French Toast in a mug

If you’ve got a microwave & a mug, you’ve got French Toast (mostly).

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar (50/50 cinnamon & sugar)
• 3/4 -1 cup stale bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon bourbon, optional
• 1 tablespoon chopped pecans, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a mug, and spread all around the bottom & sides
2. Add egg, and beat well
3. Add everything else and carefully mix well making sure all bread is covered
4. Microwave 60-80 seconds
5. Eat

PICKLED RED ONIONS

Whether for a taco, a sandwich or even on top of a few slices of brisket for a little acidic crunch - these are tremendous. And they make an easy, great gift when going to someone’s for dinner.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1   1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 6-10 black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 medium red onion, sliced into thin semi circles

 DIRECTIONS

1. Combine everything except onion in a small bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar & salt
2. Put sliced onions in a large bowl and cover with boiling water - let sit about a minute then drain well
3. When the onions are cool enough to handle, put as many as you can into a sterilized pint mason jar, and cover with the brine liquid
4. Screw on the lid and when it’s cool, refrigerate
5. They’ll start being good tomorrow, but great after 3 days or so days 

LEMON SHORTBREAD COOKIES

These lemon shortbread are ridiculous – and I mean that in the most delicious way possible.

Makes an 8x8 pan

 INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest of one lemon

1 cup salted butter, cold and cut into cubes

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees

• Put flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a processor and pulse 3 or 4 times to mix

• Add butter and continue to pulse until still crumbly, but you’re able to squeeze a handful together and it will stick

• Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper – enough so it sticks a couple inches past the sides, and press dough evenly into pan

• Lightly score with a knife into the size cookies you want when it’s done

• Bake 45-55 minutes or until just starting to get brown around the edges - you might need to re-score about the 3/4 point

• Remove from oven, and use parchment to remove cookie block from pan

• Cut through score lines to separate cookies, then place on a cooling rack and wait

• And if you can wait more than 3 or 4 minutes…you’re better than me

YOGURT MARINATED CHICKEN

Cumin, turmeric, garlic...mmm.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces plain non-fat Greek yogurt

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 tablespoon avocado oil (extra-virgin olive oil works too)

• 1 tablespoon Sriracha

• 1/3cup chopped fresh cilantro, set aside 2 tablespoons for garnish

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• 1 tablespoon turmeric (if you don’t have you could sub curry)

• 1 pound skinless & boneless chicken thighs (or breasts if you must but it just won’t be as juicy)

Directions

1. Put everything except chicken in a large bowl and whisk well to combine

2. Set aside about ⅓ cup of the marinade, and add chicken to the rest - make sure it’s well coated with the marinade, cover and refrigerate 3 hours up to overnight

3. Remove chicken from fridge about 20 minutes before cooking

4. Pre-heat grill to high

5. Cook chicken until done, approximately 5 minutes a side, serve with extra sauce

Watch how I make it

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Biscuits and Gravy

Making this with hot Italian sausage instead of pork breakfast sausage gives it a great flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• one pound hot Italian sausage
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 to 21/2 cups milk
• Salt & pepper
• 5-6 biscuits, split in half

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook sausage over medium heat in a large pan until just no longer pink - about 5 minutes
2. Sprinkle flour on top of sausage and mix well, cooking for a couple minutes
3. Add milk and cook, stirring often until thickened, 4 to 5  minutes - this is the time to add more milk if you like it thinner
4. Season to taste with salt & pepper and serve over biscuits

Lamb Pitas with Tahini Sauce

Featured on my TV episode, Mediterranean Day.

Tahini Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup tahini paste
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• Pinch Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped curly parsley
• ½ cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Put everything but water in a processor and process until smooth
2. Add water - and process - set aside

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Tomato Parsley Salad

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup finely chopped curly parsley
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients, mix well and set aside

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Lamb Meatballs

Makes about 25 small meatballs

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground lamb
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• Pitas

DIRECTIONS

1. Put ground lamb in a bowl and add cumin, oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Mix well and shape into approximately 1 inch balls.
2. Brush lightly with oil and cook on a hot grill until it’s where you like it, about 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from grill, put on a warmed pita with tahini sauce and add some tomatoes. 

WATCH ME MAKE THIS... FULL TV EPISODE 

Asian-ish Israeli Couscous

Featured on my TV episode, Mediterranean Day.

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, crushed

Couscous:

• 1 cup Israeli couscous (aka pearl couscous)
• Neutral oil like vegetable or canola
• 2 cups water
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup each green and red bell peppers, finely diced
• ½ cup white onions, finely diced
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 cups fresh baby arugula

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients; set aside
2. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and add couscous
3. Cook, stir constantly just to lightly ‘toast’ the couscous - about 2 minutes
4. Add water to the pot to completely cover the couscous along with a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil - turn down and cook 7-8 minutes
5. While it cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium-high heat in a pana and add peppers and onions - cook until just softened about 3 minutes and add mushrooms
6. Cook for another 2-3 minutes then add garlic, cook until fragrant, remove from heat and set aside
7. When couscous is about done, add arugula to the water, stir well and let wilt - remove from heat and drain
8. Mix couscous, vegetables and dressing in a large bowl

9. Serve.

Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

Featured on my TV episode, Mediterranean Day.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 2 roma tomatoes, diced small
• 1 cup English cucumber, diced small
• ¼ cup red onions, diced small
• ¼ cup sliced Kalamata olives
• ¼ cup each of fresh parsley, fresh basil and fresh mint; roughly chopped
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Grilled Chicken:

• 1 chicken breast, flattened out to about ½ inch thick
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the salad
2. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing, set aside
3. Preheat grill or grill pan on high heat
4. Lightly oil chicken and season with salt and pepper
5. Cook chicken until grilled beautifully - about 3 to minutes a side
6. Add dressing to salad, slice chicken and put on top of salad with a little bit more dressing.

WATCH HOW I MAKE THIS... FULL TV EPSIODE

Shakshuka

Featured on my TV episode, Mediterranean Day.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell, thinly sliced
• ½ of a yellow onion, thinly sliced
• Neutral oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1½ teaspoons cumin
• One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 6 ounces baby spinach
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 cup each finely chopped parsley & green onion

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the peppers, onions and a tablespoon of oil in a large pan (with at least 2 inch sides) over medium heat and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes

2. Add the garlic with a little bit more oil and cook until very fragrant – about a minute

3. Add paprika and cumin – mix well and let toast slightly

4. Squish each tomato to break up and dd to the pan along with any juices from the can and let the whole thing simmer 15 minutes

5. Add spinach, stir to combine and continue to cook until spinach has completely wilted and is well incorporated

6. Carefully crack eggs on top of the sauce, cover with a lid or a double piece of foil and cook until the whites are set but the yolks still runny

7. Top with green onion & parsley – serve.

WATCH HOW I MAKE THIS... FULL TV EPISODE

REFRIED BEANS / FRIJOLES

Great when you buy them, but amazing when you make them. My favorite.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups dry pinto beans
• 3 tablespoons bacon fat, or
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1/2 white onion, cut into a small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS 

1. Pick through beans and remove anything not bean-like: little stones, gross ones whatever
2. Put beans into a pot and cover well with water – like at least 3 inches
3. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and let cook until tender and the skins begin to split open - 2 to 2 ½ hours
4. While they simmer, cook onion in bacon fat (or oil)until softened – 3-5 minutes
5. Stir in garlic and cumin to the onion & cook until fragrant, about a minute
6. Then add drained beans – reserving some of the cooking water
7. Using a hand blender, potato masher or even the back of a large spoon (just not a processor) mash the beans to your desired consistency adding as much reserved water as necessary – you’ll likely use 1/3 to ½ a cup
8. Season to taste with salt and serve

WATCH ME MAKE IT

Yellowtail Collar

FEATURED RECIPE FROM FISH DAY
SAM THE COOKING GUY TV EPISODE

INGREDIENTS

• Yellowtail collars, split into two pieces
• High heat oil, like avocado
• Salt
• Teriyaki sauce, any will do

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat grill to medium/high
2. Brush each side of the collar lightly with a little oil, sand season with salt & pepper on both sides
3. Place flesh down first on grill and cook 5-7 minutes on each side or until just done
4. Towards the end, lightly brush with teriyaki & grill another minute or so until sauce caramelizes a little

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Squid with Oyster Sauce

FEATURED RECIPE FROM FISH DAY
SAM THE COOKING GUY TV EPISODE

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• Splash sesame oil
• peanut oil or any high retention oil to cook
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
• 2 sprigs green onion, (white & light green parts only) cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound squid, cleaned and cut into rings
• Salt
• Pepper

Note: This is a fast cooking dish...prep all your ingredients beforehand

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, mix oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil - set aside
2. Heat a wok or pan on high with about 2 tablespoon oil and add garlic, ginger and green onions - quickly stir-fry to mix about 30 seconds then add the squid to cook 2- 3 minutes, or until just done but still tender
3. Season with a salt and pepper and mix the sauce in - stir well and serve

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Crispy Asian Fish Banh Mi

FEATURED RECIPE FROM FISH DAY
SAM THE COOKING GUY TV EPISODE

Makes 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground Opa
• 6 sprigs green onion, (white and light green parts only) chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Sambal garlic chili paste
• 1-½ cup Panko crumbs
• High heat oil, like avocado oil
• 4 french baguette rolls

Sauce

• ¼ cup Kewpie mayo
• 1 tablespoon Hoisin

BaNH-mi toppings:

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 2-3 sprigs green onion, cut thinly lengthwise

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl put fish, green onion, ginger, garlic, soy, chili paste and ½ cup of Panko - mix until until just combined
2. Form all the fish mixture into 10-12 patties, brush each side with a little oil -  then press into remaining panko to coat lightly
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, cook patties each side about 4 minutes or until cooked through
4. While fish patties are cooking, make the sauce - In a separate small bowl mix mayonnaise and hoisin; set aside
5. Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise and toast/grill lightly
6. Now let’s build the banh-mi: spread sauce on the insides of the rolls, add some carrots and green onion, some cucumber, cilantro and the fish
7. Close, cut in half and eat

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Pesto Pizza

So fricking simple and delicious – a great reason to keep pesto in the fridge. It's super easy and quick, and by quick, I mean in about a minute.

Makes 1 Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Pizza Dough (store bought or homemade)
• All-purpose flour
• 2-3 tablespoons cornmeal
• One 7 oz container pesto sauce (you'll use about half)
• ¼ -½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 fresh mozzarella cheese ball (broken up in smallish pieces)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (unless you are using a pizza oven like Uuni)
2. Sprinkle just enough flour to prevent sticking on dough and working surface. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the dough until it is 1/4-inch thick or less
3. Spread cornmeal on baking sheet and lay the pizza dough on top
4. Spoon a few tablespoons of sauce into the center of the pizza and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges.
5. Next sprinkle red pepper and top with mozzarella
6. Drizzle a little olive oil on top, season with salt and pepper to taste
7. Bake 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness, or until the crust is crisp and golden in a regular oven - but in a pizza oven only as long as needed
8. Slice, eat & repeat!

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Reverse Seared Method Steak

This method will result in a perfectly cooked steak with virtually the same level of doneness all the way thru. That means not only a desirable pink center, but the whole frickin steak will be perfect.  And it will work on any thick steak. That being said I suppose it will work on a thin steak – but you don’t need this technique for a thin steak. And btw, don’t eat thin steaks.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 steak (at least 1½ inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees
2. Place steak on top of a cooling wire rack (if you have one) with a rimmed baking sheet underneath
3. Lightly oil steak and season both sides generously with salt and pepper
4. Using a probe thermometer set to 131 degrees, push probe horizontally into the center of the steak - be careful not to touch bone if the steak has one
5. Put in oven until steak reaches the set temperature
6. Heat a cast iron pan on high (about 5 minutes)
7. Remove steak from the oven, turn on stove fan and sear about 45 seconds to a minute on each side to get a nice brown crust
8. Slice against the grain, and get ready to be wowed!

Hashbrown Thingie

Featured on Steakhouse Day TV episode.

INGREDIENTS

• Neutral oil (like avocado)
• ⅓ cup red pepper, diced small
• ⅓ cup red onion, diced small
• ¼ cup green onion, chopped fine
• 10 oz premade, uncooked fresh hash browns (not the frozen kind)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Saute onions and red pepper in olive oil in a large, non-stick pan (see note) until softened
2. Add the hash browns, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder - mix well then press down flat into a large pancake kinda thing
3. Cook until crispy and brown on both sides - maybe 10 minutes each side

NOTE

In the episode I cooked the onions & peppers in a wok, added the potatoes and mixed and then transferred everything to a large saute pan which made no sense. So learn from my stupidity and do everything in one non-stick pan. As my father would have said - “do what I say, not what I do”

Macaroni and Cheese with Green Chilies

Featured on Steakhouse Day TV episode

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 10 ounces pasta, I used orecchiette but you can use anything you like
• 1½ cup milk
• 1- 4 ounce can green chilies
• 1 cup shredded Colby/Jack cheese
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
• ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium sized pot and add onions and cook until softened about 5 minutes
3. Stir in flour mixing well to make a roux (a dry paste), and slowly whisk in milk
4. Once it starts to thicken, add chilies and cheese, mix well
5. Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain but hold back about a cup of the pasta water
6. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce with the mustard and season to taste with salt & pepper
7. Put into an 8x8 casserole dish or cast iron skillet
8. IN a small pot, melt remaining butter and add the Panko crumbs and chipotle powder - mix well to get everything mix and sprinkle on top of pasta
9. Bake until top is brown and crispy, 20 to 25 minutes
   

Cold Asian Noodle Salad

A simple and delicious way of eating without cranking up the oven.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces soba noodles
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
• ½ tablespoon Sriracha
• ½ cup carrots, julienned (matchstick size)
• ½ cup sugar snap peas sliced diagonally
• ¼ cup radish sliced thin in half circles
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup English cucumbers sliced thin in half circles
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (like avocado)
• 10 peeled, deveined tail-on shrimp (I used 16/20’s in this recipe)
• Kosher salt
• Sesame seeds
• Thinly sliced green onions and chopped cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook noodles according to package directions - do not overcook, drain, rinse well with cold water, drain again and transfer to a bowl
2. While noodles are cooking, in a small bowl combine vinegar, soy, sesame oil, sugar and sriracha - stir well and set aside
3. To the noodles add carrots, peas, radishes, celery and cucumber - mix and add a little sauce (adding more sauce as needed)
4. Heat a pan over medium/high, add oil and justvwhen it’s about to smoke add the shrimp and cook about 1 minute - season with Kosher salt, add splash of ½ tablespoon soy and 1 tablespoon Sriracha; mix well and cook until done, remove shrimp from heat
5. Place the noodles/vegetables on serving plate, top with shrimp and garnish with green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds

WATCH ME MAKE THIS

MISO MARINATED FLANK

Sometimes I forget how good flank steak is – this just brought the memories flooding back.

Ingredients

• One 2 pound flank steak

Marinade:

• ¼ cup white miso paste (available at most supermarkets)
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced

Basting sauce:

• 2-3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and whisk until thoroughly mixed
2. Put the flank and the marinade in a ziplock bag, seal and refrigerate 8 hours up to overnight
3. Take steak from fridge 30 minutes before cooking
4. In the meantime, add basting ingredients to a small bowl and mix until well combined
5. Pre-heat grill to medium high for at least 10 minutes, remove flank from bag (throw away marinade) cook about 4 minutes on first side for medium rare. Flip steak over and brush the top with basting sauce, and cook 2nd side cook about 3 minutes or so, flip again and baste with more sauce.
6. Take the steak off the grill, brush with more sauce, cover lightly with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes
7. Slice into thin strips across grain to serve.

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WATCH ME MAKE THIS

Pancit

This simply delicious Filipino classic is one of my favorites – and hopefully will be yours too. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 8 oz bihon vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup sugar snap peas, cut into thin strips across
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced (like wood matches) carrot strips
• 1/2 pound 21/25 shrimp, raw, peeled & deveined
• 1 cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 2 cups thinly shredded green cabbage
• ¼ -1/3 cup soy
• 1 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a wok on medium high and add onions – cook about 2 minutes
2. Whit they cook put noodles in a large bowl (breaking the bundle in half to make them fit is perfectly fine) and cover with very hot or just boiled water – set aside
3. Add garlic to onion and cook another minute or until fragrant
4. Add snow peas and carrots and cook until vegetables begin to soften, a couple minutes more
5. Add shrimp to pan and cook about 2 minutes being sure to stir well so they cook on all sides
6. Add sliced chicken and stir well to mix
7. Add cabbage and stir until beginning to wilt – a couple minutes
8. Add soy and stir thru to mix, then add broth – mix thru really well
9. Drain noodles well, then add and mix all to combine
10. Turn down to medium and let continue for about 5 minutes to let all the flavors come together
11. Serve.

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