Super Simple Broccoli-Tomato Salad
Sometimes you just need something simple, healthy, and fast, without all the chefy froo-froo. THIS, is one of those dishes. Crunchy and bright, sweet and tangy, this uber-easy salad is short on...
View ArticleMaking soup…Samurai style
Okay, first things first, a couple of statements to divert the inevitable snarky, know-it-all, blog-nazi comments… I know that “Asian” is a common generality, which is typically a bad thing in most...
View ArticleEasy Skillet Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
A gyro (Greek: γύρος, gyros, literally ‘turn’) is made of meat cooked on a large vertical rotisserie, typically the meat is pork, chicken, beef, veal, lamb or mutton, and usually served wrapped in a...
View ArticleGround Lamb Gyro Gorditas
As a follow up to last week’s recipe, “Easy Skillet Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce“, I’ve continued my ground lamb experiments, and may have found a recipe that’s even easier, and that I like even better!...
View ArticleGyros vs. Schawarma
My old pal Megan, freshly returned from a recent European jaunt, asks: “Two things, on searching for shawarma here in Portland, I found a restaurant that sold shawarma but in parentheses labeled it...
View ArticleUltimate Thanksgiving Guide
Here’s my ultimate guide to a fantastic, and low-stress Thanksgiving. 50 pages of my best tips & tricks and favorite recipes! Enjoy this free guide, and from everyone at SimplySmartDinnerPlans and...
View ArticleBlackened Tilapia Sandwich with Simple Tangy Coleslaw
Blackened Tilapia Sandwich 2 tbsp. sweet paprika 1 tbsp. ground thyme 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper 2 (6-oz. ea.) tilapia fillets 1 tbsp. olive oil 2...
View ArticleThe difference between dressing and stuffing
With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I posted a very brief chef’s rant on this subject a couple of days ago, and I was amazing to learn how many people actually didn’t know the difference between...
View ArticleGarlic-Ginger Grilled Chicken Thighs with Broccoli Slaw
For my money, the thigh of the chicken is God’s country. Naturally moist and full of flavor, it’s the easiest to cook and most forgiving part of the bird. Here’s one of my favorite preparations…...
View ArticleChef Perry’s Perfect Turkey Brine
Always, always, always brine your turkey! There, I feel better now… This is a simple overnight brine that will yield an amazingly moist and delicious turkey. One gallon is good for a 15 to 20-pound...
View ArticleThe Best Turkey Gravy You’ve Ever Tasted
It wasn’t a proper Thanksgiving or Christmas without Dad showing up early in the day with a couple of armloads of groceries and his knife-roll. (It also wasn’t a holiday meal without Mom reminding...
View ArticleChef Perry’s Most Popular Recipes of 2016
If there was ever a year that we needed to focus on what brings us together, on friends, family, and good food, it was 2016! We cooked up a lot of great meals around here, discovered some amazing new...
View ArticlePatatas y Huevos Tacos and a Second-Hand Christmas
In the winter of 1975, my parents divorced. My mother had a chronic heart condition that made it impossible for her to work and the two of us couldn’t quite make ends meet that first year on our own....
View ArticleChilean Lomito, Paleo Style
Second only to a well made Bahn Mi, the traditional Chilean Lomito is my favorite sandwich. Pork and avocado is one of the great complimentary food pairings in the world, and nowhere is the better...
View ArticlePerfect Chicken Piccata
“Piccata” is a method of preparing food: meat is floured, sautéed and served in a sauce. The dish originated in Italy using veal (veal piccata). In the United States, the most well-known variant is...
View ArticleSkillet Seared Rib Steak Dinner
A rib steak is a beef steak sliced from the rib primal of a beef animal, with rib bone attached. In the United States, the term rib-eye steak is used for a rib steak with the bone removed; however in...
View ArticleChef Perry’s Perfect Pot-Roast
I’m all about the comfort food and, let’s face it…it doesn’t get much more comforting that a rich, beefy, unctuous beef pot roast. Now, you can train a monkey to flop a hunk of cow in a crockpot and...
View ArticleEasy Oven Pulled Pork: Good to Great in 4 Steps
I’m going to un-rein my ego for just a moment to say…I make great pulled pork. In fact, I make amazing pulled pork, and it’s always hugely popular at our cook-outs (not as popular as Chef Chris’ smoked...
View ArticleChicken Georgia with Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
This is one of my favorite comfort-food dishes. Creamy, umami, and enough veggies to keep the guilt away. I’m not, typically, a big fan of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts…but this is the kind of...
View ArticleSteak Tips with Mushroom Pan Sauce
Beef steak cubes browned with garlic, and served in a mushroom sour-cream pan sauce. This dish is amazing over buttered noodles, or white rice. Steak Tips with Mushroom Pan Sauce 2 Tbs olive oil 4 Tbs...
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