A while back, I attended a business dinner at a trendy New York City restaurant. One of my colleagues was a middle-aged publishing executive with an ivy League education and ...
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Delicious Orchards: The Exotic Bazaar In My Own Backyard
Delicious Orchards (or “The D-O” for short), is a food lover’s paradise located in Colt’s Neck, New Jersey. It began as family farm back in the early twentieth century. The business expanded over the years but remained predominantly an agricultural enterprise. In the late 1950’s, an entrepreneurial member of the family began to sell apples […]

Avocado and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette: Summer on a Plate
This dish is a light and refreshing summer salad that is very easy to prepare. A lemon-thyme vinaigrette accentuates the creaminess of the avocado and the sweetness of the tomatoes. A variety of different proteins can be added to turn it from a first course into a main meal. My favorites are canned tuna, lump […]

Fluke Francaise: A Fisherman’s Secret is Not Always the Bait
Fluke fishing season opened in New Jersey last month. Hordes of recreational fisherman from sandy hook to Cape May have begun dragging bait and lures across the sandy ocean bottom with hopes of catching their limit of these popular game fish. Fluke are a member of the flounder family. They are a tasty, bottom-dwelling fish […]
Book Review: Ratio by Michael Ruhlman – An Overlooked Culinary Classic
Ratio by Michael Ruhlman just might be one of the greatest cookbooks ever written. It is one of the few books in the genre that actually teach you how to cook. Most other cookbooks are nothing more than a collection of recipes. They guide you step by step through the cooking process but keep you […]

Osso Buco with Gorgonzola Polenta: Rely on the Braise To Earn Kitchen Praise
Have you ever cooked a meal for a large group of people and became overwhelmed by trying to do too many things at once? It happens to me all the time. Professional chefs are taught the secrets to preparing large quantities of food in a timely and efficient manner. Like the vast majority of amateur […]

Seafood Marinara? Janine Knew Something Was Fishy…
I was milling about the seafood section of our local grocery store the other day trying to decide what to make for dinner. Nothing in the display case inspired me. I eventually noticed the fish monger behind the counter. He was busy filleting a bunch of red snapper on a small work station. “Can I […]

Seafood With Saffron Rice: Paella’s a Party, Pilaf’s a Bust.
I used to call this dish paella until my interpretation of it was questioned by a certain wisenheimer friend of ours. We invited him and a bunch of other people over for a paella party a while back. The evening started off just fine. Everybody was drinking wine and snacking on an assortment of tapas we […]

Boneless Chicken with Sausage Pecan Stuffing: Nothing Complicated?
I told Janine I wasn’t going to cook anything complicated this weekend. Maybe just something quick and easy or maybe we would go out for dinner. Either way, I figured we would just take it easy. It was one of those cold and wet February days where all you want to do is hibernate. After […]

How To: Bone Poultry for Stuffing
Note: This technique can be used on most poultry including turkey, chicken, duck, pheasant, and game hens. Begin by cutting off the tail bone at the point where it joins the body of the bird. Cut off both wing tips at the joint. Remove the wish bone by first spreading the loose skin by the […]

Chicken and Tomatillo Sauce: A Mexican Recipe For Times of Maximum Density
A while back my weight was pushing maximum density. I first noticed my pants were tight when I buttoned them. Then my prominent paunch began to resemble Buddha’s belly. It was time to drop some pounds. Portion control was the first order of business. I had to learn to push myself away from the table. […]