Cashew Chicken

One of my favorite go-to meals is Cashew Chicken. And the good thing about this is that almost every ingredient is usually on hand. So I just pick up some chicken and broccoli and I’m set. I snack on cashews daily, so they are always around. Sorry for the non-exact measurement, I just always wing this. The sauce is my basic ‘Asian’ mix of Oyster Sauce, Fish Sauce, Sesame Seed Oil and Thai chili paste. If I don’t have Thai chili paste, I usually have some Gochujang sauce, which is about the same. I don’t have exact measurements, but I use less of the fish sauce and sesame seed oil, as they are both powerful. I haven’t done it yet, but I always have red curry paste in the fridge, so I could sub that too. Could be interesting....

Karaage Wings

My take on Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken). Karaage is one of my favorite ways to make fried chicken. Traditionally it is deep fried, so that’s why I don’t make it anymore. But with wings in the fridge, I thought… “How about air frying Karaage Wings?” An hour before cooking, prepare your marinade.About 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce1 Tablespoon ground ginger (I use paste)2 cloves of garlic, minced2 Tablespoons Sake. I used Mirin, but you can use vermouth3/4 teaspoon sugar, I used agave Whisk together and add your cut up wings. Coat well and put into the fridge for at least an hour. Put about half a cup of corn starch in a large bowl. Traditionall you would use potato starch, but I never have. Toss in a wing at a time and coat well. I...

Steak and Onions

Tonight’s dinner has a backstory and a new item I’ve been working on. In middle school I found a book in our house called The Mudhen and The Walrus. I related with the carefree, zany and crafty title character, nicknamed Mudhen and his editor friend Froggie, who would go off to college and be the editor of The Walrus, the college paper. I think this was framed in the 1950’s. I went on to be the editor of my high school yearbook and photo editor of the newspaper. And then the editor of my college newspaper, with this book as a blueprint of what college life would be like…in the back of my mind. It did not disappoint. Many zany antics included. One meal he revered was Steak and Onions. With this long-past memory in my mind tonight, I decided...

Green Hatch, Carrot, Yellow Bell Pepper, Mushroom, Onion and Chicken Chili

With the fireplace roaring and Celtic Christmas music playing and it being in the 20s Sunday night, a bowl of steaming hot chili seemed like a perfect idea for a meal. But not just any chili…I give you a green hatch, carrot, yellow bell pepper, mushroom, onion and chicken bowl of red, topped with shredded smoked Gouda. In a dutch oven, seat 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs in olive oil. Remove. Chop in large chunks when they cool. To the fond, add a diced onion and sweat. Then a a rough chopped yellow onion and a shredded carrot and a pint of chopped mushrooms. Add 4 or 5 minced garlic cloves. Season with half a small container of chili powder, 3 tablespoon of crushed hatch chili flakes (or red pepper flakes) and black pepper. Add some chipolte powder or...

Pesto Lobster Thermador

Today is my sister Sheila Foley birthday. Whenever we visited, she always asked me to make my pesto pasta. Usually it was with either my five-thing salmon or my shrimp scampi. Tonight I decided to honor her with something I never made before, lobster thermador. With one pot and one skillet on the stove. I began. First I boiled two Florida lobster tails (thanks to my friend Jim Goetz) for 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a healthy amount of butter I sauteed some onions and red bell pepper. Then I added minced garlic and brought it up to ‘savory’ smell. To this I added the rough chopped lobster and about a cup of white wine. While this reduced on a low heat, I cleaned out the pot, melted some butter, added some fine minced onion (shallots would be more...