Tag Archives: Cooking

Employee Meal 11.16.10

This is basically a variation on the classic recipe for Arroz con Carne de Puerco (Rice with Pork)…I decided to make it for an employee meal after I came upon some pork belly in the freezer that was left over from a party this past summer (and just a hint to the cook if youContinue reading “Employee Meal 11.16.10”

Pasta Autunno

The title of this post and recipe is a play on words, or rather the name of the famous dish Pasta Primavera (click here for a recipe and the history of Pasta Primavera; click here to read about the chef who first created it). Why I say this is that the dish Pasta Primavera translatesContinue reading “Pasta Autunno”

Home Grown Sauerkraut (Photos and Recipes)

Well of course sauerkraut is not “home grown,” it’s prepared…more specifically it makes itself, you simply provide the proper conditions. I have made this, and other variations, many times but never with cabbage that I grew myself; it literally went from the dirt to the fermentation bucket in about 20 minutes…now a couple weeks toContinue reading “Home Grown Sauerkraut (Photos and Recipes)”

Whole Wheat Penne Rigate with Pork Ragu

This is a really simple variation of classic Ragu alla Bolognese. And, of course, by ragu I mean stew (ragout in French) not the tomato sauce by the same name. Pork is the best meat for this dish but it can easily be substituted with beef, chicken, or even lamb. I tossed the sauce withContinue reading “Whole Wheat Penne Rigate with Pork Ragu”

Challah Bread French Toast with Caramelized Pear and Blueberry Syrup

This morning I made French Toast (pain purdu for my Francophile readers) for my teenage son; his favorite breakfast of all time. This is a variation of a recipe I’ve made for him before (click here for additional and more explicit pictures). This time I used challah bread which I carried home on my bikeContinue reading “Challah Bread French Toast with Caramelized Pear and Blueberry Syrup”

Painting Myself Into A Corner (figuratively) And Why I Made What I Did For Dinner

This is interesting, but I have to admit I feel a little silly about it. The above photo is of my newly painted porch (lovely color isn’t it?) which I’ve been putting off but finally got around to completing. After finishing and standing admiring it I thought about dinner when I remembered that I alsoContinue reading “Painting Myself Into A Corner (figuratively) And Why I Made What I Did For Dinner”

Recette de soupe à l’oignon gratinée (photos et mots)

French onion soup. This is such a simple soup to make and while it may have the reputation of being a “restaurant recipe” it probably began as a peasant food and is exceedingly simple to make. Look at the main ingredients: Onions, broth, and bread (cheese was a later addition). Old-time soups often contained breadContinue reading “Recette de soupe à l’oignon gratinée (photos et mots)”

Homemade Pasta Dough in Pictures and Words

Today at work I made pasta by hand with a couple other cooks. It’s so easy to make, and fun, too…but it is a little time consuming. We used hand-crank pasta rollers/cutters (which I carried to work on my bike), but you could just as easily roll it by hand and cut the noodles withContinue reading “Homemade Pasta Dough in Pictures and Words”

Potato Pancakes with Zucchini, Broccoli, Peppers, and Basil

I made these for dinner recently and they were so delicious I wish I had some now. They are so easy to make…basically a potato pancake with other stuff added, in this case zucchini, broccoli, basil, and bell pepper. But you really can use almost any vegetable for this. To make them shred all ofContinue reading “Potato Pancakes with Zucchini, Broccoli, Peppers, and Basil”

Sauteed Hot Peppers (Yum!)

In my seemingly futile attempt to consume the parade of hot peppers that still hang from their plants, today I sauteed some of the less-hot varieties (they were still hot enough to make my bald head sweat). I put more virgin olive oil in a pan than necessary and slowly cooked and basted the peppersContinue reading “Sauteed Hot Peppers (Yum!)”

Really Simple Hot and Sweet Pickled Peppers

This is a basic refrigerator pickle recipe that can be used for virtually any garden vegetable. It’s based on the simple formula of 2-2-1, meaning two parts vinegar, two parts sugar, and one part water (and a little salt). Then you can virtually add any herbs or spices you’d like. And these are refrigerator pickles,Continue reading “Really Simple Hot and Sweet Pickled Peppers”

Ezekiel Bread French Toast with Caramelized Nectarine and Apple-Cranberry Syrup

The morning before last as I was pouring my second cup of coffee I heard a common request from my teenage son in the next room, “dad, will you make me breakfast” (translation: will you make me French toast…his favorite breakfast). Having not gone shopping in a while I knew the cupboards were somewhat bareContinue reading “Ezekiel Bread French Toast with Caramelized Nectarine and Apple-Cranberry Syrup”

August

Despite the incredible devastation to my tomato plants by an enormous hornworm I’m still able to collect a fair share of tomatoes (click here to see a picture of the scary hornworm in action). This was today’s collection, there’s more to come yet…looks like there’s tomato sauce in my future this summer after all…although probablyContinue reading “August”

Lamb Sausage Recipe with Feta, Parsley, and Rosemary (in pictures with a few comments)

I once read a quote that there are two things a person should not see being made, one was sausage and the other I can’t remember (if anyone is familiar with this quote let me know what the second one is…it’s bothering me). But today, this can’t be true. I think that the thing(s) noContinue reading “Lamb Sausage Recipe with Feta, Parsley, and Rosemary (in pictures with a few comments)”

Fresh and Super-Delicious Tomato Sauce in 10 Minutes Using Four Easy Steps

This is a basic tomato sauce recipe that I make all summer long with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. At the end of the season I usually make a larger batch and freeze it in increments (click here to see a previous post regarding a large batch). This is so easy to makeContinue reading “Fresh and Super-Delicious Tomato Sauce in 10 Minutes Using Four Easy Steps”

Employee Meal 7.27.10 (and a few general comments)

The other day after rummaging around in the walk-in freezer (geeze o’ man the cold felt good) I came upon a plastic container with pieces of cooked lamb medallions from a banquet served some time ago. Being the chef, my job description is not only to cook for the guests but also the employees (whoContinue reading “Employee Meal 7.27.10 (and a few general comments)”