If you’re around the Washington, D.C. area, you’re likely familiar with the many Peruvian chicken restaurants – especially Pollo Rico, famed by Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations. And they’re famous for a reason: the chicken is fall-off-the-bone delicious with so, so much flavor (if you haven’t tried them, you’re really missing out!). The chicken also…
Dinner
Spice-Rubbed New York Strip Steaks with a Horseradish Cream Sauce
My sous chef and I were in the meat and seafood section of the grocery store yesterday, perusing for something that tickled our fancy for dinner. We’re very much so planners – but yesterday we decided to be wild and crazy and walk down to the store on a whim to pick something up (I…
Blackened Shrimp Skewers with Avocado-Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing
Fire up your grill, memorial day party-goers: these treasures will be the chocolate to your peanut butter; the bonnie to your clyde; or… the spicy shrimp bites to your coronas (yes, plural). Yup, we’ll stick to that third one. These are seriously a perfect appetizer – but we went wild and even had them for…
Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Bacon, Candied Pecans and a Balsamic Glaze
I love warm goat cheese. It’s ooey-gooey melt-in-your-mouth delicious with a perfect crunch to contrast from the creamy goodness. And with bacon? Well, we all know everything is better than bacon. And as a not-so-recovering goat cheese and bacon addict, this beauty of a salad certainly gave me my fix. Not to mention, a perfect…
Old Bay Salmon-Corn Cakes with a Cayenne-Horseradish Remoulade
These are uh-maze-ing. Nothing short of it. Seriously brilliant. When I first suggested the idea of making salmon cakes my sous chef was completely averse: he was dead-set on crab cakes and wasn’t looking back. While we’ve made amazing crab cakes, there is no harm in experimenting – and friends, these babies are proof. Now,…
Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Crema
Hello, Cinco de Mayo! Maybe my favorite holiday only second to Christmas. Simply because I’m unabashedly obsessed with tex-mex food (always have been, always will be) and it’s the perfect excuse to make exorbitant amounts of it. Perhaps it’s because everything is served with a sinful amount of condiments or perhaps it’s the spice of…
Sesame-Soy Grilled Asparagus
Asparagus is one of those vegetables my sous chef and I routinely have as a side dish for dinner. And they’re so easy to dress up whatever way you like to fit your main dish perfectly (because nobody likes naked asparagus, right?). We made the oh so delicious Honey-Soy Chicken Thighs for dinner and wanted an…
Basil Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches with Tomato and Mozzarella
I love chicken salad. Always have, always will. What’s not to love? It’s condiment-galore. The chicken is just the side-show, right? And you can get creative and add everything you love: a splash of mustard, a dollop of relish, seasonings, herbs – you throw in all of these delicious add-ins and you call it chicken…
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
It was a gorgeous weekend and I was so looking forward to a beerfest-filled weekend with my sous chef and his brother who was in town for a few days; and nevertheless, Saturday morning welcomed me with the joys of a stomach virus. Luckily, it was short lived and by 3 p.m. or so I…
Sauteed Shrimp with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Green Peppers and Spaghetti Squash
This recipe brings me way back – growing up, my mom would make pasta with this sun-dried tomato and green pepper mixture and I just loved it. And as I try to steer-clear of pasta these days (I reserve those calories and carbs for wine, of course, which luckily, I didn’t have to do at…