recipes that are simple and delicious.

Approximately once a month, if not more, my wife and I get a real craving for a curry and coconut mixture, typically with a bit of chicken, peas, and other vegetables that is served over rice. It is a dish, especially this time of year, that is extremely comforting. Some of my favorite Thai curry [...]

Maybe some of you have once heard about a Mexican hot dog, and might have questioned it, much like I did. I recall seeing a show on television and they were talking about Mexican hot dogs, somewhere in the southwest portion of the United States. What it ended up being, and don’t get me wrong, [...]

I know I should probably be posting Christmas and holiday recipes right now, but I am not. Instead, I am posting about beef, and Thai beef to be more clear. I have no idea why I came up with this recipe, but I am pretty certain that I wanted something a bit salty, and something [...]

The title of this recipe is a mouthful, literally, and boy was it ever delicious. I came up with this idea for a burger for a couple of reasons. One, and probably most importantly, is that my oldest kid has some interesting eating habits. For instance whenever I order out sandwiches from Jimmy John’s, he [...]

Chili season has begun. What this means is that the cool air has moved into our area, football season has started, and well, my wife simply loves chili. Some folks know it as the classic chili con carne, and everyone has their recipe for chili, and that is why they have chili cooking competitions, right? I first started making chili shortly [...]

I had a craving for something different lately. I think it could have been the idea of a flatbread, or maybe it was hummus, or something to eat with ajvar that I had recently made. I know we all get this way at times, and we need to fill that craving pretty immediately. Fortunately, I [...]

Last week we attended our first wine tasting in town. I am not sure if I was more excited to taste a variety of Sonoma red wines, or be able to sample really great cheeses that the guests would be bringing. I later found out it was both! As I pondered what to make for [...]

You probably will not believe this when I tell you, but I had to put on a winter hat, gloves, and jacket today to watch my boys place baseball in Wisconsin. It’s May 14, folks. Mid-May and I, and the majority of other Wisconsinites, are wearing winter clothing. But I use that as an opportunity [...]

It was not too long ago when my wife and I decided to get out to lunch and escape our busy work schedules. I will admit, it is not that often when we both get a chance to get out on the same time to get a bite to eat, especially one that does not [...]

St. Patrick’s Day is a time of year that I get excited about. Not only is there a sense that spring is so much closer, but it is also a time when corned beef becomes on sale at the store. Yes, that is probably what I get excited about, the sale of corned beef. But [...]

As you are already probably aware, I made my corned beef yesterday and I am preparing myself to a nice reuben sandwich tomorrow. I have a handful of ideas for my leftovers that I think you will like, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy some of these recipes I have made in the past. [...]

I was first introduced to the tri-tip steak while visiting my parents in Las Vegas years ago. As my parents were talking about this piece of meat, you could see the excitement in their eyes and their mouths beginning to water. Tri-tip is something that we do not see in grocery stores in the Midwest, [...]

I love hearing my wife tell stories of how she grew up, in particular some of the Filipino food items that they would eat. My wife is part Filipino, and since being married to her, I have become very interested in Filipino cuisine. I will admit, you simply do not see a whole lot of [...]

There is not a month that goes by when I think of our trip a couple years ago to New Orleans. It was our first time to the crescent city, and boy, did my wife and I have a wonderful time. We spent most of our time walking through the city, in particular, the French [...]

Not too long ago we had the family over for a preseason football party. Our team, the Green Bay Packers, was playing that night, and everyone was really excited to see them win the game. I personally do not know if I was more excited for the game, or for what I was about to [...]

I am a big fan of a great sandwich, and I think we are always in search of a great one. I think I just found, what could possibly be one of my top five, a super sandwich. My wife and I love sandwiches, and we typically order a sandwich on a Saturday. They are [...]

I grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. It was a small town packed with a lot of fun things to do. While growing up, I remembered a handful of things in Kokomo which included great family times, rollerskating in the church parking lot across the street, heading down to Highland park to check out the Vermont [...]

I recently purchased some black truffle oil at the store. I made the purchase as one of my colleagues keeps talking about a truffle oil mashed potatoes that he makes, and you can see the excitement on his face when he talks about it. I did a little research, not thinking that my local grocery [...]

Growing up my friends would often joke around when they opened my parent’s refrigerator because it was jam packed with condiments. No kidding. There were four different ketchup, nine different kinds of mustard, and an array of so many other sauces. It was their idea of having fun when vacationing out of town and frequenting [...]

Upon a recent visit to one of our local Sendiks market, I came across a really great deal on lobster tails. I am not one to normally buy lobster due to the price, but these were some fairly large lobster tails for only ten dollars. I could not pass them up, so I bought two [...]

Soup season has started once again in my household. It is early fall, and the falling of leaves from the trees typically indicates that it is time to hunker down with a nice bowl of comforting soup. It was this past weekend where I was going to make chili for my wife. She loves chili, [...]

One of my favorite meals of the week could be possibly be whatever is served on a Sunday morning. Mornings, for the most part, that are full of laziness, and relaxation, as we slowly approach the idea of returning back to another stressful week at our jobs. But Sunday morning breakfast is something that my [...]

Grilling season calls for a good steak every now and then. I admit that I love a good steak, but in all honesty they are hard to come by, and they can be rather expensive if you dine out. When done right, a grilled steak is heavenly. For years I always take my time when [...]

I’m a sucker when it comes to sandwiches. However simple or complex, the sandwich hits a home run every single time. Whether it be a simple grilled cheese sandwich, a peanut butter and jelly, or a banh mi, the sandwich typically consists of really great bread, a condiment, and packed full of excellent fixings. This [...]

Recently we have had several conversations around good Chinese food in the Milwaukee area. To be quiet honest, there is not much out there in terms of really great Chinese food. Often times I think Chinese food means a lot of different things to every person. For example, my idea of great Chinese food typically [...]

About every two weeks, I make burgers on the grill. It is one meal that most everyone loves in our family, that is, with the exception of my daughter, which I just learned last night. With that said, I really put some serious thought into how I wanted to design the burger for the evening. [...]

I have been craving hot dogs for about a week now. I have mentioned this not only to my wife, but also my coworker, and it’s funny, as my coworker was saying he has been making them throughout the week and loading them up with vegetables, and wrapping them in tortillas. My schedule has been [...]

I never knew much about chicken fried steak while growing up, at least not that I recall. I grew up in Indiana, and as some may define that as the south, there is a bit of a difference when it comes to southern cooking. Sure there was plenty of great corn and tomatoes to be [...]

I could live off of quesadillas. This appetizer or entree is yet another item that has endless possibilities. The quesadilla is a true delight and one of those things that if you have corn or flour tortillas laying around, or if you want to make your own, you are pretty much good to go with [...]

It was last week where I featured a somewhat exotic dish known as cioppino. It was a dish that I heard my parents get excited about while growing up, and one where I realized why they were excited. Cioppino is a dish full of great flavors, but when it comes to seafood, and my father-in-law, [...]

It was not too long ago when I stumbled upon a website known as Food52. When I first happened to come across the site, I will be honest, I did not pay too close of attention to it. I considered it just another site for the food community. Fortunately enough, I revisited the site back [...]

Larb Nuea? Right, larb nuea, or sometimes known as laab nuea. That’s correct folks, I am teaching you new words, and allowing you to explore new dishes. As I often do, I poll my friends on what they are eating for dinner, or holiday, and I really get back some great responses. One recent response [...]

Goulash? Sounds like a funny word, but what it really means to me, is a great stew, if you will, with noodles. Growing up, goulash was one of those dishes that were commonly served throughout the work week, and now I know why. As I say on this site so many times, I reflect a [...]

I was sitting around one early afternoon, doing what I normally do on a weekend, thinking about what to make for dinner. So I opened the refrigerator, and besides noticing all of the condiments on the side door, realized that I had some really great, and tender beef from the previous night’s grill out. I [...]

As ironic as this might sound, and I am certain most parents have a child like this, but, I have one picky eater in my house. You all know the type. Chicken tenders and french fries could make this guy a happy camper for the rest of his life. He never gets tired of it. [...]

I say it time and time again, but I get excited mid-March. Why? Well, it is because it is that time of year when corned beef goes on sale. The standard corned beef goes on sale for at least fifty percent of the cost, and that is the time when I stock up. By default [...]

It’s that time of year again where we typically start thinking of things we can eat or drink to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. I know when growing up, my family would typically make some version of corned beef, and boiled cabbage, with an occasional potato or two. This time of year also excites me as [...]

My wife has literally been begging me to make meatloaf for some time now. I am not sure what her fascination is with meatloaf, but does she ever love it. I honestly think that she likes the mashed potatoes that are served with it, but I could be wrong. After all, I do make some [...]

This month I was fortunate to give a presentation during Health and Wellness Week at Marquette University Law School. The focus of the day long event was to inform students, faculty, and staff on the benefits of living a healthy life. The day included screenings for blood pressure, massages, information on acupuncture, and my favorite, [...]

It’s that time of year. The annual celebration to see who is the best in the National Football League. The Super Bowl. New Orleans Saints versus Indiana Colts. As I am a Green Bay Packer fan, I am not really too concerned who will win this game, however I am concerned how happy it makes [...]

It was not too long ago when I was discussing Thai food, in particular, carry out. There are just some items that are worth dining in for, and some of those in my opinion are the fried foods, and the soups. After reflecting on my Tom Yum Goong post, there was one thing that stood [...]

I was in a real sandwich mode this past week. The holiday break allowed me to think a bit slower on what I wanted to consume. These are good times, because it means I can slow cook practically anything, and trust me, I did. I started off the week slow roasting beef that I encrusted [...]

Believe it or not, but every morning I make it to the gym and workout for about 45 minutes. Running, walking, biking, and some light weight work is included in the daily routine. I walk out feeling great, and every time I walk out, I notice the Subway sign outside, stating what the sandwich special [...]

Nearly a week ago, my wife left me home, while she drove to Chicago to visit her brother and sister-n-law in the hospital. After all, she wanted to welcome our new niece, Charlotte, into the world. As much as I wanted to go with them, we agreed that staying in a visitation room with three [...]

If you have never experienced chimichurri sauce, you are really missing out on something extremely tasteful. Could this be America’s newest condiment? In my opinion, absolutely. There are many ways to make the Argentinian sauce, and it is commonly found in its green stage, however there is a red version of the sauce as well, [...]