Spicy Pork Meatballs

Natalya and I attended the Meatball Master Class at the De Gustibus Cooking School which was taught by Daniel Holzman of the The Meatball Shop.  These Spicy Pork Meatballs are top sellers at The Meatball Shop; how can anyone resist these amazingly juicy meatballs packed with heat?  The secret ingredients that really make these meatballs … Continue reading

Five-Spice Roasted Acorn Squash

As fall season rolled through, we had bought an acorn squash primarily as an autumn decoration for our apartment but we figured we would eventually cook it.  I love cooking squash as it has such a light sweet and nutty flavor.  So far I have cooked with pumpkin, butternut squash, Japanese Kobocha squash, and now … Continue reading

Eggplant Szechuan Style

When my Dad came to visit, he cooked this delicious side dish of Asian eggplant stir-fried with ginger, garlic, and the necessary Szechuan ingredient — hot bean paste.  Compared to American eggplants, Chinese eggplants are long and slender with thinner skins and a more delicate flavor.  You should be able to find in your local … Continue reading

Grilled Tomatoes with Mozzarella

This is how my mom grills tomatoes and it’s my favorite grilled vegetable dish out there!  Elote (Mexican grilled corn) is very closely tied though… something about grilled veggies and smothering them in cheese is just irresistable. My mom typically serves this with barbequed spare ribs, corn, and rice.  Any barbequed meat will go well … Continue reading

Cajun Chicken with Pineapple and Mango Salsa

Jen and I were having a few guests over for dinner on a weeknight and needed a delicious, but quick recipe to cook. I found this in my new What to Cook and How to Cook It book, which by the way, is awesome and has amazing food photography. The recipe calls for whole chicken … Continue reading

Homemade Pesto with Penne Pasta

The basil in our Aerogarden has been growing wildly lately and needed to be, umm, harvested. To maximize its usage, I decided to make pesto because it would use the most basil and make something we haven’t tried in a while. I combined regular and lemon basil since both needed to be used up and … Continue reading

Sautéed Fiddlehead Ferns

I had never actually heard of fiddllehead ferns, also known as fiddlehead greens, until I had dinner at Brushstroke a few weeks ago. The vegetable was served tempura style with asparagus as a complement to smoked duck. I instantly loved the slightly bitter fern and especially liked how pretty it was. So when I saw … Continue reading

Baked Peppers with Anchovies

I had some leftover anchovy fillets after making the Honey Mustard Glaze for the Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb and so I was exploring what other recipes could use them up.  I decided to use half of them for my Chicken Puttanesca and the other half for this simple baked peppers meze dish I found from my … Continue reading

Sautéed Asparagus with Mushrooms

Besides roasting asparagus, another favorite way to cook these delicious spring vegetables is to sauté them with mushrooms and onions.  I enjoy this same mushroom and onion combination when I sauté brussel sprouts as well!  Only charge is that I leave our the garlic, as I think it’s an uncessary flavor add to asparagus. Similar … Continue reading

Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos

For our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, Natalya and I decided to set up a taco station.  On our lazier days, we just cook some ground beef with a packet taco seasoning, but I wanted to do something different.  I was debating about making some pulled chicken in the same way we did for our Layered … Continue reading