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THE DERBY AND THE MINT JULEP! | Live the Live ™
The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 4th, 2024, and although I'm not a big horse racing fan, I am a huge fan of the official drink: the Mint Julep! The Mint Julep is such a perfect, classic and historic bourbon drink, it seems silly to wait until Derby Day to have one. Of…
WHAT TO DO WITH A BAGGA FROZEN SPINACH, PART 1 | Live the Live ™
I’ve made spinach pasta before, so I figured it couldn’t be that hard to make spinach pizza dough. It’s pretty much the same procedure: I combined about 3 cups of 00 flour (I like King Arthur) with a tablespoon of Kosher salt in my standing mixer. In a Pyrex measuring cup, I poured…
SPICY BRINED AND GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS | Live the Live ™
Brining, the process of letting a hunk of protein soak in a salt solution for a few hours, is a great way to add flavor and moisture to any cut of meat. I brine these wings for 3 hours before using a sweet and spicy rub. They can be grilled or roasted in the oven.…
BURGER HACK | Live the Live ™
I've bought many burger presses in my day, and I've found that the meat gets stuck inside them after pressing, making removal somewhat difficult. Some presses have so many parts to them, they get lost in my cabinet or jam up the dishwasher. Frankly, every one that I've bought over the years was a waste…
PICKLED ASPARAGUS: THE NEW SEASON | Live the Live ™
I moved to my current home in the fall of 2020. One of the toughest things to say goodbye to in my previous garden was my asparagus patch. Over the years, I had grown loads and loads of delicious asparagus, but sadly, there was no good way to transport that patch to my new place.…
REFRESHING SHRIMP CEVICHE | Live the Live ™
I've never met a ceviche I didn't like. Sometimes, nothing can stop a serious seafood craving like sushi, sashimi or ceviche. They require the freshest seafood and veggies you can get your hands on. And other than some fine chopping, they require little else. The acid in citrus juices basically "cooks" the seafood in a…
SCIUE-SCIUE IS ABOUT AS CLOSE TO FAST FOOD AS THE ITALIANS GET | Live the Live ™
Fast food is a relative term. What we Americans think of as fast food is not what, say, the Italians think of as fast food. We think of drive-thru burger joints serving greasy, salty and fatty food. The Italians think fast food is something that simply doesn’t take all day to cook! If you can…
HOMEMADE MUSTARD | Live the Live ™
It's so easy to make your own mustard. And really good mustard. Mustard that hasn't been sitting on the store shelf for a year. Mustard with real flavor. Once the mustard is made, you're supposed to wait a few weeks before using, letting its heat mellow a bit. But I enjoy it right from the…
SWEET POTATO CORNED BEEF HASH | Live the Live ™
Corned beef hash is actually a very simple thing to make. The most difficult part is the corned beef, especially if you’re curing it yourself. That process takes about three weeks…a long time to wait for a plate of hash! If you have a package of already prepared corn beef that you bought…
CRISPY COD REUBEN SANDWICH | Live the Live ™
This is the most amazing fish sandwich I ever made. There's no other way to describe this sandwich, something that shouldn't work in some ways and yet is absolutely perfectly crunchy and delicious. It starts with the cole slaw, ideally made a day in advance... 1 medium cabbage, sliced thinly 2 medium carrots,…
A CHEATER’S “CHIZZA” | Live the Live ™
Maybe you've seen the latest KFC creation that's a worldwide hit. It's called the "Chizza," (rhymes with pizza) and it's basically a pizza where the so-called "crust" is made from chicken. This was too good of an idea for me to pass up trying to copy at home! In a previous blog, I posted…
PORK BELLY WITH SEARED SCALLOPS AND ESPRESSO GLAZE | Live the Live ™
Our 5th annual BOYZ weekend has just come to an end, and it's always a big deal. Three of us live in Rhode Island, two in New Jersey, and one in Florida, so getting together is no easy task, and it seems to get tougher every year. So we celebrate our friendship every year with…
CROSNES: A MYSTERIOUS SIDE DISH | Live the Live ™
Years ago, at Le Saint-Amour, a restaurant in Quebec City, the dish I ordered had these small strange-looking root vegetables sitting next to my roasted duck entrée. They resembled tiny twisted parsnips...or caterpillars! I needed to know what these things were, and so I asked my French waiter, who came back with a piece of…
BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL BUTTERMILK PANCAKES WITH LEMON ZEST | Live the Live ™
This is not only our family's favorite pancake recipe, but it's the one I always make when guests are spending the night. They are absolutely delicious--the pancakes, not the guests--and unlike any other pancakes you've had. If you need to go with a gluten-free diet, no worries: my favorite all-purpose GF flour, "Cup 4 Cup,"…
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHISKEY AND WHISKY | Live the Live ™
Our 5th annual BOYZ weekend happens next weekend, and so I'm sure we'll have intellectual conversations as we sample my collection of bourbons and whiskeys, especially after we taste a few bottles! There seems to be a lot of confusion about the spelling of whiskey and/or whisky, but the use of the letter “e” (or…
PRETZEL BREAD | Live the Live ™
As much as I'm a fan of sourdough--or any great bread for that matter--pretzel bread has a special place in my heart. I found a pretzel bread recipe that uses baking soda, a much milder and safer alkaline alternative to lye (which is what many bakeries use) an ingredient that I could safely pour down…
PAN-SEARED WILD-CAUGHT AMERICAN SHRIMP | Live the Live ™
Almost 95% of all shrimp sold in the United States comes from farmed shrimp in countries like China, Thailand, Vietnam and India...as well as Latin America. The stuff you buy at the supermarket comes frozen (since shrimp is highly perishable) and then is thawed out and placed on ice to make the display look nice.…
IT’S NOT KFC, BUT IT’S CLOSE ENOUGH! | Live the Live ™
It's been over a year since I posted this. Inspired by a recent conversation I had with a friend, I decided to share it again... It's never a healthy option to eat fast food. Michael Pollan said it best: "It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car." A few years ago,…
CHINESE-STYLE HONEY RIBS | Live the Live ™
I love these ribs. They're one of the the first recipes I ever tried, and still one of my favorites. I'll be making them again this weekend! I like making these because you don't need a grill or a smoker. They're gooey, sweet and absolutely delicious! ¾ cup soy…
CORNED BEEF AND PASTRAMI | Live the Live ™
I missed posting my annual corned beef prep for St. Patty's Day, but who says you have to only eat corned beef once a year? After all, corned beef isn't really an authentic Irish dish. The phrase "corned beef" was coined by the British. Although the Irish were known for their corned beef throughout Europe…
HERBACEOUS, DELICIOUS COCKTAILS | Live the Live ™
I love cocktails that are full of herbaceousness. (Got that right without spell check!) So whenever I'm dining in a higher-end restaurant, where I see that mixology matters to them as much as the food, I take advantage of their knowledgeable bartenders and have them create something special for me to try. Coppa and Toro…
RISOTTO | Live the Live ™
Good things come to those who wait. Risotto makes you wait! When I recently made my slow-cooked braised beef short ribs, my daughter requested more than just a simple starch to go with it. One of her favorite dishes in the whole wide world is risotto, and though I’ve never made it before, I knew…
BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS | Live the Live ™
Although beef short ribs can be an expensive dish at many a fine restaurant, the expense is not in the ingredients, but in the time it takes to prepare it. But it is definitely worth the effort! I used grass-fed beef short ribs for my recipe, and I think it made a huge difference in…
PASTA AGLIO E OLIO MEETS STEAMED CLAMS IN WINE | Live the Live ™
What can I say? I was craving both dishes, so I combined them. I figured: if I love each one of them, I'd be crazy over both together! Pasta 1/4 lb. bacon, finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 18 small clams, washed and purged* 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped 1/4 cup white…
THE LUCKY GROUPER | Live the Live ™
I'm on a Caribbean vacation, so I decided to get inspired. I was craving a Boulevardier the other day, a favorite cocktail which is a twist on the classic Negroni. A Negroni features gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. The Boulevardier substitutes whiskey or bourbon for the gin.I thought that rum would work just as well…
LEAP YEAR COCKTAIL | Live the Live ™
It's a Leap Year! This weekend, have a sip of the infamous Leap Year Cocktail. This special drink was created in 1928 by Harry Craddock, who worked at the American Bar in London at that time. 2 oz. gin (I use Hendrick's) 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (I use Antica Formula)…
SCALLOPS ON THE HALF SHELL | Live the Live ™
I was on a mission to find fresh mussels the other day, and in the process, stumbled upon fresh bay scallops, piled high on ice at a local farmers' market. Unlike like the larger sea scallops or bomster scallops, bay scallops are small and sweet, about the size of a mini-marshmallow...hard to find and my absolute…
SHEPHERDS PIE: ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD | Live the Live ™
This cold weather always has me craving comfort food...and nothing says comfort more than Shepherds Pie! To make this recipe, I used organic vegetables, organic grass-fed dairy products, grass-fed beef, pastured eggs, and homemade chicken stock. These extra efforts made a big difference to me, but use what you are most comfortable with and…
PERFECT BANANA BREAD: WITH OR WITHOUT THE GLUTEN | Live the Live ™
It's National Banana Bread Day! This is one of my favorites because it not only tastes amazing, it freezes really well. My original banana bread recipe blog is featured directly below. It's awesome. But if you follow a gluten-free lifestyle, no worries. My gluten-free version of the recipe, at the bottom of the page, is…
SHRIMP BURGERS | Live the Live ™
These shrimp burgers are not only delicious, they're pretty low in calories. The key to success is to use raw shrimp, not cooked. (Overcooked shrimp is never a good thing.) I always use wild-caught American shrimp, not that nasty stuff from Asia. I've found wild-caught American shrimp almost everywhere, from supermarkets to membership clubs, and…
A GREEK INSPIRED DINNER | Live the Live ™
It all started with a piece of Halloumi cheese my daughter and I had been keeping in the fridge for a couple of months. Halloumi is a Greek cheese used in saganaki, which is simply a dish of fried cheese. But it's an absolute favorite starter of ours whenever we eat at a Greek restaurant.…
CLASSIC CLAM DIP | Live the Live ™
A few years ago, we were invited to a very cool retro summer party: cocktails and appetizers from the 60's, and everyone contributed to the music by bringing in their favorite songs on vinyl. We were also asked to contribute to the apps, so I brought waffle chips with clam dip. 2 8-oz. packages…
JAMBALAYA | Live the Live ™
It's Fat Tuesday! Laissez les boss temps rouler! Back in the 80's, I worked at a radio station in Mobile, Alabama. My New York buddies thought I was crazy to move to the South, but that's where the job was. When they realized that I was only a 2-hour ride from New Orleans, I wasn't…
THE SAZERAC: CLASSIC COCKTAIL OF NEW ORLEANS | Live the Live ™
Sure, it’s Super Bowl Sunday, but Fat Tuesday is just 2 days away! Why not celebrate it early? If I asked you to name a cocktail that defines New Orleans, you might say The Hurricane. After all, it's a tourist favorite at the famous Pat O'Brien's on Bourbon Street. But the official cocktail of New…
CAJUN CHICKEN BREASTS | Live the Live ™
Fat Tuesday is coming up! This is a great recipe to cook up if you've got friends coming over for the Super Bowl. Let's do some Cajun-style cookin'! Poo-yah! I garonteee! I lived in Mobile, Alabama, back in the late 80's, and if you asked the locals, they'd quickly tell you that Mardi Gras originated…
CHICKEN FRIED RICE…MY WAY | Live the Live ™
I’ve gotten a few requests for my chicken fried rice recipe. Not sure if it's authentic Asian, but I use a lot of the flavors and veggies that I find in chicken fried rice when I get takeout. It’s really not a difficult thing to do, but it does take some work, chopping everything up…
CLAMS CASINO | Live the Live ™
I've had Clams Casino in many different forms. Back when I worked in Italian restaurants in New York, we would make a breadcrumb mixture, press it onto a freshly opened whole clam, and then place a small piece of bacon on top before it went into the oven. It was good, but the clam often…
CHIMICHURRI | Live the Live ™
Chimichurri is a garlicky, herby green sauce usually used with grilled meats. This pesto-like condiment originated in Argentina and is also commonly used in Nicaragua and Uruguay. Though some recipes include cilantro, many people insist the original is made only with parsley. To pack an extra punch, chimichurri also makes an excellent marinade for grilled…
ASIAN NOODLES WITH PEANUT SAUCE | Live the Live ™
There's something about Asian noodle dishes that make them incredibly addictive. They're great hot or cold, and easy to make at home. I store an arsenal of basic Asian ingredients in my pantry, so slapping this together is no effort at all. And if you don't have Asian noodles around, chances are you've got a…
THIS HERRING APPETIZER IS A RITE OF PASSAGE | Live the Live ™
When I first told my friends that I grew up in a Lithuanian family, that we only spoke Lithuanian at the dinner table, that I went to Lithuanian Saturday school for 8 years, that I was a Lithuanian boy scout...they looked at me with a bit of disbelief. On the surface, I looked just like any…