In talking with followers, I regularly get two requests. Videos of the dish being prepared and the weekly menus I use. So, I think it is high time I tackle the weekly menu request. Now that there are 13 months of posts of a myriad of dishes, here is my next week’s menu using some of them and incorporating a few new dishes. As always, the concept behind the menu is to create a varied dining experience throughout the week while optimizing the ingredients without getting burned out. From this menu, I created a…
Wow, I cannot believe it is the end of another month. This month simply flew by, especially since I spent nearly half of it in Las Vegas! You might be thinking my trip impacted the number of dishes I made that did not become posts, but there were some. And here they are… enjoy! Prawn and Pork Thai-Style Fried Rice I had some guanciale already cut up from preparing the Spaghetti alla Carbonara, a few frozen prawns left in the freezer, and leftover jasmine rice. It made an easy and quick dinner, not too…
Here we are on the last Friday of September, closing out the third quarter with the Sun, Moon and Earth nearly aligned at perigee and perihelion (producing king tides). What other cocktail embodies all these disparate elements than another of the classic cocktails – the Sazerac. Originally made with cognac but now typically made with rye whiskey, this absinthe laced classic is perfect for either quiet, personal reflection or raucous celebrating with a group or anything in between. In case you are worried about being poisoned by absinthe, allay your fears. Absinthe is no longer outlawed…
Tonight’s dinner is an Italian classic – spaghetti alla carbonara. This dish of few ingredients produces a wonderfully robust meal. Like Pasta all’Amatriciana and Pasta Putannesca, this recipe is about quality ingredients and timing. I used David Leite’s recipe from his blog Leite’s Culinaria. He has an engaging post about the origins of this dish – rumored to have been created by coal miners – so I’ll defer to his research and expertise on that subject. But I will dive into this dish with enthusiasm. Getting…
I think it is high time I posted a few appetizer recipes, so let me start with fried oysters. Of course, this dish could be made into a main course by combining with other appetizers to have a small plate or tapas styled meal. During my research I found many different recipes and I decided to go with what I see is the simplest (and the one I am most familiar with). If you have seen my Schnitzel recipe, this method is basically the same – dredge in flour, shake off excess, dredge in egg, coat…
Let’s celebrate the first day of autumn with a bright cocktail reminiscent of summer but warming for the coolness of fall. This cocktail is a kind of a variant to a Moscow Mule just based on Old Tom gin, lime and ginger beer. The ginger forward aspect of this cocktail brings the warmth while the lime reminds me of summer citrus drinks. I have read that you can use London Dry gin since the ginger takes the stage flavor-wise, but my tasting tests were not so promising. And since I picked up some…
This interesting and versatile breakfast/dessert recipe comes compliments of The Baking Chocolatess. Anyone who knows me knows that I like apple fritters… I’ll even admit I like them a lot. So during my search for something other than a traditional fried apple fritter, this recipe screamed ‘Try me!’. Boy I am glad I did! This unique way of enjoying apple fritters is wonderful. Can you tell I am enamored with this recipe? Well, I am. So make room banana bread, apple fritter bread is getting into the rotation. You should…