Basil (yes, Basil) Ice Cream
I’m gonna get right to it. This is delicious. 10 yrs ago my wine mentor and dear friend took me to a Cuban place for lunch and he knew that the chef there had an off-the-menu basil ice cream. I can taste it as if it were yesterday. Well, I finally snapped. I worked up a 2-step process to infuse the rich sweetness of fresh basil into heavy cream and I swear it’s a dead match. Most people that have tasted this have been blown away (much like my family). Only a few are tripped up by the juxtaposition of an herb normally found prominent in tomato bisques and...
Kale & Fennel Salad with Miso Dress...
I know, I know… Kale is so 2010. But you know what? Most people I run across still have a fairly quick hesitation to these toothsome bitter yet, glorious leaves. I don’t blame them. It was a tough nut for me to crack as well. I thought I would simply sauté it like I did Swiss chard. Except that it was wretched. I gave up. I didn’t want to. There was far too much foodie chatter waxing poetic about its superfood awesomeness. Then one day I had a small bowl of raw kale salad imposed on me at a local sandwich shop, and it suddenly made sense. The freshness took care of...
Pop’s Ginger Snappy Cookies
I have a confession to make. I don’t really like cookies. I mean really – how excited can you get over a little disk of sweetened stale bread? So before I start getting hate comments, let me say that, yes, every now and then I’ll eat one and think “damn!” But it’s really pretty rare… and they’re always homemade (but you knew that). A well crafted white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, for example, can stop me in my tracks. My dear friend’s mom makes an ice box cookie that has no equal. She needs to have her own show. The...
Orzo That Will Kill You in the Face
If ever there was a side dish that typifies this whole “Deal With This” cooking methodology, it’s this one. Mainly because this dish was literally born out of what I was hungry for that instant. The next night I then adapted it for a different kind of pasta with some slight variations. What kind of response did I get? Man am I glad you asked. Complete face melting OhMyGodness. Again – I’m not talking about some Iron Chef Beef Cheek with Stinging Nettles Laced with Saffron Foam on a Bed of Bone Marrow Harvested from Spotted Owls type thing....
Sage-Roasted Chicken Thighs
It never fails. When I make this dish for my family, my wife always says that this is what she wants me to make for our friends whenever we entertain. She says this every time. Not kidding. I can’t blame her. It’s delicious. It’s simple. Major bang for the buck. That what Deal With This is all about. This is a no fuss major payoff dish. I could eat this and Rice oh-toe several times a week. It’s darn near perfect. Do yourself a favor and get the best chicken thighs you can find. Don’t worry. Grocery store stuff will still be amazing. But if...
Not just a recipe blog…
Welcome to my recipe/cooking/food-obsessed blog. Please note – I’m not a professional chef and chances are, neither are you. Take no offense to that statement! I’m just passionate about cooking and all things food and I’ve realized that this stuff needs to be shared. I’m simply stating that for the most part, I’m on a level playing field with most of you who may be viewing this blog. Let’s face facts – the Bobby Flays of the world have had experiences and training we simply will not have. Do they really expect us to whip out...
