Bloody Mary shrimp cocktail

• frozen cooked shrimp, peeled with tails on
• prepared cocktail sauce
• tomato juice
• vodka (I used Bakon)
• celery stalks
• green olives
• fresh parsley, chopped fine

Let shrimp thaw in the refrigerator. Boil equal parts tomato juice and vodka for 5 minutes. Pour juice over the shrimp and stir in parsley, marinate for no more than 20 minutes. Drain and discard the marinade. Best served in a large Martini glass with the shrimp built on the sauce. Garnish with celery and skewered olives.

The dish: There's an old saying that says "there's and ass for every seat". No matter how outlandish a product may seem, somebody somewhere will buy it. When I first heard of Bakon vodka I wondered what type of person would buy such a product, and yet knew that I was whatever type it was. I bought it not to drink, but rather to cook with. As part of a Bloody Mary type marinade it works great without being overpowering. This is a great way to dress up an ordinary shrimp cocktail and turn it into something of a show piece. Don't be afraid to try this recipe using regular vodka, I'm sure it will work just as well. The large martini glass isn't necessary either, but it really adds to the presentation. The glass can be bought at most craft stores for under $10.

Holiday cheeseball

• 1 block of cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey jack
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese
• poppy seeds
• fresh parsley, chopped fine
• chopped green onions
• 4 strips good quality bacon

Cook the bacon over a medium flame until done. Pat the grease out using a paper towel and chop into fine pieces. In a large bowl whip together the 4 cheeses and milk. Once blended, stir in the green onions and half the parsley and bacon. When complete, form mix into two large bowls and refrigerate on a plate for at least 1/2 hour. Combine remaining parsley and bacon with poppy seeds and roll ball in mix to evenly coat.

The dish: One of my favorite things about the Holiday season is watching all the available retail space vanish from our otherwise dying mall. Among the "as seen on TV" stores and people peddling skin moisturizers from the Dead Sea is usually a young lady wearing a Santa hat standing behind a tray of cut up processed meats speared with toothpicks. I'm not one to offend by denying those hardworking Hickory Farms folks their gracious generosity, so I've eaten my fair share of pork butt (and leaner turkey pork butt???). It's difficult for me to get that close to edible treats without making a purchase, and I sampled pretty much all the offerings from the farms of hickory. Among my favorite things were the cheeseballs, covered in nuts and colored a slightly disturbing shade of pink. It was a few years ago that I offered to bring an appetizer to my mom's Thanksgiving dinner. I found a recipe for the cheeseball, but was a little nervous to try making it because I was such a fan of the ones that showed up at the mall. I took a chance and decided to give it a go. I was having one of those mornings where I felt I could do anything and the ball-o-cheese I created cemented my resolve that I would never buy another nutty, pink cheese sphere. The ball in the picture above was hurriedly made during a party where we crammed 45 or so folks into our tiny condo. Of the cheeseballs I've made this one is undoubtedly the ugliest, but still tastes way better the one you'd pick up after dodging the guy selling talking fish plaques.

spaghetti squash with parsley

• 1 medium sized spaghetti squash
• fresh parsley, finely chopped
• butter
• coarse salt
• fresh pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lenghtwise and remove pulp and seeds. Fill up a casserole dish with about 1/4 inch of water, place squash face down in it and bake for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Let squash cool for a few minutes and remove the flesh (is there a better word for it?) using a fork and pulling it lenghtwise to form long strands. in a large bowl add parsley to squash and season to taste with butter, salt and pepper.

The dish: If you're a long time reader of this blog, then you know that I'm not afraid of carbs and didn't buy into the whole Atkins craze. That being said, spaghetti squash is great as it has the feel of pasta, but with a nuttier flavor that stands on its own better and has no fat and virtually no calories. If cutting a raw squash the size of a toddler scares you, then you can cook it whole and scoop out the funk once cooked. I typically will cut it when raw to avoid excessive handling when hot and I find that it tends to dry out a little when cooked whole. If you don't already own one, now is a great time to buy a knife sharpener (I have a Chef Choice 110 and love it) as all of these delicious fall and winter root veggies are thick skinned and tend to be difficult to cut.

cucmber salad with yogurt dressing

• 2 cucumbers
• 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• fresh parsley, chopped
• coarse salt

Dice the cucumbers into bite sized pieces. Stir the lemon juice into the yogurt until well blended. Pour dressing over cucumbers, add parsley and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt.

The dish: Growing up in suburbia has its advantages: good schools, big houses and bigger yards. The one main drawback is the mid-teen realization that there's nothing to do. Like many other kids in my town, I spent countless hours at the Monroe Diner nursing my chocolate milk and gravy fries for as long as I could before the waitresses would kick us out or it would be curfew time. On any given weekend night 2/3 of the school would be piled into booths, hanging out and complaining that there was nothing to do. For all of the whining I did at the time I look back fondly on those years and realize that there's not much to do anywhere if you take that attitude. All those hours spent at the "teenage wasteland" that was the diner helped formed friendships that are still active to this day and it also opened my eyes to Greek cuisine. Pairing cucumber and yogurt together is a no-brainer as it is the basis for gyro sauce (yeah, I'm not even gonna try to spell it for real- too many consonants). John Lennon said that "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans" but for kids growing up in suburbia life is frequently what happens while you're complaining that there's nothing to do.

baked salmon with lemon and parsley

• salmon fillets, boneless and skinless
• 1 lemon
• whole garlic cloves, peeled
• fresh parsley, chopped

Marinate the salmon in the garlic and juice of the lemon. Cover fillet in parsley and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness.

The dish: This is a pretty simple preparation, so make sure that you use only the freshest ingredients, as they have no sauce or crust to hide under. For the longest time I was never happy with the fish I made at home, but then it dawned on me that I was buying it from a guy named Larry out of the trunk of his Impala. I switched, and now I buy it at a local produce store and it's as fresh as can be. The stuff you buy "fresh" at the supermarket has been previously frozen, which doesn't always matter, but don't expect a simple dish like this to shine using it. If you haven't already you really should start adding some salmon to your diet as it's about the best source for Omega-3s which do everything from slow cancerous growths to boost your mood. Your body needs Omega-3s and can't store them so the only way that you can be sure you have enough is to make a point to eat more fish, fatty ones like salmon in particular. If you're undecided about what to do for dinner, click on the salmon link before and pick out one of the many recipes on here that appeals to you. Your body will thank you.

seared chicken in a sage gravy

• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• fresh parsley, chopped fine
• dried sage
• gravy master
• wundra flour
• good quality chicken stock
• dry white wine

Beat the hell out of the chicken with a meat tenderizer, season with a little coarse salt and fresh pepper. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a skillet over a medium high flame heat up a swirl or two of olive oil and brown chicken, cooking each side about 3 minutes or until seared. Transfer chicken to a pan in the oven and cover with tin foil. Once all the chicken is cooked, turn heat on pan up to high and add about 1 cup of wine for every 4 breasts that you cooked. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon making sure to scrape any bits of chicken funk from the bottom of the pan (those that have high opinions of their cooking abilities call this "deglazing"). Once reduced (about 5+ minutes), add about a cup of chicken stock and continue the process until that is relatively reduced, add herbs and turn heat off. Add a dash or two of the master, and whisk in wundra (using a silicone whisk- get one if you don't have one) until desired thickness is reached. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pour generously over chicken and serve.

The dish: I've extolled the virtues of using gravy master before; I wouldn't even think of trying to make a gravy without it. This chicken was the main course of our parental dinner and everyone seemed to like it. My sister and her husband stopped by for a pre-dinner visit (I offered for them to stay) with our niece and nephew so we had a full house as this dish came together. The kids were great and nobody seemed to mind that I was pulverizing raw meat in the next room. Thank goodness that all the parents read this blog, otherwise they might not find it so amusing that they had to refrain from eating the hot food in front of them while their son (in-law) leaned in to snap photos. They all learned something that Kim has known for a while; while most of the food you see on these pages tastes pretty good, it's never scalding hot by the time you get to eat it.

panko crusted salmon

• boneless, skinless salmon fillets
• Dijon mustard
• fresh parsley, chopped fine
• panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Combine panko and parsley in bowl. Brush one side of the salmon fillets with mustard, using care not to dip the knife that was just on the raw fish back in the jar. Either use a squeezable container or spoon a fair amount of mustard into dish and discard remainder after done. Sprinkle panko on the mustard covered side of the salmon until well coated. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

The dish: Panko is just a fancy Japanese word that means "large bread crumbs". They give the fish a lighter texture than if you were to use traditional bread crumbs and play nicely off the flavor of the mustard. Don't wait for them to turn color in the oven, even when they're fully cooked they retain their gleaming whiteness. If you've been reading this blog you know that we like salmon and this is one of our favorite preparations as it's easy, healthy and unlike most anything else we cook at home. We served it alongside some Green Giant digestive health veggies, which is a nice mix of navy beans, spinach and yellow carrots.

unstuffed cabbage

• 1 head of cabbage, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, chopped fine
• 8 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 orange pepper, chopped
• fresh parsley, chopped fine
• fresh oregano, chopped fine
• red pepper flakes
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1lb ground turkey
• cooked brown rice (take out or instant works fine)

In a swirl of olive oil, saute the garlic and onions over a medium flame for about 5 minutes, or until just browned, then add to crock pot. In same skillet, brown turkey over a medium flame until done. Add all ingredients except rice to your crock pot (remember, we just don't give a damn about generecizing trademarks), cover and cook on low for 6+ hours. Serve over rice.

The dish: Stuffed cabbage is one of those dishes that I'll order out because it's both delicious and a pain in the ass to prepare. Cabbage leaves are more delicate than you'd think and getting the whole mix cooked evenly without burning parts of it is a true art. I'm not sure how I came up with the idea of doing it like this, but you get about 95% of the flavor with about 10% of the work of the original. That and like every other slow cooker recipe you can prepare it in the morning, or even the night before if you're using a crock pot that was made after leg warmers went out of fashion. You can add cheese if you wish, but I think it works well without it. As always, feel free to subsitute dried herbs for fresh ones.

egg salad

• 8 eggs, hard-boiled
• 3 tablespoons low fat ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 slices bacon (optional- or for ease you can just rock bacon bits)

Cook the bacon until just barely crispy. Blot with paper towels, chop into small pieces. Peel and chop the eggs. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. We enjoyed it on 12 grain bread (Hannaford makes a great one) with some spinach.

The dish: Making a great egg salad is highly dependent upon properly hard-boiled eggs. Eggs peel easier when boiled in salted water, so always add a pinch. Place eggs in water that covers them and cook over a high flame. When water reaches a roaring boil, turn off the burner and let eggs sit in water until cooled. The result will be perfectly cooked eggs that retain distinctive yolk and white texture as opposed to just becoming one big yellow mushy mess.

shiitake and white truffle risotto

• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups chicken stock
• shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• butter
• fresh parsley, chopped
• white truffle oil (highly optional, I just got some on sale and had to use it)

Combine chicken and vegetable stock in large pot, heat on back burner over a medium high flame, stirring occasionally. In large pot on front burner, brown the mushrooms in a little butter over a medium flame for about 3 minutes. Add rice and more butter, occasionally turning rice, for another 3-5 minutes. Add wine, cook for 3-5 minutes, or until wine is fully dissolved. Reduce flame on rice pot down to medium low and stir in a ladle of stock, cook until fully dissolved. Continue adding stock, one ladle at a time waiting for each to dissolve before adding more. Make sure to keep the pot with the stock warm and be watchful of the rice, making sure to add enough stock so that the rice doesn't burn, but not so much that the rice appears mushy. The whole process will take longer than you'd expect, about 40+/- minutes. Once all stock has been ladled in check rice for doneness. If not fully cooked add more stock or water until done, if it's good then add parsley and truffle oil.

The dish: Loosely translated, "risotto" is Italian for "rice that's a pain in the ass to cook". However, the end result is well worth the effort. I'm not sure if it's the browning of the rice or the incremental addition of the liquids that makes it taste so distinctive, but whatever the trick is you certainly won't mistake risotto for Uncle Ben's boil in the bag. I had the truffle oil and decided to play on it with the mushroom theme, but risotto is a blank canvas that you can do any number of things with. I usually add cheese at the very end, but figured it might be a little too much with the oil. Use any white wine, but I have a box of Digit's likeness in the fridge that I use primarily for cooking.

rigatoni with roasted cauliflower and asiago cheese

• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
• asiago cheese
• bread crumbs
• fresh curly parsley, chopped fine

Combine cauliflower and garlic with a generous amount of olive oil, roast for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven, stirring occasionally. Boil rigatoni in salted water until just done. Add breadcrumbs and parsley to cauliflower, season with kosher salt and fresh pepper, stirring in more olive oil as needed. Continue cooking until pasta is done. Place pasta on plate, sprinkle asiago cheese on top, drizzle with good quality olive oil and top with cauliflower mixture.

The dish: If you're a faithful red room reader (which I think you might be because I'm pretty sure it's only Kim and I reading this) you know my feelings on olive oil: cook with really cheap stuff and drizzle with great stuff. Cauliflower is one of those super veggies that has all kinds of good things going on and this was an easy way to enjoy it. If you want to make it a little healthier you can omit the breadcrumbs, but they really added a nice touch.

rice with chicken, cashews and gloden raisins

• 2 cups white rice, cooked
• 1/4 cup chicken, torn into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup halved cashews
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• fresh curly parsley, chopped
• Mrs. Dash seasoning

Combine first five ingredients. We used leftover chicken and we nuked it in a little chicken stock because we had some of that left over. Season to taste with Mrs. Dash and fresh ground pepper and kosher salt.

The dish: Kim really believes that she can't cook, which is not the case, and as a result she's a little pensive in the red room. I was working late and we had some leftover chicken so we planned on her putting this dish together and it came out great- the mix of flavors really worked. We normally just buy rice from the local Chinese place, but she used Uncle Ben's enriched boil in the bag and the texture was perfect. I enjoyed it cold the next day for lunch- this was a great way to stretch a little left over chicken.