In an earlier article, I wrote about my Stuffed Cabbage recipe. Recently, I decided to try cooking it a bit different, and that was in a crockpot. All of the same ingredients are required, the preparation however is a bit different.

Prepare your crockpot by putting some pieces of cabbage leaves on the bottom of the crockpot. Put one layer of your stuffed cabbage rolls, then add a thin layer of your crushed tomatoes. Sprinkle a little bit of the chopped onion (lately I have been using shallots instead), and then start a new layer.

The last layer should end with the remaining crushed tomatoes and onion. I have also found that splashing a little merlot on top of all of this adds a little extra flavor to stuffed cabbages.

After we got engaged, within minutes we decided that we wanted to honeymoon
in New Orleans. Shortly after our engagement, Katrina hit the Crescent City and
even the high water could not dissuade us. We knew that come July, the Quarter
would be ready for business and if anyone needed it, it was New Orleans!

We flew out of Albany and made it to the Louis Armstrong Intl. Airport in about
6 hours after a brief layover. We checked into the Omni Royal Hotel on the
corner of St. Louis and Royal right in the middle of the French Quarter. If you
have never stayed at a hotel in New Orleans, then you should know that most
hotel rooms in the city are quite small so we were pleasantly surprised with the
size of the deluxe room.

We decided to have dinner at the Rib Room, which is located right at the Omni.
Our host, Alan, was very pleasant and seated us promptly. We proceeded to have
the best steak in town. I had the prime rib and my wife Andrea had the fillet
mignon with the Southern Comfort glaze. As far as beef goes, this was the best
that we ate in all of the Quarter.

Before I tell you about the restaurants we dined in, I should point out that the
French Quarter is BACK! This was my third time in the Quarter and it looked
about the same as it did in 2000. The only differences that you could really see
were the crowds were – (More…)

For years I have been telling my family and friends who have never been to the Mid-Hudson Valley about the local scenery. Many of them think that everything between Staten Island and Kingston New York is covered with blacktop. This of course is absurd! I live in the New Paltz area and every year I say I will take pictures of the local apple orchards in full blossom.

Well, every year I usually forget about it, and it almost happened this year, but I caught it! Ideally, it would have been better if I had done this a week earlier as the trees were more full of flowers, but better late then never.

Ulster County has a nice secret, and that is the Rail Trail. It is an old abandoned railroad that the neighboring towns have converted into a walking/biking/equine trail. The section I normally travel is about 20 miles long. I bike it, walk it, and sometimes even run it.

Here is where I started on the trail today

After a short walk, you hit the apple orchard behind Dresslers farm with the Mohonk Mountain in the background:

Here are some trees still in full bloom:

One of the apple barns:

Further down the trail, there is some more spring scenery:

As you can see, the – (More…)

Back when I was in college, I tried cooking a little stir-fry cooking. After years of other cares, I forgot all about it. Recently I have gotten back into it and have nearly punched myself in the noggin for forgetting about this!

There really is no need to explain to you ingredient by ingredient on how to cook stir-fry. If you enjoy vegetables with meat, then your own recipe will suffice. I will get you started on my general technique.

The three things you must know about stir-fry are preparation, preparation, preparation. This method of cooking is fast paced and must be tended to constantly. You will not have time to chop an onion when your recipe is cooking. Before hand, make sure everything that needs to be prepared before you cook is ready. Vegetables should be cut into large chunks, not minced, except for garlic.

I usually pick up two different types of peppers to start with, for example, a green and a yellow. These flavors go well with stir-fry.

Myself, I like white onions better than yellow, but that is a taste issue. Whether it is yellow or white, get a large onion.

You can use one clove, or fifty cloves of garlic. It depends on your taste.

Snow peas in opinion are a must for any stir-fry. I think it is because it is the only dish I enjoy them in. 🙂

Fresh – (More…)

I find it downright impossible to eat spaghetti or lasagna without garlic bread. Any Italian dish that uses a lot of sauce is complimented well with a good garlic bread.

Getting the right bread can be difficult, but in the end just get what you can. Sometimes Italian bread just isn’t available. French bread and sub rolls will work in a pinch if you cannot find anything else. Obviously the Italian bread tastes the best for this recipe.

I use cheese on top of my garlic bread. Any dry cheese will work, such as Parmesan, Romano, etc.. Some people use mozzarella, but I find it makes the bread soggy.

Ingredients

1 large roll (about 2 feet) of Italian bread.
1 stick of butter, soft (let sit for an hour or so before using to soften).
5 cloves of garlic minced as small as possible.
1 1/2 tablespoons of parsley.
Parmesan cheese (about a cup).
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the butter with the garlic, parsley, and garlic powder. Mix until well combined.

Split loaf in half with a knife.

Spread the butter mixture all over the bread and place the bread on a baking sheet.

Bake in the middle for 10 minutes.

Remove bread from the oven and sprinkle parmesan cheese all over the bread.

Turn the broiler on and increase the heat to 400.

Place the bread back into the oven (middle) and DO NOT go anywhere. The bread will toast – (More…)

There is no denying that the Kings Feast from your rotisserie is a standing rib roast. About 3-4 times a year I splurge and get a standing rib roast from my butcher. This is not a cheap cut of meat. The last roast I bought was $29.95 for five pounds. This was enough to serve a little more than 3 steaks. This is the prime rib of the cattle and as far as I am concerned, it must be cooked on a rotisserie. I use the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie, and am limited to no more than a 6 pound roast, otherwise it will burn it. Five pounds works just fine for our family of four.

If possible, have your butcher remove the chine bone, it will make it much easier to carve.

Fat is a GOOD thing in a standing rib roast! The more marbling the better.

The only necessary spice here is a good coarse salt. The recipe below includes the spices I use.

Ingredients

1 5-6 pound standing rib roast.
2.12 oz of seasalt (buy the kind with a built in grinder).
Garlic and Herb seasoning.
Onion powder.

Preparation

In a very large bowl or container, grind half of the salt in the grinder into the bowl.

Add about a 1/4 of the container of Garlic and Herb seasoning.

Add about 2 tablespoons of onion power.

Mix all the spices together.

Take the roast and grind it into – (More…)

If you have a home rotisserie one of the best things you can cook in it is a whole chicken. I use the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie to cook chicken and as far as I am concerned, whole chicken should never be cooked on anything but a rotisserie.

If your rotisserie has a temperature control, then you can use this recipe on any size chicken, otherwise you should keep the size of the chicken between 3-4 pounds.

Never stuff a rotisserie chicken, it just doesn’t cook in a manner conducive for a stuffed bird.

This recipe I found a while back and adapted to my tastes. It creates a slightly spicy but delicious flavor that might actually get you addicted to chicken. 🙂

You can cook this in the oven normally too.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salt.
1 tablespoon paprika.
1/4 tablespoon crushed cayenne pepper.
1 tablespoon onion powder.
1 teaspoon ground thyme.
1/4 tablespoon white pepper.
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder.
1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Preparation

Mix all of the spices together well. I usually use a small tupperware container and shake it up.

Remove the giblets from the chicken and wash chicken with water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Rub some of the mix inside the bird, and then rub the rest all over the chicken. Rub it in there good. I place the chicken in a large bowl and rub the seasonings into it.

Place the chicken into the rotisserie and cook as per the units instructions, – (More…)

In my youth I worked in a restaurant called the Lobster Pound in Gardiner New York. The owner has since retired along with the business. Everything I ever learned about cooking seafood started there. Sole proprietor restaurants make the most interesting meals because they are not tied down to franchise recipes.

The winter is the slow time of the year for the seafood business and during those slow nights in the restaurant, we spent many hours just experimenting with recipes and making our own. The owner was from New England and had many old books on cooking. We would scour through them and find eclectic recipes from ages ago.

At the end of the week before the new lobster shipment would come in, we would have to do something with the old and tired lobsters from the previous week that did not sell. This is when the owner showed me how to make Lobster Bisque. This recipe ensured that no lobster went to waste because the soup could last almost another week, even though generally it was finished in a couple days.

My Lobster Bisque recipe is in part borrowed from Bernie, the owner of the Lobster Pound, but as with many of my recipes, adapted to the way that I enjoy it.

Many people just use lobster parts they find in the supermarket to make bisque, but that will always end in a so-so version of – (More…)

Lobster is a wonderful seafood delight that comes primarily from Maine. Sure, you can get it elsewhere, but Maine lobster is the standard. The larger the lobster is, the tougher the meat will be. I recommend a 1 1/2 pound lobster per serving.

The biggest problem with eating lobster is not finding the right ones, it is how it is prepared. There is nothing worse than eating a boiled lobster! Lobster must not be boiled! I am not sure how I can emphasize it any more. If you want soggy, mushy lobster with no flavor, boil it, otherwise follow my method.

Ingredients

Lobster.
Water.

Preparation

In a very large sauce pot, add water until the water is about 2 inches deep. Insert a metal colander or strainer so lobster will not be immersed into the water. Bring to a boil while you prepare the lobster.

Myself, I am not a big roe fan. Roe is a pretty name for lobster guts. I always clean the lobster before I cook it. If you like to eat lobster guts, by all means, leave them in.

To remove the roe, turn the lobster on its back. Take a long knife and push the point of the knife right into the lobsters mouth. Then using that as leverage, push the rest of the knife right down the middle of the lobster in – (More…)

Every man should have his own chili recipe. The Super bowl, World Series, NHL Playoffs, etc., are all prime time chili moments! I usually only make my chili in the fall and winter months because it is a very spicy dish, and can warm you right up on those cold days.

There is a long standing fight between whether ground beef should be allowed in chili. Many people use steak, and I have even seen some who use poultry such as chicken or turkey. I was brought up with ground beef in my chili. Have you ever tried to put chili on a hot-dog that is full of chunks of sirloin? It doesn’t work!

There is also those out there who refuse to put beans in there chili. As far as I am concerned, a chili without beans is nothing but spicy spaghetti sauce!

My chili recipe has been evolving now for over 10 years and changes slightly every year. I am not a fan of the five alarm chili that burns your taste buds off before you can even sense the flavor. My technique I can only call “creeper heat”. The faster you eat it, the hotter it is, the slower you eat it, just the opposite. I find it better to first experience the flavor before you experience the heat. If you follow my recipe, this is what should – (More…)