Tag Archives: recipes

Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken

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photo 4

After practicing breaking down the chicken I decided to make a spicy honey brushed chicken. This dish is very simple and can be prepared in a few different ways. First you can either only use chicken thighs, or you can mix it up with various chicken pieces. Then when it comes to cooking the chicken you can either use the grill, broiler, or oven. Whatever way you choose to cook it you can’t go wrong. Right before the chicken is finished cooking you brush it with a honey sauce that glazes over the chicken giving it a sweet taste that is then complimented by the slight spiciness of the rub. I hope you give this dish a try!

Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken

Breaking Down A Chicken

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photo 1 photo 2  photo 3

Today I practiced the techniques for breaking down a chicken I learned on Monday. As you can see from the first picture I started with the whole bird. I then used the knife skills I was taught and broke the bird down into quarters, also known as European style. I then further broke the bird down into eighths, also known as the American style. For the dish I wound up making I had to cut the chicken breasts in half so everything would cook evenly. If you look at the bottom left corner of the third picture you can see I also attempted to French the chicken wing. The chef in the cooking class went over this technique briefly but I thought I would give it a try.

Sichuan Boiled Beef

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chinese beef

I saw a recipe very similar to this the other week and wanted to make it. However, it turns out Sichuan peppercorns are quite difficult to find and after visits to many supermarkets I came up with nothing. I wound up getting the peppercorns off of Amazon. They were well worth the purchase. They give of a tingly and numbing spiciness that I had never tasted before. This dish bring a lot of heat, but the sensation of the peppercorns makes the heat from the chilies tolerable. This dish is best served over rice noodles. If you want to try a new Chinese dish and you like spicy food I recommend giving this dish a shot.

Sichuan Boiled Beef

Pork Chops with a Normandy Style Pan Sauce

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pork

After experimenting with the duck dish earlier in the week I wanted to make something that used the duck fat I had saved. In the end I decided to make a Normandy style pan sauce to put over pork chops. This sauce is very rich and packs a lot of flavor. It would go well over chicken and lamb as well so feel free to mix it up.

Pork Chops with a Normandy Style Pan Sauce

Shrimp Scampi

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shrimp scampi

Today I made my take on shrimp scampi. While most scampi’s use a lot of butter, I tried my best to make this dish as healthy as I could. I only used 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.  The crushed red pepper gave the dish a it of heat but was not overwhelming. This is a very simple, quick, and easy to prepare dinner that is perfect if you are short on time.

Shrimp Scampi

Valentines Day Dinner Ideas

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cropped-538433_1698942637017_1591835485_n.jpg Vodka cream sauce1 Duck1Steak1

A reminder to all the guys out there, tomorrow is Valentines Day. If you haven’t thought of anything to do for your Valentine yet how about cooking them dinner? The following recipes are easy to prepare but look and taste impressive. A few of these recipes I have posted on the blog before while others will get a full post in the future. Enjoy and I hope this helps with your Valentines Day plans.

Penne Pasta in Vodka Cream Sauce

Siracha Shrimp Scampi

Pan Seared Duck Breast in Honey Balsamic Pan Sauce

Steak Dinner: Show her you are the master of the grill and pick your favorite steak, or her’s. Season it with kosher salt and pepper and grill to your desired finish. Serve it with a baked potato, salad, or other vegetable. You can never go wrong with a well prepared steak dinner.

Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin: I’ll give you the shortcut for this recipe, longer recipe will be a blog post later. Marinate the pork in honey mustard dressing overnight. Cook in oven at 350 degrees F for 20-24 min or until done. While pork is cooking take spinach, garlic, shallot, olive oil, lemon juice, and whole grain mustard put in pan and saute spinach until wilted. Serve pork with spinach and wild rice. This is a very simple recipe with great flavor.

 

Pan Seared Duck Breast with Honey Balsamic Pan Sauce

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Duck1 Duck2

I’m continuing on with experimenting with new dishes on Tuesday. This is the first time I have ever attempted cooking duck. To start I scored the fatty side of the duck with a knif then seasoned it with kosher salt and black pepper. I then heated a pan over high heat until I could barely hold my hand 2 inches over the pan. I then reduced the heat to medium high and placed the duck, fatty side down, in the pan and cooked it for 7 min, turning the heat to medium low after 3 min. I then flipped the duck over and cooked for another 6-7 min. I suggest using a meat thermometer to make sure the duck gets to 145 degrees F before removing it from the pan. Once done place on a plate and cover with foil. Return the pan to medium heat and add 1/4 cup honey, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and salt to taste. Cook sauce down for 3-4 min then add duck again to coat. Take remaining sauce and drizzle on duck when serving. Hope you guys enjoy!

I will be posting a collection of easy yet impressive recipes tomorrow just in time for Valentines Day.

Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day

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Happy Pancake Day everyone! For those of you who do not know what Shrove Tuesday is it the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, otherwise referred to as Mardi Gras in French. In the UK this day is also called Pancake day because of the tradition of making pancakes. Unlike American pancakes the pancakes made in the UK closely resemble crepes, to all my English friends I know thy aren’t crepes but I need to translate for everyone else. The pancakes are traditionally eaten sprinkled with sugar and lemon but some prefer strawberry jam. The recipe is an authentic English recipe and was given to me by Gemma. I hope you enjoy!

Gemma’s Pancakes

Bulgogi Jungol Korean Beef Soup

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Korean Beef Soup Korean beef1

Hope everyone is doing well. I’ve been messing around with this recipe for a while now and have finally found the perfect balance between heat and flavor. While this soup is spicy it is in no way over powering. I have found that rib eye works best in this soup but skirt or flank steak can also be used. The most important part of making this soup is making sure it does not boil once the beef stock is added. If it boils the broth will become cloudy and the beef will be on the tougher side. If you make it I hope you enjoy it! Tomorrow is pancake day in England so stay tuned for an early morning post so you can make them tomorrow evening!

Bulgogi Jungol Korean Beef Soup

Penne Pasta in a Vodka Cream Sauce

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Vodka cream sauce2 Vodka cream sauce1

Tonight I am posting my signature recipe. I have been making this dish for 4 years now and have tweaked it many times to get it to where it is now. The sauce is surprisingly healthy for a vodka cream sauce and only uses 1/2 cup of heavy cream. The addition of the crushed red pepper gives the sauce a subtle heat. You can modify the protein you want to use in this dish. I tend to make it with crab meat. If you use crab meat add it at the end right before you mix the sauce with the pasta. If you use an Italian ham like pancetta or prosciutto saute it with the onions in the beginning to get their flavor infused throughout the sauce. I highly recommend trying this dish. Like I said at the start of this entry this is my go to signature dish and is very special to me, I make it the night before I have a big race or other athletic event. I hope you enjoy it!

UPDATE: I added step by step pictures to go along with the recipe.

Penne Pasta in a Vodka Cream Sauce