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Best Meatloaf

It’s not your grandma’s meatloaf, it’s better… there, I said it! I know, some of you are thinking “them’s fightin’ words” and hitting unsubscribe right now. But in all seriousness, I don’t go labeling recipes as being “best” willy-nilly. As a mater of fact, out of nearly 600 recipes, there have so far only been [...]

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Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

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Fried chicken, whether it’s Southern, Japanese, or Korean, is one of my favourite foods of all time. Put simply, it would be on the menu for my last meal. It’s one of those dishes that strikes the perfect balance between flavor, texture and richness. The only downside about a really great fried chicken (calories aside), [...]

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Nikujaga (Meat and Potatoes)

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If Japan had burly roughnecks and lumberjacks, Nikujaga (肉じゃが) would be their meal. It’s a real work horse of the Japanese home kitchen and quite literally translates to “meat and potatoes”. Being high in energy, low on prep time and very tasty, it’s no surprise why. Nikujaga is one of those dishes that anyone could [...]

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Sole Meunière

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One of the biggest criticisms I hear about French food is that it’s complicated. While there are certainly dishes in the French repertoire that take a lot of work, Sole Meunière is not one of them. Taking a whole fifteen minutes from start to finish, it makes for a perfect weeknight meal. Another common observation [...]

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Coq au Vin

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Cooking inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes a stroll through a verdant farmers market on a warm spring day sets the gears of creativity in motion. Other times, it’s a six pound bag of Costco chicken, a half-full bottle of Côtes du Rhône, and some odds-and-ends lurking in the dark recesses of my [...]

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Ebi Chili

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Ebi Chili (エビチリ) is a Chinese-style Japanese dish created by Chen Kenmin in the 1950′s. Chen, originally from the Sichuan province in China emigrated to Japan, opening Shisen Hanten (Sichuan Restaurant) in 1958. He later went on to introduce Chinese dishes to households all over Japan through TV appearances on NHK. While there were many [...]

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Chicken Piccata

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I realize I’m dating myself a little here (and giving you a glimpse into my maturity level), but whenever I hear the word Piccata, I can’t help but lift my shirt over my head, raise my hands in the air and quote the great philosopher Beavis: “I am Cornholio, I need Piccata for my bung-hole!”. [...]

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Hamburg Steak (Hambāgu)

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Chicken teriyaki aside, Hamburg Steak or Hambāgu (ハンバーグ) as the Japanese like to call it, is probably the most popular entrée to stick in a bento lunch in Japan. Although it’s unclear exactly when this dish was introduced to Japan, it presumably comes from the American Salisbury steak, which is named after its inventor Dr. [...]

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