Ingredients
2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
the juice of one lemon
1 small onion, grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Instructions
Marinate the chicken in a mixture of the other ingredients. Thread chicken on skewers and grill until browned.

Ingredients
1 rack of pork spareribs (about 3 pounds)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
4 limes, juiced
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 medium jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions
Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice, tequila, onions, garlic, and jalapenos. Whisk well. Season with salt and pepper. Place the ribs, meat side down, in a glass baking dish.

Pour the marinade over the ribs, coating each side completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours) Remove from the refrigerator and bring the ribs to room temperature.

Bake the ribs in a 350 oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are tender. Finish by grilling over hot coals and serve with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

This was simple and delicious. I made hummus. I broiled mushroom caps with a little olive oil. I spooned some hummus into them and put a slice of feta on it and popped them back under the broiler. Garnish with a slice of tomato and eat. Good. Alex really liked it.

This was very refreshing and delicious. I made the nuoc cham sauce with a tablespoon and a half of the chili garlic paste and it was volcanic. I'm still a little sweaty from it. I cut the garlic paste in this recipe. Along with the sauce, the mint is what makes this distinctive. I prefer peppermint over spearmint. And, that's what I have growing in my back yard. Alex really liked this. I didn't make Nick try it but he's starting to be a little more amenable to trying new things. I admit I'm pretty excited about that.

Ingredients
8 ounces rice noodles (mai fun)
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup roasted peanuts

Nuoc Cham Sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons chili garlic paste
4 cloves garlic, peeled

Instructions
Puree nuoc cham sauce ingredients with stick blender until smooth. Cook noodles, rinse in cold water, and drain well. Serve noodles with other ingredients with Nuoc Cham Sauce for dipping.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 1/2 lbs extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 large shallots, chopped
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 large tomatoes, chopped
3 large red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 cups eggplant, cut into half-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 bunch scallions, coarsely chopped (white and green parts)
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions
Place tofu cubes into a steamer and allow to steam for 20 to 30 minutes while chopping vegetables. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Transfer tofu to pan and sauté until brown on all sides, then remove from pan and set aside. In same pan, sauté onion for one minute. Add soy sauce and one tablespoon water if necessary. Add tomatoes, red peppers, crushed pepper, eggplant, mushrooms, scallions, and tomato paste and reduce heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Add tofu and continue cooking until tofu is heated through. Serve with rice noodles and cilantro.

Steve and his bones.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
4 medium shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup loosely packed fresh morels
1 1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 T Butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Brush a large ovenproof iron skillet with a little oil and over high heat, heat until hot. Season the steaks with a little salt and pepper. Add the steaks and sear for about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare. Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the beef to a carving board.
Mushroom Sauce: In a saucepan cook the shallots in 2 tablespoons of butter until lightly browned. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms start to release some of their liquid. Add the wine and cook until the wine is about 75 percent reduced. Add the broth and boil until broth is 50 percent reduced. Stir in the butter and season. Serve over steaks.

Ingredients
3 heads broccoli (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 lemon, juiced

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine broccoli, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast for 10 minutes.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melt and forms a crisp shell over the broccoli, about 10 minutes. Lift the broccoli out onto a platter with a spatula and drizzle with fresh lemon.

Ingredients
1 pound tofu cut into 1-inch thick strips
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 cup broccoli florets
1 cup red peppers, julienned
1 cup straw mushrooms
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon chile paste
1/4 cup scallions, cut thinly on the bias

Instructions
Heat a large wok over high heat. When the wok is hot, add the oil. Add the ginger, garlic and onions and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the tofu, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, soy sauce, sherry and chile paste. Stir fry until the vegetables are cooked, but al dente, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and stir fry for 1 more minute.

Story to come

West Side Market Outdoor


West Side Market Indoor


State Fish in Cleveland


Hummis


Wedding Cake


Jen, Jeremy, Bob, Judy, Ashley

Ingredients
1 cup bulghur
2 cups water
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely diced seedless cucumber

Instructions
Put bulghur in a heatproof bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over bulghur. Let bulghur stand 1 hour.

While bulghur is soaking, in a large bowl stir together onion, salt, allspice, and let stand 30 minutes. Drain bulghur in a sieve, pressing hard to extract as much water as possible, add to onion mixture with remaining ingredients.

Toss salad well and season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients
1 pound fusilli pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups pesto
1 package fresh spinach
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup peas
1/3 cup pignoli
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes until al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach, and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and puree. Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta and then add the Parmesan, peas, pignoli, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season to taste, and serve at room temperature.

Pesto
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignoli
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the walnuts, pignoli, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree until blended.

Wow, this was good. This will be a recipe I'll make often. Even Nick liked it. Using fresh tomatoes for the soup was just plain delicious. I made grilled cheese sandwiches on multi-grain bread with Colby and cream cheese and served them with horseradish pickles. I had a spinach salad with mandarin oranges, sliced almonds and Italian dressing. Absolutely delicious.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small can tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chopped, peeled, seeded tomatoes
1 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
basil, for garnish

Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Use a hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup. Add the cream and cook for 3 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, add the vinegar and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add to the soup.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with basil chiffonade.

After buying a pound of morels I didn't actually use any - until this morning. This omelete had morels, a shallot, a clove of garlic, some fresh basil, and smoked mozzarella. I got up at 11:00 and Alex got up at 11:15. We shared the omelet. He really liked it. He was thinking of all the picky eaters who would like it if they'd just give it a try. When Nick came down at noon Alex offered him his last bite. Nick thanked him but complained that it would be "too eggy." Alex shrugged and wolfed it down.

We're doing almost nothing today. This weekend was a bit crazy and the gift of a day off was just what I needed. I'm going to update a few friends' web sites and cook a little dinner.

Ingredients
1/2 pineapple, diced
1 mango, diced
1 cup honeydew
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced peaches
1/2 cup blueberries
3 bananas, sliced
1/4 cup ginger lemon syrup
juice from one lime
1/4 cup toasted, flaked coconut

Instructions
In a large bowl, combine pineapple, mango, honeydew, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, bananas, ginger lemon syrup, and lime juice. Right before serving, sprinkle the fruit with the toasted coconut and toss.

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup dried lemon grass
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
1 lemons, zested and juiced

Instructions
Combine the water, sugar, lemon grass, ginger, and lemon juice and zest in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool. Strain through a fine sieve.