Sunday Picture Post

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…

Bellini

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…

Beef with Broccoli

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…

Black Russian\White Russian

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…

Jambalaya Redux

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…

Cherry Clafouti

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…

Negroni

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…