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Mike
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RamenBy MikeWe went to Tokyo, Japan in February of 2024. Our youngest son was studying over there, and we felt we were obliged to at least try to understand a little of what he was experiencing. It was cold, a little rainy, and absolutely wonderful. We restricted our visit to Tokyo, but the largest city in the world has plenty to offer. We loved the food - the sushi, the gyoza, and the ramen. We even took a Ramen and Gyoza making class. This ramen recipe is a version of what Chef Andrew Baba Rowe (www.babaramen.com) taught us to make. It's a little less complex than his version, but after trying it several times, I'm very happy with it. Let me know what you think!
Blackened SalmonBy MikeWe love Salmon in our house, and we have a variety of ways to prepare it. Blackened salmon is one of our favorites, and I would say we eat it twice a month! It's spicy, and such an easy preparation. If you make extra spice mixture, then there's hardly any work at all in the preparation when you make them the next time. You can buy salmon fillets from your market. This may sound crazy, but we love the Costco frozen salmon farm-raised salmon fillets. They are so easy, and with just 1 hour of soaking them in water, we are ready to make this any time. I know fresh is better, and we do that sometimes too, but this is a great recipe, whether you use fresh or frozen fillets. I think one of the keys to finishing the salmon is a liberal lemon squeeze on it when you plate it. It makes it sparkle and you can taste the difference. Enjoy! - Mike
Biscuits with the BossBy MikeIf you haven't yet seen Ted Lasso on Apple TV, you're missing out. One of the gazillion fun parts of the show is Ted's "Biscuits with the Boss" start to his day. He loves it, but the Boss (Rebecca) only puts up with it because the biscuits are so damn good. It's a secret recipe, but this online guess that I found is pretty darn good! My thanks to those who found this recipe. It's "just" a shortbread recipe, but I like there's a sort of sleuthing New York TImes authenticity about it. You can see some of the story here.
Belgian WafflesBy MikeWaffles for breakfast! Chicken and waffles for dinner! Invest a few bucks in a waffle iron and you are ready!
Dawson’s Favorite Banana Chocolate Chip MuffinsBy MikeIt's a great day for all of us when Jill makes these amazing muffins for Dawson. There are two uses for old bananas in our house. Most of them get peeled and put in the freezer to use in a smoothie. But some of them, the lucky ones, live to a ripe old age, and get privilege, nay, the honor, of being the start of Dawson's favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Old bananas, we salute you!
Biscuits with Black Pepper and Cheddar Cheese (or without!)By MikeThe Arkansas kid in me still loves biscuits. I have tried a variety of recipes, but now I have the one I'm sticking with.  Yes, it has an obscene amount of butter in it. But maybe you just shouldn't worry about it for this one thing? I adapted it from Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table cookbook, and I just love it. The black pepper and cheddar cheese make them savory additions to breakfast, brunch, or dinner. You can make the dough ahead and cut the biscuits up to 3 days ahead, then pop them in the oven when you absolutely need to have them. I think you'll love them!
Eggplant ParmesanBy MikeThis is Jill's favorite dish that I make. Therefore, I make it a lot! A little marital advice from principalchef: when your spouse is nice enough to be clear about what he/she likes, try to do THAT as much as you can. Of course, if that something is a bit too much, then Meatloaf was right. Where was I? Oh yes - this is Jill's favorite dish - she loves the non-fried eggplant slices, and the bread crumbs are incredible. The bread crumbs are like a dish by themselves! My thanks to Ina Garten for another great recipe!
Split Pea SoupBy MikeI've had this recipe for over 30 years, written on a note card. I can't even remember where I got it. But I love it and it's a staple in our house in the fall and winter. I serve it with my Irish Soda Bread recipe and it always feels like a wholesome, healthy, and very tasty meal.
Jill’s Green Sauce/Dip/DressingBy MikeThis is one of the best things to happen in our house in 2018. Jill found the "Magic Green Sauce" recipe from Pinch of Yum. It's so easy and so awesome! We have served it over chicken, tofu, as a dip, on a sandwich, on potatoes, and so many other ways. It's like chimichurri sauce without the bite and the smooth jazz feel of avocados!
Fried RiceBy MikeI love fried rice. For us, it's not a side dish. It's a one bowl meal. The key is thinking a little bit ahead and having some one to three-day old rice in the fridge. If you keep some shrimp (Trader Joe's Argentinian) in your freezer, or if you have some crab (Costco) in your fridge, you are ready. Take stuff that's already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry, add some cooked rice from the night before, and go out there and be a fried rice hero!
Not That Bad for You Banana Cream PieBy MikeThat pie shaped empty space that's been in my life so long? It's all good now. When I was in my mid-forties, I remember telling Jill that I missed the days when I could eat anything and my weight just remained constant. I told her, "I was living the good life and I didn't even know it." Well, those days are long gone, but, to quote Joel Goodson's dad in Risky Business, "Every once in awhile you just got to say, 'what the heck' and take some chances." It's a pretty sad testament to my risk taking at this point in life that banana cream pie is up there. But there you have it. I just have repeat my Stuart Smalley mantra, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it people like me."
Skillet Apple Blackberry PieBy MikeI adapted this recipe from the amazing chefs at Cooks Illustrated. It's fun to use when you have fruit, and you ALWAys have apples and frozen blackberries. It's super tasty, it's easy, and it's one more chance to showcase your cast iron skillet.
BBQ Chicken with Balsamic GlazeBy MikeBBQ Chicken. It's a pretty perfect food. The only food more perfect than BBQ chicken may be fried chicken. And I don't have that perfected yet. But it will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine. Where was I? Oh yes, the virtues of BBQ chicken! You can serve it at a dinner, a lunch, a picnic, or anything, and if you do it right, it makes great leftovers. Don't be that chef who cooks the chicken over a hot grill, ending with the outside burned and the inside raw. You're better than that! Here's my version.
Heather’s Crab CakesBy MikeMy friend Heather is well known as the person who does just about everything in our school district. She's amazing at work, and to top it off, she's a spectacular cook! This is one of her favorite recipes, and now that she's shared it, it's one of mine too.
Pizza with Homemade Pizza DoughBy MikePizza Night is a big deal in our house. And you can buy dough at Trader Joe's or your supermarket, and it's just fine. But why settle for just fine, when making great pizza dough is so easy to do! And when people ask if you made the dough yourself, you calmly answer, 'Why yes I did." It feels good. You need at least 90 minutes of time, and preferably two hours, but 90% of that time is waiting for it to rise. Try it out!
Garlic ChickenBy MikeHaving a variety of high quality chicken recipes is essential After I wrote that, I decided to add Yardbird to my categories list, just so I can see how many chicken recipes I have. This one is outstanding! So easy, so inexpensive, and pretty darn awesome! How can you not like it if if has garlic chicken gravy?!?
Cambodia Yellow Curry SauceBy MikeIn December of 2018, Jill, Dawson, and I took a big trip to Cambodia. Jill's sister was living there at the time, and we took the opportunity visit their family, and travel with them around Cambodia. It was amazing! The sites, the brutal and beautiful history, and the food all made an impact. My favorite foods there were Crab Fried Rice, Fish Amok, and Kep Fish. This mild Cambodian curry dish is a my combination of Fish Amok and Kep Fish, except that there is no fish. You choose what to serve it with - fish, shrimp, tofu, and chicken all work well. Serve over jasmine rice and you have a full one-dish meal!
Karen’s Canadian Christmas Wreath CookiesBy MikeYou can't get much more Christmas traditional than my friend Karen. Do what she does and make her Christmas wreath cookies! These cookies are easy to make and the walnuts make them spectacular! So bring a little Canada into your Christmas, or anytime of the year!
Silver Palate Wild Rice SaladBy MikeMy friend Kim brought this over for Friendsgiving Dinner and it was a huge hit! She told me that she got the recipe from The Silver Palate cookbook and I felt a wave of nostalgia. I used that cookbook so much in the 80s and 90s and I loved it! Somehow, I lost that book an my moves around, so I'm grateful to Kim for reminding me. The recipe feels fresh and filling, and is a great dish to serve at home or at a pot luck.
RisottoBy MikeRisotto is one of those dishes that you don't make ahead of time. You make it while you are talking to your guests and it's part of the entertainment.  You have all of your ingredients ready, and there you are, cool, collected, creative and all you're doing is making a delicious dish right in front of your guests eyes. It's dinner and a show!
Quiche – So Hot Right Now – QuicheBy MikeWhy don't I make quiche more often? That's what I always say after I make this quiche! There was a funny book published in 1982, Real Mean Don't Eat Quiche, by Bruce Feirstein, that nearly destroyed the American Quiche industry. The whole point of his humor was that such thinking is male lunacy! Dudes! It's OK! A slice of quiche and a side salad is a spectacular lunch or dinner. The problem is, two slices make it even better.
Ham on the Green EggBy MikeHam on the Green Egg is a perfect brunch food. It's hard to screw up! The ham is already cooked. You're just giving it some extra flavor and showing off your smoking passion and skill. This recipe is a perfect Easter Recipe. And if you don't have a big enough crowd to finish the ham, you can freeze the leftovers in small bags, and use them in omelettes, quiche, and a wide variety of recipes. A little ham (or bacon) never hurts any recipe.
Chimichurri SauceBy MikePesto sauce is to Italian cuisine what chimichurri sauce is to Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisine. But this sauce is meant to accompany the amazing meats served at South American asados. Want to make almost anything better? Add chimichurri sauce! It's beautiful on the table, and spectacular on almost anything. It features parsley and garlic, and as much heat as you want to add. And it's better after it's been sitting and blending for a few days. Try it out at your next event where meat is a feature of the meal!
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