Got to mess around in my friend's pizza kitchen and came up with this combo. Pepperoni, fresh jalapeños and dollops of ricotta. He wasn't too convinced about the ricotta at first but after trying it I managed to talk him into putting it on the menu lol.

First time trying a Georgian stroganoff boat and this might be one of the most interesting things I've eaten in a while. Beef stroganoff, pickles and chives on one side, melted cheese and egg on the other. Wasn't sure how the pickles would work with everything else but they ended up being my favorite part.

Went out for a date night and ordered a plate of 24 oysters from The Whalesbone in Ottawa. We were very happy to let the staff direct us in a journey of Canadian oysters.  We started with the Beach Angels from BC, then onto Peddlers Pick and Three Witches from NB before moving onto the Eel Lake, NS and finishing with Lily oysters from Tyne Valley on PEI.

The oysters were so fresh and well shucked and plated, no shell in the oysters and most of them maintained natural oyster brine.  If you have ever shucked oysters then you know that both of these things require skill to achieve. Enjoying the different types of oysters alongside each other really gives you a chance to notice the difference in flavour profile and texture.

As is tradition at The Whalesbone the oysters come with a fantastic array of toppings, starting with freshly grated horseradish and lemon, Tabasco, red wine vinaigrette, cocktail sauce, scotch bonnet hot sauce, island grill Caribbean style sauce and whiskey.  It is a lot fun to try different combos of the sauces, especially the whiskey, which goes well on the oysters or as encouraged by the staff as a palate cleanser.

Went out for breakfast with a friend and he couldn't get over the fact that I ordered a Fanta with tea. Apparently having a fizzy drink with a full English is some kind of crime lol. Meanwhile I'm just trying to stop the beans from taking over my entire plate. Is Fanta with breakfast really that weird?

Back when Jamie Oliver was still a dinner lady and fighting his war against Bernard Matthews’ turkey empire, children only had a small selection of one-syllable meals available to them: Gruel, tart, soup, sponge, and the undefeated champion of crap school dinners... Flan.

Made from a mixture of leftover gruel, cheese curds, and breast milk, this popular classic filled every belly—even those with EpiPens and the lactose intolerant. Not everyone made it, and that was fine. People think there are more children with dietary needs these days, but the truth is, they just didn’t used to live as long.

Then, one day, a small boy named John Major stepped forward, bowl in hand, and tentatively approached the kitchen hatch. A morbidly obese dinner lady leaned forward, her sweat dripping onto the Turkey Twizzlers.

“Please sir (she had a moustache), can I have some less??”

Then there were a few songs, some Cockney mischief, and, weirdly, a bit of child trafficking.

The big fat dinner lady was visited by three ghosts later that night and had a complete change of heart. Noticing how posh John Major was, she added lots of upper-class ingredients to her flan, like ham and even half a spring onion.

Posh Flan was born.

Made some jerk chicken with beans/rice a few days ago. Had some leftovers from that that I thought would do well crunch wrapped last night. There is a bit of lime salad dressing on top of the tostada to brighten it up a bit. Turned out amazing.

EDIT: APPARENTLY NOT JAMBALAYA, SORRY LOL

Native Texan who moved all over the US. After having lived in Baton Rogue for a couple years (and watching every local I could find to cook for me), I developed what I can approximate as close to authentic Cajun jambalaya as I can. These are nationally available ingredients (US), and the only specifically enhanced inclusion that may not be avaialble to everyone is RO (reverse-osmosis) water. Tap is not good enough (at least not in my area), and you may have to opt for spring or distilled water from the store. The post says lactose-free, but there are trace amounts of lactose in the butter.

This is not a mise en place recipe. Everything is slow cooked, and your prep should be done during the cook process, to allow for time to pass.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

2 large onions (shredded or fine diced)

2 large bell peppers (diced)

2 large carrots (~1 cup, julienne)

6 small russet potatoes (~3 cups, rough peeled and chopped)

2 garlic cloves (minced)

2 large sausage links (kielbasas, andouille, etc. - julienne)

24oz Shrimp (I used frozen, but fresh is obviously ideal, peeled, deveined - in Lousiana the vein is kept intact)

Better Than Bouillon Chicken (1 level tbsp)

RO water (1 gal)

Garlic salt

Black pepper

Cajun seasoning

Paprika

Cayenne

Basil

Oregano

Parsley

Honey or sugar

All-purpose flour (~3 tbsp, sifted)

Directions: Liquify butter in a large cast iron pan over low heat. Periodically stir the butter to keep it from sizzling or smoking. Allow for a golden hue to arise in your butter. During this time, prepare your onions and peppers. Add them to the butter and prep your water in a large sauce pot.

As the water heats to a boil prep your potatoes and carrots. Prep a large bowl for thawing and shelling the shrimp. Add potatoes to boiling water and wait approximately 5 minutes before adding carrots and Better Than Bouillon. After another 3-5minutes, lower boil to a simmer and add the butter, onions, and peppers. Add minced garlic and sausage slices. Shell the thawed shrimp and add to the pot. Raise the heat to medium.

Time for spices and seasoning. Add a generous amount of garlic salt, black pepper, and cajun seasoning. Add roughly 2 tsp of paprika and 1 tsp of cayenne. Sprinkle the sifted flour into pot, stirring as you go. Add roughly 2 tbsp of honey and lower heat again. Your shrimp should be just about perfectly cooked (pink and curled tails nearly touching body). Add basil, parsley, and oregano. Pour over a bowl of rice and serve!

Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
   
2. Mix maple syrup, Dijon, oil, garlic, vinegar, and thyme.
   
3. Place chicken in a baking dish and coat with sauce.
   
4. Bake approximately 25–35 minutes, until chicken reaches 165°F.
   
5. Spoon pan juices over chicken before serving.

Honey Balsamic Carrots

Ingredients

• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
   
2. Toss carrots with oil, honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
   
3. Spread in a single layer.
   
4. Roast 25–35 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and caramelized.

I blended the carrots, onions and potatoes with an immersion blender after boiling to get the smooth consistency.

Had beef sirloin and lobster tail for dinner! 🥩🦞 Such a delicious combination! The sirloin was tender and flavorful, and the lobster tail was buttery and juicy. 😋

When I first came up with this dish, I put the filling in halved roasted acorn squash. That’s pretty, but a little harder to eat, so I eventually switched to the less photogenic but easier casserole.

I used breakfast sausage instead of Italian sausage today since it’s what i had on hand, and i definitely prefer Italian sausage. Also, usually I use pine nuts instead of walnuts, but I was out and I quite like the walnuts, might keep that switch.

I’ve been trying to think of another veggie to add to the filling. Carrots, celery, and peas would be the classics for standard cottage pie, but this is a pretty different flavor profile, trying to think of something else. Got any suggestions?

My parents are currently in Japan, they landed just last night and it made me feel a bit sad.

I miss everything about the place, food especially.

To feel better, I made my girlfriend and I some Japanese style curry, rice (had to use basmati as I don’t have sticky rice) and chicken katsu.

Recipe:

Salmon: let the salmon come to room temp (10-15 minutes), pat the fish dry and season with salt/pepper/paprika. Hot pan with olive oil, sear for 2 minutes. Flip the salmon once a good sear starts to form, then after flipping, add 1-2 tbsp butter and some garlic 🧄 squeeze lemon juice on at the end! 🍋

Cilantro lime rice - heat oil in a pan, add 1tbsp minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of long grain white rice, toast the rice for a minute. Then add 1.5cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth, come to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, let sit with lid on for another 10-15 to steam and let the remaining liquid evaporate. After that, add juice from 1-2 limes and 1/3 cup chopped cilantro. 🍚

Mango salsa - 2 mangoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small red onion, 1 jalapeño pepper, juice from 1 lime, cilantro and salt. 🥭

I saw a recipe I liked based on the scones from the hobbit movies so I decided to try it. It is marvelous and my first time really making something out from scratch.