this is a page for
Category: Recipes
Tonight’s dinner is my take on that ever popular Chinese restaurant appetizer and staple in different dishes – char siu pork. I decided to make it with a pork shoulder using sous vide. After marinating the pork shoulder overnight, using sous vide will create a moist and tender result after 8 hours in the water bath. To finish, I hot smoked the meat over apple wood to create the delicious, smoky crust that makes this dish special. This recipe yields more than 1 meal so be sure to check out the serving options – traditional appetizer of sliced char siu with mustard, ketchup, and sesame seeds; pulled as a different take on pulled pork sandwiches; or diced/julienned for use in fried rice or noodle dishes…
Today’s recipe fulfills a friend’s request. He asked for a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe that yielded a moderate amount. So, I had some down time today and thought “It’s a perfect time to fulfill this request”. I started by shrinking a reliable recipe and then tweaking it slightly to give my own special touch. This recipe yields approximately 36 soft, chewy, slightly sweet but oh-so chocolatey cookies. I call it a success… and when you try them, you will too! Save Print Chocolate Chip Cookies Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins Serves: 36 Ingredients ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup light brown sugar ¾…
Here’s a favorite Chinese restaurant dish that can be either fabulous or frightful. I researched numerous recipes and crafted this one from many recipes. When I think of Mongolian Beef, I think of balanced flavors of sweet, salty, and spicy complimented by tender beef with crispy edges in the previously described sauce. I think this recipe succeeds for the most part since cutting down a recipe like this one has definite challenges. The biggest challenge I encountered is in creating the sauce. Typically, small amounts of sauce are difficult and small amounts of a light glaze are even more difficult. This recipe produces a bit more sauce than I prefer, but it is comparable to the style and amount of sauce you find on this dish…
“What?” you say? Well, last night I tested something I have wanted to try for a while. Based on the ever popular London Broil, I slathered a top sirloin in Korean gochujang and cooked it sous vide style before grilling it as a finish. The results – amazing! My pairings with this dish are a bit of a hack based on what I had available. I had Brussel sprouts, so I made some as balsamic glazed and the rest shredded with rice vinegar and sriracha as a fake kimchi. Rest assured, I will create a post for this recipe (and more appropriate side dishes) in the future, but I could not resist sharing the photos of my ‘experiment’ with all of you! Enjoy! Save…
Tonight’s cocktail is a notoriously sweet concoction when typically made. But I found Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s acclaimed recipe and his tweak makes sense – and creates a more balanced amaretto sour. The addition of higher proof bourbon whiskey cuts the sweetness of the amaretto while fresh lemon and lime juice with simple syrup build the sour in this cocktail. I tweaked Jeffrey’s recipe a bit – dropping the egg white, adding lime juice and increasing the bourbon slightly. The results are sweet, sour, and flavorful – not the typical cloyingly sweet, but balanced and nuanced. Give it a try, it is a twisted whiskey sour you’ll enjoy. Save Print Amaretto Sour Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins…
What can I say… I like chicken fried steak. There is something very comforting about this dish and I had it on my list of dishes to make for you. But this morning, I had a stroke of genius – change up the standard delicious chicken fried steak by seasoning it with dukkah. This flavorful Egyptian blend consists of sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, cumin, coriander, salt and sumac among other spices. I figured these flavors would really enhance the chicken fried steak, especially if paired with a unique starch and a robust gravy. For the starch, I chose lightly fried orzo and farro while the gravy would be a mushroom and sweet pepper concoction. Adding a simple sauteed fresh green beans rounds out…
Tonight’s dinner is based on Suzy’s recipe for Farro and Mushrooms with Peas from her blog, The Mediterranean Dish. Her recipe is delicious as a vegetarian side dish, but I decided to make it into a full meal for one by pairing the farro with a pork loin chop. Farro is one of the ancient grains that is chock full of nutrients and has a wonderfully nutty taste. Like Suzy, I kept the seasoning simple to allow the farro to be the star of this show and cooked it all using one pan. The results are a tasty, chewy risotto-like platform for the juicy pork loin chop. Fairly simple yet slightly elegant… yep, that is how I would describe this meal. Give…
Wow… it is Friday. It is the last day of March. The sun is shining and we had a beautiful Spring day in the Pacific Northwest. Now it is cocktail time and I am seeking something robust and interesting. I think a Boulevardier will fit the bill nicely. Rye Whiskey paired with sweet vermouth and Campari makes a simple, clean, yet robust and flavorful drink – a little spice from the rye, a little sweet from the vermouth and a little bitter from the Campari. This cocktail is a cousin to the Negroni (which is made with gin instead of whiskey) and Manhattan (which is whiskey and sweet vermouth). Since I like Manhattans, upgrading to a Boulevardier was an easy jump. Are you ready to jump up…
Today I had an impromptu large lunch and really could not fathom making dinner tonight. So I decided to make an appetizer. Typically this dip is a one I do for parties, but I just wanted a small portion with some baguette slices. This recipe features ingredients from my pantry – which is a double bonus since I did not feel like going shopping either! If you can have breakfast for dinner, why not an appetizer? Save Print Crab and Artichoke Dip Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 35 mins Serves: 2 Ingredients 4 oz cream cheese ½ cup sour cream 6 oz can crab meat, drained 6½ oz marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped 4 oz diced pimientos…
Tonight’s recipe is a combination of several Thai Basil Chicken Fried Rice recipes I found during my research and of course, my own little tweaks. The primary tweak is adding more vegetables (a the great recipe extender!) providing different textures and flavors to the standard fried rice. Naturally, the key to this dish is the Thai basil. I have read that Italian or regular basil can be substituted, but I cannot imagine that being possible. Thai basil has a very unique flavor and fragrance – which is what this dish is all about! So do yourself a favor and find Thai basil for this dish. I find it at my local supermarket, but also at just about every Asian market in the area. (Psst, while you…