Protein Posts
Rib of the Week: Garlic & Rosemary Lamb Lollipop Chops
Lamb rib chops—often called lollipop chops when the bone is frenched—are an oh-so-sweet appetizer that’s simple to make and impressive to present. They’re easy to eat, and much more elegant than a big, meaty rib. The rib chops develop a handsome brown crust from being seared with rosemary and garlic—both classic flavors for lamb. A [...]
Deep-Fried Chicken Fingers with Crispy Cheez-It Crust
It’s Friday the 13th and the day before Valentine’s Day. There’s a dizzying array of mouthwatering, chocolate-y recipes out there this week. So…let’s make something fun and crunchy. Mouse discovers Cheez-It breading. Film at 11. It didn’t happen exactly like this, but this is close enough.
The Best Way to Roast a Duck (Hello, Crispy Skin!)
Intimidated by roasting a whole duck? Don’t be. It takes a few hours, but it’s really pretty easy. You just need to know what to do with your bird. It’s kind of a labor of love, but it’s definitely worth it. With this method, the skin is crispy. The meat is succulent, perfectly cooked, and [...]
Rustic, Family-Style Pork with Red Sauce
This is a fabulous way to feed a crowd on a budget. Pork shoulder is a tough cut of meat, so it’s generally on the cheaper side. (In fact, this is the same cut of meat that’s often used to make pulled pork.) My pork roast was about 8.5 lbs. and was only 99 cents/lb. [...]
One Potato, Two Potato, Part 2: Duck Fat Hash Browns
What’s the best thing about making duck for dinner? The leftover duck fat. At least, so says The Mouse. What’s even better? Using that fat to fry potatoes. Mmmm, mmm, mmm. Right now, I’m not sure you could convince me there’s a more delicious thing on the planet. So, last week, I made a couple [...]
Rib of the Week: Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine
This is my take on classic boeuf Bourguignon, a traditional French dish of beef braised in Burgundy wine, then garnished with mushrooms and small white onions. (Wine not your thing? Try my Guinness-Braised Short Ribs instead, which tastes amazingly just like French onion soup.) For this dish, the meat is infused with a fragrant combination [...]
Basic Cooking: The Secret to Perfectly Cooked Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs? How about *hardly* boiled eggs? Now that’s more accurate. (And that’s also the secret to perfectly cooking them.) I make hard-boiled eggs the way my mother does. And she uses the same basic method that Julia Child did—minus the egg pricker. Every time I do this, the eggs are marvelous. The whites are [...]
Butter-Fried Sea Scallops
So simple. So yummy. There are a zillion recipes out there for pan-fried scallops. This is one of mine. The fresher my ingredients are, the less I usually fuss with my food. This recipe combines a few simple ingredients that complement each other—and still let the individual flavors shine through. For this recipe, fresh sea [...]
Rib of the Week: Guinness-Braised Short Ribs (Plus a Quick Primer on Braising)
We woke up to more snow this weekend. It put me in serious cooking mode, so The Angry Chef dug out the car and intrepidly made his way to McKinnon’s, our local butcher shop. He came home with a couple of bags, including a package of gorgeous beef short ribs. I quickly set about preparing [...]
Garlic & Spinach Parmesan Rice
This is fast food, Mouse House style. We eat a lot of rice. It’s almost always our starch of choice over pasta. This rice is bursting with fresh spinach flavor. It’s salty, garlicky, and laced with a heavenly amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. And hey, with a little bit of fresh garlic and all [...]
