This is my version of mom’s chicken soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 bone in chicken breast (have your butcher take off skin)
• 2 bone in chicken thigh (have your butcher take off skin)
• 4 large carrots peeled. or equivalent
• 4 large celery sticks. or equivalent
• 1.5 onion
• 3 cups coarsely chopped Kale ish
• 2 tomatoes (the soup/sauce kind) cut in chunks of about 1/6 th
• 1/2 bunch of oregano (bay area herbs container)
• Thyme (fresh ideally but dry works)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 .5 tablespoon salt
• 1 tbsp whole peppers
• 8 oz tomato sauce (one can)
• olive oil
• 14 cups water

Directions

1. Par boil the chicken in a pot filled with the water and all the chopped garlic, 2 of the chopped carrots, 2 of the chopped celery sticks, 1/2 onion, thyme, oregano and 1 cup kale along with the kosher salt. Start with room temp water and go about 25 minutes over low to med heat.
2. After the 25 mins or a bit less you have par boiled the chicken.
3. Pull out chicken
4. Simmer veggies another 15 to 20 minutes (depending on how much time u have)
5. Strain the veggies out.
6. Return the pot with the stock to stove and simmer to keep warm. At this point taste, you may or may not need bullion…
7. Meanwhile at any point lightly saute all the remaining  veggies in olive oil. They shouldn’t be soft, just jumping with aroma and flavor.
8. Now add the tomato sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.
9. Meanwhile shred up the chicken in large chunks leaving some on bone but dispersed
10. Pour all the sauced up veggies and the chicken into the broth.
11. Simmer for a good 10-12 or more minutes
12. BOOM DONE! (let sit)

This is dads recipe

• crock pot
• 2 lbs of beans
• Jack cheese
• Lard
• boiling water
• Large pan

For whole bean phase:

• Add boiling water and beans to pot and make sure the beans are covered with water over and above beans to the tune of 1 inch water per lb
• Set for 3 hours on high pot setting.
• Once they start to boil add salt ( 1 heaping soup spoon per lb of old school salt)
• Boil til done.

To fry:

• Melt about 3/4 ladle size spoon of lard in large skillet
• Take out any water that is over the level of the beans.
• Pour the beans in the melted lard
• Simmer and stir for 3-4 minutes
• Puree the beans.
• Once you puree you melt in 1/4 to 1/2 lb of Monterey Jack per lb of beans

To refry

They will kinda solid, (like your arteries) so when you refry them you can add a little whole milk and maybe cheese. Above all, if you can, refry them in bacon grease.

Do’s and don’ts:

• Do throw caution to the wind
• dont under salt/lard, you can be vegan another day

Serves 2-3

Scallops:
1 lb. large sea scallops thawed, rinsed and dried
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Cloves Garlic (coarsely minced)
Chopped Basil (or other herb you fancy) or not

Sauce (not required)
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into six pieces
2 Tbs. finely diced shallot (1 medium shallot)
1/4 cup dry white vermouth or dry white wine
1/4 cup finely chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley and chives
1/4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tip: Be sure to have all your ingredients prepped for the sauce (shallots diced, herbs chopped) before you begin searing the scallops.

Bring water to rolling boil in a medium stock pot and place scallops, butter, garlic and herbs in a “boil a bag” (note: there are bags made for this purpose, food storage bags are not the same thing) and place in the boiling water.
Steam in the bag for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size for the scallops, until scallops are nearly, but not quite done.

Remove scallops from the bag and again blot dry … surface moisture impedes browning.
Heat a 10- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add just a touch of olive and heat until quite hot. Add the scallops in the pan in a single, uncrowded layer. Season with salt and pepper (to taste) and let sear undisturbed until one side is browned , 1 t0 2 minutes. Using tongs, turn the scallops and sear until the second side is browned and the scallops are almost firm to the touch, 1 to 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, transfer the scallops to a plate(s), and set them in a warm spot.

Let the pan cool for a minute before you make the sauce.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add butter (1/2 Tbs.) and the shallots and sauté until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add the vermouth or wine and simmer until reduced by about half, another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the herbs and lemon zest. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining butter, and whisk constantly until the butter melts into the sauce. Spoon sauce over distributed scallops and serve immediately.

3 tbsp of
Honey
Balsamic
Soy Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 small pressed garlic cloves

Combine all of above as marinade

4 mahi steaks (skin on?)

Salt and pepper the fish and marinade for 20 mins

Pan fry in 1 tbsp canola about 6 min per side

Keep the marinade and create a glaze by returning to hot pan and reducing.

Easiest indoor salmon dish from the mother in law.

1lb King Salmon

Salt

Pepper

1/4 stick o Butter

3 tbsp chopped Rosemary

1 tbsp chopped Dill

• Preheat oven to 375
• Saute the herbs in the butter for 5-10 mins on low
• Remove the crispy herbs
• Salt and pepper the fish
• Brush the fish with the butter
• Cook 15-20 mins?

voila…..

Shout out to Barefoot Contessa. Best freaking risotto you will ever have

• 1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
• 3 ounces pancetta diced
• 1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

1. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Yeah, holy crap thats a lot of butter!
2. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter, about 2 mins
3. Add the wine and cook for 5 minutes. Make sure wine isnt too winey
4. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock.
5. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total.
6. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

do’s:

• extra pig

dont’s:

• unsalted stock, even if using homemade, use a little fake stuff
• skimp on saffron

Freaking sublime Salmon.

Combine all ingredients to create the marinade. Let sit an hr before adding to fish (if you have time) stirring a couple times.

• 1 tbsp salt
• 4 or 5 cloves: (press the garlic into a paste w knife edge and the salt)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Worcestershire
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped basil
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried oregano)
• 2 lb King Salmon farmed is ideal …..

taste for need of salt.. flavor profile should be ideal for dipping bread, that should be your baseline

Put salmon in a shallow dish and pour basting sauce over to coat the salmon, reserving 1/3 or more of the marinade to serve over the fish on the plate. Marinate the salmon fillets from 2-3 hours, turning a couple times

Grill to medium-high heat. Take fish out of the fridge at least 30+ mins prior to grilling so it isnt cold when u put on grill. Place the fish on the grill flesh down. Go a couple minutes and get some good grill/char love. Flip and do most of (the rest of) the cooking skin side down, the skin can take it. Use your judgement on the grilling to medium rare.

plate and spoon some of the sauce on the fish.

Dont: overcook the fish

Do: use the marinade as a dipping sauce w sourdough bread.

Do: serve with Pinot, too strong of a flavor profile to have with white

Another favorite growing up. Its a soup.

Ingredients:

1. 2 lbs lean range fed organic ground beef
2. 2 eggs
3. 1/2 Medium White Onion
4. Cilantro
5. Whole Large Tomato (firm)
6. 1/3 cup rice
7. Fresh garlic or Garlic Powder (small amount)
8. Beef bouillon 6 squares..yikes
9. Tomato sauce can 8 oz.

• Fill silver pot 2/3 to 3/4 and boil water (no idea how big my silver pot is but will find out)
• Take rice and place in small skillet and boil until a bit soft otherwise you may end up with hard rice in the meatballs. After water boils leave  2 to 3 minutes. Drain, it should be at least to slightly crunchy exterior with outside soft.
• Dice tomato into large chunks.
• Dice half onion into  large chunks, can do smaller if you want. Only large so kids can pull out the chunks.
• Chop 2/3 cup of very large/loose cilantro
• Salt, pepper and garlic powder to meat to taste. Add 2 eggs. Mix into meat. Seems the garlic powder is easily the heaviest of the three. Add rice. The rice should be room temperature.
• Mix the rice into other mixture. The ideal ground beef is very lean range fed organic since it will have a more pronounced beef taste. Put additional GP and perhaps salt into mixture.
• Taste the raw beef, the flavor in mixture must be pronounced. Set aside
• Add 4 B cubes into boiling water. It is key that water is boiling when you add anything.
• Separately heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet and add veggies. Add salt and GP. Large amounts of GP (yes again).
• After 3 minutes add 1/2 of 8 oz can of tom sauce. Saute one more minute and add all of it to boiling water. If not boiling bring to boil.
• Make meatballs a bit larger than golf ball size, a bit larger and add one meatball at a time (so as not to cool off water).
• Once they are all in, bring to full boil.
• Boil on high covered for a while then
• Reduce to low medium heat for pprox 30 minutes til done..not overdone so you can re-heat.
• bam?