It’s ALL in the Presentation!

For YEARS I’ve been making french toast. It’s one of Mike’s favorite breakfast options. Audrey has NEVER wanted to eat it. I really didn’t understand why not. She likes custard, syrup and bread. Isn’t french toast all those things in one? Well, I finally found the trick to get Audrey to eat french toast so [...]

(Fill in the Blank) Fried Rice

This recipe has to go under 2 categories: Sam the Cooking Guy: Book 1, and my mom’s cookbook. The recipes in both books are almost identical. The only difference: Sam has “whatever leftovers you have in the fridge” for the main ingredient where my mom’s specifies to use shrimp and ham. I used chicken and [...]

Letter to Sam

Dear Sam the Cooking Guy, I’m afraid the honeymoon is over. I am no longer a member of your captive audience. Your shows airing on FitTV are all reruns and because you live in California, I do not have access to your new ones. Your book signings are all in Arizona or California and your interation with fans [...]

p. 184: Motor Home Meatballs

Mike: What’d you use to make this gravy? Me: Why, do you like it? Mike: Yeah. Me: Chili sauce and grape jelly. Mike: Weren’t you going to tell me? Me: Nope. Not unless you liked it!

p. 108: Chicken Enchiladas

I’ve made chicken enchiladas before and they’ve always been one of Audrey’s favorite things to eat. These, however, were not found acceptable to her 7 year-old taste buds. Mike and I both liked them, though. They were a little different than ones I’ve made before but can’t figure out why without digging through my cookbooks [...]

p. 134: Rice Cooker Mixed Jambalaya

“The beauty here is that everything goes into the rice cooker. You turn it on and split. It’s as simple as pie, or in this case as simple as jambalaya – which normally tends to be not so simple.” -Sam the Cooking Guy

p. 230: Grilled Peach & Blueberry Pie

Grilled pie? Yes, grilled pie! If you’ve ever made a “rustic tart” (which I haven’t) you’ve made a pie suitable for grilling. Just put it all on a heavy-duty foil tray instead of a baking sheet, cooked over indirect heat in a covered grill for 30 minutes and you’ve just grilled pie! What a thing [...]

p. 149: Red Beer

While waiting for dinner to cook I thought I’d FINALLY try this drink recipe: 1 12-ounce flavorful beer 6 oz. spicy tomato juice 2 t. Worcestershire sauce Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 big fat lime wedges Divide all of the ingredients (except for the limes) between 2 glasses and mix well. [...]

p. 159: Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich

Back in the day, eggplant Parmesan meant breaded, deep-fried, and artery-clogging. Well, guess what? We’re not back in the day anymore, so we’re going all easy and all delicious. ~Sam the Cooking Guy Mike’s review (expecting the worse since he said he didn’t like eggplant): “Huh. This is actually pretty good.” Sandwich assembly: toasted roll [...]

p. 156: Maple Chops

I made these pork chops for dinner last night. They marinated all day in maple syrup, soy sauce and garlic. Then I cooked them in a pan on the stove because it was just too hot to grill outside. Add a handful of bagged mixed greens with a little olive oil, salt & pepper and [...]