Top 10-ish List of the Week

  10. Beer Can Chicken When you’re Star War’s hero and smuggler Han Solo, hiding in who knows what or where, flexibility in your dining choices is an occupational requirement.  But ever wonder where he got the idea to stick his best friend up into that giant Tauntaun snow lizard?  Leave it to Han to […]

10. Spotted Dick This famous British desert was invented right around the same time that Moby Dick was published.  Whether it is New England or just England, this desert became popular among celebrity chefs of the time.  Click here to see the recipe from the Daring Gourmet.   9. Clam Chowdah (Chowder) Click here for […]

7. Harry Houdini Chicken Paprikash is the dish that his mother and then wife Bess used to make for Erik Weisz a.k.a. the magician Harry Houdini.  It reflected both his Jewish and Hungarian upbringing.  The following old recipe is from his niece Ms. Marie Blood.  Click here to see it!   6. Doug Henning Doug […]

7. Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Working in Human Resources aboard the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk might sound like a dream job.  After all, it’s the future where everything is fair and money is no longer important!  But if that’s true, why do only staff in red shirts keep dying?  If that doesn’t qualify as […]

10. Жаркое (Zharkoye – Meat and Potatoes Stew) When spymaster Claudia cooks this dish for young Paige, she attempts to introduce not only Russian food culture but a bit of the terrible toll World War II had.  To say that provisions were often in short supply is like saying that the rain was often wet.  […]

10. How to Break Down a Whole Chicken Like a Chef! Stop wasting money buying pre-cut chickens at the store.  The reality is that it’s both cheaper and quicker for you to buy a whole chicken, break it down, and then store the breasts in 1 ziplock bag and the wings and legs in the […]

8. Artichokes with Garlic Thyme Mayonnaise Artichokes are a vegetable famous for releasing oxytocin, a hormone that helps boost men’s sex drive.  Adding garlic,  which contains allicin, increases the blood flow to your sexual organs.  And the mayo – let’s just take that as a sexual metaphor to help move things along.  But when it […]

  5. Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri From the website Love Food comes this recipe for an alcohol free drink!. If you are going to be the only woman in a stadium full of male Rush fans, best to keep your wits about you!   4. Pomegranate Martini Let’s be honest, if you’re going to be surrounded […]

10. Taco Popcorn If you lived the same day over and over for 8 years, wouldn’t you want some positive reinforcement?  Luckily comfort foods are the magicians of the gustatory world.  They trick our brain chemistry into making us feel better.  Women supposedly prefer sweet comfort foods as a guilty pleasure versus men with their […]

5. Toasted Peanut Butter, Banana & Honey Sandwich When you yell as often as a Samuel L. Jackson character does, you’ve got to have the vocal chords of a violent opera singer.  In this recipe from Go Dairy Free, you have three key ingredients.  Peanut butter is for the protein and energy, honey in place […]

10. Tuna, Avocado & Quinoa Salad If you’re a high performance athlete like Batman (c’mon, if anyone is fighting outside of his weight class it is the guy who takes on Superman), diet is important.  From the B.B.C. comes this high protein salad loaded with healthy fats from tuna and avocado.  Click here for the […]

7. Whore Sauce Puttanesca is a blend of tomatoes, garlic, capers and anchovies.  This sauce is traditionally served over spaghetti.  Invented in Naples around World War II, the name comes from the Italian word “puttanna” or prostitute.  After wrapping up with their last customer late a night, these ladies would get a bite to eat […]

  7. Lieutenant Aldo “The Apache” Raine’s Ramp Salad This soldier from Maynardsville, Tennessee has switched over to a new line of business, “and cousin, business is a-boomin’.”   Before becoming the leader of the Basterds, Aldo ran moonshine in the mountains.  Back there ramps (also known as hillbilly truffles) are a popular staple of local cuisine.  […]

7. Sex Pheromone Truffles Donaghy: “When you’re handsome nobody ever tells you the truth.  For years I thought I spoke excellent French.”  (30 Rock Season 3 Episode 15) Fresh black or white truffles (less than 7 days old) emit a powerful odor that can include the molecule androstenol.  This is a sex pheromone in pigs […]

10. Foie Gras au Torchon What delicacy could be more appropriate for a posh cannibal?  Serious Eats has the best description of this classic French recipe,”..a cured, fattened duck liver barely cooked and rolled up in a kitchen towel? What the heck kind of a dish is that?”  While it is painfully expensive, stick with […]

10. Salmon So whether you’re a violent ex-spy on the run, or just someone with a bad memory, the B12 vitamins and Omega 3s in fatty fish like salmon are some of the most important nutrients for brain health.  This recipe from Neurocore Brain Performance Centers is a fiesta for the brain with blueberries, leafy […]

https://youtu.be/fXAlfh6QKQs 5. Ebony and Ivory Cupcakes   Long before Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder partnered up for this classic, black and white foods have been popular for their stark color contrast.  Avoid adding other colors if possible, the stark impact of the color contrast isn’t as impressive.  This cupcake recipe is easy to follow.   […]

10. Wisconsin Potato Pancakes For a cold, winter morning when a lot of starch is needed, check out the Midwest’s Journal Sentinel’s recipe for a classic Wisconsin take on pancakes.   9. Missouri – Mamma Hughe’s Swedish Pancakes Coming from Branson, Missouri’s website is a tribute to all the people that immigrated from cold Scandinavia […]

  5. Flaky Broccoli Cheddar Soup Mini Pies While the fictional character Selena Myer was only in the Oval Office for a very, very short time, it was long enough to grab a flaky soup pie to go!  Think of this recipe as a mix between a croissant and a Chinese soup dumpling.  And no, […]