Cooking

I have always enjoyed cooking, but I did not really start to take a keen interest in it until I became a single father of two young children who needed daily sustenance, preferably of a nutritious type. My repertoire and understanding of techniques started expanding as I consumed various cooking content in order to expand the variety of meals and ingredients used. Over time, my interest in cooking, the science behind it, the tools and techniques used, and the ingredients grew and continues to grow.

That said, while I have consumed countless hours of cooking content over the years from professional chefs to home cooks, this section is not meant to be any sort of authoritative source on cooking. Instead, it is a collection of things that have made an impact to my cooking journey that I want to save for my own memory, or in case my kids or others want to understand how I prepared something. If something here sparks an interest in you to try or further research a recipe, technique, tool, or idea, then that is, as they say, just icing on the cake.

Chicken Stock

Four sealed mason jars containing finished chicken stock.

Chicken stock is one of those elements that are nice to have on hand. I use it for sauces, gravies, rice, and as a more flavorful substitution for water. However, I frequently do not use an entire container of store-bought stock at one time, so can end up wasting it if I do not use …

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Thai Basil Chicken

This recipe is quick and flavorful. It also comes together quickly, so make sure to prep everything in advance. If you are serving with rice and/or a fried egg be sure to prepare those first. I will usually start the rice then prep the ingredients, and then fry the egg in the pan I will …

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Long Island Iced Tea

A Long Island iced tea in a tall glass surrounded by the items used to make it.

Contrary to the name of this drink, it contains absolutely no tea. It is instead a mixture of a number of different types of alcohol. The “tea” name comes from the lemon juice giving a strong citrus flavor and the dark cola giving it a color similar to tea. This is a crisp drink I …

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French Press Coffee

A french press coffee maker.

Outside of espresso-based coffee drinks, my favorite way of preparing coffee is with the French Press. It is less convenient when making coffee for a gathering as it has to be made in multiple batches, but for daily use, once you find your preferred coffee to water ratio, it comes together fairly quickly. This recipe …

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Margarita

A margarita in a martini glass surrounded by the items used to make it.

When I am looking for a crisp, refreshing, citrus drink on a hot day, the margarita is one of my first choices. I do not like the salted rims or the larger margarita glasses, and prefer a version with just the basic ingredients. Timings Prep: 2 minutesMixing: 1 minuteTotal: 3 minutes Ingredients Steps

Old Fashioned

An old fashioned in a small glass surrounded by the things used to make it.

While I usually like my whiskey neat with a splash of water, there are times that I prefer a cold, “desert” whiskey. In those cases I turn to the Old Fashioned as it is a refreshing end to dinner. Many times I will skip the simple syrup. I do not have a mold to make …

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Gin Martini

A gin martini in a martini glass surrounded by the items used to make it.

I like a plain gin-based martini, usually with a little added olive brine, and stirred–not shaken. I really wanted to like the vodka “shaken, not stirred” martini so I could do a (bad) James Bond impression when ordering it. Although bartenders may get that all the time and not really find it funny. Timings Prep: …

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Pork Meatballs in Curry

Finished pork meatballs in curry served over rice on a white plate.

This is nice, earthy, cold-weather comfort food. I like to eat it over Basmati rice cooked with chicken stock instead of water, and with some added turmeric. The spices in the recipe can be adjusted such as reducing some of the more “earthly” flavors like cumin, coriander, and cloves, and adding things like thyme, sage, …

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