In the Kitchen / Principal Chef

Shrimp and Grits

I love going to The Faded Rose restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas and eating their Shrimp and Grits! The fry a grit cake, which is really good, but more work than I’m willing to do without a deep fryer. I find that just good old cheesy grits is a nice base for this meal. And then it’s just shrimp and veggies, with a little cajun flavor, making a simple but wonderful dish.

Ingredients

1 cup Grits – Stone Ground or Instant. Stone ground is of course better!Once again, Bob's Red Mill is my favorite grits brand.

1 lb Raw Shrimp, peeled and deveined, salmon, and/or andouille sausage

1 Onion, chopped

4 Celery stalks, chopped

1 Green Pepper, cleaned and chopped

4 tbsp Butter

6 Garlic Cloves, choppedIf you love garlic, double it!

1 tbsp Dried Basil

1.50 tsp Kosher Salt

1.50 tsp Black Pepper

2 cups Broth, Chicken or Vegetable

14.50 oz Diced Tomatoes, full can

Directions

Take 1 cup of stone ground grits and put it in 3 cups of boiling water (or whatever the directions say). After it thickens, add 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp chili garlic sauce, and 1 cup of sharp cheddar. Cover and set aside.

Or . . . if you have leftover cheese grits , reheat those babies and you’re set!

If you’re going to use sausage, shrimp, and/or salmon (blacken it if you like it spicy!), cook it first and set aside. Again, it’s a great dish for leftovers, so if you have something you love that fits, this will work.

Heat skillet, add butter, and sauté Holy Trinity with Garlic: (6- 12 cloves depending on your taste. I did 12!) Add Basil as well.

Add tomatoes, broth, seasonings, heat and leave on simmer to reduce. (In this picture I used fresh cherry tomatoes. Jill’s tomato plants were overflowing so, what the heck! My friend Pete taught me about cooking sauce with fresh cherry tomatoes – cook them until they split, then they’re ready!)

Note: If you want to add some heat here, I love Tabasco in this one. The spicy vinegar taste works very well with this dish.

Add shrimp, salmon, sausages, or your leftovers to the sauce.

Place grits in the center of a bowl. Ladle shrimp and sauce goodness around the grits and serve.

Pulled Chicken in the Crockpot

I cobbled this recipe together because of a grocery store trip. I found some frozen boneless chicken thighs, and was trying to figure out what to do with them. So I decided to just throw them in the crockpot, still frozen, with some sliced onions and BBQ sauce. It’s such a simple recipe, but you’re left with some nice pulled chicken for some super good sandwiches.

Ingredients

4 lbs Skinless Chicken Thighs, Frozen

12 oz BBQ Sauce

1 Onion, sliced or diced

Directions

Get out the crockpot. Layer with BBQ sauce, onion, then chicken. Do 2 or 3 layers.

Cover. Heat for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. You know your crockpot. Adjust as necessary.

When the chicken is done. Turn off crockpot. Take out chicken and pull apart with two forks. It will fall apart easily!

Empty out all of the juice and sauce from the crockpot and wipe clean. Put the pulled chicken in the cleaned crockpot with about 1/2 cup of bbq sauce. Heat and serve!

Tomato Bread Soup

The first time I had Tomato Bread Soup (Pappa al Pomodoro) was with my friend John at Drago restaurant (it is now closed) in Santa Monica. I’m a fan of tomato soup (but not a fan of Campbell’s Tomato Soup as a kid), but this was something special. This is thick and rich, and a perfect lunch on a cool day. I brought Jill there later and she endorsed the soup and said that we had to learn how to make it. Well, it took me a few years, but I found and adapted a recipe from Ina Garten (who always gets it right), combined it with what I remembered from Drago, and we love it.

Ingredients

The Soup

2 Sweet Onions, chopped

1 Fennel Bulb, cored, peeled, and chopped

3 Carrots, chopped

6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced

2 28-oz cans of tomatoes, crushed*

4 Stock, chicken or vegetable

1 French Baguette, (Rustic is great)

1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

½ cup Olive Oil

½ cup Red Wine

The Cauliflower Croutons

1 Head of Cauliflower, broken into small individual pieces

2 tsp Kosher Salt

2 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Directions

OK, what do you do with Fennel? My friend and chef Antonio says, “You can’t go wrong with Fennel.” He forages for it, then peels and eats it like a carrot all the time. Well, for this recipe, you cut off the furry stalks, then core, peel and chop the bulb.*

Dice the carrots, fennel,and onions, and put it all in olive oil, along with 6 cloves of minced garlic. Let it saute for 10 minutes. Add 3 cups of diced french bread. Saute and let it soak up flavored oil.

Add tomatoes, stock, garlic-onion-fennel-bread mixture, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper (optional), basil, and red wine. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

The Croutons

We are making Roasted Cauliflower Croutons. Take one or two heads of cauliflower and chop into small pieces. Think about the size of pieces you would want on top of your soup. Coat lightly with olive oil and bake at 450 degrees, for 20-30 minutes, turning over a few times, until brown and a little crispy. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and the cauliflower pieces on top of the soup when you are ready to serve!

Salmon – Cast Iron Skillet Style

This is one of my favorite ways to cook salmon. It’s so easy, and it looks fantastic. The key is the cast iron skillet, which starts on the stove, then finishes in the oven. The time on the stove makes it brown and beautiful, and the oven makes the fish perfectly done.

Ingredients

1.50 lbs Salmon Filet(s), Skin On

1 tbsp Olive or Canola Oil

Salt and Pepper or Lemon Pepper

2 Lemons, Quartered

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 (400 Convection)

Heat Cast Iron Skillet on high heat.

Prepare salmon. Coat with Olive Oil and season non-skin side with salt and pepper. Add some lemon pepper spice if you want.

When skillet is hot, place the salmon, SKIN SIDE UP, into the skillet.

After 5 minutes, turn Salmon Filet over. Move THE ENTIRE CAST IRON SKILLET WITH THE SALMON into the oven. 5 Minutes

After 6 minutes, take out of the oven, or when the salmon is 130 degrees, and it is ready to serve! 5 Minutes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

“OK, OK. Quit wrinkling your nose. This is good stuff.” That’s what I wrote when I first published this recipe. Then, restaurants everywhere started serving really awesome brussels sprouts. They saw what I saw. They are a fantastic dish, royalty in fact, worthy of the Thanksgiving table and great for any meal. This is how we make them. We love them!

Ingredients

2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, washed, ends cut off, and split

2 tbsp Olive Oil

½ tsp Salt, Pepper, Herbes de Provence (1/2 tsp of each)Don't be shy with salt. It is underrated.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. (375 Convection)

Place washed, cut, and split sprouts in large bowl. Add Olive Oil, toss, and coat.

Spread on baking sheet. Sprinkle spices over them.

Bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Turn at least once while baking. Taste for salt to see if you need more. (I treat the sprouts like french fries – they’re pretty darn good with a good dose of salt).

If you want to increase taste while reducing healthiness, take your perfectly cooked brussels sprouts, and sauté them in a butter/garlic/capers sauce. 4 ounces of butter, 4 garlic cloves (crushed), and 1 Tbsp of capers. I recommend it!

Roasted Cauliflower, Broccoli, and/or Onion

This is an alternative to the grilled veggie recipe on this site. They crisp up and it’s a great side dish. Tip: The cauliflower is especially good as a low-carb crouton to top a salad or a soup. Try it!

Ingredients

As much cauliflower, broccoli, and onion as you want.

Olive Oil

Salt, Pepper, Herbes de Provence

Directions

Wash veggies. Chop into pieces, but don’t go too small, since it will reduce during cooking.

In a bowl, add enough Olive Oil to lightly coat all veggies. Spread on a baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 350.

Season with Salt, Pepper, and Herbes de Provence. You can substitute Italian Seasoning for Herbes de Provence.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then as much more time as needed until they are perfectly crisp. Turn with a spatula once or twice during that time. It should brown and crisp. You may need one more shake of salt before you serve. 30 Minutes

Pineapple Salsa

This is a fresh and wonderful addition to fish, turkey, or chicken. It’s great with grilled food. Very simple to do, but it’s better if you make it ahead of time and let it marinate in its own juices.

Ingredients

1 tbsp Rice Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar (Rice Vinegar is much cleaner)

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Pineapple, Cored and Chopped into small pieces.(If you are in a pinch, 2 cans of sliced pineapple will do.)

½ Red Onion, minced

1 cup Cilantro, washed and chopped

Directions

Chop and drain pineapple. Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least one hour.

Pasta Primavera

This is a favorite in our house. It’s one of Jill’s favorite vegetarian dishes and I love it too. I was inspired by a favorite restaurant in Santa Monica called Il Forno Trattoria. They key is chopping the vegetables in small chunks where several of them can be on your fork. It’s cheesy, light, fresh, and wonderful!

Ingredients

1 Onion, chopped

⅔ cup Carrots, chopped into pea-sized pieces

⅔ cup Broccoli, chopped into pea-sized pieces

⅔ cup Cauliflower, chopped into pea-sized pieces

⅔ cup Yellow or Green Squash*, chopped into pea-sized pieces

16 oz Penne or other pasta

1 cup Pasta WaterTake from the pasta just before you drain it.

8 Garlic Cloves, chopped or crushedThis won't shock those who know me. I usually double the garlic in this recipe.

Olive Oil

½ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped (These will be used as a topping after the dish is complete

Optional: Fresh Basil for a tasty garnish topping

Directions

Wash, peel, and chop all vegetables into small pieces.

Start boiiling water for pasta. Add 1 tsp salt.

Add a little Olive Oil to Skillet or Large Pot. Saute all vegetables (except tomatoes and basil) until al dente. Add half of the garlic towards the end of cooking.

Cook pasta to directions. Important: Save 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain.

When you are ready to serve, Add 1/4 cup Olive Oil to pot. Heat, add the rest of the garlic (chopped or crushed), and add pasta. Turn and coat with garlic and oil. Add a few red pepper flakes if you would like some heat!

Lower the heat on the stove. Add the parmesan cheese, and mix in. Then, add 1/2 cup of pasta water, and stir in. This should loosen the pasta, make it not stick together, and create a sauce like consistency. Continue adding pasta water until you like what you see.

Turn off the heat. Add, sauted vegetables and toss.

Serve in bowls, sprinkling chopped tomatoes and basil on top.

Serve with a little black pepper and extra parmesan cheese on top.

Ranch Dressing

We don’t use Ranch dressing much, but sometimes you need it. It’s great with the fish tacos topping if you add some zing to it with cayenne or Tabasco or spicy salsa. We are not big mayo people, so Jill has reduced the Mayo in this one.

Ingredients

⅛ cup Mayo

2 Garlic Cloves. Pressed or Minced

½ cup Buttermilk*

½ cup Sour Cream

½ tsp Black Pepper

½ tsp Kosher Salt

½ tsp Dried Parsley(Or 2 tsp fresh chopped parsley)

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Directions

Mix it all together in a blender. That’s it!

Mom’s Brown Rice

There’s an Eric Church song, Springsteen, great song, where he sings, “Funny how a melody, sounds like a memory . . . ” Just as songs jolt our memories, so do recipes. I’m thrilled that many people have used the recipes on this site, but for me, much of the reason I do this is to keep memories alive for me, and for my family. Thanks for being part of it.

This was something that appeared on our table a lot growing up. I loved it every time! (Did I really like mushrooms as a kid? What’s wrong with kids today?) I don’t make it as much as I used to, but I will always keep it in my recipe box.

Ingredients

1 cup Rice (Mom used Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice)

¼ cup Butter (1/2 Stick)

2 Cans, French Onion Soup

1 Jar, Mushroms(Optional)

Directions

Mix together, bake, covered, at 350 for one hour.

Lemon Chicken

This is another recipe I grew up with. I remember watching Mom make it all in the pan, and it was soft and buttery chicken that was filling and wonderful. She would serve it with her brown rice recipe, making quite a meal. I was a pretty lucky kid. This is now my son Dawson’s favorite chicken recipe. He asks for it when he has friends over for dinner! I could not ask for higher praise!

Ingredients

1 cup White Flour

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Black Pepper

2 tbsp Italian Seasoning

2 lbs Boneless chicken breasts or cutlets

2 cups Chicken Broth

3 Lemons, quartered

Olive Oil and Butter

2 tbsp Parsley

Directions

Sprinkle salt and pepper, or seasoned salt, on the chicken as you prepare everything else. This dry brining time makes a difference every time you cook chicken. It’s better with 5 minutes of it, and way better with an hour or more.

Mix Flour, Salt, Pepper and Italian Seasoning.

Take chicken pieces and roll in flour mixture.

Heat large skillet, add 2 Tbsp Butter and 2 Tbsp Olive Oil. Add chicken to hot oil/butter. Saute until brown on each side – about 5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

Deglaze pan by adding all broth and stirring, scraping all chicken pieces off the bottom. Heat the mixture.

Return chicken to the hot broth. Squeeze 6 quarters of lemon juice into it. Leave some of the rinds in there – they add to the flavor and make the dish look way better. Sprinkle with parsley. Simmer. Turn every 5 minutes.

The chicken is ready when the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Use a Thermapen or other meat thermometer.

Take the chicken out. If you want to thicken the broth, take out a cup and mix in 1 Tbsp of Corn Starch, mix well and return to broth.

Serve the chicken on a plate, spoon some broth over it, and squeeze a little more lemon on it. Dawson likes to have it with a “sidecar” of the thickened broth.