Category Archives: Recipe

Mike’s Famous Buffalo Wings

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Although there are several versions of the origin of the buffalo wing, a common ground between each version involves the Bellissimo family and the year 1964. The family owned a small restaurant called Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York  (hence the name: buffalo wing).

I have been working on this recipe for many years now. I have taste tested several different versions with my fantasy football league and family members. Many have said these are the best wings they have ever tried. I suppose you will have to be the judge.

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Balsamic Chicken Marinade

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This balsamic chicken marinade elevates chicken to a whole new level of YUM! It’s seeping with complex savory, tangy, slightly sweet, herbilicious notes. The marinade is made with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, Italian herbs and seasonings that inject the chicken with loads of effortless flavor. And the best part of this balsamic chicken marinade? It does ALL THE work! Come dinner time, just cook the chicken (grill, oven and stove methods included) and serve with your favorite sides like mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus or in salads, wraps, pasta, or sandwiches.

Balsamic is one of my favorite ingredients to use in chicken marinades! I’ve used it in my Greek chicken and Bruschetta chicken for its fruity tang, mellow tartness and rich, complex sweetness. Today, however, I’m excited to bring you this balsamic chicken marinade dedicated ALL to glorious balsamic. It creates chicken dripping with so much intoxicating flavor you will be obsessed. It’s savory, fruity, juicy, tender and goes with practically everything!

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Boeuf Bourgiognon – Step by Step

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Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1 by Julia Child

Recipe created by Julia Child   As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated. 

Vegetable and Wine Suggestions
Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Continue to get the full recipe.

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Mike’s Chili

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An similar version of this recipe won the Professional category at the 2020 Orlando Crimeline Chili Cookoff. Take your time, grab a beer, and make sure to taste as you go!! This recipe should yield about 1 ½ – 2 gallons of chili.  You will need at least an 8-quart pot to complete this recipe.  This recipe can also be cooked in an 8-quart crock pot set to low for 4 to 6 hours.

Mikes-ChiliDownload

Crazy Yummy Holiday Herb Oil

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This will be the first in a series of articles that I will present that include my personal recipes for Thanksgiving that have been tested with my family for over 10 years. I begin the first with a recipe from ChefSteps, yes the joule sous vide people. The chief over there is named Grant Crilly and this chef has serious, mad skills. Last year he came up with this oil infusion procedure which blew my mind. It is the yummiest and most flavorful holiday condiment recipe I have.

This recipe bottles up all the flavors of Thanksgiving into a fragrant, delicious herb oil so you can use it to liven up any holiday meal. If you’re anything like the rest of America, you’re probably loading your cart at the grocery store with one-ounce packs of fresh herbs for holiday meals. Not only are those expensive, but they wither and blacken quickly in the refrigerator. It’s a much better idea to make this oil instead.  Make this herb oil and you will have a flavorful oil for drizzling on everything in the next month.

Holiday-Herb-Oil in Microsoft Word FormatDownload

Fried Chicken Livers

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Southern Fried Chicken Livers! Love them or hate them? I happen to love them and have since I was a child. I wasn’t even tricked into eating them. I knew exactly what they were and have liked them ever since my first crunchy bite.  In case you’re thinking you don’t care for chicken livers, you may have had them in dishes and weren’t even aware of it. For instance, they are a main ingredient in preparing Cajun Dirty Rice. The chicken livers are what give the rice the “dirty” look.  Chicken livers are also part of making the beloved giblet gravy for holiday meals.

Fried Chicken Livers

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Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb chicken livers trimmed

Marinade

  • 2 cups buttermilk full fat
  • 1/4 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
  • 1 1/2 TB soy sauce

Breading Dredge

  • 2 cups AP Flour
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 2 TB Cajun seasoning
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Redmond Real Salt

Remoulade

  • 1/2 cup Mayo
  • 1 TB grainy or creole mustard
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 TB creamed horseradish
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice or pickle juice
  • 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp fresh parsly chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat deep fryer to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, whisk 2 cups of the buttermilk with the hot sauce and soy sauce. Add the chicken livers and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • Remove the livers from the buttermilk, then dredge them in the flour mixture. Set aside to allow coating to adhere to the protein.
  • Drop half the coated livers into the oil and allow to cook for minutes.
  • Remove from oil and allow to cool for a bit.
  • Remoulade: Combine the mayo, mustard, garlic, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and parsley in a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed (I like to let the flavors sit for a while, but you can serve it immediately).

Notes

The Cajun seasoning that is used is Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.
The bread crumbs used were the Progresso Italian Style bread crumbs.
The livers can be marinated in the buttermilk for as little as 4 to 6 hours for a bit more toothy feel in texture. Overnight will produce a smooth and creamy product.
This recipe can also be done with the dry, wet, dry method of dredging for a thicker batter.
Keyword chicken, livers

Sweeteners and Glycemic Index

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Glycemic Index:

The Glycemic Index is an indication of how quickly a specified amount of food will cause a rise in blood sugar level. The amount of food is the portion that contains 50 grams of carbohydrate (200 calories from carbs). So it is really an indication of how one carb compares to another.

Certain foods cause a spike, or rapid rise, in blood sugar level. This spike causes an insulin response and may over time lead to health problems such as diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and other issues. Maintaining a more even blood sugar level appears to be beneficial in many ways.

Only foods that contain carbs cause this spike, proteins and fats do not. They provide calories but do not cause an immediate rise in blood sugar levels. Meat and eggs contain no carbs at all, they can be considered to have a zero glycemic index. However this is not strictly true as the test cannot be carried out on them: no amount of eggs will give the required 50 gm of carbs.

The test is carried out on volunteers who have been fasting for a period of time. They are fed a portion of food containing 50 gm of carbohydrate and their blood sugar level monitored over a 2 hour period. This data is drawn on a graph and the area under the curve measured, the larger the area, the higher the glycemic index (GI). Glucose is used as the standard with a value of 100 and all other foods are compared to this.

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Breakfast while on Vacation 2020

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My wife and I are both on vacation this week. We schedule this every year to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Every year previous, we would book a hotel room at a resort on the beach somewhere in Florida. 2019 was a fine time at Amelia Island, The Omni Amelia Island Resort was are destination which proved to be everything that we had heard. Due to the time of year, there are no crowds and the Florida humidity is lower. We stayed at a wonderful section of the resort that is actually condos that snow birds rent out when they are living up north. Our room came complete with a fully stocked kitchen, a living room and a very nice bedroom. I would say, probably 1000 square feet. and we paid around $179 a night. Yes my friends, it pays to live and grow up 1 hour from several beach’s in Central Florida. It’s precisely the reason I have never left this area.

Fast forward to 2020, the scenario this year has changed quite significantly. I have always said that the best vacation I ever had is the year I wasn’t at work and this cycle is no different. I did, however, want to have a few special moments for my wife considering we have been on lockdown since mid March. A few days ago I began planning a special breakfast complete with all our favorites. I chose to have breakfast on Sunday morning because I am always at work on Sunday. I figured that an awesome breakfast, followed by a nap, and then an afternoon of NFL football would be just the ticket for my wife and I. Did I mention that my wife is more into football than I am. That’s right, I hit the wife lottery. In more ways than one. The breakfast menu was an easy to list to prepare. We had been to breakfast at several fine restaurants here locally and with most things, we are creatures of habit. So here is what I planned for……

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