Artichoke dip

8 oz cream cheese-softened
3 cups mayo
2 cans artichoke
2 cup Parmesan
2 cups mozzarella
dash of Worcestershire sauce


Mix together, bake at 350 for 40 minutes, then 5 minutes on low broil till the top just browns and everything is bubbly and delicious. eat with bread, crackers, or tortilla chips.

Mediterranean quinoa salad

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 chopped cucumber (peeled)
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbs. chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup feta cheese
• salt and pepper
• your favorite salad dressing (about 1/2 cup)

Mix all the ingredients together and serve. 

Mediterranean olive and oregano chicken

• 3/4 cup chopped  green olives
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano (chopped) or 1 tsp dried
• Salt and pepper

Whisk these together and season with salt and pepper. Be sparing with the salt.

• 4-5 lb chicken pieces, bone in, skin on

Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper then coat the pieces in the olive mixture, cover and chill for 2 hours to overnight. 

bake covered at 375 for 75 minutes then uncover and finish until chicken is at least 165 degrees internally (about 30 minutes). 

When its done, put the chicken on a plate and pour the juices into a pot. 

• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp cornstarch 

whisk in the remaining ingredients. Simmer the sauce till thickened and pour over the chicken to serve. 

Chicken Salad

• about 1 lb of diced chicken or turkey meat- cooked
• 3 stalks celery- chopped
• 1 green apple-chopped
• 1 cup chopped grapes
• 1 bunch green onions-diced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro-chopped

Sauce: these are approximate measurements, add in small amounts and taste until its how you like it. 

• 2 cups mayo
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• dash of onion powder 
• dash of garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• dash of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper 
• optional: curry powder

Mix everything together and serve on croissants as a sandwich or eat on the side. You can mix in your favorite type of lettuce to make it a more classic salad. 

Arugula Salad

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 6-8 cups washed arugula leaves
• sea salt

Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice and sugar well. Toss with arugula. Just after serving, grind fresh sea salt over the top. 

This makes a great salad, good with breakfast quiche, and great on pizza. 

You get salty, sour and bitter from this salad.

scalloped potatoes

• 1 sweet potato, 
• 6-8 medium golden potatoes
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1.5 cups grated cheese plus 1/2 cup

Slice potatoes thinly.

Melt butter in a medium size pot.Add in the flour and whisk till smooth. Slowly stir in milk, still whisking. Add in salt and cayenne. Slowly add in cheese till melted and smooth sauce. 

Put half the potatoes in flat layers in a greased 9x9 pan. Pour half the sauce over it. Layer the remaining potatoes and pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle the leftover cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or till potatoes are cooked through. You may need a cookie sheet underneath to catch drips if your pan is very full. 

This is a pretty classic scalloped potatoes recipe but the mix of sweet and golden potatoes give it a slight twist. 

flourless chocolate cake

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325

 Whip eggs for 3 minutes or till light and fluffy. Slowly add in the cocoa then drizzle in melted butter and slowly add sugar all with mixer on low speed. 

Bake in a 9 inch spring-form for 35-40 minuted. It will still be moist in center but as it cools it finishes setting up. 

Quinoa Avocados

• 2-3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup chopped/shredded chicken
• 1 cup salad shrimp (optional)
• 1 lbs. chopped mushroom
• 1 diced onion
• feta cheese
• 1/2 can chicken stock
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 3-4 avocados, sliced in half, pit removed. 
• 1 lbs roasted asparagus
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

Saute the mushrooms and onions. Mix in the chicken, 1/2 can of chicken stock, quinoa, and feta cheese and cilantro. Cook till liquid reduced almost gone. Mix in the shrimp. Spoon the mixture over half an avocado and top with roasted asparagus and green onion.

universal studios orlando

We had lunch in the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley at Universal. My mom is a British food in America snob because, well, she's eaten it in Britain many times. It was probably the best bangers and mash she's had in a long time because as she says, they have have proper bangers. Shepherd pie, fish and chips, stew, all delicious.

We had dinner outside the park at a great pizza place. Red oven pizza bakery. Their pizza was some of the best I've had. The arugula and pricuitto combined salty, bitter, cheesy and wound up overall delicious. If you've never tried arugula salad on your pizza you should. We tried a few other pizzas but after trying mine I don't even remember the others. Mine was too good.

Disney world

Disney World has some amazing food and after about a week days in Orlando I need to share some of the deliciousness. Day one was spent at Universal and that post is coming up next.

Our hotel was the Pop Century and because of the time we booked we had a free dining plan with hotel which gave us refillable drink mugs, 2 quick service meals and two snacks per day per person. Often we had breakfast at the hotel. After a day or two of getting the full breakfast we decided that for most of us, getting the pastry, drink and fruit combo instead made more sense. A light breakfast using our refillable mug for a drink left us with a snack of fruit and drink for at the park. We would get some quick service lunch wherever when we got hungry, a snack if we really wanted, then saved our bucks for a nice dinner. After the week we still had tons of food credits saved up so we got sandwiches and pastries from France in Epcot and caramels from Germany.

Our first day at Disney World we had dinner at The Sci-Fi dine in cafe in Hollywood Studios. We went there for the ambiance but the food was actually really good. The buffalo popcorn chicken was spicier than anticipated but the flavor was good. The chicken pasta was a great creamy sauce and well cooked.

Day 2: Marrakesh-Epcot
Delicious Moroccan food with great ambiance and a fun belly dance show. We tried both the chicken and seafood B'stilla and they were great, not the best I'd had but good. The lamb dishes were also great. Well spiced and tender.

Day 3: Sanaa outside Animal Kingdom
This became my new favorite. The view is amazing. The restaurant looks out over the middle of the hotel where they have a small nature preserve area where you can see zebras, giraffes and other animals from your dinner table.  The food is Indian and African fusion with a definite lean towards Indian. The bread starter is a much but there is nowhere near enough bread. Everything else we tried was great. Curry sauces, well seasoned rice and overall a little too much food. We probably could have shared more than each having their own dish after big lunches but the food was so good we didn't care about over eating.

Day 4: Tony's Town Square-Magic Kingdom
This was unexpectedly delicious. Starting with the zucchini fries which were good but a bit dry. I had the seasonal ravioli with mushrooms which were absolutely delicious. Everyone else quite enjoyed their food too.

Lunch: Be our Guest -Magic Kingdom
We got an email invite for a special fast pass seating at Be our Guest which was awesome because there was no room for anyone without advanced reservations and those fill up fast. You order ahead of time too so as you show up your food comes out just minutes later. We did indeed try the grey stuff cupcake and it was good but not great. However the rest of the food was very good. We all tried the Tuna nicoise, croque monsieur, roast beef sandwich, quiche, and braised pork and an assortment of desserts. Every dish was great.

Day 5: Teppan Edo- Epcot
This place is all about the show with dinner. Volcano onion towers and flying pepper grinders keep you entertained while you see your steak, scallops, chicken or whatever else prepared before your eyes. While the quality of the food what not quite as impressive as some of the other restaurants, the food was still delicious and the show was great.

Overall, there wasn't a meal I didn't enjoy from breakfast to dinner to snacks.

Oh, and the ever famous dole whips were also awesome.

fire pizza

Fire Pizza is an Artisan wood fire pizza restaurant located at 1022 N Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennwick Washington. 

While their menu has some of the typical pizza fare (pepperoni or all meat) what is really delicious is their more unusual fare. 

The costs for the pizzas range from about $13 to $16 dollars and you get a little more food than a personal size size but not quite as big as a medium from chain pizza places. They serve delicious cucumber water right off and have a selection of cocktails too. 

So far I have tried four of their pizzas. 

First there was the Parma. It has prosciutto, Gorgonzola, pecorino, Romano, and provolone finished with truffle oil. Take a top notch cheese pizza and amp it up with some slightly salty prosciutto. Delicious

Next came the Murphy. This pizza has slices of yellow potatoes. Sounds odd, totally works. Its like a combination of pizza and the best loaded baked potato ever. It even has chive and sour cream. 

After that there was the Gordy which has dates, Gorgonzola, mozzarella, olive oil and a balsamic drizzle. The epitome of a salty sweet pizza. 

The final pizza I tried was the Mahalo, This one had pork, mango, with a spicy sweet Hawaiian barbecue sauce. Just the right spice (a little but not much). The sweetness of the sauce was nice. However the menu described a mango chutney but it was really just dived mango. 


Comparing this to my favorite pizza place from Montana (http://gourmetgood.blogspot.com/2013/07/bitterroot-pizza.html), Fire has more interesting and unique offerings but I think Bullmans is one step up in quality. 

Cilantro-Lime Tilapia

• 2 bunch green onion,
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup veggie or chicken stock
• oil
• flour (about 1 cup)
• cumin (about 2 Tbsp.)
• salt (2 tsp.)
• 4 tilapia fillets
• avocado
• Cooked white rice

Dice the green onion bunches and the cilantro (reserve half of each for later) and put half of each in a pan with the lime juice and stock. Simmer till reduced by half. Add in the butter, when melted, pour into a bowl or cup and use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to process till smooth. 

Heat oil in a large skillet till hot and sizzles when anything is put in (you can test with a piece of green onion). Mix flour, salt and cumin. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture and fry until just starting to brown on edges, flip and cook that side for about 1 minute. Remove and place on a paper towel. 

Serve fish over the rice, top with sauce and sprinkle fresh green onion and cilantro. Put 2-3 slices of avocado on side.

chicken caesar salad

• Cooked sliced chicken (8-12 oz)
• 1 clove garlic- sliced in half
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 oil packed anchovies- dices into small pieces
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 heads romaine lettuce
• 1 cup croutons
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese-shredded

Lower the eggs into a small saucepan of boiling water and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, remove the eggs and as soon as you can handle them, crack them open and scrape out the insides. This is called a coddled egg. Beat the eggs with a fork and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice and oil, still beating. Stir in anchovies and Worcestershire sauce, mashing up anchovies. Toss lettuce, dressing and parmesan cheese together, top with croutons and chicken. 

Pork Tacos

• Shredded pork
• cumin
• oregano
• garlic
• corn tortillas

toppings: (all optional)

• cheese
• avocado
• corn
• cilantro
• salsa
• sour cream
• lime 
• radish

Using the Kalua Pork or any other slow cooked shredded pork, season with cumin, oregano and garlic and spread on a cookie sheet in the oven and cook at 350 till it just starts to crisp on the edges. Lightly fry some corn tortillas. Place pork on tortilla and top with your choice of toppings. Enjoy.

Kalua Pork

• Pork butt roast
• 2 Tbs. Hawaiian Salt (don't use sea salt, it ends up too salty)
• 2 Tbsp. liquid smoke

Rub the pork in the salt and put it in the slow cooker. Pour in the liquid smoke. Cook on low for 8-12 hours. Shred and remove large fat pieces. If desired, remove liquid and add 1 tbsp cornstarch. Simmer in a pot till it thickens and pour back over the meat. Or add barbecue sauce.

Serve on rolls or burger buns. 

Lavender Lemon Cake

Sponge Cake:

• 7 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tsp lavender extract (optional)

Frosting:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 tsp lavender extract (optional) or vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Other:

• 1 recipe of lavender lemon curd
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) chopped toasted almonds

Cake: Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch spring-form and put parchment paper in the bottom. Put egg yolks in one bowl and egg whites in another. Add 1/2 cup sugar to each. Beat egg whites till stiff and yolks till thick and light. Fold whites into yolks. Sprinkle in 1 cup flour, melted butter, and extract trying not to deflate batter. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool. Slice into 3 layers. 

Frosting: Cream together butter and sugar and salt. Add in flavorings and beat till creamy. 

Place bottom later, top with 1/2 curd and some frosting (no more than 1/2 cup). Place second layer on top and repeat. top with 3rd layer. Frost whole cake with remaining icing (or reserve some for decoration). Cover sides with almonds. Optional (color some of the frosting and pipe a decorative layer over the border from almond to frosting. 

 This recipe is based off a Russian Apricot Torte, altered for a friend.  http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/russiandessertrecipes/r/apricottorte.htm

Quick radish pickle

• Equal parts red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. sugar per cup of vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• diced radishes and or cucumber.

Mix together enough liquid/sugar to just cover the vegetables. Add in veggies and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Serve up to 3 days later.

Thai chicken pizza

• pizza crust
• Sauce (mix together)
• Peanut butter
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• rice wine vinegar
• a sprinkle of the cilantro and green onion for toppings
• shredded chicken
• mozzarella or colby jack cheese
• green onion-chopped
• cilantro-chopped
• shredded carrot

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out your dough and place a thin coating of sauce over the dough. Sprinkle shredded chicken over than and cheese on top. Sprinkle half your carrot over the top. bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is cooked. 

Top with fresh shredded carrot, cilantro, and green onion. 

Shrimp Scampi

• minced garlic
• butter
• white wine
• raw shrimp-peeled
• lemon

Start with the garlic and butter in a pan. Sautee until just starting to brown. Add in the white wine and reduce. Add in the shrimp and cook till just done through. Take off the heat and squeeze lemon juice in. 

Served over pasta with Parmesan, as a side, or just eat it like this. 

Strawberry shortcake

• sliced sugared strawberrys (let sit till they get juicy)
• sweet whipped cream
• Shortcake
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups cream
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup milk

Mix cake ingredients together and let bake at 400 in an 8x8 dish for about 20 minuted or until cooked though and slightly golden. 

Let cool

Slice whole cake in half by height then slice into squares (each square should have a top and bottom piece). layer cake, strawberry, cream, cake, strawberry cream. Serve and enjoy. 

Chicken "wing" drumsticks

• 1 large pkg. drumsticks or wings 
• 1 cup flour
• salt
• onion powder
• paprika
• season salt
• Oil

Mix together everything but the chicken and oil. Coat the chicken and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Make the sauces now. 

Pour enough oil in a pan or pot to fry the drumsticks without them sticking to the bottom. 

Fry the chicken till golden and cooked through. Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Coat in sauce of your choice.

The traditional hot sauce goes great with this tomatillo ranch dressing as a dipping sauce.

Traditional hot sauce:

•  minced garlic
• hot sauce
• dash of cumin
• apple cider vinegar
• stone ground mustard
• Butter

Soy ginger hot sauce:

• soy sauce
• minced garlic
• grated ginger
• mustard
• honey
• sherry
• Butter

Garlic parmesan sauce:

• minced garlic
• white wine
• chicken stock
• butter
• Parmesan

Simmer all ingredients except butter (and parm) until reduced to about half liquid. Then add in butter till melted and take off the heat. Add in Parmesan after it cools slightly for the garlic parm sauce. 

Gumbo

• half pound pork sausage
• 1 carrot-diced small
• 1 onion-diced small
• 2 sticks celery-diced small
• 1 bell pepper-diced small
• 1 cup shredded chicken
• 1/2 pound link dinner sausage cut into slices
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup oil
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. creole seasonings (salt, black pepper, red pepper, chili powder, garlic)
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme

Start by browning half a pound of pork sausage. Remove the meat from the pan but leave the fat. Put in a large bowl to the side

Saute the onion, celery, carrot and peppers until soft in the fat. Add it to the bowl with the sausage. Put the chicken and sausage slices in the bowl too.

Melt the butter and add in the oil then  flour. Stir and cook the roux (flour butter mixture) until it turns brown. Most gumbo recipes say you want it a nice dark brown. this can take 20 minutes or more. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock so there are no flour lumps. 

Add back in the bowl with veggies and meat. Add in the spices. Simmer for about 2 hours. Serve over rice in a bowl.

Molten Lava Cakes

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 4 oz. semi sweet chocolate
• 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 total) of butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp orange extract

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth. 

Add in the flour and sugar and start mixing in a mixer on low. add in the eggs and flavorings and mix till smooth. 

Grease 6 ramekins with butter. Split the batter evenly between the ramekins.

Bake at 425 degrees for 18 minutes. 

Run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and put a plate on top then invert it and take off the ramekin. 

Serve with ice cream.

Salmon Risotto

• 1 onion-diced
• 1 pepper-diced
• 1 tbs. butter plus some oil
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 bottle white wine
• 6 cups stock*
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup Parmesan
• 1 cup flaked salmon meat (cooked)

Cook the onion and pepper in the oil over medium heat till soft and starting to brown. 

Add in the butter and rice and a bit more oil- just coat the grains of rice. Sate until just before the grains brown then add in the wine slowly, stirring.

Cook at a gentle low simmer adding liquid in when the pan the liquid is almost gone. Stir often. After about half an hour and most of the liquid, your rice should be cooked. Use more or less liquid as necessary.

While there is still a little liquid left in the pan, add in the butter, Parmesan, and salmon and stir until incorporated. Serve immediately. 

*I made salmon stock using the bones and head of a salmon that I filleted for salmon steaks the day before. I put the bones and head in a pot with water, lemon, carrot, onion, and celery. Simmered for an hour, and then strained out all the liquid for stock. Then i picked through the bones and head and got about 1.5 cups of flaked meat.



 Here is a picture of a chicken and white wine risotto. Instead of salmon stock and meat I used chicken and I didn't put in the peppers.

Navajo Tacos

Dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• about 3/4 cup warm water
• oil and shortening for frying

Taco meat:

• ground beef
• tomato sauce
• diced onion
• taco seasonings
• cumin

Toppings:

• onion
• cilantro
• lettuce
• tomato

Start by making the dough. Mix the dry ingredients together then slowly add in the oil and water. Mix as little as possible but make sure there are no lumps. Let it sit for about 2 hours, greased on the outside so it doesn't dry out. 

Start prepping the taco meat by cooking up ground beef and onion then adding in the seasonings and tomato sauce and let it cook down a bit. 

Put shortening and oil in a pan to heat for frying. 

Pinch off a ball of dough that will fir in the palm of your hand. Slowly stretch it out to just smaller than the size of a dinner plate. Don't roll it out or squish it or you lose the air bubbles.

Fry quickly on either side till light brown. Drain off the oil on a paper towel and serve with the meat and toppings.

Rhubarb spice cake

• 2 cups diced rhubarb
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash salt

Combine rhubarb and 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.

Mix all other ingredients well. Add rhubarb. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes in a 9x9 pan. 

Tostadas

Tortillas
Cheese
Meat
salsa
other toppings


Tostadas are pretty simple. Start by cooking up your favorite tortilla. Traditionally they use crispy fried corn tortillas but if you like flour tortillas just go for it. You can even buy pre-cooked tostada shells.

Top the tostada with cheese and bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted.

Top with your choice of meat. I recommend the sweet pork from this recipe. But you can even use fajita meat, shredded chicken, shrimp, whatever.

Put the warm meat on top of the melted cheese and top with salsa, corn, beans, lettuce, or whatever sounds good to you. Finish off with a drizzle of the tomatillo ranch dressing that you can find here.

This is a great dish that each person can personalize. Serve each person  their plain cheese tostada and let them choose from the meats and toppings you have.

Rhubarb Custard Cake

Custard Layer

2 cups chopped rhubarb (2-3 large stalks)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Cake Layer-you can use a box yellow cake mix or this recipe

1/4 cup oil
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4  cups  flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix rhubarb and 1/2 cup sugar and set to the side. 

Mix the cake according to the box directions or mix wet ingredients (oil, egg, milk, vanilla) together then slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix well. 

Pour the cake into a greased 9x9 baking dish. 

Sprinkle the rhubarb and any juices over the top. 

Slowly pour the cream over the top. Try not to pour too fast or the cream will start to mix in the cake. You want it to pool on top. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake is cooked and lightly browned but custard layer (now underneath) is still moist.

Happy mothers day

Thank you to all mothers out there. In your honor, here is a picture of mothers day brunch.

English muffins, smoked salmon, asparagus, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce with crispy hash browns and cantaloupe.

Lamb Roast

Mix together olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, minced garlic, and herbs (rosemary, thyme, etc.). Rub it over a lamb roast and place in a roasting pan.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the center reaches about 150 degrees.  Take it out of the oven and place the meat on a plate or cutting board. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Serve with roast potatoes. Steamed veggies, and mint sauce or a quick pan sauce.


For the pan sauce, As soon as you take the meat out of the pan, De-glaze with a little wine. Then pour all the juices into a small sauce pot and simmer until you are ready to serve.