Fridays in Lent can be tough for Roman Catholics, especially when you have some leftover meatloaf and osso bucco in the fridge. Bad for me, good for Cheryl who’s one of those rebellious Protestants. Well it’s not really that tough, but we like to try to convince everyone it’s difficult. It usually doesn’t work thoughContinue reading “Fettucine with Bay Scallops in a Saffron Cream Sauce”
Category Archives: Recipes
Pureed Potato and Leek Soup (and a Kitchen Essential!)
So after a weekend in New Orleans we needed something a little, um, well, less larger than life which could be heated up quickly for the many (many) gym nights we’re going to need this week. The cupboards were looking a little bare, not quite Old Mother Hubbardish, but I did have a big bagContinue reading “Pureed Potato and Leek Soup (and a Kitchen Essential!)”
Béchamel Sauce – Creamy Truffled Cauliflower Gratin
In the Top Chef Texas season there was a challenge where the chefs had to rework Escoffier’s “mother” sauces, one of which is béchamel. This is an awesome, versatile, easy sauce for the home cook. Once you learn to make this preparation you can make all sorts of creamy, gooey, cheesy things. It’s perfect forContinue reading “Béchamel Sauce – Creamy Truffled Cauliflower Gratin”
What’s for Sunday Dinner – Braised Short Ribs
Short ribs! Always be on the lookout for when these go on sale at the grocery store, when there is one they disappear quickly. Short ribs are delicious, juicy, and tender. These are wholly unrelated to “boneless short ribs” which aren’t even from the rib area. They’re packed with layers of fat which melts awayContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner – Braised Short Ribs”
Change it up for Valentine’s Day, Apple-Almond Tart
What, no chocolate? That’s right no chocolate. Why? I’ll tell you why. Because everyone always expects chocolate and if you really want to make an impression you should think outside the box. Apples fit in perfectly on Valentine’s Day. Folkore, mythology, legends are full of stories where the fruit represents both good and evil. WeContinue reading “Change it up for Valentine’s Day, Apple-Almond Tart”
What’s for Sunday Dinner – Duck a l’Orange (also a great Valentine’s Day dinner)
I started making this dish for Cheryl when she was back in business school and the first time I made it for her was on St. Valentine’s Day. Seriously, if you’re a home cook this is a pretty awesome dinner to make. Classical French, not too difficult, delicious, and it’s duck, which is a niceContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner – Duck a l’Orange (also a great Valentine’s Day dinner)”
Basque Style Chicken
According to the groundhog we’ve got 6 more weeks of winter, so even though there’s no snow here in Chicago and it’s been in the 40s, we’re still in stewing and braising season. And I’ll be very honest here, I love making this chicken recipe regardless of the season. It’s easy and you can makeContinue reading “Basque Style Chicken”
Quick Weeknight Dinner – Red Lentils
Lentils. Quick to cook, versatile, tasty, and healthy for you. A perfect ingredient for a quick weeknight dinner on a gym night where you haven’t had time to make anything because you watched a very important Newcastle match against Blackburn in the late afternoon. (Btw, Newcastle won and moved up to 5th in the EPLContinue reading “Quick Weeknight Dinner – Red Lentils”
What’s for Sunday Dinner – Meat Lasagna
Did you know Friday was International Port Wine Day? It was. And what does this have to do with meat lasagna you ask? Well I’ll tell ya. There was a free port tasting at my local Binny’s Beverage Depot, the one in Lakeview that looks like a castle. For my non-Chicago readers Binny’s is aContinue reading “What’s for Sunday Dinner – Meat Lasagna”
Winter Warmer: Chicken, Polenta, and Kale stew
Cold, rainy, wet, windy. Chicago weather! That’s what greeted me on the way to the grocery store today. That’s right, our grocery shopping gets done on Mondays. Being a real estate broker means you usually have some weekend work to do, like any service industry, so on Mondays I do some work from home inContinue reading “Winter Warmer: Chicken, Polenta, and Kale stew”
The Roaming GastroGnome 