Tonight I will be participating in the live online cooking event put on by Chef Robert Irvine. The show will be broadcasted on stageit.com. There are two shows scheduled for 6:30 EDT and 9:30 EDT. The tickets cost $10 and the show is supposed to last around an hour. I will post pictures of the dinner and my thoughts on how this event goes. To find out more about the event click the link below. I look forward to seeing what we are making!
Category Archives: Recipes
Irish Coffee
Decided to go with a change for this post and write about one of my favorite breakfast drinks. Irish coffee is very simple to make and quite delicious. Now this is coming from someone who does not particularly like coffee on its own. There are only two important rules when making Irish coffee. Rule 1 Always use Jameson. Rule 2 Stir with a wooden spoon, this may just be something my family does but you can taste the difference when it is stirred with a metal spoon. Other than that the amount of whiskey and sugar is up to you depending on how you like it. you can find the recipe below. If you don’t want to make your own whipped cream you can always use cool whip. Enjoy!
Memorial Day Snow Crab Feast
Firstly I want to thank all of the service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I would also like to thank those currently serving and hope they come home safe.
This past Memorial Day we had a snow crab feast. We started out with a few appetizers and playing some back yard games with the family. We steamed the crab in the oven in foil pan for ~40 minutes.
This allowed us to cook a lot of the crab at once instead of smaller batches in a pot. We served the crab with Summer spaghetti and corn with a lime chipotle butter.
English Scones
I lived in England for two years and unfortunately never had too many scones while I was there. When I returned to the US I was at The Dandelion Pub in Philadelphia for brunch and saw scones on their menu. After my first bite I was hooked and had to learn how to make them. Most scone recipes call for either cherries or some other fruit to be baked into the scones but I am not a big fan of this. In the recipe I have cherries or raisins listed as an optional ingredient. It is best to serve these scones as soon as they come out of the oven with your favorite flavor of jam and clotted cream. You can find a great mock clotted cream recipe over on Pork Chop Tuesday’s blog. You will find my scone recipe below. Enjoy!
Cantaloupe Sherbert
With summer approaching I have been looking for a light refreshing dessert. I came across this recipe in cooking light magazine and gave it a try. This dessert is perfect for a hot day. It tastes like a cold sweet cantaloupe. When I first tried this sherbert I was surprised with how refreshing the sherbert turned out. This dessert will become a staple throughout the summer. Take advantage of the fresh cantaloupes at you local grocery store and give this recipe a try. Enjoy!
Bananas Foster
As I said in the Mother’s Day dinner post I made Bananas Foster for dessert. This is the first time I have attempted this dish and was pleasantly surprised with how easy and delicious this dish turned out. Now I must warn everyone this is far from healthy and the recipe turns out a very rich product. I would recommend saving this dessert for special occasions. The flambe step also adds a bit of excitement to the presentation. Enjoy!
Mother’s Day Dinner
On Mother’s Day I cooked dinner for my family. The menu was made up of Fillet Mignon with the Guinness reduction, double stuffed potatoes with cheese and bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and oven roasted asparagus. Putting the meal together turned into a family effort with everyone pitching in on various parts of the meal. I’m getting closer and closer to perfecting the Guiness reduction and should have the final version of it nailed down in the next few attempts. With this attempt I was focusing on getting the right consistency to allow the sauce to grab onto the steak better. For dessert I made bananas foster. Now I am not a huge fan of cooked fruit and was surprised with how well it turned out. The bananas foster will be getting a dedicated post in the very near future. I hope all of you also had enjoyable Mother’s Days.
Grilled Honey BBQ Chicken Wings with Summer Spaghetti
With the nice weather we have been having I wanted to make use of the grill. This dinner combines one old favorite and one new favorite dish. My mom has made Summer Spaghetti my whole life and still makes it better than I have ever been able to. It is a great side dish to have throughout the summer. The honey bbq chicken wings have quickly become a summer favorite with my family. By cooking the wings over indirect heat they come out moist and tender and are healthier than frying chicken wings. The wings turn out best if you can marinate them overnight in hot sauce. Also cutting the wings into the drumstick and wing section can be time consuming. Get out there and grill and enjoy these two recipes!
Brown Sugar and Chili Dusted Bacon
Firstly Happy Mother’s Day! I’m cooking dinner for everyone tonight but that is for a future post. The other night we grilled up some burgers and I decided to have some fun with the bacon. I have never baked bacon before but after making this recipe I have been converted. It is nowhere near as messy as pan frying bacon and the bacon turns out just as crispy. The clean up after is also a big plus. Cooking the bacon is simple, you preheat the oven to 375 F then bake it for 8 minutes a side. The brown sugar chili rub is very good, not over overpoweringly sweet and the subtle heat compliments the sweetness of the sugar and the saltiness of the bacon. If you are looking to spice up your bacon a bit give this recipe a try. Enjoy!
Butter Roasted Halibut
It is currently halibut season and I decided to take full advantage. Using the butter roasting technique I learned in the cooking class I made butter roasted halibut. The best part about butter roasting is that it keeps the fish moist. To make this dish the first thing you need to do is season your fish. I used kosher salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and dill. After seasoning the fist lightly sprinkle with canola or peanut oil, you need to use an oil that has a high smoking point. Next preheat the pan over high heat, then place a small amount of oil in the pan, enough to coat the pan. Place fish in pan and sear over high heat for 1 minute. Then turn down heat to medium high and cook until half way up the fish turns white. Flip the fist then add 3-4 Tbs of unsalted butter to pan. As the butter melts take a spoon and baste fish with butter for 3-4 minutes. With fish the cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the pieces, the ones I used were ~2 inches thick. Once fish is done remove from pan and place on plate, covering with tin foil. use leftover butter in pan to saute vegetables. Be sure to take full advantage of the halibut that is available now, it is a delicious fish. Enjoy!










