Oh no! Two weeks in a row without Dinner Tonight, that just can’t happen. Today was spent recovering from a late night of drinking, poker and Wii Golf. And not to mention heading to the restaurant for the annual breakfast, where I made some pancakes and a modified version of my stuffed French toast. Now there are a lot of varying versions of this dish, and I’ve tried them all. For me the simple formula of the toast and fruit in the cream cheese is the best one. That and my homemade simple syrup has turned this into a classic at home. more…

There are two very important things I just have to mention about tonight’s dinner: I love the fall, and I’ve had better ribeye. This is the prime time for food in my eyes. The meat is meatier and all of those fall fruits and veggies are my favorites. Sure I snack on bananas year round, and who doesn’t love a succulent orange now and then? But the variety of flavors and textures from just apples is absolutely inspiring. It’s the sole reason I chose a gala apple to be my sweetener for the root vegetable mash. more…

The best test for checking out the new seasonal fruits and vegetables is to prepare them with little fanfare. Roast some root vegetables or squash. Make an apple tart. Anything that requires you to do as little as possible to the produce will garner you praise for your cooking prowess. Meanwhile it’s all nature’s doing. That was the inspiration for dinner this evening. I couldn’t pass by the mounds of squash tumbling off the display racks at the grocery store without picking up just one. more…

Lately in our house we’ve been getting the bulk of meats from frozen sources. Or at least from large hunks we’ve purchased at a warehouse style store (BJ’s, Costco, etc) and then carved up at home. So the meats haven’t been fresh. There’s even a bag of tilapia in our chest freezer. But damnit I just wanted something fresher, and walking by the meat and seafood department at Wegmans has left me drooling the past few weeks. Gorgeous ribeyes and porterhouse steaks have been calling to me, and then I ironically choose the shrimp this week. more…

What can I say; I just like the simple recipes. Most often when I come across a blog post about a recipe it feels like someone is trying too hard. That might come from us home cooks wanting to impress the potential haute cuisine aficionados out there. I’m not sure. It’s likely the reason I’m drawn to orangette. Molly has a tendency to make everything sound delicious, and such was the case last week when she posted about kale. Yes, the kale that is used as a salad bar garnish. The one that it seems very few people actually eat. more…

Tonight’s dinner, aside from not being on the usual Sunday evening, is also largely inspired by others. And by others I mean recipe ideas that are just not my own. I maintain a level of ease with the food I prepare here because I want you to make it at home too. Recently a little site called Noodlr showed up on the foodie scene, and it has changed my world. In fact I’ll likely have to restrain myself from making a noodle dish every night. more…

After Dinner Thoughts:
Lately I’ve been working in the restaurant for 50-60 hours a week, and therefore haven’t had much time to cook delicious meals at home. Most often I’ve been throwing together something quick at work like a sirloin with balsamic glaze or flounder with wilted spinach and tomato garlic lemon sauce. Tonight I just couldn’t resist doing another of my fresh salads. more…

Ingredients

Brine

¼ cup salt
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp black pepper corn
1 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
5 whole cloves
¼ cup orange juice
Ice and water more…

Ingredients

½ lb elbow macaroni

3 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1 tsp Turmeric

2 tsp Ground Mustard

½ tsp paprika

½ cup finely diced onion
more…