Tag: housewives

Food & Beverage

CAULIFLOWER DIANE

I get so many requests for vegan and vegetarian food/recipes, which I dont mind, but I just dont really cook that way. I am for sure a meat and potatoes kinda guy. That being said, I love and appreciate all the support from EVERYONE so every now and then, I will suffer through a vegetarian meal lol.

I do have one question though…..why is it that vegetarians/vegans want all of their food to resemble or even taste like MEAT?!?! Just eat the meat, lol. I promise it is really good! To each their own I suppose.

Steak Diane is one of my favorite ways to do steak, so why not do it with a cauliflower steak.

Grocery Cart:

1 head of cauliflower

1 shallot

1/4 # mushrooms (sliced)

1 tbl olive oil

2 oz cognac

1tbl Bassetts Blends All Purpose Seasoning

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 bunch of thyme

2 garlic cloves

2 stalks of rosemary

2 tbl butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup vegetable stock

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tbl chopped chives

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

First, we are going to slice our cauliflower into 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick slices, whatever size you would like. Next drizzle on a little bit of oil, and then season generously with my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning.

Using a saute pan, add in 1 tbl of oil and begin to heat. Once the pan is hot, add in the cauliflower and sear for 3 minutes, or until desired color and crust is formed. After it has been seared, flip the cauliflower and sear on the other side for the same amount of time.

Once the cauliflower has been seared thoroughly, add in the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and butter. As the butter begins to melt, baste the cauliflower for 30 seconds on one side, the n flip and do the other side. Repeat this process until the cauliflower reaches your desired tenderness, maybe 2-3 minutes

Remove the cauliflower from the pan and place on a wire rack. Dump the butter, garlic rosemary, thyme onto the “steak, and let rest while you make the sauce.

For the Sauce: Using the same pan, on medium high heat, add the shallots and mushrooms to the pan and saute until shallots become translucent (about 3 minutes).

Next, deglaze the pan with the cognac and reduce ton almost nothing.

Next, add in the mustard, worcestershire sauce, and vegetable stock and cook for 3 minutes.

Once the stock begins to reduce, add in the heavy cream and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Finish the sauce with salt and pepper, and chives.

Food & Beverage

BLUE CRAB & TOMATO RISOTTO

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Risotto is one of my favorite meals to cook. It is so versatile, so many flavor combinations you can use to keep it exciting, use it as a side dish or a main course. You can keep it simple, or go all out and make it as fancy as you like. At the end of the day, its just rice!

What a lot of people dont understand is that risotto is a “process” of cooking the rice. The same as say rice pilaf. The “pilaf” part is the process in which the rice is cooked. The key to make risotto and making it super creamy is constant moving ans stirring in the pan. Arborio rice, the rice used most for risotto, has a very high starch content, and the constant moving/stirring in the pan activates those starches, which makes your risotto creamy.

I am a big fan of blue crab, and was craving them, so I wanted to make a semi upscale dish. Because the crab is white/pale in color, and so is the rice, I opted to add in some tomato paste to give it some color, as well as some acid and sweetness. Topped it off with a lemon buerre blanc and parsley, and WOW….just as I had envisioned!

Dont be scared to make risotto, it really is simple……just keep stirring and you’ll be just fine!

Grocery Cart:

  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
  • 4 cups seafood stock, or stock of choice
  • 1 large shallot
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 4 TBL room temp butter
  • 10 oz Blue Crab (lump)
  • 2 TBL Tomato Paste
  • salt and pepper TT
  • parsley for garnish

Directions:

In a sauce pan, heat the seafood stock on a medium low heat

In a separate pan, heat oil on medium high heat. Once oil is heated, add in shallot and saute. Next add in the arborio rice, and toast for about 5 minutes, then add in tomato paste and mix thoroughy.

Next, deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce until almost gone.

Now, reduce heat to medium, add in 1 ladle of stock. Constantly stir risotto. Once risotto has absorbed the stock, add in another ladle. Continue this process until risotto is cooked though.

Once risotto is cooked to desired consistency, add in the parmesan cheese and mix together.

Next add in the butter, a few cubes at a time and combine.

Lastly, add in your crab meat and mix again. Garnidh with some freshly chopped parsley

Food & Beverage/Uncategorized

HOME MADE CHILI OIL

Who knew that so may people wanted to make their own chili oil……

The great thing about this recipe is that it is really simple to do and doesnt take a whole lot of time. You can also play around with the measurements, peppers, sweetness to really make it your own. Whether you like it super hot like me, maybe a little milder, or even sweet. The options are endless.

A lot of you were asking me what do you use this on, or what does it go with. The answer is any and EVERY thing! I think it works best with vegetables. I love it on my eggs (stay tuned for this weeks #SundaySammie), and it goes great with pasta as well (think spicy garlic noodles). As far as using it on your protein is concerned, I would say that chicken and fish are probably best. I would stay away from red meat with this one, but that is just my preference, you may like it.

So here is the recipe:

Grocery Cart
2.5 cups neutral oil ( i used grape seed, canola and vegetable are also good options)

10-15 Chile de Arbol

10 -15 Guajillo Chili

3 TBL Ginger (minced)

3 TBL Scallion (mined)

3 TBL Cane Sugar

2 TBL Jalapeno (minced)

2 TBL Toasted White Sesame Seeds

2 Garlic Cloves (micro planed)

1 TBL Red Pepper Flake

1/2 TBL Szechuan Pepper Corns

1 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT

2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Directions:

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat your oil on medium low heat until it JUST begins to smoke. If it is smoking heavily, reduce the heat.

While the oil is heating up, mince your ginger, scallions, jalapenos

Next, using a spice grinder or blender, add in the dried chilis, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns. Blend until almost a powder.

Next, using a tempered bowl, something that will stand up to the heat of the oil, add in all of the above ingredients EXCEPT the oil.

Once all ingredients are added, CAREFULLY add in oil 1 ladle at a time and stirring to combine after every 3 ladles.

Continue this process until all the oil has been added, and continue to stir until fully incorporated.

Let cool and transfer to a mason jar and enjoy!

Food & Beverage

CANDIACE CRAVINGS PT II: MANGO AVOCADO SALAD

This has been a favorite salad of Candiace’s for quite dome time. The first time that she ever told that she wanted it, I was a little confused. The ingredients just weren’t working for me in my head. But, she asked for it….so she got it. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed it as well. It is really fresh, especially when the mangoes AND tomatoes are ripe!

Im not sure that this “qualifies” as a “craving” so much so as she just wanted me to make it! Either way, as we apporach the summer time, I’m sure you will enjoy this one as much as she does!

GROCERY CART:

1 ripe medium sized mango

2 large avocados

1/2 small red onion

1 cup grape tomatoes (sliced in half)

Fresh mozzarella

2 TBL Olive Oil

1 TBL Balsamic Glaze

2 TBL Cilantro (rough chop)

1 TBL Lemon Juice

Romaine Hearts

Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

First we are going to need a large mixing bowl.

Next, we are going to dice up our mango, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and cut your grape tomatoes in half.

Add all of the above items to your mixing bowl, and then add in the juice of 1 lemon.

Next add in the olive oil

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then mix to combine thoroughly.

For plating, add some romaine leaves to your plate, add the salad on top, and fionally garnish with balsamic glaze

Food & Beverage

HOT HONEY SALMON w/ CREAMY CHEDDAR GRITS

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Now this dish here…….WOW!! The amount of flavor this one has is just amazing. Now I know some of you have heat sensitivity, and thats ok, you can leave out the sauce. But for those of you that like to live on the edge, this dish is about to become a favorite!

Ive been posting to IG/TikTok for sometime now, with moderate success, but when this one hit 660k views I knew I had a hit on my hands, lol. Anyway, I dont want to gate-keep the recipes from you all, I just really hate writing them out. I appreciate all the support from everyone, so now its time to get over it and post them! Enjoy!!

GROCERY CART:

Salmon

Bassett Blends All Purpose Seasoning

Honey

Red Pepper Flakes

Instant Grits (I love the Wegmans brand)

Seafood Stock

Butter

Cream

Cheddar Cheese

Apple Cider Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

First, make sure that your oven is preheated 400 degrees.

Next, pat your salmon totally dry, and season generously with my Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT seasoning, or any seasoning of your choice.

Using a saute pan, add some avocado oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the salmon “presentation side” down. This is the side that did NOT have the skin on it. Sear for about 3 minutes until you have a nice color and crust on the salmon.

Next remove the salmon from the saute pan and place on an oven safe dish and bake until desired temperature. I love my salmon cooked to medium, about 145 degrees internal temperature. This will take about 5 – 7 minutes in the oven, but I always suggest using a thermometer to get it right.

Now its time for the hot honey sauce. Using that same saute pan that the salmon was cooked in, add in 1 cup of honey, 2 table spoons of apple cider vinegar, and 2-3 tablespoons of red chili flakes (adjust this to your heat sensitivity preferences).

Heat until the mixture begins to simmer, whisking occasionally. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to a low and cook for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain out chili flakes. Drizzle over salmon and enjoy.

FOR THE GRITS (4servings):

4 cups seafood stock

1 cup water

1 cup instant grits

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons butter

salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 4 cups of seafood stock, and 1 cup of water to a boil. Next whisk in the grits, and reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk the grits every 1-2 minutes for about 10 minutes. Next add in the heavy cream and butter and whisk some more. Finally, turn off the heat and mix in the cheese until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Food & Beverage

CANDIACE’S CRAVINGS: PORK CHOP W/ POMEGRANATE GLAZE

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Ok, so if you caught my reel/tik tok/youtube short, Candiace finally had a “craving” that she wanted me to cook for her. Usually its just stop and pick up some Olive Garden (spaghetti with meat sauce) on the way home from work. After working all day, she texted me that she wanted a pork chop with pomegranate glaze. Luckily the grocery store (Wegmans) is on the way home, so it was no big deal to stop. Yes, I was tired after working all day, and didnt really feel like or want to cook…..but she is pregnant with our child, and on some level, I probably owed for something dumb I had done during the week.

Anyway, for those of you that may be new here, or have forgotten since it has been so long since I posted here…I HATE the websites that have to write long ass stories when all you really want is the damn recipe……so here it is!

Grocery Cart:

Bone In Thick Cut Pork Chop

Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT seasoning (or your favorite seasoning)

Pomegranate Juice

Sugar

Beef Stock

Butter

Salt & Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

First, pat dry your pork chop(s) with a paper towel. Patting them dry removes any excess moisture that could cause the chop to not have good surface contact with the pan while searing. Once the chops are dry, generously season them with my Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT seasoning on all sides.

Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add a little avocado oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the chops and let sit for 2-3 minutes, until a nice sear/crust is formed. After 2-3 minutes, flip and sear the second side for the same amount of time. Once chops are seared on both sides, place the skillet into the oven and cook to desired temperature. I cook my pork chops to a medium temperature which usually takes about 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness. I ALWAYS use a meat thermometer to ALWAYS get the right temperature. Why guess when the tools to get it right are readily available.

For the Pomegranate Glaze:

Using a sauce pan on medium high heat, add equal parts pomegranate juice and white sugar ( for this recipe i used 1/2 cup of each. Bring mixture to slow boil. Stir often to dissolve the sugar and reduce by 1/4.

Next add in about 2 ounces of beef stock

Finally finish with 2 tablespoons of cold butter, whisk together until smooth.

And that is it! A really easy and fast meal with a ton of flavor.

Food & Beverage

THIRSTY THURSDAY | THE ESPRESSO MARTINI

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I still am just not understanding the hype around this martini. I thought this thing died out in the 2000’s, but now it is EVERYWHERE. Maybe its just because I am not a fan of coffee, I just dont see the allure of this cocktail. I actually did a pretty funny IG “skit”/reel on this cocktail a few months back. A lot of you had voted for this one last week, and it was close, real close, so I decided that because so many people asked for it….I would make it this weeks cocktail.

Traditionally Kahlua is used for the coffee flavoring, but the purpose of this blog/Youtube channel is to turn you on to NEW and FUN things that you may or may not have heard or used before. There is a moonshine company (don’t get all weirded out, not the moonshine that burns holes in your esophagus, but a lovely, smooth drinkable moonshine) based out of Richmond, VA that I love , called Belle Isle Moonshine. I actually have posted about them here a few times in the past, and their whole line of products is just amazing. Anyway, I can talk about them another time. For our espresso martini, we will be using whatever vodka that you like, along with the Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee moonshine. Now, I said earlier that I do not like coffee, coffee flavored drinks, coffee flavored desserts, but when I tell you how good this stuff is…..its really good! So good that I enjoy it on its own with just an ice cube or two.

Here’s the video….enjoy!

Food & Beverage

RASTA PASTA w/ JERK SHRIMP

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OK you “cream sauce crusaders” I hope this dish is to your liking! I loved it! This one is an easy one to do and has a TON of great flavor. The best part is that aside from cooking the pasta, it only requires 1 pan, so there is minimal clean up. I used the Walkerwoods HOT & SPICY jerk seasoning, so feel free to get a milder version or even use a dry rub if that is too hot for you. This is not a “traditional” rasta pasta” but I believe it rings true to the original dish. Dont eat me up too much in the comments for it. I say it in the video, if you are vegetarian, and dont want to do the shrimp or sausage, a good “meaty” mushroom is a great substitute here.

Grocery Cart:

2 tablsepoons avocado oil
1 pound shrimp
1/2 pound andouille sausage
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 teaspoons garlic paste
3 oz white wine (optional)
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning (wet)
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 cup pasta water, if needed
salt and pepper TT

Food & Beverage

THIRSTY THURSDAY | OUT ON DUVAL

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Its Thirsty Thursday and you all wanted vodka, so here it is! I really thought it was going to be an espresso martini, but you all voted for “something different”. I had to dig in “the vault” to find this one, but it is a Chris Bassett original. I created this back in like 2012 for a beverage program I was running at the time. I probably have not had this cocktail since I left there, and drinking it again today…I remember why I liked it so much. It is a little on the sweet side, but has some really good acid as well, and you can never go wrong with vanilla!

Enjoy

Food & Beverage

“SHE CAME FROM JESUS”

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Since #RHOP premiered last night….lets revisit this cocktail! For those of you that are fans of Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of Potomac, you may remember this cocktail from Season 3. If you are not a fan of the show, or are new to my page, here’s a little back story.

I’ve been a part of the food & beverage industry for longer than I care to mention. That being said, curating food and cocktail menus has always been a passion project for me. When I met my wife back in 2012 or 2013, I was serving as the Beverage Director, for a now defunct dim sum restaurant, I was just getting into my cocktail creation groove. At the time, she (my wife) only really drank red wine, on Thursdays, while watching Scandal, in her aptly named “Olivia Pope” balloon wine glasses….enter me!

Curating and creating cocktails can be a tedious task of trial and error, all while attempting to achieve optimal balance and great taste. It also usually results in several missteps and plenty of drunken afternoons and nights! While we were dating and living together, Candiace quickly started to expand her horizons and take on more than a glass of wine, and was clearly benefiting from all of the tasting she got to take part in on a nightly basis. After months of tasting cocktails for everyone else, Candiace wanted me to create a cocktail for her. Not just any cocktail, but one that represented her. Beauty, style, grace, all rolled into one sexy cocktail.

Also…..while you’re reading this, don’t for get to pick up some of my Bassett’s Blends All Purpose, and All Purpose HOT Seasoning blends. You can get them right here by clicking this link!! You will be seeing this talked about on the show coming up as well!

When creating a cocktail, I usually start with the spirit/liquor that I want to showcase. I knew that this cocktail was ALWAYS going to be brown, to represent that smooth sexy skin tone. Initially I thought bourbon, but landed on rum, a spiced rum at that, since, well you know, shes a little spicy! At the time I was creating this “special” cocktail, bitter-esque cocktails using amaros and other similar style spirits were having a moment, and being used a lot. I thought a slight bitterness was the perfect fit to go with spiced rum. It took me quite some time to find the perfect one that wasn’t too bitter, and still was able to add depth. Now, despite what you may see on your tv screen, Candiace is actually a very sweet person, so I needed a sweet component to this beverage. Orange is a great flavor that works with rums. Initially I was looking at a fresh made orange simple syrup, then just orange juice, but it just wasn’t giving what i needed it to. I also wanted this cocktail to be stirred, to keep that sexy, smooth look to it. A shaken cocktail, especially with orange juice, would leave the drink with cloudy look, and just not the look I wanted. So, keeping it a stirred cocktail, looking for an orange element, I began looking at things like Cointreau, Gran Marnier, even Gran Gala. I finally settled on Mandarine Napoleon and it gave what needed to be gave! To finish off the drink and bring it all together, we added a few dashes (3 of them to be exact, because that is my favorite number) of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters, and a flamed orange peel for garnish to drive home that orange aroma.

Naming cocktails has never really been my strong suit, my creativity only goes so far. For the longest time this drink was simply called “Candiace’s Cocktail”. After we wrapped filming of our first season on #RHOP, and Candiace delivered her iconic clap back; “I came from Jesus!”

I figured now was as good a time as any to #driveback and revisit one of my favorite drinks and share those #benefits with you all. Check out the full recipe below, and don’t forget to tag me in your pictures of you enjoying “She Came From Jesus”!!

Cheers!

“SHE CAME FROM JESUS” Recipe:

  • 2oz of Thrashers Spiced Rum
  • 1oz of Cardamaro
  • .75oz of Mandarine Napolean
  • 3 dashes of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters

Directions: In a mixing glass, add all of the above. Add in a fair amount of ice. Stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain mixing glass into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel. Enjoy!