Tag Archives: dinner

Tandoori Grilled Chicken

Posted on by
Reply

photo 2

While living in England I grew to like a variety of Indian food. One of my favorite dishes was Tandoori grilled chicken. This recipe can be made on either a grill or roasted in the oven. When marinating the chicken it is best to let it sit for 24 hours to allow the flavors to fully develop and sink into the chicken. I have found that the chicken turns out best when grilled over indirect heat. I gave instructions for grilling over indirect heat in the recipe. If you are looking for a new grilled chicken recipe this summer give this one a try. Enjoy!

Tandoori Grilled Chicken

Candied Bacon

Posted on by
Reply

photo(50)

This post is short and sweet. My dad loves bacon, so for Father’s Day I made him candied bacon. The recipe is very simple and adds a nice sweet touch to salty flavor of the bacon. This works well as a side with breakfast or as a nice party appetizer. Enjoy!

Candied Bacon

Pan Seared Scallops with Maple Bacon Reduction

Posted on by
Reply

photo 1

So seafood took over this week on my blog and this is the last shellfish entry for this week I promise. Last weekend I picked up some incredible slab bacon form DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia and wanted to work it into a dish. I chose scallops because they go so well with bacon. Instead of wrapping the scallops in bacon I slowly reduced the fat out of the bacon and used that to pan sear the scallops. Then made a maple bacon reduction to drizzle over the scallops. The dish turned out great. When cooking it just be sure to make sure you get the pan very hot before placing the scallops in the pan in order to get a good sear on them. Make these for your dad on Father’s Day he’ll enjoy them!

Pan Seared Scallops with Maple Bacon Reduction

Mussels Marinara

Posted on by
Reply

photo 5

Last night I decided to mess around and attempt to make one of my favorite appetizers, mussels marinara. Now I like my marinara sauce on the spicier side so I added jalapeno peppers to this batch. However if I were to make it again I would use Italian hot peppers instead of jalapenos. All in all the recipe was very simple to follow. Before cooking the mussels be sure to submerge them in ice water for a few minutes to get rid of any dead ones. After cooking them be sure to throw out any mussels that have not opened. You can serve this over pasta or use bread to dip into the sauce. Enjoy!

Mussels Marinara

Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Ginger BBQ Sauce

Posted on by
1

photo(49)

This is a very easy to make appetizer that is sure to impress. If the scallops you use are very large be sure to cut them in half so they all cook evenly. When picking scallops try to find dry packed, they cook better than wet packed scallops. Make sure to precook the bacon. by precooking the bacon you solve the problem of having either overcooked scallops and crispy bacon or perfectly cooked scallops and undercooked bacon. You can pair the bacon wrapped scallops with ginger BBQ sauce or a nice cocktail sauce. You will find the recipe’s for the scallops and the BBQ sauce below. Enjoy!

Scallops Wrapped in Bacon

Ginger BBQ Sauce

Sichuan Style Chicken Stir Fry

Posted on by
Reply

photo(48)

I haven’t cooked with Szechuan peppercorns in a while and decided to throw together a Szechuan style stir fry the other night. I marinated the chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, corn starch, water, and salt. I then put oil in a wok and heated it until it just started to smoke. I added the chicken in batches and cooked it until it was done. I then added the Szechuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers and sauteed them for 30 seconds to a minute. I then added a bit of chicken stock, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. I reduced this mixture to thicken it a little. If I had uncooked veggies like snow peas or peppers I would have added them here to cook them. Since I was using steamed broccoli I added the cooked chicken and broccoli to the wok to coat it in the sauce. I then served the stir fry over brown rice.

The stir fry turned out good and the Szechuan peppercorns gave the dish a unique sensation when eating it. If you have never had them before they cause a tingling or slight numbing sensation in your mouth. They can be hard to find, I had to go on Amazon to find them.

Memorial Day Snow Crab Feast

Posted on by
Reply

photo 2

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.

photo 1

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.

Summer Spaghetti

Chipotle Lime Butter

Boiling Springs Tavern

Posted on by
Reply

photo 1

This past weekend my sister graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.On Saturday night my family and I went to the Boiling Springs Tavern for Dinner. Located about 10 minutes away from Carlisle Boiling Springs gets its name from the natural artesian wells that are located near the town. The largest of these springs is located right behind the Boiling Springs Tavern and is nicknamed the bubble.

The food at the Boiling Springs Tavern is very good and the service is even better. They focus on serving local fare and along with their daily menu rotate in daily specials. To start we ordered the seared tuna, smoked trout and salmon, baked oysters, and buffalo calamari. For being in the middle of Pennsylvania I was very impressed with how good the seared tuna turned out. The sliced it very thin and served it almost like sashimi with a pickled coleslaw. The smoked salmon and trout paired well with each other and were served with bread and various spreads and toppings. The baked oysters were topped with a small slice of smoked salmon and a dill cream. The baked oysters change daily but if the are as good as the ones we were served I would recommend ordering them.

After the appetizers we were served our soups or salads. The seafood bisque is absolutely delicious and I recommend ordering it. It is on the lighter side and will not fill you up like a chowder tends to do, which will allow you to enjoy your entrees.

I ordered the Stuffed Rainbow Trout special. It was a pan cooked rainbow trout stuffed with crab imperial. Everything was cooked to perfection and it tasted great. If I ever saw this on the menu again I would order it in a heart beat.

photo 3

My sister ordered an Asian inspired pork tenderloin. I did not get a chance to taste it but the presentation was impressive.

photo 2

If you every find yourself in the Carlisle area I recommend stopping by the Boiling Springs Tavern for lunch or Dinner.

 

Boiling Springs Tavern

Mother’s Day Dinner

Posted on by
Reply

photo(46)

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.

 

Butter Roasted Halibut

Posted on by
Reply

photo(44)

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!