Has Kevin Been in the Kitchen????

The answer is....
Yes and No!

I've been in the kitchen cooking but I have a new schedule I am trying to get used to. So while I've been cooking...I haven't really been doing anything interesting.

Most of you know what has happened to me. Having been unemployed for 15 months was tough. But doing this blog helped me think about other things than not being able to contribute money to the family income.

Then in March I got a job with a major beverage company who have a call center here in town. I didn't like it as the pay wasn't very good and the hours were terrible. I had to cook dinner in the morning and didn't feel I could be creative or even somewhat experimental in the morning as what I made had to be reheated as if it were leftovers. It cramped my style.

Then 6 weeks into that job I got a call from a company for a job I had applied to 10 months prior. It is in the field for which I have over 20 years experience and the pay and hours were much more to my liking. So I am trying to settle into a new schedule.

What's great about it is that I can actually start cooking like I used to and hopefully I can be a little more creative with what I make. One little caveat though...my son is being more careful about what he is eating (low fat, low calorie) since he is trying to lose weight and get into better shape (Keep it up son!) and then my daughter is expecting our 2nd grandchild and her food tastes have been changed (for now).

Anyway, enough about me (the reason I haven't been active in doing this blog) and on to something better....food.

My family and I love Chinese food. Recently we went to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants. Fortunately (or unfortunately) it is more than 35 miles away from where we live. So it was a really nice treat. One of the appetizers we got were for lettuce wraps. So I tried to duplicate it. I think it turned out pretty good. Here is a picture of it.

I made a side of shrimp fried rice (well the rice isn't really fried, but it still tastes great). Nothing too special there. Here are the recipes.

Well. hopefully now that things are a little more settled in life I'll be in the kitchen more and back to my somewhat foodie life. And, I hope to get back into the swing of being on my blog.

In the meantime, try this recipe and leave me a comment if and when you do. Tell your friends about this blog, share your recipes with me. Follow me and like me on Facebook.

I'll be in the kitchen again soon!

Basi-bull has bean bery bery good to me

So baseball season has started. This is my favorite time of the year. Going to the ballpark and smelling the fresh cut grass, the smell of hot dogs, seeing fans spill their beer on themselves when they try to catch a foul ball, as well as the wiener races between innings. There is nothing better!

UNTIL NOW!!!

My favorite basbeall team is the Chicago White Sox. 2005 was the best year as we got to see them win the World Series. And then my good buddy from LA (who is a die-hard Indians fan...who by the way we beat in a 1 game playoff to take the division on the way to the World Series) sent me and my son official World Series jerseys as congratulations. But I digress....

Since we are White Sox fans, we loved going to THE CELL (U.S. Cellular Field). but instead of hot dogs we always, always, always got their Brats smothered in onions. We love Brats.

So as a tribute to the tasty Brat, I came up with a great dish that combines some of our favorite things; Brats and Mac 'N' Cheese. I call it Ballpark Mac 'N' Cheese. It was an instant hit with the family and so far everyone who has tasted it loves it as well. I had one friend ask to take the dish home one day so he could finish off the rest of it (I made a large batch that time)

This is what it looks like:

If you like the classic taste of mac 'N' Cheese and you love Brats with onions and peppers, then I'm sure you'll love this. It is great for a hearty supper, for potlucks and for those who may go tailgating at the ballpark, you can make this ahead and keep it covered and warm then break it open for your pre-game feast.

Here is the recipe:

Spring is springing

Has it been almost a month since my last post? Apologies for all of you who have been waiting with baited breath and drooling mouths to see my next post (I know that it is most of the Western world!!)

One of the biggest reasons is that my flash decided to go the way of the Yugo (remember that disaster?) and die on me. So I haven't been able to take the pictures of stuff I have made recently.

I actually was going to post a picture of my Shepherd's pie that I made for St. Patrick's Day, but my flash was acting up on it's way to a slow and painless death (it is an inanimate object after all). So now I wait with anxious fingers on getting my replacement.

In the meantime, I do have a couple of pictures and recipes that I will use as filler. So here is the first one.

This is a dessert recipe that is actually a very light dessert. It makes a nice follow-up to a meal or dinner that may be a little on the rich and heavy side. It is made with a Pavlova like top (meringue) over a Vanilla Wafer base/crust (you can certainly change it to a Graham Cracker base if you don't want quite as sweet a crust).

It is actually also very easy to make and will certainly get you a lot of "ooohhs" when it is tasted. Here is what it looks like:

Here is the recipe:

So next time you have guests over for dinner or you want to surprise (hence the name) your family and want a nice light dessert, give this one a try. I think you'll enjoy it.

As always, I solicit your following (on Facebook or e-mail) and continue to ask to share my site with your family and friends. Also, remember, if you want to share a recipe with me, please do so with the ingredients and steps to make it and a little story of why it is important to you and your family and I will share it with the world (yes the world...no pressure!)

So until next time, I'll be in the kitchen (hopefully with my new and working camera flash).

A taste of Italy

I've never been to Italy. I would love to go there some time to see all they typical touristy places. But mostly I would love to go to get a taste of real authentic and homemade Italian food.

I know that there are some pretty good Italian restaurants here in the good ole US of A, but just like any food unless you get to the actual source, it is not quite the same. We have friends in Chicago and Anna is from Sicily. We have tasted some of her food and Oh my goodness! What a difference.

Anyway, here is a recipe that I adapted from a lighter recipe from a weight loss site. It is called Italian Sausage and Pepper Rigatoni. Here is what it looks like:

The WW recipe called for Turkey Italian Sausage, reduced fat Parmesan Cheese and Skim Milk. However, I prefer the regular sausage, cheese and milk. But if you want to have a lower fat meal, go ahead and substitute the other ingredients. Here is the recipe:

I will also tell you this makes a large portion of food. You can easily get 8 to 10 portions out of it. It reheats well for leftovers. I made this for some friends of ours who were missionaries in Italy and they said that it was something they would've eaten in Italy. So that made me feel pretty good that I had made something that was in the right direction.

So give it a try and let me know what you think about it. Also, I know I keep saying this, but send me your favorite recipes and why you like them and how they are important to your family. I want this blog to be a place where we all can share our favorite meals and the recipes to make them.

Please post comments and also follow me on Facebook. Subscribe to me and get e-mails when I post a new recipe.

Enjoy!

Until my next post, I'll be in the kitchen.

A fish tale

A recenttly discovered and un-authorized version of a story in Genesis:

Now the Etheridge had said unto Townsley, "Get thee out of thy county, and away from thy neighbor, and away from thy house. Thou shalt sojourn through a foreign land called Geo-Rgia and a city called Sava-Nnah where the inhabitants speak an unknown tongue and their food is flowing with grits and fried green tomatoes. Speak to no one and with haste make thy way unto another foreign land called Flor-Ida inhabited both by the aged and all manner of young and foreigners. I wilt show thy family of a great city called Orl-Ando. And I will make of thee a mouseketeer, and I will make thee glad, and thy name great among the kingdom of magic. I will make for you a villa of blue and white in a land flowing with mouse ears and duck. And in this kingdom and in all the earth you will be happy."

Or something like that....

Last year, we had the pleasure of going to Disney World. First time we had ever been there. Disneyland, many times since I grew up in L.A. and lived there with my family until the mid 1990's (and my job swept me away to a new and frigid land...Chicagoland...which is a fun place to live too, but much colder in the winter and no Disneyland or Disneyworld).

Anyhoo, Our son-in-law's parents...or our daughter's in-laws (not quite sure how to in-law them to us....'rents-in-laws?) asked us to go to Disneyworld with them as they have a vacation package. So we accepted and made the trek to Orlando. We had high expectations of sunning on the deck of the villa or playing on the man-made beaches around some of the resorts, but alas, Florida had a cold spell and we were vastly underdressed.

The first night we were there we ate a a cafe on the resort. It was called Olivia's Cafe and was a great choice (thanks Debbie for lining up all the food/eating options for us). I wasn't sure what to eat because the menu had some really great choices but I finally settled on their Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi with a Citrus Chili Glaze. It was delicious. So when we got home I had to try and copy it.

Here is my version of it:

I'm not usually a coconut kind of guy (it's a texture thing), but when it is toasted that is a different story. I also like the sweet and slight heat from the glaze that goes over the fish. Olivia's Cafe also served their fish over a bed of mashed Sweet Potatoes with some grilled Green Beans on the side. In the picture you'll see a mix of roasted Sweet and Red Potato chunks. Use your own favorite side dish to compliment the fish.

Here is the recipe:

Give this fish recipe a try and let me know what you think of it.

And, if you have any recipes you want to share with me and see posted on this site go ahead and send me the recipe, where you got it from, why you and your family enjoy it and I will give it a try and post it on this blog.

Follow/Like me on Facebook, subscribe to this blog and get e-mail notification when a new post goes up.

Above all, tell your friends about this site. The more we get your friends and family involved, there more fun this will get. Thanks for all your support. Please leave comments as I would love to know what you think about what you see.

Quick and Easy

Hey Everyone,
I don't know about you but I love to make food that is quick and easy (hence the title of this blog...)
This is a recipe for a meal if you are in a hurry or don't feel like spending an hour in the kitchen making dinner.
I love Tuna melts and when I go out and see it on the menu I love to give it a try. Some are not too bad but some fall a bit short.

This is my version of it, kicked up a bit with some Tobasco sauce.

Sometimes I serve it with some baked beans on the side. You could easily add your own vegetable of choice with it or a nice salad.

 I guarantee you it is quick, easy and tasty. Give it a try and let me know what you think of it.

Comments are always welcome. You can like me on Facebook and you can subscribe to this blog so that when I post you get an e-mail alerting you to some new and tasty awesomeness.

I'd love to hear from you and please tell your friends about this site.

Until my next post, I'll be in the kitchen.

A Taste of the South

So Sharon's birthday was this last Saturday. I asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner or let me make her something. She wanted to go out (what does that mean?). So we went out to one of our favorite Italian grill restaurants. It was (as usual) very good. Both of us love their freshly baked Italian loaf and then taking a slice and dipping it their herbed Olive Oil. We also both got yummy pasta dishes and brought leftovers home with us.

One thing she did want me to make for her was Chess Pie. She loves, loves, loves Custard Pie and we would always get one for dessert on Christmas Day, but they are hard to find and I've never made one yet.

However, for a replacement pie I made one of her other favorites...Chess Pie. My daughter Erin told us about it and that it would probably be a good substitute for the Custard version. This is what is looks like:

Chess Pie has a long and deep history here in the South. There are a number of versions to how Chess Pie got it's name.

It does not look like a Chess Board, but one story is told that when the Southern Gentlemen got together, they would go to the parlor to play chess and were served this pie. Therefore it became known as Chess Pie.

Another story is that this pie's name was derived from the Southern accent or drawl. So when someone asked the question "what kind of pie is it?", the reply was "It's 'jes pie". And because of the accent, it came to be known as Chess Pie (sort of the culinary version of the kids game Telephone...I assume).

And then there's the story that this recipe was derived from the English Cheese Pie.Even though there is no cheese in the pie, it most likely referred to the curdle-like texture of the filling once cooked.

But the one story that seems more likely to me is that the name is derived from the pie chest. The ingredients were very common in most households (and probably still are today) and once made, it would keep well in the pie chest. So over the years it became known as the Chess Pie because it was kept in a pie chest.

However the name came about doesn't really matter to me. All I know is that it is a really good pie and so simple to make. Some recipes call for the addition of buttermilk or vinegar to the ingredient list because it is quite a sweet pie and these ingredients add some acidity and cut some of the sweetness. My recipe doesn't contain them. Here is the recipe I used.

So if you want an easy and fairly quick pie, give this one a try (I just realized that rhymed!). Let me know what you think of it if you do make it. And as always, share this blog site with your friends, subscribe to this site to get an e-mail that a new post is now available and follow me on Facebook.

So until my next post, I'll be in the kitchen.

Chicken Love

So here's another chicken recipe that I think you'll all enjoy. I called it Spiced Honey Mustard Chicken. It is a twist on the classic Honey Mustard Chicken. This recipe incorporates a couple of spices you might not think would go together, but they do and they do so quite well.  What are those two mystery spices? Curry Powder and Ground Coriander. Here is a photo of my last batch made.

This is one of those go to recipes when you want a flavorful chicken recipe. I've never tried to use the glaze when grilling outside. My guess is that it would be great. So once I get a chance to go out back and grill some chicken, I will give it a try. In the meantime, I'll keep using it in the oven. Here is the recipe:

I also usually pair it up with another family favorite, Elizabeth Randolph's Potato Casserole. She was my best friend's mom when I was a teenager and she made it quite a bit for our church's pot luck dinners (I love church pot lucks by the way...) It is sort of a baked potato in casserole form. When it comes out of the oven and you dig in with a serving spoon...I love to see the steam rise off of it. You can't see the steam in this pic though....  :-(

I actually love to add extra Green Onions. I've never made it with Bacon in it, but I bet it would be delicious too. It could then be called a Loaded Baked Potato Casserole. Oh...I guess I just gave you an idea to "create" your own recipe. If you try it, let me know....just make sure you give me credit! Here's the recipe:

So, if you're looking for something else to do with chicken give this a try. The chicken does take an hour to bake so it can't be a last minute throw it together meal.

Let me know if and when you try these recipes. Follow me on Facebook, subscribe to my blog, leave comments and tell your friends.

Until next time, I'll be in the kitchen (after I get some groceries first...)

Are you kidding me?

Brown Butter Brown Sugar cookies....that is all....'nuf said

Ok...I guess I'll say a little more....

I first had these about 13 years ago at a friends house. The other night Sharon said she wanted something with a cup of tea and guess what came to mind? Yup, you guessed it...Brown Butter Brown Sugar cookies. Why? Why after 13 years did you have to rear your ugly but oh so yummy BBBS head?

So I succumbed to the temptation and made a batch. Should I have fallen to this delectable taunter of taste? No...I am weak when it comes to them.

Once you taste these cookies you too will be a big fan. Here's the recipe if you dare try them.

So I am giving you fair warning. These are highly addictive. If you choose to accept this mission...after you make a batch, burn the recipe (no don't do that I don't want to be blamed for your kitchen fire).
Just put the recipe at the back of your recipe box or file or wherever it is you keep them. And don't go back and look for it. Don't answer their taunt when they whisper your name the next time you want to make some cookies. They will call out to you. Resist...stand strong my friends.

And above all, DON'T BLAME ME!

Until next time, I'll be in the kitchen (trying to resist making these cookies again for another 13 years!)

Que pasa mis amigos...

Mi comida favorita es la mexicana internacional. Lo que es tuyo? Mi espanol es limitado. Ya es suficiente.

So for those of you who don't speak Spanish, what I said was "My favorite international food is Mexican. What is yours? My Spanish is limited. Enough is enough." Thank you Google translate for the help. I think I was able to do the title without any trouble. I may be wrong. For those who speak Spanish forgive me if I messed it up.

So...this is about my favorite food, Mexican. I was born in Tucson, Arizona and lived there for my first 7 years until my dad's job moved us to Los Angeles. I basically grew up in L.A. until moving to Chicago in 1996 with my job (there was also a 3 year absence when I moved to Northern Ireland with my wife after graduating from college). Both my parents are from Arizona and New Mexico, so Mexican food is in our blood. And most of my relatives still live in the Southwest U.S., so I hope I do them proud with this post.

Some of my fond memories of Mexican food also come from one of the best Mexican restaurants (in my opinion) in Southern California. It is called The Original Red Onion (for those in Southern California who have never been there, this is their site: http://www.originalredonion.com/). They cook Sonoran style Mexican food and their recipes are hacienda recipes that are over 100 years old. I remember going to the original restaurant on Century Blvd.in Inglewood, CA which is where I grew up. I don't remember how often we ate there, I just remember it was delicious. Over the years they had several restaurants throughout the South Bay area of L.A. and now the only location they have is in Palos Verdes (or "on the hill" as we used to say). My mouth waters when I think of their food. I miss it.

My wife Sharon never ate Mexican food when she grew up in Northern Ireland. They didn't have the ingredients; there were no restaurants; Taco Bell never made it there (if you want to call that Mexican food). She will also tell you that when I first ate British/Irish food I complained that it was pretty bland. All meat and potatoes and stuff. But then I was turned on to the Ulster Fry and it was game over. I'll do a post about that some other time. But getting back to Sharon...the first time she had Mexican food was when she came to visit me over the Christmas holidays in 1980. At first, she was a little apprehensive, but then she came around and now she loves it as much as I do. Good thing...that might've been a deal breaker. Well, no it wouldn't have been, but close.

One of her first dishes was our friend Judy's Shredded Beef Burritos and her Green Chile Rellenos. Yummy! But that is also for another time. Another dish we love isn't really "traditional" Mexican, but it is still really good. I call it Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Casserole. Again, that is for another time.

This post is about New Mexico Stacked Enchiladas which is what I grew up eating. As the name implies, they are stacked like pancakes rather than rolled up. Just as delicious but rooted in New Mexico. The most typical recipe is really just tortillas filled with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and Red Chile sauce. The one thing though that always, always, always tops the enchilada is a fried egg. I always make my enchiladas with seasoned ground beef, beans, onions, cheese and Red Chile sauce. Below is a picture of what it looks like.

 They can look a bit messy, but they are sooooooo good. And I love cutting into the over-easy egg and letting the yolk mix with the rest of the food. I also like to top it with Avocado slices (you can use Guacamole too if you wish) and a little Cilantro. It is very filling. Here is the recipe.

I usually just top it with a canned enchilada sauce (I can visualize my rels cringing and crying). I never made my own Red Chile Sauce as I was a little intimidated about the process. But I went ahead and got beyond my fears and for the first time made it from scratch. I can tell you, I won't be buying the canned stuff again. Here is what the sauce looks like. It was an earthly, slightly hot (I have gringo mouths in my family...not me...the rest) sauce that had a very deep flavor. So good and really so easy.

And here is the recipe. It is a combined recipe from my cousin-in-law Dan and one my mom gave me. The picture does make it look like it is really thick, but it isn't. And if you want it runnier than how it turns out, you can always add more water. Here is the recipe for the Red Chile Sauce.

I guarantee that you'll love these recipes and I am pretty sure that this could become one of your favorite recipes. Give it a shot. If you don't want to try making the Red Chile sauce, just use your favorite canned brand. Let me know if you make it and what you think about it.

As always, tell your friends about my site. Please also share your recipes and stories with me and I'll post it on my site. This is not just about my family recipes (I mean it is but not exclusively). I would really love to make this a site where friends and family can share with each other their favorite foods and food memories. Subscribe to this site and you'll always get notified when a new post is available. Please leave comments at the bottom of the page.

So until my next post, I'll be in the kitchen.

Soups On....Again

So remember my last post when I said that Sharon likes to live on soup when the temperature dips? Well, yeah....here is another soup recipe. I call it Red Potato Soup.

I must admit though, this is a pretty good soup recipe I came up with. We like potato soup (and anyone from Ireland loves ANYTHING with potatoes in it), so I want to share it with you. It is a chunky soup made with...you guessed it Red Potatoes and it is very filling. A bowl of this soup paired with a nice hearty bread and you'll be full for the rest of the evening and ready for a good night's sleep.

I wish I could get real Irish potatoes, especially the ones that are grown in County Down where Sharon lived. Those potatoes are not just as dense than other varieties and they have a very soft skin, much like Red Potatoes. The soil there is very dark, rich and warm. And because the soil is warmer there than many places in Northern Ireland, they can harvest more potatoes more frequently. They are fresher and tastier and abundant.

Here is the recipe.

Well, that is all for now. Coming soon will be a post with one of my all time favorite foods (Mexican) and one of my favorite recipes (New Mexico style Stacked Enchiladas).

If you like what you've seen so far, tell you friends and subscribe to my post. You'll be notified automatically when I put something up on my blog. And if you have tried making and eating any of the recipes, let me know what you think about it (there is a section at the bottom of the page for comments). If you have any recipes you want to share, please send it to me with a story about it (why it is important to you and your family) and I will get it onto the blog.

So until then, I'll be in the kitchen.

Soups On!

Well, winter is finally here in Winston-Salem. I know for some of you it has already arrived and for some it has arrived with a vengeance.

However, in our household anytime the temperature dips below 60 degrees that means several things:
1) The cotton and/or microfiber sheets are replaced with flannel sheets (not my choice!)
2) The pilot light is lit on the fireplace (not my choice!), and,
3) Our sustenance now comes from soup.

My wife grew up in Northern Ireland and they lived on soups and stews. Don't get me wrong I like soup just like the next person, but not 4 or 5 times a week like my wife would prefer at this time of year.

The good thing about soups though, is that they are relatively easy and quick to make. You just dump a bunch of stuff in a stock pot and turn the stove-top on (or crockpot) and let it simmer away.

The soup that I am featuring today is my copy-cat recipe of a soup we love from one of our favorite Italian Grills (here's a hint...let see if you can get it...it is s'abbarraC). It is my version of their Italian Sausage Lentil Soup.

Doesn't this look delicious? Well it is...so there!

It is a hearty and filling soup. We love it with fresh crusty bread (as we do with all soups we eat).

Here is my copy-cat recipe:

Give it a try and let me know what you think of it.

I'm sure we will be eating more soups as the "winter" months go on here in Winston-Salem. Enjoy your winter months wherever you are. Keep warm and well fed!

Until next time, I'll be in the kitchen.