Tag: real housewives of potomac

Food & Beverage

SEAFOOD MAC N CHEESE

You all have been asking for this recipe for a LOOOOOOOONG time, and I finally got you. Just in time for the 4th of July! Macaroni & Cheese is one of those food items that everyone has “the best recipe” for. There are so many ways to make it, and everyone has their “secret ingredient”. Roux or no roux? What kind of cheeses? Mustard? Eggs? No matter how you make yours, once thing is for certain…..EVERYONE is going to judge it, and if you mess it up……not only will you be tarred and feathered in front of everyone, you will forever be relegated to paper plate and napkin duty at any future food gatherings, lol!

Mac n Cheese is one of my favorite foods. I try it on any menu that I see it. I have some really good ones and definitely some not so good ones. One of the issues I have found with a seafood mac, is that it sometimes lacks flavor, or the seafood gets lost. That is definitely not the case here. The mix of cheeses is great, the seafood has life, and the overall dish is going to have your guests asking for it ALL THE TIME. SO be prepared if you take this recipe on!

Grocery Cart:

1 box Cavatapi Pasta (or whatever pasta you like to use)
2 cup whole milk
1.75 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup flour
1 stick of butter (split)
8oz cream cheese
16 oz sharp cheddar
8 oz mozzarella
8 oz smoked gouda
8 oz colby jack
2-3 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning
6 oz langostino tails or lobster meat
6 oz cooked peeled and deveined shrimp
8 oz crab meat (I used claw meat)
2 tsp ground mustard
salt & WHITE pepper to taste
Old Bay hot sauce (as much or little as YOU like)

Directions:

Lets start off by grating ALL of your cheese, and preheating your oven to 375 degrees

Next, bring some water to a boil, and salt it. Once the water is boiling, add in your noodles. Cook the noodles for about 3 minutes LESS than what the box says to do.

Once the noodles are done, drain them, and immediately add in 1/2 stick of butter and mix together

In a separate pot, on medium high heat, add in 1/2 stick of butter and melt. Once the butter is mostly melted, add in the 1/4 cup of flour and whisk to combine. Cook your roux for about 5 minutes to get the raw flour taste out.

Once the roux has a nice nutty aroma, and the flour taste has been cooked out, add in your heavy cream. Whisk thoroughly to incorporate the roux. Next add in the milk, continuing to whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.

Next add in the cream cheese, and stir until it has melted into your sauce. Once the cream cheese is incorporated, slowly, a little at a time, add in the gouda, colby jack, and 1/2 of the cheddar. Whisk occasionally making sure that the cheese does not clump and stick to the bottom.

Once the cheese has been melted through, and your sauce is nice and velvety, add in all of the seasonings listed above. Add others if you like. Adjust the measurements if you want more.

Now, add 2/3rds of the cheese sauce to the buttered noodles. Using a spoon, gently mix all together, and then doubkle check for the seasoning level.

Next, you are going to add in 4 oz of cheddar and 4 oz of the mozzarella, again, mixing to combine.

Once the mac n cheese is complete, here is where you will add in the seafood, and then gently mix together.

Pour the mac n cheese into some sort of baking dish, add the remaining cheese sauce, and then top with the remaining cheddar and mozzarella.

Finish it off with a little more of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning.

Place the dish into the oven for 20 – 30 minutes (if you would like a little more color on top, move to the broiler until you get your desired color.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes……ENJOY!!

Food & Beverage

BLUE CRAB ARANCINI

I hope you saved some of that risotto from the other day, because your gonna need it for this arancini! If you dont have any left over, or didnt make and you need the recipe, you can find it right here…blue crab risotto. The best part about this Italian street food is that if you dont like blue crab, you can make whatever kind of risotto you like, and stuff it with whatever you want.

Because risotto can be time consuming to make, I always make enough to have leftovers, just so I can make this. Once the risotto is already made, the rest of the ingredients you should already have on hand, so it doesnt require too much. I always like to have some sort of sauce for mine, and this simple pomodoro fits the bill nicely.

The crab in butter was just an added garnish, nothing to special about it. I had some left over crab, tossed in a pan with some butter and parsley and then seasoned it up. I think it made it more of a complete dish, than just a “street food snack”.

Hope you enjoy!!

Grocery Cart:

Day old risotto

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

4 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose Seasoning (split)

2 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 cups oil for frying

Directions:

First we need to heat 2 cups of oil (i used canola) to 375 degrees.

Next, grab your day old risotto, and using a 1 oz ice cream scoop, form little balls and place them on a baking sheet. Once you have made all the balls you will need, place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

While your little risotto balls are in the fridge, grab 3 mixing bowls. In the first bowl, add in 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning. In bowl number 2, add 2 whole eggs and whisk together. Finally in bowl number 3, add in 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs and 2 TBL of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning and mix together.

Now that you have your dredging station set, grab your ball from the fridge! First we are going to coat them in the seasoned flour. Then drop them in the egg. Next coat them in the panko mix.

Once all the balls are coated, gently place 2-3 of them at a time into the hot oil and fry. Use a spoon to baste them and get them all a nice golden brown color. They will need about 3-5 minutes to heat through and be crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside.

After frying, place them on an cooling rack and immediately hit them with some flaky salt.

Until the next dish ya’ll!

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

NO CREAM PASTA SERIES: LINGUINI W/ CLAM SAUCE

We are back with another “no cream” pasta. This one even has SEAFOOD in it. Not your favorite, shrimp, lobster, crab….but clams. Now traditionally this dish uses fresh clams and parsley. I chose the canned clams because not everyone has access to FRESH seafood all the time. I also just wanted to see if I would like it as much as well (I did).

We did make another change to the classic as well. Normally fresh parsley is great in this, and it adds a brightening note. Either way, the wife has been craving some spinach, so we went that direction. If I’m being completely honest, some tomatoes and mushrooms would have been another great addition to round out this pasta.

Anyway, heres the recipe:

Grocery Cart:

1 # pasta of your choice ( I used linguini)

10 oz canned clams (save the juice)

2 cloves garlc

1 small shallot

2 oz white wine

2 tbl olive oil

2 cup fresh spinach

red pepper flakes to taste

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbl butter

1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

First things first, we are going to open up the canned clams and drain them, making sure to save the juice.

Next, peel and dice very finely 1 small shallot. Then peel and slice, as thin as you can, 2 large cloves of garlic.

Using a saute pan, on medium low heat, gently saute the garlic. Be sure to not get any color (brown) on the garlic, we dont want it to become bitter. Once the garlic is an opaque/translucent color, add in the shallots and red pepper flakes. Saute until fragrant.

Turn the heat up to medium high, add in 6 oz of clam juice, 2 oz white wine, and juice from 1/2 of a lemon. Reduce by 1/4, and then add in the clams.

Add in your pasta noodles and finish cooking in the sauce.

Add in the butter and once incorporated into the sauce, add in the spinach. Mix thoroughly until the spinach is just wilted, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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

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.