Frivolous and froufrou things I make for Sunday night Family Dinners

Adobo Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is an easy and delicious soup recipe that is a complete meal on its own and can be modified to dietary needs. Below I’ve flexed my Finance talents to create a chart for dietary adjustments and included instructions on how to roast your own chicken. You can pick any version of the recipe depending on your family’s dietary needs. You can also opt to leave certain ingredients out and allow people to add at the end. Read more here…

Bacon Wrapped Turkey

That’s right, I said it: Bacon Wrapped Turkey. Bacon makes everything better – including Thanksgiving. In-laws driving you crazy? Can’t keep the kids calm while you’re slaving in the kitchen? 49ers getting beat by the Hawks? Turkey getting dry? All of this can be solved by one magical animal I call “bacon”. Wrapping a turkey in bacon for most of the cooking time keeps the turkey moist and delicious. And since the bacon is removed for the last hour of cooking, you can enjoy the bacon earlier to solve all those in-law, upset kiddo, 49ers loosing blues. Read more here… 

Blue Moon & Orange Glazed Cornish Hens

I love drinking a Blue Moon Belgian White beer with an orange slice. And, apparently, so do Cornish hens. Today we’re going to marinate these, as my dad would say, “tasty little buggers” in an orange marmalade and Blue Moon sauce, then glaze the hens while they sear and roast. The marinade adds a savory-sweet flavor to the hens and it turns into magical gravy in your pan, so make sure to have mashed potatoes, bread, napkins, and another Blue Moon on hand. Read more here…

Zinfandel Braised Short Ribs

Braised short ribs are the perfect solution to a family dinner as they can be made in a huge pot and left for hours unattended. There is almost no such thing as over cooking (in fact, the longer they cook the better) and don’t required many finishing touches so you can enjoy all of the margaritas and conversations you want without worrying about them. Plus, they taste AMAZING and you get a million compliments with not a ton of effort! Read more here…

Simon’s Roasted Pork Shoulder

The basics of this recipe are season, sear meat, sauté veggies, reduce wine, add broth, and roast for a really long time. It takes a lot of time, but not active time, so it’s a great recipe to make while you’re working from home or just doing house chores all day. Read more here…

Miso & Soy Marinated Lamb Chop “Lollipops”

Lamb chop “lollipops” are made from a rack of lamb where the chops have been separated, seasoned, and seared. Below we’re going to show you how to properly butcher them, season & sear them. The simplest version of these are made with just salt & pepper. I’ve added a marinade, a sauce, and a link to mashed potatoes that will turn simple lamb chops into simply fabulous lamb chops. Read more here…

Paleo Crab Cakes

This recipe is a version borrowed from my bro-lo (aka, brother in law, Scott) and adapted to be gluten-free. Because the original version is so incredibly delicious, I’ve also included bro-lo’s original recipe below (thanks, Scott). These little gems can be served in many ways. I’ve provided a few suggestions below to get more creative, but the recipe as written below is with my dad’s original and simple cocktail sauce. Read more here…

Complete Meal: Osso Buco, Veggies, Bone Marrow & Polenta

First off, I will say that the reason this is easy(ish) is that the recipe for osso buco is in no way mine. Rather, I used a recipe hack by leveraging a Williams Sonoma braising sauce. I added my own side elements, threw together a surprise appetizer that takes almost no extra effort, and pulled together an entire meal. This recipe, therefore, is for the full meal pictured below. Read more here…