As I mentioned yesterday, I’m pining for end of summer and all her bombs of flavor. So, as I wrote yesterday’s post I was already racking my brain as to what to prepare for dinner (Vita and I didn’t quite have the time to meal plan this week due to an office reorganization project that took precedent).

I wanted to make something for my wife that would tickle all the vegetarian atoms left floating around in her body, while playing off my current passion for summer tomatoes. So, with my brain …

It became incredibly apparent to me last night as I was walking the dog … the stiff breeze raising goose bumps along my arms and a sun hanging ominously low at 8 p.m. Summer is coming to an end.
I take a little joy in knowing that fall (my favorite time of year) is just around the corner, but am admittedly a little sad to know that warm days lounging in polo shirts (and the best tasting tomatoes of the year!) are almost behind us here in Michigan.
To celebrate the ending …

Whenever my wife is on call at the hospital, I usually use it as an opportunity to eat things that are either:
a.) Incredibly bad for my health
b.) Very meaty and delicious
c.) Very strong in flavor
d.) All of the above
While the aforementioned call was in effect last night, I went against my cravings for a Benito’s Pizza and opted to cook myself something from category “c,” a Spicy Penne Pasta Puttanesca.

The beautiful thing about this dish is that you can make it at any time of the year because it’s made …

By now, you’re aware I’m not a fan of breakfast foods… so this post should not be at all surprising at this point.
After my wife left this morning for 30 hours of surgical call, I had trouble falling back asleep. Our dog, Rafiki, wasn’t ready to climb out of my bed at that particular hour, so at 5 a.m. I hit the kitchen by my lonesome.
Determined to make a sans egg breakfast, I searched our fridge for things I could whip together. My eyes lit up when I noticed the …

Last night Vita and I had our weekly “date night.” We generally don’t cook on Fridays so that we can both unwind and take it easy, but we put it off until Saturday so that we could take care of some shopping.
We took a shot on Steve and Rocky’s, which has been open in the Novi area since 1998. It’s had mixed reviews over the years, but is considered by many to be one of the best places to eat in the Novi area. Vita and I were certainly not …

My friend Sheena told me that the Starbucks Breakfast Sandwiches have actually been around for quite some time and that they were pulled off the menu for a while because they allegedly, “interfered” with the smell of the coffee.

Either way, I never had one when the sandwiches were first introduced and since I boycotted Starbucks for many, many years, I wouldn’t have tried it anyway. Recently I’ve gotten into grabbing the occasional, fastly becoming more frequent Cafe Americano on my morning drive. I’m admittedly drained after the commute and in …

This is really more of Vita’s recipe than mine, but I managed to make a nice summer salad to accompany her tasty Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Kabobs, slightly modifying a recipe I found on Chow.

First off, let me preface that my wife is a wonderful cook in her own right, and I was probably quick to call her a “snob” in the previous post on Chicken Marsala. She is developing an increasingly broad palate now that I have her eating chicken and turkey again (she was pretty much vegetarian when we …

My wife comes from a Sicilian family, so needless to say, her palate for Italian flavors is well developed. That being said, as snobby as she can be about Italian food, I’ve always wanted to prepare something traditionally Italian for her – and to execute it well.
I’m happy to report that last night, I hit a home run with an adaptation of Gourmet’s version of Chicken Marsala.

Let’s do it.
Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups chicken broth (14 fl oz)
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 …

A few food blogs I frequent (namely Trish’s The Zest and Becks&Posh) both posted on the “Omnivore’s 100″, which apparently began over at Very Good Taste. I’ve found the results fascinating.

Here’s How You Do It
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
The Would Be Chef’s Omnivore’s 100
(I scored 70 out of 100)
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. …

I work about 45 miles away from my home. And if you’ve ever been in traffic in the metro Detroit area, you know that 45 miles can equate to about an hour and 45 minutes in rush hour traffic, and even more if you happen upon an accident. It makes cooking very difficult when you’re simply starving.
Since I began this little project, I’ve found a renewed interest in developing new recipes and trying new things, but I also don’t want to eat at 8 p.m. every night. So, I’ve been …