Moroccan Chicken with Figs

A fiend (thank you Amanda Portrait Painter) gave me a bag of figs this weekend, so that pretty much dictated Sunday night’s dinner challenge. Thus I give you Moroccan Chicken with Figs. Pan sear 4-6 bone-in chicken thighs in olive oil, no need to cook through, just sear and set aside. In the fond of the seat and remaining juices, add a couple tablespoons of butter. To this add a large, sliced red onion and a couple sliced shallots. Add slices of a red bell pepper. Dice up a handful of fresh rosemary and add. Grind in some black pepper. Using a peeler, peel of some big, long pieces of an orange and a lemon. Add this. Thin slice about 5 cloves of garlic and add. Cook this down to soften. It won’t take but a couple minutes. Slice the tips off your figs...

Greek Lamb Chops with lemon rice and cucumbers

What’s for dinner. Star date 07.18.2023. This is one of my favorite ‘go to’ meals, but I’ve never written it up. Thus I shall. Plus, it’s REALLY easy. This is my Greek Lamb Chop with Basil/Parsley Saffron Lemon Rice with Quick Pickle Cucumbers. Other than the marinade time (1 hour) this is a 30 minute dinner. The Lamb:You can use lamb chops or lamb shanks for this, they both are great. In a gallon ziplock bag, add 1 tbs of olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbs of minced garlic, some kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper and a good helping of oregano. Blend, and set aside. Room temp is fine so the lamb isn’t too cool. The Rice:Make the rice. In a pot (that you can cover), melt some butter, put in some turmeric, a small pinch...

Gyro Hot Dogs

And now for something completely different… In my quest to come up with a healthy hot dog, after doing my first one, I absolutely knew what #2 would be. A gyro dog based off my gyro burger, filled with spinach, onions, herbs and this time, ground lamb instead of the ground chicken I use in my gyro burgers. It really is perfect for this, as it combines the feta cheese and olive oil to make a perfect sausage. To top it off, quite literally, is a tzatziki sauce with cucumbers and Kalamala olives. Gyro Dog ingredients:Olive oilOnion (we like sweet onion or Videalia) minced.Bag of fresh baby spinachoreganobasil1/4 lb of crumbled feta cheese1 package of ground lamb (usually this would be chicken)1 tbs grill seasoning, we like McCormick’s Steak Seasoning Tzatziki...

Spicy Firecracker Shrimp w/ Veggie Stirfry

Since I missed the 4th of July in Colonial Beach, I decided to have some fireworks of my own upon return. So for Monday night, I give you Firecracker Shrimp. Part of my thought here was to try cooking shrimp a new way for my shrimp cups for the upcoming Peggy’s Pier. A key ingredient is garlic/chili sauce, of which could not be found, so I made my own. I re-hydrated some chili peppers and cooked them in peanut oil with onions. I seasoned this with black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Spicy Firecracker Shrimp Recipe Marinade Ingredients:1/2 cup chili-garlic sauce2 tablespoons spicy chili oil1 tablespoon sriracha1 tablespoon white wine vinegar1 tablespoon honey1 teaspoon cayenne1 teaspoon lime juice1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined1 tablespoon olive oil...

Mediterranean Seafood Feast in a Tomato/saffron Broth

Tonight, I give you one of my favorite meals I haven’t made in ages. A Mediterranean Mini-Seafood Feast in a Tomato/saffron Broth. You can use any seafood you want. I always include shrimp so I can use the tails & shells to make my seafood stock. This can also be used to cook mussels or clams. Just put them in when you bring it to boil and simmer. Discard any that don’t open. Fresh herbs and homemade seafood stock are critical to make this wonderful. 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (2 for each skillet).2 teaspoons fresh thyme2 teaspoons fresh oregano1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar to release aromaA teaspoon saffron2 cloves garlic, minced2 teaspoon fresh orange zestMushrooms if desired, tonight I had some shitakeI/2 pound tomatoes, peeled and diced2...