Category Archives: Recipes (Savory)

Summer’s South Carolina Shrimp Burgers — Plus A Cookbook Giveaway

Posted on by 6 comments
So crisp, moist, and delicious, this shrimp burger is sure to become a new summer favorite.
So crisp, moist, and delicious, this shrimp burger is sure to become a new summer favorite.

Summer’s the time when folks like nothing better than firing up the backyard grill.

But there are some who lack grills — either because they have no suitable yard or balcony or they simply don’t like playing with fire like that.

“South Carolina Shrimp Burgers” are just the ticket for them — and really for anyone who loves a great burger of any sort.

Reminiscent of the popular ones enjoyed all over the coastal Carolinas, this moist-on-the-inside and crisp-on-the-outside shrimp burger is cooked on a skillet on the stovetop in no time flat.

It tastes of pure summer sunshine, long lazy days, and much like a New England lobster roll — except it’s easier and more economical.

The recipe is from the new “The Complete Summer Cookbook”,” of which I received a review copy. It’s by America’s Test Kitchen.

Read more

Oui Oui to French Onion Sheet Pan Chicken

Posted on by 6 comments
Chicken thighs smothered in caramelized onions and Gruyere just like classic French onion soup.
Chicken thighs smothered in caramelized onions and Gruyere just like classic French onion soup.

Who doesn’t love the rustic and robust taste of French onion soup, loaded with caramelized onions and finished with a crisp crouton smothered in gooey melted cheese?

That’s all dandy in the chill of winter. But in the torrid days of summer? Not so much.

But now, you can have your French onion soup — and eat it then, too.

All it takes is this recipe for “French Onion Sheet Pan Chicken.”

It’s from the new cookbook, “Everyday Grand” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy. It was written by Texas-based Jocelyn Delk Adams, the founder of the popular blog, Grandbaby Cakes, along with Olga Massov, a Washington Post food editor.

Adams calls it a collection of recipes designed to celebrate life’s good times, be they major victories or small everyday momentary wins. They include “Cornmeal Butter Biscuits with Big Mama’s Fig Preserves,” “Hawaiian Loco Moco Tatchos” (sheet pan tater tots smothered in ground beef), “Shrimp Etouffee Potpie,” “Oxtail and Cornmeal Dumplings,” and “Brownie-Stuffed Birthday Cookies.”

I’m not going to lie: “French Onion Sheet Pan Chicken” doesn’t taste exactly like its namesake classic soup. However, it is boldly seasoned and thoroughly delicious in its own right.

Read more

Salt and Pepper Tater Tots — A Guilty Pleasure If There Ever Was One

Posted on by 2 comments
Salt and pepper tater tots are sure to be your new guilty pleasure.
Salt and pepper tater tots are sure to be your new guilty pleasure.

If you had told me that one day I’d be stir-frying tater tots, I would have called you “crazy.”

But crazy can be mighty good.

And these sure are.

Put your disbelief aside, do yourself a favor, and make these “Salt and Pepper Tater Tots.”

If you’ve ever enjoyed the warm aromatics of Chinese salt and pepper shrimp or salt and pepper spare ribs, then you know the taste sensation you are in for.

This delightful recipe is from “Tenderheart” (Alfred A. Knopf), of which I received a review copy.

It’s the newest cookbook by Hetty Lui McKinnon, the gifted Chinese Australian cook and food writer who now lives in Brooklyn. She’s also the publisher of the multicultural food journal, Peddler, as well as host of its podcast, The House Specials.

Read more

Lollipops For Pops on Father’s Day

Posted on by 2 comments
Lollipops of a different sort for Father's Day.
Lollipops of a different sort for Father’s Day.

My dad was a sucker for See’s Candies of any kind or shape.

For Father’s Day, we’d often present him with a big See’s box, which he’d tear into eagerly — even way before dinner.

I have a hunch, though, that my dad would have also gone gangbusters over these lollipops of a different sort.

That’s because he also loved lamb. Most often, he’d turn cubes into stew with loads of carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes cut into large chunks to stretch out the meal for our family of five.

A lamb rib rack, with its higher price tag, wasn’t something he’d pick up at the store. But when I cooked up these “Vindaloo-Spiced Lamb Lollipops,” I couldn’t help picturing him smacking his lips over them.

Smoky from the grill, juicy and tender from a vibrant marinade, they’re redolent of cumin, one of the staple spices in the curry lamb stew he’d often make in winter.

This aromatic and complex tasting dish comes from the cookbook, “Chiles and Smoke” (Quartz Publishing Group/Harvard Common Press), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by pit master Brad Prose, founder of the recipe site Chiles and Smoke. As the name implies, the book is all about grilling recipes featuring an array of chiles. That doesn’t mean necessarily mean they will scorch your palate. The chiles are used judiciously. Plus, you can always decrease the amount used, if you like.

Read more

Pantry Cooking Goes Gourmet With Porcini and Cream Sauce Pasta

Posted on by Leave a comment
A restaurant-worthy dish that takes only minutes to make.
A restaurant-worthy dish that takes only minutes to make.

Wild porcinis have a short season and a hefty price tag.

But dried ones keep for ages, and are much more affordable especially because their concentrated flavor makes a little go a long way.

That’s why I love this recipe for “Porcini and Cream Pasta Sauce.”

You just combine items in your pantry and fridge to create a thoroughly restaurant-worthy dish.

The recipe is from “The Italian Cooking Course: (Kyle Books, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, wife-and-husband owners of two eponymous restaurants in England.

This hefty 512-page cookbook, geared toward both novice and more accomplished cooks, shows you how to make all manner of fresh pasta, even ones colored with cuttlefish ink, tomato paste or beets, as well as how to roll, cut, and form various shapes.

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »