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After a long trip to Turkey – we’re making Simit in our kitchen…
Simit is one of the favorites in street-fare found around Istanbul. Baked fresh daily, the best of them in wood fired ovens, these treats can look a little bland to the uneducated. What a delightful surprise once you give in and get one that is fresh from the fire place mantle.
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Fire roasted baba ganoush with cucumber slices
Now – admittedly we grew the eggplant and cukes in our garden so there is a little bit of an advantage there. We took a batch of about 10 baby purple eggplants, skin and stems on and roasted them to perfection over an oak-wood grill. You can poke them with your finger to check for…
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Breakfast Was Yummy! Country Salmon and Mushroom Toast.
This morning was an extra special treat. Eggs and Diced Alaskan salmon with baby bella mushrooms and red onion sauteed and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese – served over a thick-cut slice of homemade molasses-honey whole wheat bread. All washed down with a cup of fresh ground Colombian coffee. Next time I’d like to add…
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When you love your work too much…
Cooking for me is about a connectivity with the soul, usually mine. I often times will see a dish and cook it a hundred times in my head, work out all the ingredients, oven temperature and process – all before I’ve ever bought a single ingredient. I don’t really have any interest in cooking what…
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New Menu Updates are here!!!
The new catering menu has been posted here on the site. We’re currently expanding our new salad, sandwich, veggie, seafood and Creole categories – so they look a little light at the moment. We’ve also added Oyster shucking and raw bar catering to the menu. We’ve wanted to add it for a while! Be sure…
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Holiday Open House, Party of 50, Reston, Virginia
This party came with a lot of things; a lot of people, a lot of food, a lot of drink, a lot of service staff and a lot of cooking. Oh yeah, and a lot of fun. Once again – the hosts are awesome and like to do things right. That simple fact combined with…
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Birthday Dinner, Party of 2, Lansdowne, Virginia
This was a simple, elegant, relaxed birthday treat. The guests had a warm comforting home, the Steelers were on TV, the dog was curled up in a ball on the floor, feet were propped up and glasses of wine were in hand. This is how the first couple of courses were served. Then it was…
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Sunday Brunch, Party of 12, Reston, Virginia
Our parties with these guests are always elaborate and fun. The food is fresh and has a broad range, the wine flows (on this day it was more champagne) and the opportunity to really enjoy some of the finer things in life is always a necessity. This was one of those rare occasions where the…
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Anniversary Dinner, Party of 2, Manassas Virginia
Last night I had the pleasure of being welcomed into the home of a wonderful young couple and their darling daughter – who is probably between 2 or 3. It was their anniversary, and they had entrusted me with the food for the evening – which is always a great compliment. Me being me –…
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Mom’s Anniversary Dinner – For Once I Wasn’t Cooking.
My mom had her 1 year Wedding Anniversary last night and she invited the family over for a BBQ – which was what they did for the wedding. That party I cooked at. It was kind a pot luck where I took care of the meat, chicken and Spanakopita. We had Turkish Adana Kofte and cicik…
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Personal Chef for Thanksgiving
Just the thought of cooking for a family other than my own on Thanksgiving seems a little strange. I can’t think of a better way to upset people than to attempt to cook their traditional meal at home and have them all turn into cry-babies when it isn’t the way granny used to make it.…