When I was young, on a rare occasion, my mom would put together a quick and simple treat for dinner: frank and beans. No its not fancy and yes, many people will lift up their nose at the thought. I loved it. Not really sure why–maybe it was just how infrequently it was a dinner option, but it was just one of those dinners that hit the spot. So I thought I would totally miss the point and make… click to read more…

1. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with White Beans and Sausage Aside from cinnamony apple desserts, I think there’s another dish...
2. Chili con Carne Chili is one of those dishes that can incite some...
3. Chili Molé I absolutely love chili. Honestly though, who doesn’t? A meaty...

For the meatballs, I wanted them to be relatively simple with all of the appropriate spices and aromatics that would make the lamb sing without masking it–such as touches of cumin, allspice, garlic, and parsley. A bit of creme fraiche helped to enrich them and keep the texture light and delicate.

With that out of the way, onto the sauce. I have always thought that lamb pairs wonderfully with fruit, so the idea of a pomegranate-centric barbecue sauce seemed like a fun… click to read more…

1. Lamb Steak over Israeli Cous Cous with Cranberry Sherry Mint Sauce When I found myself with a cut of lamb known...
2. Soutzoukakia Smyrneika with Olives (Greek Lamb Meatballs) I discovered this dish at one of my favorite Greek...
3. Pomegranate Glazed Stuffed Leg of Lamb Roast I love roasts–there’s something homey and comforting but classy about...

This is a simple meal to prepare, and its really big on flavor. The brats are parboiled in a mixture of beer, shallots, and spices (think the sweet but savory, clean flavors of juniper and caraway) before they get crisped up with the smoky flavor of the grill, leaving the beer mixture to reduce to a thick sauce. These are served alongside… click to read more…

1. Pork Steak with Dijon Apple Sauce If I had to pick one fruit/vegetable that represents autumn...
2. Grilled Pork Chops with Chipotle Mustard and Swiss Cheese Sauce…and a giveaway! A while back, I was contacted by the folks behind...
3. Grilled Swordfish with Tomatillo Corn Relish Swordfish is more steaky than fishy (that dense, meaty, heartiness),...

The pork chops were massaged with a simple spice rub and kissed with that distinctly smoky flavor you can only get from the grill. While those cooked, I… click to read more…

1. Pork Chops with Honey Chipotle Cranberry Sauce I’ve wanted to experiment a bit more with cranberries since...
2. Veal Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce Regular readers of this site know I have a taste...
3. Smoked Mustard Crusted Spare Ribs We’re in the dead of summer and with July 4th...

I really enjoyed this–the burgers had a nice, tangy-but-sweet teriyaki flavor, with a good mix of peppers and light heat to them. The texture, something I was curious about (never dealt with ground chicken before), was also thankfully quite nice. The sweetness to the teriyaki also made it easier to get a good caramelization on the outside of the burgers from the high heat of the grill, which made it that much more enjoyable.… click to read more…

1. Chicken Teriyaki Lo Mein Asian cookery isn’t one of my strongest areas, so I...
2. Smoked Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Barbecue Sauce While I’ve professed the wonders of brining turkey to ensure...
3. Thai Curried Beef Burgers After grinding my own steak burgers, I couldn’t wait to...

I chose two well marbled and very beefy cuts for the burger: ribeye and shortribs (and this is entirely personal preference–you want intense flavor and a good bit of fat). Then, I incorporated other flavors from green curry–green curry paste, peppers, ginger, lime, basil, coconut–and worked all of that into the ground beef. The flavor was a bit more subtle than I’d expected; kind of an upfront aftertaste–a pretaste–before the dominant beefiness dominated. You pick up a hint of coconut, the distinct green curry flavor, a bit of heat, and a green oniony/gingery kind… click to read more…

1. Thai Green Curry with Beef I love Thai food, but I’ve always shied away from...
2. Thai Red Curry Chicken I have always had a thing for Thai food. The...
3. Michael Burgers! This is what started it all. The one thing that...

This was my excuse to play with my new KitchenAid meat grinder. I started with two separate cuts of beef: chuck (for fattiness–keeps the burger juicy) and ribeye (also fatty, but much more intense beef flavor). You could certainly throw the steak in a food processor, but a real meat grinder won’t turn your meat into texture-free paste. The goal is to nicely emulsify the meat and fat so you have a somewhat homogenous and tender end result

But anyways, back to the meat. These were incredible–very flavorful, very beefy, and very… click to read more…

1. Michael Burgers! This is what started it all. The one thing that...
2. Manchego-stuffed Lamb Burgers So after finishing the last of those deliciously braised lamb...
3. Brioche French Toast with Strawberry Compote After having made sticky buns recenly, I found myself with...

In reality, this is quite simple and that’s why it’s so darn good (but such is barbecue). The chicken is slowly smoked–richly flavorful, crispy skin, and surprisingly tangy from a simple marinade. Plus, whole chicken is the best (I always love a good roast chicken).

What made this different was the sauce glazed on at the end. It’s a simple barbecue sauce, but tinged with a generous helping of Indian flavors–cinnamon, cardamom, tamarind, fenugreek, cilantro, etc. The total combination worked wonderfully and had me licking my fingers clean.… click to read more…

1. Smoked Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Barbecue Sauce While I’ve professed the wonders of brining turkey to ensure...
2. Stewed Creole Barbecue Chicken This is a favorite of mine–a chicken dish that’s hearty,...
3. Orange Tamarind Sweet & Sour Chicken Since having made butter chicken and discovering an Indian grocery...

Now I know this one sounds strange, but this was incredible. This begins by making a barbecue sauce where the big players are chiles, tomatoes, and tamarind–fruity, earthy, spicy, sweet, sour–there’s a lot of flavor going on. The tamarind flavor was distinctly present, but not overpoweringly so while the chiles gave a very solid flavor backbone to the sauce. The brisket is then braised in the sauce for hours, pulled and shredded, and tossed in the sauce.… click to read more…

1. Sweet Potato Beef & Peanut Soup I was intrigued when I first read of an African...
2. Seco de Carne con Tamarindo (South American Tamarind Beef Stew) During the later parts of pregnancy, my wife has had...
3. Orange Tamarind Sweet & Sour Chicken Since having made butter chicken and discovering an Indian grocery...

And how did it come out? Quite surprising–I’d never had watermelon in any form other than dessert, so I was really curious to see where it would go. The end result didn’t quite have the tex-mex sort of flavors I was expecting, but it was nonetheless quite enjoyable.

The peppers give the salsa a bit of heat, the avocado some creaminess and richness, the jicama a tartness and a firm crunch, while the watermelon played the curious role of…refreshment. Sort of like having a salsa with really juicy tomatoes…but not. It was definitely a good one–the only downside is that… click to read more…

1. Crab Quesadillas with Mango Avocado Salsa Something about the oppressively hot and humid Florida weather has...
2. Poached Mahi Mahi with Papaya Mango Salsa Today’s dinner is subtle, spicy, and sweet: a delicately prepared...
3. Chicken Burritos with Salsa Verde I’ve had Mexican flavors on my mind lately, and with...