Tag: housewives of potomac

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

CANDIACE CRAVINGS PT III: POT ROAST

Pot Roast?? In the middle of the summer? I have always felt this dish was just for fall and winter. When I posted the question, seems everyone likes it all year round…..especially my pregnant wife! Maybe I am just picky about what and when I eat certain foods. No judgement at all, this is just my personal preference.

I am definitely picky when it comes to my potatoes! I am not a fan of the whole (or halved) potatoes in this dish. I prefer to serve it over mashed potatoes. I think for the texture and overall presentation it is just better. But this is what is great about food. YOU can do whatever YOU like. A recipe is just a guide, feel free to adjust however you want.

Grocery Cart:

1 4# Chuck Roast

Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT Seasoning

1 TBL Avocado Oil

3 stalks celery

1 medium yellow onion

1# baby carrots

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dip

1 packet Lipton French Onion Soup miz

2 TBL Worcestershire Sauce

1 QT Beef Stock

2 TBL minced garlic

8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme

Scallions for garnish

1 TBL cornstarch

Directions:

First we are going to season our chuck roast with my Bassetts Blends All Purpose HOT seasoning, and 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch DIP, not the dressing. I dont know what the difference is, but they taste DIFFERENT. Make sure to get the roast seasoned on all sides and let rest for 10 minutes.

While the roast is resting, dice up 3 stalks of celery, and your medium yellow onion. Next in a heavy bottom skillet, add in the avocado oil.

Once the pan is hot add in the roast, sear for 3 minutes. After a good crust is formed from the sear, flip and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.

After the roast has been seared, add it to your crock pot on the “high” setting. Then add in the celery, onions, carrots, thyme, french onion soup, worcestershire sauce, garlic, and beef stock. Put the lid on and cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce heat to low and cook for another 3, or until roast begins to fall apart.

Now that the roast is cooked and falling apart, remove it from the crock pot and place into a bowl. Scoop out the vegetables and place them in a separate bowl. Now strain the remaining juices from the crock pot into a sauce pan on high heat.

When the juices come to a boil, make a slurry using 1 TBL cornstarch and mixing it with water. Add the slurry to the sauce pan, give it a whisk, then reduce to desired thickness.

While the juices are reducing, use 2 forks and shred your roast. Add some of the juice to the roast to keep it moist

Serve and garnish with scallions

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

NO CREAM PASTA SERIES: FETTUCINE W/ TOMATOES, BURRATA, & CRIPSY GARLIC

Ok, I know I promised you all weeks ago that I was going to show that you DO NOT need to use heavy cream and cajun seasoning in EVERY pasta dish that you make. Well here is the first dish in that series.

Now, I did kinda cheated a bit using burrata cheeses. Burrata does have a little cream, called stracciatella that is injected into it when it is made. I just had to let ease you all of the heavy cream, while still giving creaminess. Just trust me on this one.

I actually came across this recipe while looking for some inspiration for some other project I am working on and saw this. I thought to myself, damn, this looks good, but I would change soooo many things about the way I made this. And so I did! Let me know what you think and if you would try this one!

#GROCERYCART

1 box pasta of choice ( I used Fettucine)

2 garlic cloves

10 oz grape tomatoes

4 oz romano cheese

4 oz Burrata cheese

8-10 good sized fresh basil leaves

2 oz goat cheese (optional)

2 TBL pistsachios

3 oz Olive Oil

Splash of red wine (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot salt some water and bring to a boil for your pasta.

Next peel, and THINLY slice 2 garlic cloves, then using a medium sized skillet, on a medium heat, add in the olive oil. Slowly heat the oil, and then add in the sliced garlic cloves. Gently fry the garlic cloves until they become a nice caramel color. DO NOT burn them, or they will become bitter. Once you get the desired color, remove the cloves from the oil and set on a paper towel to dry.

Now, slice your tomatoes in half and add those to the same skillet that we used with the garlic cloves. Keep the oil in the pan, do not remove it. Season the tomatoes with a little salt. Once the tomatoes start to blister and get soft, deglaze the pan with some red wine. This step is optional and not required, but I think it adds more flavor.

Empty the skillet with the tomatoes, wine, oil into a blender. Add in the 4oz of burrata cheese, and then blend until smooth.

Next, in a food processor, add in the romano cheese, pistachios, and basil leaves. Blend this until combined.

Add the blended tomatoes and burrata back to the skillet and bring to a low simmer. Add in your pasta and finish cooking until al dente. If the sauce begins to thicken too much, add in a little pasta water to thin it out.

Check for seasoning and then plate up. Garnish the pasta with the fried garlic cloves, and romano/basil mixture!

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.

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A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: EBOOK

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YOU FOUND IT!! Welcome to my website and thank you for your interest in my ebook/cookbook. This is just a small sampling of some bigger things I have coming in the next year, and I am excited to share that journey with you. You can buy/download the ebook here. Go ahead, just click this link!

Thank you again, and be sure to be on the lookout for “Bassett’s Blends”, my line of seasonings/spices that will be dropping soon as well. Its only up from here! Don’t for get to let me know your feedback for A Few Of My Favorite Things, so that I can continue to bring you the content you want!

Chris

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

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

THE ONLY “SPAGHETTI” SAUCE YOU WILL NEED….SIMPLE POMODORO IN 30 MINUTES

Listen, I love a rich cheesy cream sauce as much as the next person. Throw in some blackening or Cajun seasoning, and just take all my money! But seriously….what is the choke hold that these sauces have on the internet/foodie community? There are so many other sauces out there that are just a flavorful and delicious, and wont leave you feeling like you need to run a 5k to enjoy them. This sauce here is one of them. Its in the simplicity of the ingredients, that short amount of time it takes to deliver a ton of flavor, and the versatility to add cream if you want!

This recipes literally has only 6 ingredients (8, if you count salt and pepper), and gives all the flavor you can handle. Not only is it quick and simple, but you can use this sauce for plain pasta, or for meatballs, your chicken/eggplant parmesan. You like a spicy vodka sauce, sure you can adapt this sauce for that. You need some full fat richness? Just add that heavy cream.

You can make this in a large batch, let it cool, and then store it in quart size freezer bags. Now you have a portioned sauce that is good for 4 to 6 people, and you can make each one differently when you choose to make it. This is how cooking should be; stress free, flavorful, with multiple uses. Check out the video for this quick and easy sauce: