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...

Don makes his perfect food (Cajun Hot Dog)

I love hot dogs. But hot dogs are ultra processed foods. And I avoid ultra processed foods. But I’ve always had an idea that a hot dog could actually be a perfect food. Ground chicken, veggies, fruit, seasoning, olive oil. So tonight it finally came about. It took a lot of work, so I’m not doing my white egg based bun tonight. But I do give you… My Cajun Chicken Hot Dog. Ground chicken, carrots, jalapenos and apples with cheddar cheese and Cajun seasoning. I did add a bit more cayenne and some minced garlic. I’ve never made my own sausage before…and surprisingly enough, it worked perfectly. Natural pork casings and a new sausage press. I’m shooting for a perfect food bite here. Chicken, veggies, fruit. Air fried. Tasty, yet...

Coffee Chipolte Steak

A friend brought over a local cut of sirloin strip beef. To be exact, 1.48 lb of Beef Sirloin Strip Steaks from Willingham Farm (Remington, VA). My initial thought was to do my classic garlic thyme butter treatment. But I wanted to do something new and up the stakes (steaks!) so the wonderful cut meets a rub made of coffee, chipolte, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. This will sit in the fridge for 2 hours, then room temperature before cooking. This is critical to get the flavors into the meat. To make this different than my other steaks I decided to do 2 things, one was a ‘reverse sear’ and the other was to cook in in a cast irons skillet on the grill. This would allow me to cook a bunch of...

Paddle Boarding

To spend more time on the water and to get more exercise, Chase The Dog and I have taken up paddle boarding. Most evenings we can be found on Monroe Bay, enjoying the sunset. My board is a High Society Shadowcatcher. It’s an 11 wide board with extra inflatable pontoons on the side for incredible stability. I also mounted a Larry Chair to...

Chase and I go Glamping

Chase The Dog and I went on our first Glamping Trip this weekend! We stayed in a cool wall tent on 60 acres in the Shenandoah Mountains (only 4 tents). After we settled in we swam in a spring fed pond on the property and then hiked the White Oak Creek Canyon trail to the first waterfall. We didn’t plan on swimming, but it was a hot day, so we found a secluded pool, stripped down to our skivvies (yes, Chase has skivvies) and dove in. It was a great trip and I look forward to returning. I found this on Hipcamp, a great site for non-conventional campsites (people’s back yard, vineyards, vacant property…)...