Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

I’m Michael Olsen and I love to make people happy with the foods I serve.   I try to make everything I cook from scratch and my motto is, “nothing out of the box and nothing out of the can.”  Sometimes that’s not always possible but that’s what I strive for.

My love of cooking started when I was in grade school.  Let’s face it, my mom God rest her soul was an imaginative cook but could never really make it come together.  She could, however, whip up some killer pies.  Because she didn’t want to cook, my sister, brother, and I can all throw-down some eats.  My sister is a gourmet and my brother can make a delicious meal out of a shoe-box.




My food idols are Ree Drummond, Laura Vitale, Helen Chen and undeniably my sister Diane.  To me they are all Goddesses.  They’re my “go to” girls when I want to learn something new or get fantastic recipe ideas.

I look forward to sharing my recipes with you and hope you will share some of yours with me too.


Bon appetit!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saturday Night Stromboli

Image
Basic pizza dough (see previous post) Pepperoni Salami Deli ham Arugula Pizza sauce or marinara sauce Parmesan cheese grated 1 egg with a tsp of water Follow the recipe for Basic Pizza Dough Divide the dough in two and on parchment paper roll each half into about a 10 x 16 inch rectangle. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the sauce over the dough leaving about a 3 inch area of dough clear on both the long side.  Begin layering the meats and cheese.   Top with arugula, a layer of ham, and a layer of cheese. Carefully roll the Stromboli and leave seam side down.  Transfer to baking sheet on the parchment paper.   Paint Stromboli with egg wash. Carefully slice slits for steam to escape. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley if you wish. Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before carving. Cut and serve!  Enjoy!
Read more

Corn-o-copia Corn Chowder

Image
Soups are something that are really good, super easy, inexpensive, and a great dinner to make when you want to clean out the frig. Actors in the play: Start with the “trilogy,” onions, carrots, and celery.  The trilogy is the basic for almost all of my soup recipes.  A little flavor with added heat.  A small can of diced chilies and 1 chipotle pepper in adobo. Bacon, trilogy, peppers, corn and left over sweet potatoes from last night’s curry. Finished chowder, ready to be served up. Recipe 1 package bacon diced Trilogy  ( 2 carrots, 2 sticks celery with leaves, 1 medium onion.  All diced. ) 8 cups water 2 tbsp. chicken bouillon 2 pound bag of frozen corn ¼ cup cornmeal mixed with 2 tbsp. water 1 small can diced green chilies 1 chipotle pepper in adobo diced I added 1 pasilla pepper and about a cup of diced sweet potato.  ( Use what you have and make it your own.) 1 cup heavy cream.  ( relax guys, won't hurt you)
Read more

Sissy's Luscious Fettuccine Carbonara

Image
Start with your homemade fettuccine (see earlier pasta recipe) and start a large pot of generously salted water to boil. 1/2 pound pancetta and 2 - 4 cloves of garlic. I buy mine at the Italian deli in Little Italy. Add two swirls of  olive oil to a heated fry pan and slowly saute the pancetta and garlic. When all the fat has been rendered and everything is golden brown, pour off the oil and put back on the burner.  Add 1/4 cup of white wine.  Opps!! I added a little more.  Just to deglaze the pan don't ya know. Simmer until wine has evaporated.  In the meantime, grate about 2 cups of Parmesan.    To a medium mixing bowl add 3 large eggs plus one egg yolk.  Pepper generously and add half the parmesan, some Italian seasoning and mix thoroughly.  Isn't that the most pitiful whisk you've ever seen? When pasta is ready (opps, did I tell you to put the pasta in the boiling water?  Oh well, you'll  figure it out), reser
Read more