some of you that have never enjoyed plantains may think mashed ‘bananas’ sounds gross, but plantains are a magical ingredient. Whether enjoyed fried and mashed as mofongo or twice fried as tostones, these tropical…

Italian Chocolate Martini

Hey, it has been a while since I posted a Friday cocktail! It’s time to get back to creating treats to share with you! Here is a great way to celebrate with your sweetheart, sipping on these will start your evening off on a tasty note. This elegant cocktail has deep chocolate flavor without any chocolate in the recipe. As regular readers know, I like amaro –  all the different, delicious, herbaceous varieties available. This recipe showcases Amaro Averna beautifully and comes from Liquor.com. And this cocktail is “Ana approved” – my beautiful wife liked this tasty tipple when I made it for Valentine’s Day. So, share this cocktail with someone special – and yes, you yourself count! You won&#8217…

Apple Fritter Bread Revisited

Here are some pictures of the latest apple fritter bread I made for my wife and I. I tweaked the recipe slightly and updated the original post with those corrections. Ana really loved this dessert – it was a delight to surprise her with this baked treat. Here are the pictures, which I think really showcase this delicious challenger to the ubiquitous banana bread. Give this one a try, it is a winner in my book! Enjoy! Doesn’t that look delicious…

Blood Orange Margarita

Greetings from the Seattle Snowpacalypse 2019!  For everyone stuck inside, with or without power, just remember we got this. So to help you make it through this weather challenge, here is a new cocktail post to try once you can venture out and the stores are restocked. And the best thing, it will remind you of the sun of summer and warm weather. Of course, this recipe is seasonal – it depends on blood oranges – which in a way makes it perfect for winter, it will brighten any mood with the thoughts and taste of summer. I based this recipe on the version published on Liquor.com. My tweaks are based on 2 factors – the first being an upgrade to using Grand Imperial instead of Triple…