Seafood Birds Nest

Feeds 6-8 depending on how big you make the birds nests and how hungry you are!!😉

2 cups heavy cream

6. Eggs.

2-3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil

1-2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1.5 cups, grated Parmesan cheese

1.5 pounds of cooked angel hair pasta

You can use 1.5 pounds of large sea scallops, or U12 shrimp, peeled and deveined tail off

Sauce

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 cups of store-bought or homemade marinara sauce

1 cup of heavy cream

3 cloves of chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 325° so you can keep the birds nests warm while you make the sauce.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the first six ingredients.

Make sure you have a parchment paper lined baking sheet

Once those six ingredients are mixed together, add the pasta to your bowl make sure the pasta is fully coated

Grab a small amount of the pasta with the tips of your fingers on your right or left hand. Start to wrap the pasta around your other fingers as if you were bandaging your fingers together,  next slide nest off of your fingers and onto the parchment lined baking sheet.

Continue until you have used all of your pasta.

In a large, sauté pan, add a couple tablespoons of high heat oil, such as avocado, oil, grapeseed oil, or a vegetable oil of your choice. Transfer Ness carefully to the hot pan and cook until brown and crispy on both sides.

Once you have completed your cooking, you can put the nests into your preheated oven to keep them warm while you make your sauce

Using the same pan that you cook the birds nest in just wipe it down. Start with a couple tablespoons of oil. Add the seafood of your choice until it is cooked on one side. Once you flip the seafood over, you can add your garlic, butter, and parsley to the pan.

Then add your tomato sauce, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.

Cook for about five minutes or until C food is done and sauce is simmering nicely.

Pull your Birdsnest out of your preheated oven place on your serving platter or individual plates and top with sauce then garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.

Crunchy Coated French Toast

Feeds 4

Thick cut Portuguese sweet bread or challah bread

6 eggs

1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (pure if you can)

7-8 twin pack crunchy granola bars (NOT CHEWY) nature valley oats and honey work the best

Unsalted butter for your frying pan, cook on medium high until browned on both sides

Enjoy with fresh berries and whip cream or straight up with butter and maple syrup

Roasted butternut squash-quinoa cakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a large mixing bowl add:

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into about half inch cubes

1 teaspoon of yellow curry powder

1 teaspoon of Caribbean jerk spice

1.5 teaspoons of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

2 teaspoons of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of avocado oil

Mix this all together and place on your lined baking sheet put into your preheated oven and cook for 35 to 45 minutes until soft.

While the squash is cooking, you are going to make your quinoa.

3 cups of quinoa

6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

Cook quinoa according to box directions, for three cups dry which will yield you 6 cups of finished cooked quinoa. I like to cook mine with a chicken or vegetable broth, which just adds another layer of flavor. But you can use water.

Once quinoa is done place into a large bowl. Make sure the bowl is big enough to handle the quinoa plus the butternut squash and still have space to mix.

Add:

3 cups shredded fontina cheese

4 eggs

Roasted butternut squash

Thoroughly mix all of this together in the big bowl with the cooked quinoa

When everything is combined, heat your pan over medium heat, with 2 tablespoons of avocado or vegetable oil

You can form the patties by hand or use an ice cream scoop so they are more uniform in size. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until nicely browned. You can set these aside on parchment lined baking sheet

Keep them in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Slow roasted Beef short ribs

Ribs

4 pounds of boneless short ribs

2 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper mixed together

2 cups full-bodied red wine

10 cloves of garlic

5 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dry)

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (1.5 teaspoon dry)

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

3 celery ribs, diced

1 medium, sweet onion, diced

1 large shallot, diced

1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes (crushed by hand)

Cut the ribs into 3 inch square chunks

Use your salt and pepper mixture to liberally salt, all sides of the rib

In a heavy duty, Dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons of avocado or vegetable oil. Make sure to coat the whole bottom of the pan. When pan is hot, you will add your ribs one at a time and browned them on all sides. Once the ribs are brown, you will add your red wine. Let that cook for about five minutes. When the five minutes is up, add garlic, thyme, rosemary, carrots, celery, onion, shallot and hand crushed tomatoes

Let this cook on the stove top covered for about 15 minutes. Transfer into a 300° oven. Keep covered and check for tenderness around 2.5 hours. It usually takes 3 to 3 1/2 hours but I always check at the 2 1/2 hour mark.

When ribs are finished place 2 quinoa cakes, in a shallow bowl, and top with a rib, and some of the delicious intensely flavored stew that has been created from all of the amazing ingredients placed into that dish.

Enjoy this with a glass of red wine or your favorite cocktail !!

Perfect pulled chicken tacos feeds 8-10

Six boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons of avocado oil

In a heavy pot, add the avocado oil to a medium high heat, brown chicken on both sides

Once chicken is browned,

add one cup of salsa

One medium diced sweet onion

10 cloves of whole garlic

One 16 ounce jar of sliced mild or hot banana peppers with juice

Two limes zested and juiced

Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Check with the fork and once the chicken falls apart it is done. You may need more time depending on your stovetop. I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven to do this. It holds the heat and creates almost like a slow cooker atmosphere.

Shrimp

Simply marinate, the shrimp in lime juice, and zest, avocado oil, and any type of dry rub

Marinate for about 30 minutes and then grill until done about 2 to 3 minutes per side on a hot grill. Once the shrimp turns pink and curls up it is done.

Fried haddock

Start with fresh fish,

make an egg wash with just two eggs in a bowl,

add some barbecue rub to all purpose flour in another dish

Cut the fish into 3 to 4 inch chunks.

In a heavy pan heat 3-4 inches of a high heat oil, such as grapeseed oil, avocado oil, or a vegetable oil

Make sure your oil is at 325 to 350°

Dip fish into the egg wash, then into the flour and then into your fry pan. Fish will take about five minutes to cook all the way through.

It should turn up nice golden brown and be firm to the touch.

I like to grill my flour tortillas so they have a nice little charred look and taste

Salad/Dip all serve 8-10 guests

Pineapple salsa

1/2 diced Orange pepper,

1/2 diced red pepper,

1/4 diced red onion,

1/3 cup chopped cilantro,

1 jalapeño seeded, ribs removed and diced

1/2 chopped fresh pineapple

2 limes zested and juiced

1/4 cup of avocado oil

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Mango salsa

The same as the pineapple salsa, you add mango instead of pineapple. You can also do a combo of a pineapple mango salsa, which is delicious as well.

Black bean and roasted corn salad

One jalapeño seeded and diced

1/2 of a red pepper diced

1/2 orange pepper diced

1/2 mango diced

1 chopped English cucumber

1 cup chopped and seeded tomato

1/2 chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

5 ears Grilled corn cut of cob

Two 15.5 oz. cans of black beans drained and rinsed

Dressing:

1/2 cup avocado oil,

1/2 cup of lime juice,

zest of 2 limes

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

1.5 tsp. Cumin

Guacamole

1/2 medium red onion, diced

One jalapeño seeded, ribs, removed, and diced

1/4 chopped red pepper

One large tomato, seeded, and diced

1/3 of a cup, chopped fresh cilantro

Six. Ripe avocados.

Two limes, zested and juiced

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of

1 teaspoon of cumin

And 4 tablespoons of avocado oil

Mix all together

Taste and if you need to add salt or lime  use your own judgment