My parents, my sister, and I get together several times a year and have lots of appetizers. My mom calls the parties "tapas parties" but I don't know that we've ever cooked anything Spanish. We usually drink several bottles of wine with the different dishes and have a great time. Judy and I thought that it would be a good idea to have a "tapas night" to celebrate the small improvements my dad has had in the hospital recently - and get my mom drunk. We've all been under a lot of stress lately because of my dad's stay in the hospital. And, with the exception of my dad, my mom, naturally, has had it the hardest. We can't liquor up my dad, so we thought we'd show my mom a good time and hopefully, she'd have a fun evening and get a good night's sleep for a change.



So, Judy and I prepared some dishes and showed up at my parents' house in the guise of harvesting grape leaves. I made scallop ceviche and prosciutto escargots. They both turned out well - and people politely complimented me. They were fine. But, there’s no denying it – Judy kicked my ass tonight. Her lamb kebobs were fantastic – tender and tasty with tomatoes and green onions on the skewers (I never would have thought of that). The inch and a half pieces of green onion turned black on both ends from the heat and were very sweet and flavorful. She had an absolutely fantastic mint yogurt sauce for the lamb. She also cooked clams and oysters on the grill and served them with mango salsa. Again, terrific.



Okay, I admit it – I’m a little surprised that I felt defeated by my escargots. They were buttery and garlicky and very interesting. I had to laugh at my fool self for being jealous of Judy doing so much better. I know I’m competitive. And, it’s only natural that I’m competitive with my only sibling. I recognize her as a good cook – both creative and technically adept. But, so am I. So, usually, we work to a draw. And, since we get to eat each other’s culinary efforts – everyone wins. But tonight, she stomped me. I ate three of her lamb skewers and took one home. I was effusive with my praise - trying to let her know that I knew she had bested me - without actually saying it. She politely asked for the leftover snails. She’s so nice.

Judy brought Ashley, her friend Bob, and Bob’s son Jeremy. We had a great time. The dinner was terrific. We harvested grape leaves for stuffing at a later date. And, we got my mom drunk. Mission accomplished. Tomorrow, we hope my dad will show enough improvement to be sorry he missed it.

Ingredients
24 lg Canned snails
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Proscuitto chopped
1/4 c Butter
2 tablespoon Minced garlic
2 tablespoon Parsley
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1/2 cup Bread crumbs

Instructions
Preheat oven to 500. Drain & wash snails. Simmer 10 minutes in broth. Drain & cool. While snails simmer chop proscuitto. Soften butter & blend in garlic, parsley. Place snails in baking dish. Arrange spoonfuls of butter in snails. Layer proscuitto on top. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake 5-7 minutes minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Ingredients
Marinade:
1 pound fresh scallops
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup Red onion diced
1/4 cup Serrano chiles diced
Sauce:
2 tablespoon Olive oil
1/2 pound tomatillos
1/2 pound Roma tomatoes
1 red onion
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon truffle oil
1/2 cup cilantro
Salt & pepper

Instructions
Marinade: Place all the ingredients in a non- reactive container and keep cold in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and drain all the liquid and set aside.

Sauce: In a saute pan with tablespoon of oil, bring up to high heat and add the first 4 ingredients. Toss until they are blackened. Let cool and in a food processor, place all blackened vegetables and remaining ingredients and pulse to medium chop the vegetables. Toss well and chill. Fold scallops into mixture and serve.

I’m making chicken stock today and I drove to the West Side Market in Cleveland this morning for the ingredients. As I was waiting for a butcher to grind some lamb (for a later recipe), I saw these beautiful beef bones. They were only a dollar for the three fresh, perfect bones. I found a 1# loaf of fresh pumpernickel for $2 at one of the bakery stalls. I was all set for lunch.

Okay, I recognize that this is not for the faint of heart. I pity the weak. This is nearly indescribably delicious. I had this once in Russia and enjoyed it even though it was lacking. In Russia, the bones had cooled a bit and the pumpernickel was stale. But, I tasted the potential of what these could be. Mine turned out perfectly. I’m not kidding – quite possibly one of the most delicious things I’ve ever cooked. Certainly, it was the most delicious thing this easy to prepare. The marrow scoops out a little lumpy but spreads on the bread like soft well-roasted garlic. But it is mild and buttery tasting and it soaks a little into the bread.

This was so easy – a quick poach and toss in the oven for an hour. Of course, the hardest part is getting past the blatant carnivorousness of this. I guarantee, if you can get past that, you won’t be disappointed. Before you start, you’ll feel like a caveman. By the time you finish, you’ll feel like a millionaire.

Make sure you get good pumpernickel.

Ingredients
several 2-3 inch beef bones
salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 t olive oil
1/4 t kosher salt
toasted pumpernickel bread

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Poach bones in boiling water for 2 minutes. Place bones in oven safe pan and lightly season with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour. Meanwhile, combine chopped parsley, olive oil, and kosher salt. To serve, scrape out marrow and spread on pumpernickel with a bit of parsley.

Ingredients
4 pounds chicken carcasses including necks and backs
1 large onion quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
4 ribs celery cut in 1/2
10 sprigs fresh thyme
10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
8 to 10 peppercorns
2 whole cloves garlic peeled
3 gallons cold water


Instructions
Place water, chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in large stockpot. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Simmer uncovered for 6 hours.

Strain stock through a cheesecloth into another large stockpot discarding the solids. Cool immediately in a sink full of salted ice water to around 50 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store stock in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Use as a base for soups and sauces.

I like martinis. I like vodka. This recipe is the way I make my vodka martinis. I used Russian vodka (of course). I still have a little bit from my trip to Russia. This vodka came from Kursk and it's delicious - very clean and dry with no harshness. Russians know vodka.

For a long time, I used one garlic stuffed olive and one jalapeño stuffed olive for my garnish. Lately, I've been using pickled garlic and prosciutto and mozzarella stuffed peppers. My local grocery store has them in their olive bar and they are absolutely wonderful. I know purists may scoff at pickled garlic and the like but some of the best martinis I've had in restaurants were garnished with things like pickled leeks and gorgonzola stuffed olives. Live a little.

I only use pimento stuffed olives for gin martinis. I don't want to overpower the subtle juniper flavor of the gin. To me, that's what makes it gin.

I like this method of chilling the glass and the vigorous shaking in the shaker. I know this adds a bit of water to the martini from water left in the glass and ice shards in the vodka. But, this is a small price to pay for a really cold martini. Besides, I often put a little water in good whiskey and I like the little bits of ice.

Ingredients
3 jiggers vodka
1/8 jigger dry vermouth
garnish

Instructions
Put ice cubes in an empty martini glass and fill with water - set aside to chill glass. Prepare garnish. Put ice in shaker. Add vodka and vermouth to shaker. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Pour ice and water from glass and shake excess water from the glass. Shake shaker for five more seconds and strain contents into chilled glass. Add garnish. Take picture for blog and enjoy.

I had so much fun making a "normal" meal for my grandma, I thought I'd make one for my parents. And, I figured it would be awhile before my dad would be able to eat something like this. All three dishes turned out great. My dad liked the spinach the most and my mom and I liked the orzo. The pork chop looks weird in the picture because the view shows the open stuffed end. It was delicious. Unfortunately, it was very hard to taste the prosciutto or the mozzarella because of the flavor of the sausage. But, it was still very good. Alex slipped when he was cutting his pork chop and knocked a huge chunk of it on the floor. He invoked the 5 second rule and quickly plopped it back on his plate. Trying to be the generous dad, I offered to trade him the remainder of my chop. He said, "But yours is smaller." If Alex would rather have five bites that have been on the floor as opposed to four "clean" bites, I figure the pork chops were a success.

Ingredients
4 double-cut pork chops
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 pound fresh Italian sausage, diced
2 slices prosciutto, minced
2 slices fresh mozzarella, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch salt and pepper
String, for tying
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup butter
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

With a pairing knife, cut a pocket in the rounded side of each chop. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, sausage, prosciutto, mozzarella, garlic, and salt and pepper. Stuff each chop with the mixture and sew or tie them closed with string.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, pat the chops dry then place them in the pan. Brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the pork chops and set them aside in a roasting pan.

Add the onions, butter, white wine, and chicken broth to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes. Add them to the pan with the pork chops. And bake for 1 hour. Remove the string before serving, and drizzle the pork chops with pan juices once plated.

Ingredients
1/2 pound orzo
Coarse salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large lemons, zested
Black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
Cook orzo in salted water about 8-9 minutes, to al dente. Drain orzo well. Do not run under cold water. You want the cooked pasta to remain hot. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl. Drizzle orzo with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add lemon zest, parsley, and cheese and toss to combine the flavors with the pasta.

Ingredients
1# Spinach
4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
3 green onions - finely sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 T sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T chopped garlic
salt and pepper

Instructions
Dissolve sugar and vinegar and reserve. Quickly sauté garlic in hot olive oil. Add spinach, onions, and vinegar/sugar mixture stirring frequently. Do not overcook. Season to taste. Stir in bacon and serve.

Nothing complicated here. I had bacon for something I'm cooking Wednesday. I had chicken in the freezer. I looked for a recipe that uses bacon and chicken. Of the millions of recipes that uses these rare ingredients this recipe had the added benefit of using up half of a stale baguette I had on the counter.

This was good albeit a bit bland. I was really glad I added the parmesan. I could have slapped myself for not using the white truffle oil I had on the counter instead of the olive oil on the croutons. I thought of it too late - when it was half eaten.

Ingredients
3 cups 3/4-inch cubes of Italian bread
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices of lean bacon, chopped
3 pounds chicken breasts, poached and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 scallions, including the green part, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T basil
Parmesan shreds

Stir basil into mayonnaise and set aside. Drizzle the bread cubes with the oil, tossing them to coat them evenly, and season them with salt. Spread the bread cubes in a jelly-roll pan, toast them in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are golden, and let them cool. In a skillet cook the bacon over the moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp and transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. In a large bowl combine well the chicken, the tomatoes, the scallions, two thirds of the bacon, the mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste, divide the salad among the plates, and arrange the croutons around it. Garnish each serving with some of the remaining bacon and some parmesan cheese.

A man needs to know his limitations. I'm not good at frying potatoes. I can't explain it. When I put potatoes in hot oil I rarely get a desired outcome. I used to have a similar problem with fried eggs. I've overcome that and someday, I hope to be able to fry a potato with a modicum of proficiency. These were actually pretty tasty. The picture shows the two prettiest pancakes by a mile. I was worried I wouldn’t even get two for the picture. I intentionally made too many mashed potatoes on meatloaf night so I could make these. I served them with sour cream and chunky applesauce. Mmmm. Ugly potatoes.

The sandwich was excellent. The Russian dressing really was delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had Russian dressing this good. I didn’t even use particularly good corned beef. The marble rye made Alex think I had burned the sandwiches. It was toasted perfectly with the contents warm and delicious.

So, I can’t do potatoes. I have other skills.

Ingredients
4 slices rye bread
Russian dressing
8 ounces thinly sliced Swiss cheese
4 ounces sliced baked ham
8 ounces sliced corned beef
1 cup sauerkraut

Spread Russian dressing on one side of each slice of bread. Assemble sandwich with layers of ham, cheese, and corned beef and sauerkraut.

Spray both sides of the grill with Pam and place the sandwich in the hot panini grill. Cook until the sandwich is golden brown on the outside and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and cut. Serve immediately.

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon minced celery
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
Pinch sugar
Salt

Ingredients
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 large egg, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated onion
2 tablespoons parsley
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a bowl combine well the potatoes and the egg, stir in the flour thoroughly, and stir in the onion, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste.

In a large heavy skillet, heat 1/8-inch of the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Fry heaping tablespoons of the potato mixture, flattening them slightly with the back of the spoon, for 1 minute on each side, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to paper towels to drain and if desired, keep them warm on a rack set on a baking sheet in a preheated 250 degree F oven.

I've been taking grief because I never cook anything "normal." Here's my attempt at normalcy. Besides, I was craving meatloaf. And tomorrow - meatloaf sandwiches.

Last week, I was visiting my grandmother. She had knitted some really nice coasters and kindly offered Alex, Nick, and me our choice of the many she had made in different colors. My grandmother is quite possibly the sweetest person I have ever known. You think your grandma is sweet and kindly? Not. Even. Close. I'm sorry, but it's true. And, being a typical ingrate of a grandson, I don't see her nearly as often as I should. I decided to invite her over to share my meatloaf. I knew she'd appreciate having meatloaf instead of some weird Laotion fermented goat barbecue.

I made a point of making "canned" green beans because my dad asked, "Can't you just open a can of beans?" I can. I hope cooking them in garlic infused olive oil still counts. I made the mashed potatoes without milk because my grandma doesn't tolerate milk very well.

When I took the first picture of the meatloaf my grandma said, "Wait a minute - I think I had my eyes closed." I felt like an idiot for taking pictures of my food instead of taking a picture of her with Alex and Nick. So I did.

I needed to explain to my grandma why I was taking pictures of my food. She seemed amused.

After dinner, we sat and chatted about my grandpa and the house where she lives and my mom grew up. The boys sat and listened and enjoyed her stories. Invite your grandma to dinner. I'm going to do it again soon.

Oh, by the way, the meatloaf was excellent with nice chunks of green pepper. The Yukon gold potatoes make for a sweet and creamy texture. The vegetable broth in the potatoes gave them a different flavor that was really subtle and wonderful. The beans were actually quite tasty even though I probably used too much garlic.

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup oatmeal

Topping:
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.

Topping:
Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf.

Bake for 1 hour.

Ingredients
4 large Yukon Gold potatoes
1 teaspoon Salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 vegetable broth
Freshly ground white pepper

Put the potatoes in a pressure cooker and cover with salted water. Cook under pressure for 15 minutes. Drain, wipe off skins with a towel and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the butter and stir and mash until it melts completely. Add the broth and stir to mix. Season salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Ingredients
Olive Oil
1 thinly sliced onion
Minced Garlic
1-2 cans Green Beans
seasoned salt
Dill Weed

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add beans. Add remaining ingredients and serve when hot.

I ate so well last week that I gained a pound. That's really no big deal. I don't watch my weight that closely. But after all the miles I ran, the racquetball, baseball, and golf I could have lost five pounds. I wanted to use up a few ingredients. I had the leftover spinach from the bibimbap. I had a few shrimp that I didn't use when I made the green onion pancakes. I had the crab that I didn't use when I made sushi. This recipe suited my needs perfectly.

I did all the chopping with the slicing attachment in my food processor and then stirred in the seasonings and mayo. It was totally easy and delicious.

My grocery store didn't have any croissants. So, I used store brand "Crescents." I couldn't bring myself to spread my nice seafood salad on the "Crescents" so I served the salad on a bed of spinach and the "Crescents" on the side. The "Crescents" were actually nice and tasty - and I even got the low-fat ones.

Okay, here's my confession. I really shouldn't have been snooty about the Crescents. I like "Crab Delights." That's what I used on this. So, what are YOU gonna do about it?

Ingredients
8 ounces crab meat
12 cooked shrimp - chopped
1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1 cup spinach leaves - shredded
1/4 cup mint leaves shredded
1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
4 large croissants, split lengthwise

Combine all ingredients and serve on croissants.

I've been wanting to cook some Bulgogi - Korean barbecued beef. I decided to make bibimbap - a Korean dish that has various vegetables and meat over rice. I used a bulgogi recipe for the meat and bought a jar of kimchee to serve as a side dish. When I was looking for my recipe, I found a recipe for Shrimp and Green Onion Pancakes - a Korean dish I had just had for the first time in San Francisco about a month ago.

Today, while at my parents' house, my mom asked what I was making for dinner. I told her, while my dad was sitting quietly - grimacing and making gagging gestures. So, to tease my dad, I invited them for dinner. My mom said, "Great, what time?" My dad said, "He was only kidding." I said, "No, I'm not. I'd love to have you over." He knew he was hooked.

It turned out really well. There are dozens of different vegetables you can use. I used carrots, white radishes, spinach, mung sprouts, and cucumber. I spooned a layer of hot white rice over the small piles of the freshly grated vegetables, put the bulgogi on top of the rice, a sunny-side-up egg on the beef and toasted sesame seeds on the egg. The idea is to stir the hot rice into the vegetables, meat, and egg and eat it with some hot sauce. I know it's a little shocking to see the egg like that but it's delicious.

The pancakes were delicious too. Next time, I'll chop the shrimp and stir it and the onions into the batter instead of laying them on the batter after it's poured on the griddle.

Here is a picture of the bibimbap I had in San Francisco in April. Just to the left of the main bowl is some shrimp and green onion pancakes.

My dishes compared really well. In fact, I think my bibimbap was even better because the bulgogi was delicious. My pancakes weren't quite as tasty.

Oh, by the way. My dad really liked it.

Ingredients
Rice
Beef
Carrot grated
Cucumber grated
Bean sprouts
Spinach thinly sliced
White radishes grated
salt
Soy sauce
garlic
ginger
Sesame Oil
gochujang
Egg fried sunny-side up
sesame seeds

Instructions
1. Cook rice in a rice cooker or in a pot as usual.

2. Slice into thin strips or grate the beef, carrot, cucumber, and radishes. Season the meat with the following: a tablespoon of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sugar and sesame oil; 1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic; 1/2 teaspoon of chopped ginger roots, a dash of black pepper and stir-fry.

3. Arange the vegetables on a plate.

4. Layer the rice over the vegetables. Place the meat on the rice and the egg on the meat. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with gochujang (hot pepper sauce).

Ingredients

3 tablespoon Soy sauce
2 tablespoon Cilantro finely chopped
1 green onion finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted
3 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/4 lb cooked shrimp
10 Green onion trimmed,quartered lengthwise and cut into 3 inch lengths
1 zucchini ends trimmed and sliced int fine julliene,3 inch long
1 carrot peeled,cut into fine julliene 3 inch long
1/4 cup fresh chives chopped

Instructions
Dipping sauce: combine soy sauce, cilantro 1 chopped green onion, vinegar, sugar& sesame seeds Leave at room temp or refrigerate.
Pancakes: Beat 1 egg and 2 egg whites together with a fork.
Whisk in the flour, 1 tbsp oil, and water.
Batter should be smooth and medium thick.
Let the batter rest for 20 minutes.
Cooking the Pancakes:.
Beat remaining eggs & egg whites.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet or a large non stick griddle, medium-low heat.
Pour out apprx 1/2 cup batter (6"-8" circle).
Lay 1 fourth of the shrimp on top of the pancake along with 1/4 of the green onions, carrots,zucchini,& chives While the pancake is cooking spoon 1/4 of remaining batter over the pancake to fill the spaces between the veggies After apprx 3-5 minutes when the egg mixture has begun to set flip the pancake Cook until browned pressing down quite hard with a wide spatula to ensure the batter cooks through Repeat with remaing batter, shrimp& veggies.
You may refrigerate the pancakes and serve cold or serve fresh at room temperature To serve cut the pancakes into wedges and serve with the dipping sauce on the side.

Ingredients
1 lb Beef; sliced cross thin
2 tb Soy sauce
1 tb Sugar
1 tb Sesame oil
1 tb Sesame salt; see below
1/8 ts Fresh ground black pepper
4 Scallion; chopped 1" Pieces
3 Cloves garlic; Peeled,
1 ts Fresh ginger root; grated
1 tb Saki; or dry sherry
1 tb Red pepper flakes
Sesame seeds; toasted

Instructions
Combine soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, sesame salt, pepper, scallions, garlic, ginger, saki and red pepper flakes in a medium-size bowl. Add meat and toss. Marinate 30 minutes or more. Cook the meat over medium hot grill.

The other night, Alex told me that he wants more fish in his diet. I've been wanting sushi. Everyone's happy. (I sliced some strawberries up for Nick.)

I don't really have a recipe for sushi. Nori rolls are pretty basic (and delicious) stuff. I've made it so many times that I didn't want to look up a recipe just to post here.

Here's what I did: I made sushi rice in my rice cooker, stirred in rice vinegar and corn syrup, and cooled the rice quickly by fanning it. I got some really nice ahi tuna and some tobiko (flying fish roe).

For side dishes I marinated some tofu in sesame oil, and soy sauce and I garnished a plate of seaweed salad (goma wakame) with toasted sesame seeds.

This was really good. I bought crab and cucumber to make California rolls too. Alex and I were stuffed with the four rolls and the side dishes. It looks like we'll have crab salad some time this weekend.

This was the first time I've made sushi since I have a good rice cooker. It was without a doubt the best sushi rice I've ever made. I'm really starting to like the rice cooker.