Shrimp Diablo

for Valentine's day we don't like fighting the crowds to eat an overpriced mediocre meal surrounded by other couples trying to get their romance one. So instead I make a three course dinner, my Cali. To fame this year though was my appetizer. I wanted to cook up something different and spicy. I was reminded of a dish I ate at a Caribbean restaurant before, shrimp Diablo, a diabolically delicious dish with all the savory pizazz you could ever hope for. The spice definitely awoke our taste buds on that special day ;)

2 tbs. salted butter
1LB. Peeled and deveined shrimp
1 can tomato paste
1 onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 bottle of ale beer
1 tsp. cayenne peppe
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tbs. garlic chili paste
Salt and pepper to taste


*start by melting your butter, once butter is melted add onions and bell pepper
Let it cook down until it is soft then add garlic let cook for another 3 minutes.

*bring heat down to medium, add in chili paste and tomato paste stirring constantly so not to burn the tomato paste. Add in cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper.

*Once all ingredients have been mixed in slowly add ale to mixtures making sure to stir constantly. Once you have gotten a good consistency add in shrimp. Cook for 5-10 minutes until shrimp are opaque.

* serve with a garnish of Parmesan cheese to add a little saltiness. Enjoy

Serves 4

Toast Skagen a Scrumptious Swedish Sandwich

One of my favorite sandwiches is this delectable open faced shrimp sandwich. Growing up going to Sweden during the summer I was able to discover some of the most delicious culinary treats known to man. Toast Skagen is an elegant sandwich or appetizer, the main attraction is the fresh shrimp and whitefish roe on top. This sandwich is so light and simple but packed with a plethora of flavor.

(Photo cred from Google, my camera was broke the day I made this)







To start you will need :
1 LB.  Fresh shrimp peeled and deveined. Cooked then chilled
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of creme fraiche
Fresh dill
1 tbs. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs. butter
Toasted bread of your choice
Whitefish roe
1 hard boiled egg sliced

To start mix the mayo and creme fraiche with the shrimp. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour in the lemon juice and fresh dill. Chill in fridge till you are ready to serve.

In a frying pan melt the butter, once butter is melted toast the bread until golden brown

Once your bread is toasted take your shrimp mixture and pile it on to the toast, add a dollop of white fish roe and sliced egg. Garnish with lemon wedge and dill sprig.



There you are! A beautiful fresh sandwich you can serve during those hot summer days when you don't feel like slaving over a hot stove.

This recipe yields 4 servings
Time: 15 minutes

Warm your bones chili

Growing up chili was always one of my favorite meals. I reminisce about those cold days coming home to a meaty aroma that filled the air. Now that I am older I appreciate a spicier version of my mom's recipe. The biggest taboo about chili is that it must take more than a couple of hours to make. This is not the case. For mine I start with some oil or fat such as butter or bacon fat (when I feel like being a little bad) then sauté one onion and one bell pepper, after they have cooked down and begun to soften I then add my 3 cloves of garlic and my chilis. For the chilis, I only half them, I used to chop them until I figured out you lose a lot of the flavor and spice. Just throw the whole thing in! Once all of your veggies are cooked down you add your protein typically I use ground turkey for mine to keep it on the healthier side. A mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage will do as well. After you add the meat begin to add your seasoning. I add chili powder, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, a few taps of wochstecher, and a dash of Tabasco. I like it spicy. Once the meat is browned then I add one 8 oz can of diced tomatoes and one 16 oz can of tomato sauce. I am not a huge bean person so I prefer to leave the beans out. Once the tomato sauce is I. I like to add a good bottle of beer prefferebly a bottle of ale, I like the way the flavor melds with the other flavors in the pot. If the chili is too watery I add a can of tomato paste to thicken it up. Once you have everything in the pan, cover it up and let it simmer for 45 minutes and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a handful of shredded cheese and enjoy. :)

1 brown onion
1 green bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic
3 Serrano chilis halved
1.5 pounds of ground meat of your choice
1 tbs. of chili powder
1 tbs. of ancho chili powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt/pepper to taste
1tbs. Wochstecher sauce
1 tsp. Tabasco
8 oz. diced tomatoes
16 oz. tomatoe sauce
1 pint of ale beer
1 can of tomato paste

Filet Benedict

An inspirational creation created from sheer laziness of not wanting to leave my house to find food today. My morning consisted of whipping up a fabulous take on a classic Eggs Benedict, A filet Mignon Eggs Benedict. From many years of working in restaurants I have been blessed with the capability to recreate the foods I've seen being made in the kitchen. The Filet Benedict is a great example of how easy your home meals can be at restaurant quality.

At nearly sixteen dollars a pound, filet is not a cheap every day kind of meal but it can be done when incorporating it into your meal. The steak is butterflied to around half an inch which is a perfect size so you can layer the Benedict nicely without your eggs rolling away from your plate. Butterflying also gives you the appearance that you have more steak than you thought. I ended up feeding three people with 2 quarter pound pieces of meat, which was perfect. The rest of the ingredients are very straight forward, poached eggs to your liking, English muffins, avocado, and Hollondaise sauce, which for those of you who have always wondered what that strange yellow sauce is made up of, it is a creamy mixture of egg yolks and butter seasoned with lemon juice. Nothing fancy or too difficult but if you wish to save some time or your not up for the challenge you can always buy the package which is in the sauce aisle of your local grocery store.

This is an extremely simple yet deliciously decadent plate which your taste buds will be thanking and praising you for all day long. At a total cost of around seven dollars per person you can't go wrong!