Ventura California is one of those iconic Southern California "surf towns" that you probably have heard of from classic rock songs like, "Ventura Highway" or seen in countless TV shows and movies. It's essentially the bridge between the laid back country living embodied by Central Coast California and everything you think you know about Los Angeles. Personally, I've driven through here several times on my way to somewhere else but never stopped. Last week I broke that cycle and now I'm wondering why I didn't visit earlier.

Sometimes it is nice to just have a delicious meal that is easy to prepare and tastes great. I've been doing a version of this recipe as a pasta side dish for the past year but decided to kick it up a bit and turn it into a full meal with the addition of some shrimp mixed in. 

Chicken, ham, fish, beef, lamb these are all standard dinner meats but I personally love to explore flavors found in wild game animals. Even when they are farm raised, trying something different helps set the mood that tonight's dinner is going to be something special. 

March has begun and that means that it is unofficially Irish Heritage month - even if that's mostly celebrated by St Patrick's Day traditions such as green beer and leprechauns as well as more palatable ones such as a corned beef and cabbage dinner.  Variations on the classic corned beef and cabbage recipes have been what I've eaten for St. Patrick's Day for the past 30+ years, so it's time to try something new and explore Irish culture a bit while doing so.

 They say that the way to a man's heart is through his mouth so we're going to share four awesome Valentine's Day Gifts that men will love!

2020 was a rough year in a lot of ways and generally, we like to do at least one restaurant feature every month, sometimes two or even three. With dine-in options mostly closed or simply not to my level of comfort, I stopped doing restaurant features the way I liked to do previously. I still continued to order out but it took time for the industry to catch up and start producing options that made sense beyond the typical take-out heroes like burritos, sushi, sandwiches, and sandwiches. I was a bit nervous for New Years Day dinner since not only is this a big night for foodies in general... but it's also my anniversary. Luckily we saw Parc Bistro on TV and loved their attitude and creativity so we decided to order their Beef Wellington and try it out.

This dinner is a classic Jewish dinner that would be appropriate for any number of holidays. However, I decided to prepare it last night in honor of Hanukkah even though I'm not Jewish or even particularly religious. Why? Because Beef Brisket, Latkes, Chollar Bread, and Matzo Ball Soup are all among my favorite treats and I love switching up my menu to try different recipes in my own kitchen.

I get a lot of stuff to test out and with pasta sauce, there's a lot of mediocre products out there. I think that's why I usually take a "semi homemade" approach with sauce and look at a jar of spaghetti sauce as the base that I can then add flavor, chunks of vegetables etc. Inevitably though, it never tastes as good as if it were simply made the right way from the beginning. That's why I'm absolutely in love with Jar Goods and the sauces they sent me to test out.

While many people are out and about again, others of us such as myself are still focused on staying at home as much as possible. It's tough though since frankly, I'm getting tired of the things I know how to make and sometimes you want a restaurant-quality experience that is just easy. Delivery often fails in this regard since that crispy, fresh from the oven experience just doesn't work after sitting in a delivery bag for 20-30 minutes. That's why I love these treats that Porto's Baker from Los Angeles sent us to try out as part of their Porto's Bake At Home experience.

One of the challenges with a restaurant like Fogo de Chao is that meat is the centerpiece of the experience (aside from their amazing service of course!) So while the market table is an essential part of the Brazilian churrascaria, often the salads become standardized. One of the things I love about Fogo de Chao is that every time I visit they have new seasonal additions that are unique, innovative, and generally pretty exciting to taste. It's summer and so that means that it is watermelon season and I was excited to see the latest addition to the market table was a Watermelon Feta Salad. Here's how you can make it at home.

It's been a pleasure being an Ambassador for Perdue Farms during these past few months. I'm a big fan of premium products and since I was a kid, Perdue Farms has always represented something special. As a young man I didn't really understand my mother's shopping patterns and I was insulated from the sacrifices that my parents made to make sure that the food they served my sister and I was always the highest quality possible. Now as an adult myself and especially in times like this where frankly food and paychecks are both completely lacking in certainty the choice of paying for food that I know is simply better vs the one that is cheaper comes to mind weekly while filling out my delivery order. Should I go for that cheap ground beef or keep buying that one that I know had ethically raised animals by family farmers right here in the United States?

 Looking for some recipe ideas that feature cheese? Check these tasty creations out!

There's no better food to enjoy during summer than this truly American treat. While the hot dog has origins in Germany - hence words like "frankfurter" and "Weiner", today... for better or worse... it has become something completely American. However, like anything in this country, while there is a standard "American Hot Dog" enjoyed with mustard and ketchup, every corner of the United States has its own regional variation. Let's explore twenty of the most awesome hot dog styles from around the United States!

Perhaps the biggest thing I miss about not being able to travel right now is the thrill of discovering new foods and regional interpretations of foods common across the United States. Earlier this year while I was in Lafayette, Louisiana I was introduced to a flavor combination that frankly, I'm now obsessed with. The simple combination of rice, scrambled eggs, and a dusting of Cajun spice took something that would otherwise be mundane but now it was unique, fun, and exciting.

The trouble with going to other people's BBQs is that you can't be "King of the Grill" since it's their domain, but that doesn't mean you can't be king of the table and win bragging rights by having the biggest, baddest dish that everyone will be talking about next week at the office. Sure, anyone can bring "mac and cheese"... for goodness sake, it comes in a box and even college kids can make it. Let's dress this up a bit and make something that everyone will want a piece of.

Healthy food doesn't have to taste like crap and while some people need grain-free, soy-free, milk/ lactose-free foods - others, like myself just enjoy a tasty snack. When the folks at Mikey's approached me, I was intrigued. I LOVE hot pockets for their sheer simplicity as a quick snack. While I have no illusions that the classic is anything but a tasty mass-produced processed snack, the idea that you could make an equally tasty alternative intrigued me. 

There's a joke that I used to hear from friends when I lived in Chicago, who said, "It's not a hot dog, it's a salad!". That sums up the Chicago-style hot dog pretty well. Unlike the classic American hot dog where many people simply put ketchup and mustard on top - Chicago folks go ALL IN! While there are a nearly infinite number of variations, the core ingredients for a "Chicago-Style" hot dog are pretty easy - an all-beef frank topped with tomatoes, sweet pickle relish, chopped onions, pickle spear, pickled sport peppers, and mustard ---- NEVER --- ketchup!

Comfort food is, well... comforting. Generally easy and cheap to make, recipes like Chicken and Dumplings have evolved over the years from easy - but time-consuming - to relatively quick and easy using shortcuts. That's what we're doing today. Easy to make, homemade chicken and dumplings where we focus on what's important. For me, that's a healthy recipe that you can whip up fast and fill your family's bellies with something other than the mass-produced package foods where you really don't know where things actually came from.

It's been too long since I've been able to enjoy the sizzle of a piping hot, perfectly cooked steak brought to my table. Sure, there's delivery and pickup available but by the time my steak gets home it just isn't the same. Luckily I have the solution to creating the perfect restaurant-quality steak at home and I'm about to share it with you guys...

It's already been nearly three months of quarantine and while initially, it seemed like shortages of toilet paper and rice would be the worst we'd face, the reality is shortages will continue for the foreseeable future. This isn't to say that everything is doom and gloom and thankfully, most of these shortages are only temporary. However, it can be frustrating and stressful to prepare for family taco night or something else and discover that the key ingredients - chicken, ground beef, even steak can't be found. Here are some tips for how to avoid food supply shortages for your family.