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recipes page
Recipes
Filet Mignon with Blackberry Cabernet Sauce recipes
Spaghetti Carbonara recipes
Steak & Red Wine Soup recipes
Iceberg Wedges with Real Thousand Island Dressing recipes
Figs with Goat Cheese & Port Syrup recipes
Individual Chocolate Souffles recipes
Lavender Creme Brulee recipes
Dave's Favorite Recipes
Featured Recipes
Pistachio Crusted Salmon Filets
I know what you’re thinking. Any recipe with the word “crusted” in the title automatically sounds intimidating, complicated and “chefy...”
Mixology
Whether you like them shaken or stirred, you’re sure to find something here to suit your fancy . It’s not hard to see that “froo-froo” drinks have a fond place in my heart. After you sample a few of them, they will have a fond place in your heart as well. Cheers!
Mixology Recipe Links
People who don’t cook seem to think that people who do cook practice some sort of voodoo, some sort of culinary witchcraft. I can assure you, that’s not the case. Like anything in life, the more you do it the more confident you become. Cooking is no different. If I have one goal, it’s to inspire people to start cooking and develop their “culinary confidence.” The kitchen is a place I hope to demystify. It’s not a place to be intimidated by or a place to dread. The way I see it, it’s a place to play, a place to create.
If you’ve never attempted cooking before, I would advise you to start small. Baby steps. Don’t try to tackle dinner for ten the first time you set foot in the kitchen. You’ll only end up having a nervous breakdown (I know because it’s happened to me a few times). Instead, be realistic. Try cooking one or two of the recipes in this book that appeal to you. Choose dishes that use ingredients and flavors that you’re familiar with. Once you begin to feel confident, try branching out. These recipes are not pretentious or esoteric. In fact many of them are just my spin on familiar favorites. This book is intended to familiarize you with the basics. Most of the ingredients are easily found in the regular grocery store with the exception of a few specialty items. Nothing takes the fun out of cooking like spending an entire day on a shopping expedition for strange and exotic ingredients.
I think people have the notion that in order to invite their friends over for dinner they have to whip up some exotic, fancy meal worthy of the best five-star restaurant. They think of entertaining as something that other people do. That doesn’t have to be the case. But I’ve seen people’s eyes glaze over at the mere thought of throwing a dinner party. “Oh, I could never do THAT,” they say. I’ve seen the look of sheer panic cross their faces at the mention of words like, de-glaze, reduction, seared or crusted. True, these words may seem big and scary at first, but once you learn a few basics, they are no longer words to fear, they are words to live by.
david lawrence 2005