Our Well Tested Recipes

I enjoy cooking for friends and family. Sometimes I read a recipe somewhere and it speaks to me. Other times I have a hankering for something and go in search of a way to make it. If I like what comes out, then I share it with you here. Each of these recipes has been tested, and often modified, by our little group of food freaks. Email me ( ) with your thoughts!

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Soups
Vegetable
Red Pepper - uncious and a bit sweet
Carrot Ginger - zip of ginger lights up the carrots
Leek, Parsnip, Ginger - earthy goodness
Broccoli Lentil - hearty warmth
Asparagus Spinach - surpising greeness
Cauliflower Tomato - very different
Tomato Gazpacho - the very best, golden
Gazpacho 2 - made with off season tomatoes
Butternut Squash Bisque - silky smooth and warm
Low-Fat Cucumber Spinach - refreshing!
Wild Mushroom - incredible depth of flavor
Meat
Spicy Black Bean Soup - warming for winter
Fish
Fish Chowder
Appetizers
Vegan black bean sliders - a nice clean heat
Thai Peanut Celery Dip - a spicy surprise
Salsa Fantastic - why buy it?
Spicy Cheese and Celery - hints of chili powder
Spicy Black Bean Dip - with cheese and chipotle
Brunch Foods
Overnight Brunch Soufflé - a standard dish
Nest Eggs (Paul's site) - good morning elegance
Side Dishes
Easy Bread - foolproof
Rustic Artisanal Bread - huge holes,
Tomato Galette - Easy, elegant
Roasted Green Beans - Complements many dishes
Stuffed Artichokes - the best
Stuffed Artichokes - easier to make, less messy to eat
Watermelon Mint salad - middle eastern treat
Broccoli, Mushroom, Raisin salad - classic done right
Desserts
Brie, Pear Mousse Napoleon (my own invention)
Almond butter cake - moist goodness
Skillet Apple Pie - easy apple pan dowdy
Fruit Cobbler - lovely and easy
Italian Cream Cake - special occasions only!
Killer Brownies - death by chocolate
Bourbon Brownies - rich, warm depth of flavor
Candy
Polkagris - my search for the recipe
Entrees
Beef
Chili Colorado - award winning "bowl of clone"
Fast and Easy BBQ Beef Rib (my own creation, and published!)
Short Ribs with Chocolate and Orange - depth of flavor will haunt you
Mushroom Meat Loaf - excellent picnic sandwiches
Four Meat Meat Loaf - savory and flavor heavy
Chicken
Chicken Adobo - a Filipino favorite
Balsamic Vinegar Chicken
Coq Au Vin - surprisingly easy to make
Incredible Chicken Mole - let your crock pot do the work
Low Fat Chili Verde
Cassoulet - a hearty French bean stew
Pork
Adobo Sauce on Pork - bright red and full of heat
Feijoada - Brazilian national dish of beans and smoked meat
Braised Pork Butt - will blow your mind
Fish
Halibut Chowder
Paper Fish - easy and a great table surprise
Pecan Dijon Catfish
Simple White Fish Chowder
Vegetarian
Vegan Curry - without using curry powder!
Vegetarian Chili - will please the meat eaters too
Pizza - Mexican Vegan - with roasted veggies
Cheese Soufflé - fool proof!
Macaroni and Cheese - a most hedonistic recipe
Pasta
Sun Dried Tomatoes and Green Olives - a bright blend of flavors
Peas, Prosciutto, and Cream - classic creamy / salty
Shrimp Diablo (a reader favorite)
Truffle Oil Pasta - you could bathe in the sauce
Swiss Chard Pasta - something very different
Tofu Spaghetti Sauce - a friend's fluke discovery
Sweet Pasta Salad - with a touch of curry
Misc
Ancho Ketchup and Mayo - goes on anything!

If you want regular recipe reading, I have got to recommend Cooks Illustrated. Just the best recipes ever. When Cooks says it is so, then you know it is so.

I used to plug the San Jose Mercury News Food Section on Thursdays; it was the source of many exceptional recipes - some of the most unusual. However, things have changed and I haven't found an interesting recipe there in years... how sad.