Category: Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Leave a comment

So as I am getting my YouTube channel together and deciding on what recipes/longer format videos that I should put out first, I have to say that I was shocked that this one was an overwhelming favorite. I mean, I know that its a good dish, but out of everything that I have posted, I just thought there were a few others that may have been voted first.

Either way, I am grateful for all of the support that everyone is showing me on this journey. It has always been my intention to give YOU what YOU want, and not just do it for the likes and views. I mean any chimpanzee can go out and make pasta with shrimp and cajun seasoning and get a ton of views. I have never been “like everyone else”, and dont intend to be….but dont be surprised if you catch me making a few “basic” dishes!

Here is the link to my youtube, where you can find this recipe as well as more to come… https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSnGNZiGXUuz-FRmXi7ZsKQ

ok, here is the recipe….

Ingredients:

  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbl spoons of olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parsley for color and garnish
  • as much or as little cheese for added flavor

Directions: First preheat your oven to 400 degrees, next split your squash in to 2 even halves. Be careful as the skin is tough and this can be a difficult step. Next you need to use a spoon and scrape out all of the loose flesh and seeds. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and spread on the inside of the sqush. Drizzle about 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil on each half, and finally season with salt and pepper. Place both halves face down on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes, then using a fork, gently scrape the inner flesh. Serve this in the squash itself, or on a plate. Check for seasoning, add cheese and parsley….and enjoy!

Food & Beverage

Lilibet’s Sunset

Leave a comment

I haven’t really done much cocktail/alcohol content lately, so when I got a media request to do something to commemorate the Queen’s passing, I figured why not. Not that I need a reason to drink, I can do that all on my own. I did it to get those creative cocktail juices flowing again. I got a few things in the works that I can’t wait to share.

Seeing all the news/documentaries its been made very clear that everyday the Queen drank a gin & Dubonnet, with a lemon slice. She actually had 4 drinks a day (thats way more than the 2 I usually have), a glass of wine, a gin martini, the aforementioned gin & dubonnet, and then finished off the day with a glass of champagne. Sounds like a great way to end the day to me

When creating this cocktail, I knew that I did not want to stray to far from the original, but wanted to try an incorporate all of her drinks into one, and sort of crank it up a notch….and this is what we ended up with!

Ingredients:

.75 ounces Gordons Gin

1.5 ounces Dubonnet (if you cannot find this, because its out everywhere…Lillet Rouge is a viable substitute)

2 ounces champagne (Bollinger is you have the budget, thats what she drank)

1 charred lemon wheel

Directions: Using a hi-ball glass filled to the top with crushed ice, add in the gin, then the Dubonnet. Top the glass with champagne, and finally garnish with the charred lemon wheel. Really pretty simple, and quite the sipper. If you give a try, let me know what you think!

Cheers

Food & Beverage

Shrimp Cake Sliders

Leave a comment

Whats good everybody?! So I am trying to get into the habit of posting the complete recipes for all those videos you guys love here on my website. Since you all were so excited about those shrimp cake sliders yesterday, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1lb peeled deveined shrimp (tails off)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper (small dice)
  • 1/2 medium sized shallot (diced)
  • 3 TBL chives diced
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 whole eggs
  • salt/pepper/oldbay/paprika (as much or as little as you would like of each)

Directions: First thing you are going to have to do is is chop up the shrimp. You can use a blender if you like, but i feel that doing in that way makes the shrimp to pasty and fine. I like to have a few little chunks of shrimp, so I chop it by hand. After all of the other ingredients have been chopped and diced, you ar going to add everything into a large mixing bowl, and gently mix it all together. Once all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined, form the mixture into about 8-10 patties. Now that our patties are formed, using a saute pan/skillet on medium high heat, heat up about 3 table spoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add your patties to the pan, and cook for about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan once they are done, and serve them up. If you are looking for more of a burger size, you can certainly make them larger. You can get 4-5 patties out of this mixture. The great thing is, you dont even need to put them on a bun/roll if you dont want to. They are just as good on their own with a little dipping sauce.

Food & Beverage

BLACKENED CRAB STUFFED COD W/ LEMON BUTTER SAUCE

It is finally here! After weeks of promising, and some delays, I have finally filmed, edited, and posted this recipe for you all. I really do not have any back story on this dish, or some drawn out explanation to make this post longer. In fact when I am searching for different recipes for myself to try, I actually get really annoyed when I have to keep scrolling just to get to the bottom of the page to find the damn recipe! So, from here on out, unless I some amazing story that just HAS to go with this recipe, I am just going to get right into it.

That being said, I will always drop some beverage pairings for you. I mean, we are “cooking with spirit” after all. It only makes sense right? For this particular dish, I did use viognier, yes I use this wine a lot, it is my favorite style of white. Some others that would go very well with this dish would be a crisp dry riesling or buttery/oaky chardonnay to compliment that butter sauce. Those are the easy pairings, now, if you are looking for a red, a beaujolais would work very well. Because we used some blackening/cajun spices on this fish, there is a little heat to it. A pairing red pairing for this dish that coukd compliment that heat, and offset some of the richness of that butter sauce is a zinfandel. All of these are great in theur own right, I still love the viognier though!

Ingredients:

  • 1 6oz piece of fresh cod (you can use salmon, haddock, sea bass, whatever fish you like, just NOT tilapia)
  • 1 TBL crab mix (recipe below)
  • blackened redfish magic seasoning
  • old bay
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • 1 TBL shallots
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 2oz white wine
  • 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
  • juice from 1/2 of a lemon
  • 1 TBL scallions

Directions: Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Generously season your fish of choice (on both sides) using the redfish magic and old bay. Using a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium high heat. Once the oil is ready, place your seasoned fish, presentation side down, in the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes. After fish is seared, remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet. Make an incision in the the fish and fill with your crab mix. Place the baking sheet into the oven and cook until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

While our fish is cooking, we will need to make our sauce. Using a sauce pan on high heat, add in the shallots and whole black peppercorns. Cook on a high heat for about 2 minutes and then deglaze the pan with our white wine. After adding the wine, be sure to whisk the ingredients together and scrape up and remnants that may be sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the wine had reduced, remove the pan form the heat, and begin whisking in your butter, slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. As the butter begins to melt and incorporate itself into the wine, finally whisk in the juice form half of a lemon. Check for seasoning (as in add salt or pepper if necessary), strain your sauce, and it is ready to go!

Crab Mix Recipe: In a mixing bowl combine together the following: 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, 2 tablespoons mayo, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons old bay, 1 cup jumbo lump crab meat, and 8 crushed butter crackers. Use yor hands to gently mix everything together so as not to break up the crab lumps.

Food & Beverage

CIDER BRAISED CABBAGE

I know it was supposed t be seafood next, but I made this the other night for something else, and I owe you a video recipe…..sooooooo its cabbage today! As all of my recipes are, at least I think they are, this one is really simple. Due to the braising part, it does take some time, but it just makes it all worth it in the end.

I see a lot of people out here boiling their cabbage in water. Why are you doing that? Yes, I know you want to get it tender, but why water? Water has zero flavor, and adds nothing of value to the dish. Then, once the cabbage is tender, most of you are dumping that water out, and then having to RE-season the cabbage. Not only that, when you boil it, a majority of the nutrients form the cabbage end up getting lost in that water you just dumped out. By using this braising technique, we are holding on to our flavor, adding MORE flavor, and still holding on those important nutrients. Plus, you can use the juice in the bottom of the braising pan to add to the cabbage as well. It is just a win win technique

Now you know that I always cook with spirit, and this dish is no different. For this cabbage recipe, I am using a cider beer. I love ciders, they are smooth and easy to drink, not to mention, refreshing. Now there are several types of ciders and they can range from super sweet to super dry (NOT sweet). Because this recipe also calls for apple juice, I use a dry-ish cider, as opposed to a sweet one. Also, I just don’t really enjoy sweet ciders.

As always, I hope you enjoy this one, and start adding it as a regular side dish to some of your favorite recipes. Until the next dish y’all!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized red or green cabbage
  • 1 12oz cider beer
  • 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup of apple juice
  • 2 TBL olive oil
  • salt
  • white pepper

Directions: Pre-heat your oven to 265 degrees. Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, and then cut into wedges. Remove the core of the cabbage. In a large bowl, add the cabbage wedges, olive oil, salt, and white pepper to season. Mix together thoroughly to get cabbage coated in oil and seasoning. Next place the wedges on a grill pan for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place the cabbage into a 2 inch baking dish. Add in all of the liquid ingredients. Cover the baking dish with foil and place into the oven for 3 hours. Remove from oven, take cabbage out of baking dish and slice into thin strips and enjoy!

Food & Beverage

SEARED DUCK WITH ORANGE SAUCE

Leave a comment

Duck, Duck, Duck, Orange Sauce! I love duck. The first time I ever experienced the pleasures of eating duck, was at a Chinese restaurant when I was young. I thought it was really cool to watch the chef come to the table, and using a cleaver of all the knife possibilities, and watch him carve this thing up table side. The brilliance in which he was able to utilize his knife skills to perfectly separate the skin from the meat, the meat from the bones, and the bones for the skeleton of the duck was simply amazing to me. I still long for knife skills like his!

The crispiness of the skin, the tender, juiciness of the duck, and just the overall flavor was something that has stuck with me my entire life from that point on. Peking Duck is still my favorite thing to order when I eat out at a Chinese restaurant.

Duck is also used a lot in classic French cooking and that is where the inspiration for this dish came from. The classic dish is Duck l’ Orange. I have taken a few liberties with the l’ Orange part and kind of made this sauce my own.

If you are looking for great wine pairings for this dish, Cabernet Sauvignon is probably my go to, but a smooth Viognier would also be great for a white wine. I do not drink a lot of beer, but this just seems perfect for a real juicy, citrusy IPA.

OK, enough small talk, lets get to this recipe!

For The Duck:

  • 1 Duck Breast
  • salt (to taste)
  • pepper (to taste)
  • Chinese 5 spice (to taste)

Directions: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Make sure to “score” the fat side of the duck breast. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Chinese 5 spice. In a skillet on medium high heat, place the duck breast skin side down in the pan. Do not put any cooking oil into the pan, there is enough fat in the duck that you will not need any. Sear the duck for about 4-5 minutes until skin is crispy, and the fat has rendered out. Transfer duck to sizzle plate or baking sheet and place into the oven and cook until desired temperature. I cook mine to medium rare. Remove from oven and let rest 5-7 minutes before slicing.

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 shallot (sliced)
  • 1 garlic clove (diced)
  • 1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 3oz Madarin Napolean
  • 3oz red wine
  • Juice from 2 oranges
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter

Directions: using the same pan that the duck was seared in, on medium heat, add in shallot, garlic, and peppercorns. Saute in the duck fat until shallots become translucent. De-glaze the pan with the orange liqueur and give a quick whisk. Next add in the red wine, and then the sugar. Whisk in the sugar until it is incorporated into the liquid. Next add in the juice from 2 oranges, and the beef stock. Whisk again, and let liquid reduce until it begins to thicken. Once sauce has reduced and thickened, remove from heat and strain into serving vessel. Finally whisk in 1 tablespoon of cold butter.

Food & Beverage

LAMB CHOPS WITH SWEET ONION FENNEL JAM

2 Comments

They say to give the people what they want, and they will come! Well, I asked, you all voted, and the lamb chops won….IN A LANDSLIDE!!

Lamb chops are actually one of my favorite proteins to cook. It used to be what I would cook on a date night with a girl the first time I had her over for dinner. They just seem fancy right? Most people think of entrees when cooking lamb, and while this recipe can certainly be served as such, I actually prefer to use this one as appetizer. Something that can be easily passed, or dressed up nice on a platter. Just my thought, obviously feel free to serve them whenever and however you want.

As you know, we always cook with spirit, and this recipe is no different. Today I am using Rumple Minze peppermint schnapps. Traditionally, lamb is served with a side of mint jelly. For this recipe, as the title states, we are going to be making a sweet onion and fennel jam. I still wanted to keep that tradition of mint, but I needed to be a bit extra and put my own spin on it!

I remember back in my early days of tending the bar, Rumple Minze used to be THE end of the night shot at last call. I’m not sure why it was, because its really not that great on its own. Maybe it was because now the guests were looking for who they were going to make out with, or maybe it was so that after they had been drinking all night at the bar, if they took a shot of this, the cops would have no idea that they were drunk when they got pulled over. Who knows, but both sound pretty logical to me.

Anyway, until the next dish…..enjoy

Ingredients: (Lamb Chops)

  • 1 qt herb oil (see previous post about herb oil)
  • fresh thyme
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 rack of lamb

Directions: Marinate you rack of lamb in 1 quart of herb oil for at least an hour. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat an iron skillet (or cooking pan of choice) on a medium high heat. Because the lamb has been marinating in the herb oil, there is no need to add more oil to your pan. Once the pan is hot, place the rack into the pan and sear for 4-5 minutes. Flip the rack over, and place the entire pan into the oven, and cook to desired temperature (I cook mine to 135 degrees). When the desired temperature has been reached, remove the pan and place it back on the stove top. Add in a few stems of fresh thyme, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and the 2 table spoons of butter. Spoon the melted butter/garlic mixture over the rack for a few minutes.

Ingredients: (Sweet Onion Fennel Jam)

  • 1 bulb of fennel (finely diced, about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 medium sized sweet onion (finely diced, about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 oz Rumple Minze
  • 1.5 cups plain white sugar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • fresh mint leaves, about 7

Directions: Using a medium sized pot, over high heat, add in the diced fennel and sweet onion ONLY. As you begin to smell the onion and fennel, and can hear it sizzle in the pan, give it a good stir, then add in the 2 oz of Rumple Minze (CAUTION!!! This is alcohol, and high proof at that, it can catch on fire, so pour carefully and slowly!!) Next you will need to add in the 2 cups of sugar, and the 1/2 cup of cider vinegar. Stir to mix thoroughly. Once mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and reduce until a jam consistency. Make sure to stir every few minutes so it does not burn. While the jam is still hot, finely chop up the mint leave and add those in. Allow jam to cool about 15-20 minutes before using. The reduction does take some time, usually about 20 -30 minutes…..but it is so worth it!

Food & Beverage

SEARED SCALLOPS W/ GRAPEFRUIT GINGER BUTTER SAUCE

Leave a comment

If it’s one thing I’m gonna make, it is a BUTTER SAUCE! I had had them several times at restaurants, but it wasn’t until learning how to make them while in culinary school, did I truly understand, and fall in love with them. For one thing, ITS BUTTER, is there any other reason needed? I also, love the versatility and creativity that can be applied to them to create almost any flavor that you want to compliment your dish.

Growing up in the DMV (that’s D.C., Maryland, & Virginia…..NOT the Department of Motor Vehicles), seafood is pretty much a staple. While for most people its crab legs and shrimp (which I also love), for its scallops. They are just so rich, creamy, and delicious. They are light and delicate, and much like the butter sauce, can be paired with just about anything.

This dish was actually one that I had submitted to recipe contest for the spirit/liquor I am using in this recipe. While it never made the cookbook, or won the contest, it is a recipe that I have been working on perfecting ever since. On its own, it can served as a great, full flavored appetizer. If you wanted to do something a little bigger, and wanted to turn this into an entree, I would maybe suggest some black (squid ink) linguini. Pasta is great for scallops, and the sauce has enough body and flavor to stand up to the pasta as well. Check out the recipe below.

Let’s talk about a beverage pairing. Obviously wine, white wine is the easy choice here. Most would say probably a sauvignon blanc, and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree. My choice however is a viognier. Most are not familiar with this varietal, but it is a pleasant surprise for those who have never tried it. Upon first taste, you get some acidic notes, which work great for seafood, and well help balance out/cut the richness of the butter sauce. It then finishes with a roundness of a chardonnay to really compliment the scallops and the sauce…..and if you add the pasta, well that works too!

Until the next dish…………

For the Scallops (serves 2):

  • 6 U15/U20 scallops
  • 1 TBL cooking oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • smoked paprika

Directions: Make sure your scallops are room temperature and completely dry. Next season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to a cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add in the scallops and sear for 2-3 minutes, flip, and then sear the other side.

For the Grapefruit Ginger Butter Sauce:

  • 2 sticks of butter cubed
  • 2 oz white wine ( I used chardonnay for this recipe)
  • .5 oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
  • 1 tsp. whole black peppers corn
  • 1/2 shallot sliced
  • 2-3 dried bay leaves
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
  • juice from 1/2 of a grapefruit
  • salt

Directions: Using a medium sized sauce pot on high heat, add the following ingredients ONLY; black peppercorns, shallots, ginger, bay leaves. Once you can begin to smell the peppercorns and ginger, deglaze/add in the white wine and ginger liqueur. Using your whisk, scrape up anything that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan (this is FLAVOR). Reduce the liquid until there is about 2 table spoons remaining. Remove the pot from the stove and begin to add in the cubed butter a few pieces at a time, making sure to CONSTANTLY whisk the mixture until ALL of the butter has melted. If you find that the butter is not melting as quickly, put the pot back on a high heat for a few seconds, and ten remove, continuing the process. Next, add in the juice from 1/2 of a grapefruit, and finally season to your liking with salt. Once you have finished seasoning the sauce, strain it into a serving vessel.

Food & Beverage

WHO NEEDS A COOKING/COCKTAIL CLASS?

Leave a comment

If you watch Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of Potomac, or follow my social media, you have all heard by now that I do a ton of cooking/cocktail classes these days. I have been flooded with questions about how and where to sign up for them, so I decided to give you all the “deets” right here.

Hungry is an amazing digital platform that can connect you with amazing chefs like myself to provide great food, events, and classes for your family, friends, and co-workers alike. When you purchase a virtual chef experience, each person that will be attending the class will receive their own personal kit with the majority of the ingredients needed (some proteins, dairy, fresh herbs may need to be purchased separately by the individual) as well as recipe card to follow along with, and keep for making the dish again in the future on your own.

The types of classes are endless! Aside from cooking classes, they also offer cocktail classes, wine tastings with amazing sommeliers, yoga classes and more. One of the great things about Hungry is that for every kit purchased, two meals are donated to Feeding America.

Here is a peek of some of the food/cooking classes I currently have available on the platform. Make sure to click on the title to get a full description of what each class entails!

Smoke & Spice

South of the Border

Spanish Paella

Bananas Foster Pancakes

As I mentioned earlier, there are also a multitude of cocktail classes (which you can book me for as well), yoga classes, coffee and tea, boxing and even magic to help make your next event one of a kind.

Now head on over to www.tryhungry.com and book an experience today!!

Food & Beverage

PERFECT SUMMER HERB OIL MARINADE

Now that summer time is officially here, it’s time to get those grills and smokers fired up! I am often asked what do I “marinate” my steaks in. The truth of the matter is that rarely do I ever use a marinade. I honestly feel that salt & pepper is all you really need for great steak on the grill.

How many times have you gone to the cookout and heard the “grill master” say something to the effect of, “I have been marinating these steaks for 2 days!” Well let me let you in on a little secret. If there is any vinegar, or lots of citrus juices, or any acid in that marinade, chances are he or she has already overcooked those steaks! Think about the classic dish of ceviche. Fish “cooked” in citrus juices. This has the same effect on chicken, steaks, and pork chops as well. Because meat is made up mostly of water, your marinade really is not getting THAT deep into the meat to “flavor” and “tenderize” it. It really is mostly surface flavor. Now I am not saying to NEVER use any acid in a marinade, but if you chose to do so, I recommend that you do not let it sit for more than an hour. This will prevent the outer part of your meat from becoming mushy and mealy.

Check out this video to see how I make my “Herb Oil Marinade” that works great on steaks, chicken, lamb, or pork chops. It adds a great flavor to whatever you re cooking, especially on the grill. It not only works as a marinade, but with all of the olive oil in it, it helps prevent your meat from sticking to the grill as well.

Herb Oil Recipe:

1 bunch of parsley, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1/2 bunch of rosemary, 1 bunch of thyme, 2 qts of olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Using a large, deep storage container, trim the leaves from the parsley and cilantro using your chef knife, and add them to the container. Next, remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme stems, and add those to the container. Season with salt and pepper. Next add in the 2 qts. of olive oil. Finally, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. I like to use ziploc bags as opposed to containers with lids when marinating anything, I feel I can get more coverage by removing the air from the bag, and everything is submerged.

Let me know your thoughts, and any other cooking questions/videos/recipe ideas you want to see! Enjoy