Fresh Gnocchi with Chard & Mushrooms
This recipe is based on an incredible food discovery I found at the Monkeypod Kitchen in Wailea on the island of Maui. We got into Maui late on Thanksgiving and were looking for something quick to eat near the condo where we were staying. Not many restaurants were open on the holiday, but we found one…
Buena Vista Café
In May of 2013, a group of friends and I boarded the cruise ship, the Norwegian Pearl, for a cruise up the West Coast from Los Angeles to Vancouver BC. Along the way, it stopped in San Francisco, Astoria OR, Victoria BC, and Nanaimo BC. On our first day at sea, we were all sitting…
Chipotle Chili Powder
You can make this recipe with any combinations of ground dried peppers. I really like the smoky flavor and richness the Chipotle and Ancho peppers used in this blend. If you need a hotter blend you can increase the heat level by adding ground Cayenne peppers. For those who want it even hotter (and are a…
Humuhumunukunukuapua’a Restaurant
I never would have imagined a 5-star restaurant on a gorgeous beach in Maui would even have, or need, a happy hour. This restaurant and lounge sits a top a small lagoon right next to the beach. Since it was November when I was there, the sun was setting during happy hour….what a spectacular view! Humuhumunukunukuapuaa Restaurant…
Italian Seasoning
This Italian seasoning blend was created when I ran out of a store bought brand. I decided to improvise with some dried herbs I had in my spice rack, along with some granulated garlic. I like how simple this is to make and how much better it tastes. I will be using this blend from now…
Chile Rub
This recipe was originally created for my grilled chile-rubbed ribeye steak, but I’ve used it in a number of other dishes and I know you will find many other uses for it as well. The flavor on the ribeye was great, so I would use it on any grilled steak. I even tried it on…
Grilled Chile Rubbed Ribeye Steak
This recipe began to evolve when I watched an episode of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” airing on the Food Network. Chef Scott Conant’s segment was about a fantastic 42 ounce chile rubbed ribeye steak that he had eaten at the SW Steakhouse in the Wynn Las Vegas Resort. He raved about the combination…
Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
About six years ago I found a BBQ Sauce recipe in a cookbook called “A Man’s Guide to Grilling” by Men’s Health Magazine. The recipe I liked the most was created by Ollie Gates who is a second-generation BBQ legend (See Gates Family Kansas City BBQ Sauce recipe below). His recipe gave me the basic…
Boston Tea Party
Years ago when I tended bar at a local TGIF’s in Wisconsin, there was a drink on the menu called the “Boston Tea Party”. TGIF’s still to this day serves a drink called the “Boston Tea Party”, but it is very different from the one I remember. The one I learned to make was served…
Mai Tai
The last time I visited Hawaii, finding the classic Mai Tai was high on my vacation agenda. It turned out that there are a lot of different recipes out there for a Mai Tai, depending on which island bar you find yourself in. I am not sure anyone can decide on the original recipe. In…
