Jilly’s Balsamic DressingBy MikeThis is the stand-by dressing in our house. It's quick to prepare, and you can vary it by using different olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and mustards. It gets raves when guests have it, and it goes with almost all foods. Don't be afraid to adjust ingredients to your tastes. We don't make it ahead - it's so easy we make it on the spot. You get to a point where you can eyeball the ingredients and make it even faster.Chicken and BiscuitsBy MikeWhen I was in high school, I often came home from school very late during swim season. I would miss the family dinner, but my Mom always had food waiting for me. One oof my favorites was chicken and dumplings. There are many recipes in the same family. A hot and thick stew with chicken and vegetables, with either dumplings, pie crust, or biscuits. Over time, I have fallen more and more in love with biscuits, so why not eat them whenever you can. (Other than the obvious caloric reasons, which we should not even mention here!)
This recipe is a combination of Ina Garten’s chicken stew and Joanna Gaines' biscuits. Italian VeggiesBy MikeMy Sicilian friend and neighbor Antonio, who for years ran a great Italian restaurant here in Malibu, Tra di Noi, showed me such a simple way to cook vegetables. He told me that most people overdo it by putting way too many spices in there, or they cook it too much. His way is so simple and I love it. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, salt is underrated. These sautéd veggies are flavorful and always a big hit.Fish TacosBy MikeWe love fish tacos! Our friends, especially my friend Merlin, love fish tacos. When I tell Merlin it's fish taco night in the Matthews house, he always asks the same question, "Is it all you can eat?" Yes, Merlin, it is.
They are easy to make, healthy, inexpensive, and wildly popular. Any fish will do, but our favorite by far is salmon. Halibut, swordfish, cod, or tilapia are also great. You can gently reheat last night's fish for some great fish tacos too. Don't Microwave the fish. Just don't. Jim Rome, a sports radio host, has the best take on this ever. He has taken time during several of his "sports" shows to try to teach the world never to microwave fish. It's worth a listen. I join him in his crusade.Gramma Sue’s Spaghetti SauceBy MikeI used to host Pasta Feeds before doing triathlons. (By "doing" I mean surviving. I didn't care what place I finished but I did like that I could finish!) It was one of the only good reasons I had for doing triathlons! I usually finished in the top 10% in the swim, top half in the bike, and bottom 0.1% in the run. Oh well – At least I got to make Mom’s spaghetti sauce for my friends the night before.
I remember coming home from swim practice in high school and eating 4 helpings of this. Those were the days! This old fashioned hearty tomato sauce is simple to make. It can simmer all day and make the house smell wonderful. And it's great with leftovers. Thanks Mom!Grilled SalmonBy MikeSalmon is by far the most common fish that we eat. Our youngest son loves it. It's easy. It's available in many different varieties, and it's usually fresh. That's my brother Bill up in Washington catching himself a big salmon and loving it! Grilled salmon is a great dish any time of the year where the bbq is in use. Why not tonight?Cheese GritsBy MikeGrowing up in the South, you didn't ask for grits at a breakfast restaurant. They just came with the bacon and eggs. They are a cheap and filling food, and have just been part of southern menus for a long time. I do not crave grits. But cheese grits, that's a different story. My mom always made cheese grits. They're way better than just grits, far beyond ordinary, and deserving of a special place at the table.
Using non-instant grits is critical. If you are an oatmeal fan, then you should not be a fan of instant oatmeal. Instant oatmeal is a bunch of nothing. Steel cut or the whole grain oatmeal, the stuff that takes at least 10 minutes to cook, is the way to go. Same thing with grits. Get yourself some good stone ground grits (my favorite brand is Bob's Red Mill), and you are ready to go. We serve this for dinners, pot lucks, and it's even a staple on our Thanksgiving table.Caesar DressingBy MikeOne of Jill's rules in the kitchen is, "Thou Shalt Not Use a Store-Bought Salad Dressing.” I can live with that, especially when she's the one making the dressings! This is one of our staples. We adapted it from a Bon Appetit magazine recipe. You can add anchovies, but we don't use them. The combination of garlic, lemon and mustard is spectacular.Black Bean Veggie BurgersBy MikeI belonged to a 24 hour fitness gym back in 2007. I had a job where I drove all over Southern California, and I wanted to be able to work out wherever I ended up that day or night. So I was on their mailing list, and they sent out a newsletter with a recipe for a vegetarian black bean burger. I've adapted it a little, but it's now my go to veggie burger. Jill loves them, and I do too. I recommend cooking them on a griddle or in a cast iron skillet. If you want to keep it all outside with the burgers you're grilling, just throw that cast iron skillet on the grill and you're good.Oatmeal Chocolate Chip CookiesBy MikeIt’s not often that a dad gets to be a hero. But every time I get two sticks of salted butter out of the refrigerator and ceremoniously lay (or for more effect, slap) them out to soften, there is an audible cheer in the house. They’re that good. And it’s just the old (not the updated!) version of the Quaker Oats recipe, with a few ever so slight changes.
So here's the thing. If you buy a cardboard cannister of Quaker Oats, you still find the recipe for their "Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies" on the underside of the lid. But don't be fooled. It's the updated version, with way less butter. As the drive-in movie review columnist Joe Bob Briggs says, "Communist Alert!" As any chef, more butter is better. So let's stick with the old recipe, get rid of those pesky raisins, and add some chocolate chips. Here's my recipe.Jilly’s Mini Pumpkin PiesBy MikeOnce the Halloween Tree goes up, it's time for Jilly's Mini Pumpkin Pies! My wife Jill is an inventor. She has invented so many things over her life, the smartphone for example. She was way ahead of Steve Jobs. In 2003, long before the first iPhone in 2007, when she was holding her Treo 300 Palm Pilot in one hand, and her cell phone in the other, she knew they should be merged as one. We don't make a lot of money off of her inventions, but we enjoy it when someone else finally figures it out.
These mini-pumpkin pies may be one of her greatest inventions. A friend of ours published the recipe in a cookbook, but did not give Jill credit. She's OK with that, but come on! I bet we make five or six batches of this every fall. They're a great dessert, breakfast, snack, or whatever you want them to be.
And here's how I eat them. I peel away the muffin liner, hold the mini-pie in my hand, put whipped cream on top of that, and eat it in three bites. Let us know what style works best for you!
Oh! And that picture below? That's Jill getting the honor of putting the witch on top of the old Halloween Tree! Wait. You don't all do that? Our holiday tree comes out in October and becomes a Halloween Tree, then a Thanksgiving Tree, then a Christmas Tree. And if I had it my way, it would stay up the whole year long, arborally celebrating the different holidays. Alas, like many things in my home, I don't get it my way, and I live with nine, sad, holiday treeless months. But I can't wait for October!Green Lentils and VegetablesBy MikeI put this recipe together when we were attending a pot luck with many vegetarians in attendance. It's a great protein, with so many beautiful veggies in it. And it's a stunning dish to bring in to a a party. I believe this can serve 12 people easily, and it's a perfect veggie dish for a pot luck dinner. Quick Veggie SoupBy MikeA quick veggie soup is a nice recipe to have in reserve. It can be a light lunch or dinner, an appetizer, or you can add some pasta and make it a more filling minestrone like soup. It's remarkably simple and quick. Jill made it for me recently when I was sick and it was fantastic!Gramma Sue’s Rice PuddingBy MikeEvery time my son Ryan (born in 1990!) goes to Gramma Sue's house, or whenever she visits us, the first order of business for her is to make Rice Pudding for Ryan. Now Dawson is in on it too. It's a great tradition, and a fantastic dessert. Also, it's a superb breakfast reheated. Serve it whipped cream and you'll be pretty darn happy.Chocolate Pecan PieBy MikeThis is one of my all time favorites, combining southern pecan pie and chocolate. How bad can that be? It is really, really rich, and I like it best served a little warm with some whipped cream.
Baked BrieBy MikeWe have made this dozens of times, for our own parties and as an appetizer for others. Each time I have served it, people can’t get enough of it. We're kind of famous for it in our own neighborhood. It’s not hard (don't tell the neighbors), and you can be as creative as you want with the filling. I’ve used phyllo dough and I’ve used puff pastry. The puff pastry is way easier , I mean WAY easier, to make and much less mess when you eat it.Steak!By MikeWe love steak in my house. Except for my lovely vegetarian wife. But she supports the three boys in the house in our passion for steak. So what cut is best?
According to Dawson, nothing beats a filet. It's butter soft, not as fatty as ribeyes, and a perfect steak for home or the steakhouse.
Ryan and I both prefer ribeyes - the fat is much higher, and so is the flavor. To me, the bone in ribeye is the steak to order in a steakhouse, and nothing beats it.
If high quality New York steaks are on sale, it's always a fantastic option. They are tougher than filets, but a little more flavorful.
People love Porterhouses, which are like a T-bone, with a New York on one side of the bone, and a filet on the other. To me, they are too hard too cook. Getting two different cuts to the perfect temperature is super challenging.
Finally, when I'm buying steak in the grocery store, a good grass-fed steak is always a great option, as it creates both great flavor and texture.Smoked TurkeyBy MikeIt's easier than ever to add smoking to your outdoor cooking abilities. And with the right equipment, you don't have to devote a whole day to the effort. I used to have to tend my $100 offset smoker every 30 minutes. It was tricky to keep the temperature right and the results were inconsistent. If you know this site, you know that I love my XL Big Green Egg. It holds the temperature like a champ, but it takes a little work to get it going, but once you do, it's a rock and needs little to no attention. And the results are fantastic. But there are easier versions - the Traeger and its copycats are even easier. Plug it in, flip a switch, and you're smoking. If you like smoke flavor, find your right fit and make it happen.
This is just like the Roasted Turkey recipe, but better. A real smoker is just like an oven. A lot of people believe in "low and slow," where the temperature is 225 or 250, and it takes a long time. That's a great strategy, but I like to smoke a turkey just like I do it in the oven. Same temp, same time, but a way different flavor.Pork TenderloinBy MikeThere is not much easier than this grilled or smoked pork tenderloin. Really. It is minimum prep, great for formal or informal dinners, it's quick to cook, and as tender and good as can be. Costco has amazing deals on huge tenderloins, and you can find them in most grocery stores. I like to serve these with some kind of flavorful sauce, and with pork, anything goes, from bbq to chimichurri to some kind of cherry or blackberry sauce. Beef TenderloinBy MikeThis is an amazing dish that makes you look like a champ. But you're going to spend some money to do it. If you like the flavor and texture of filet mignon, then you'll love a beef tenderloin. This makes for a great dinner party dish, as it's easier to get every piece of meat at the right temperature than it would be if you were grilling 10 different steaks. To me, a filet steak does not need a sauce, but a beef tenderloin does - chimichurri, horseradish, peppercorn, or something else you love.Grilled Chicken with Mexican MarinadeBy MikeIf I can find a good Carniceria or Grocery with high quality marinated chicken using a recipe like this - I'm buying! But it's not hard at all to make your own, and you will like the results. Roasted TurkeyBy MikeIt's time to turk the cookie! That's what my mom, the infamous "Gramma Sue" who is mentioned in so many of these recipes, would say every Thanksgiving morning. It was a mistake the first time, but she was kidding after. I think.
In our Thanksgivings, we do one smoked turkey and one roasted turkey. Jill, even those she's vegetarian, loves cooking the roasted turkey, and it always comes out great each time. This is how we do it.Carrot SouffleBy MikeCarrot Soufflé is a great alternative (or addition) to sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. It's sweet, almost dessert-ish, and it adds great color to any plate. And . . . you get to say you've eaten your vegetables! My mother-in-law brings this to our home every Thanksgiving, and there are never any leftovers. Spicy Cranberry SauceBy MikeI started working on a spicy cranberry sauce back in 2010, and I really like this recipe that is an amalgamation of many ideas. It's a hit on Thanksgiving and great with leftovers, and it just takes a little time. It's not that spicy, and it tames with time. I hope you like it!Chicken CacciatoreBy Mike
This is a beautiful dish for a crowd. Tender chicken, great italian red sauce, and tons of vegetables. It comes out looking like a million bucks! This recipe will serve at least 12. I use my turkey roasting pan as my cooking and serving dish for this recipe.
