During warmer spring and summer weather, I tend to turn to lighter dishes that don’t require heating up the kitchen. One such dish is ceviche, in which raw fish and seafood is "cooked" in an acidic liquid such as lime or lemon juice. There is no need to heat up a stove, oven or grill. Here is an easy, tasty recipe for shrimp ceviche. Ingredients: 1 lb. medium shrimp, … [Read more...]
Maryland-Style Chicken Fingers
Here is a spicy take on fried chicken fingers that kids like as much as adults do. I use Maryland-style spices to kick things up a notch - the type you frequently find when eating shrimp and blue crabs while sailing around the Chesapeake Bay. Ingredients: 1 lb. boneless chicken breast 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce (or your favorite) 2 cups … [Read more...]
Jamaican-Style Jerk Chicken
In Jamaica, you'll find folks selling well-spiced grilled chicken at roadside stands all over the island. As with gumbo in Louisiana or cassoulet in France, there are as many different recipes as the people who make it. I have tried a number of different recipes for jerk chicken. Some were incredibly complicated and some were as simple as just rubbing the chicken with … [Read more...]
Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
As a kid I hated Brussels sprouts, as I imagine many kids do. Partly that’s because we were always served the sprouts whole. One way to get kids (and some adults) to enjoy Brussels sprouts is to shave or shred them before cooking, which makes them much more palatable. And of course, adding bacon doesn’t hurt. You could prepare the sprouts and shallots using a knife but I find … [Read more...]
Beer-Braised Short Ribs
If you’re looking for something delicious to cook this St. Patrick’s Day that isn’t corned beef & cabbage or shepherd’s pie, here’s an easy solution: beef short ribs braised in Irish stout. It's pretty simple and takes only about 15 minutes of prep time. Simply sit back and sip some stout while the short ribs braise. Ingredients: 1 ½ to 2 lbs. beef short ribs … [Read more...]
Spicy Asian Rice Noodles
This is a super simple, spicy Asian noodle dish that is easy to make but packed with flavor. You could substitute egg/wheat noodles for the rice noodles, but I like using rice noodles in this recipe since they can just be soaked to soften; they don’t need to be cooked. Ingredients: 8 oz. wide rice noodles ½ cup lower sodium soy sauce ¼ cup rice vinegar 2 Tbsp. … [Read more...]
3-Way Meatloaf
Meatloaf - along with macaroni and cheese - has to be at or near the top of the list of great American comfort foods. But, too often it can come out dry and bland. I’ve tried many meatloaf recipes over the years and have settled on this one as my favorite. It features a combination of three different meats: veal, pork and beef. However, you could customize your meatloaf by … [Read more...]
Gnocchi with Brown Butter & Sage
Years ago, when I was the restaurant critic for Las Vegas Life magazine, I reviewed a restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel called Olives. It was Boston restaurateur Todd English’s Mediterranean-style Vegas eatery and I really loved it. I especially loved his dish of gnocchi in brown butter and sage sauce. It’s a wonderful autumn/winter dish and it is easy to make at home. Of … [Read more...]
Basic Marinara Sauce
I frequently have a need for a basic marinara sauce for pasta or dishes like lasagna, baked ziti, chicken parmigiana, polenta, meatball sandwiches, and others. Here is a very simple, but quite tasty all-purpose marinara made with canned tomatoes. It freezes well, so you could double or triple this recipe to make a big batch. Ingredients: 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes or … [Read more...]
Cajun Shrimp Poppers
If you’re looking for something tasty to serve during the Super Bowl on Sunday, these spicy shrimp poppers are perfect. You could also substitute the shrimp for crawfish tails, if you’d like. Ingredients: 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper 1 Tbsp ground cumin 1 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour Oil … [Read more...]