When my wife was a child, her Dad would make a summer side dish that her whole family loved. He would slice potatoes and onions, season them and add a bit of oil. Then he would wrap it all up tightly in aluminum foil and throw it on a hot charcoal grill. After a short…
I love to eat at diners. Fresh coffee in ceramic mugs. Hard top tables, booths and counters. Pastries on display under plasti-glass domes. Authentic gum chewing servers. Menus that have multiply pages of breakfast lunch and dinner items that can be had anytime of the day or night. What is not to like? Whenever I…
Is there a roast that engenders more passion than a leg of lamb? I think not. People seem to either love it or hate it. Why Is That? I don’t really know but I do have a couple of suspicions that I feel have high odds of being correct. The first is, that some folks…
Not only is this is classic and versatile side dish quick and easy to make. It’s also delicious and universally appreciated. Over the years I’ve made it for family and friends of many different social and ethnic backgrounds and I can say with certainty that everyone has enjoyed it. In fact, when I entertain I…
I’ve always liked the Green Bean Casserole dish that many families make as part of their holiday dinners. I also have come to understand that people who enjoy this side dish seem to fall into two separate camps – those who prefer it made with canned cut green beans and others who insist that only…
People my age love Prime Rib. The main reason is, of course, that it is a delicious and satisfying dish especially when paired with a dry red wine and potatoes. A second reason, I think is because folks born around the time that I was grew up during what I call “The Golden Age of…
When I was a child my Mom used to make a dish in the Italian Peasant style that we called Escarole and Beans and she would always refer to it as ‘Scadol and beans”, effecting a slight and endearing Italian accent that always made me think of her grandmother. Her version had a clear broth.…
Those of you who regularly read this blog or spend any time watching the videos at the Chef Hacker Kitchen Youtube channel probably enjoy the process of cooking. The tactile sensation you get when slicing through vegetables or meats. The sizzling sound when adding food to a hot pan. The aromas that fill your kitchen…
My culinary adventures have had me working in high end restaurants, factory cafeterias and local pubs. I’ve been a carny food booth cook, a tavern owner and a church hall pasta dinner worker. I’ve attended chef school, done menu consulting and advised more than one budding restaurateur. On the consumption side I’ve enjoyed wonderful dinners…
Mac and Cheese, once the staple of many a latch-key child, has gotten hip in the last 10 or so years. This uber-carb entree most associated with low cost and the blue and white box has even become the featured item on many a restaurant’s menu. There is even a pub not far from Chef…
