Hey y'all! This past week was one for the books. We celebrated Greek Easter, my son Caje's birthday and my and Nicole's 2 year wedding anniversary! We even ate some of our wedding cake that we kept in the freezer. I got to chat with some incredible special guests including Cameron Mathison, David Burtka, Scott Evans, Chef Andrew Zimmern and superstar film director Tate Taylor!
I reunited with my dear friend, Kim Salisbury of Home Method Co. You longtime readers may remember her from when she helped us move into our new home a couple months ago. Kim gave us some great tips on keeping your kitchen organized. We even got treated to a private concert by Tim McIlrath, lead singer of Rise Against, while I was cooking breakfast for dinner! I'm not kidding when I say that we had an awesome week on CORA-ntine Cuisine. I'm going to share a few of my favorite recipes from last week and fill you in on some of the topics I discussed with my guests.
Let's start off with the Steak and Basque Rubbed Shrimp with Chimichurri Sauce I made for Caje's birthday. I cooked both the steak and shrimp on my grill outside. I marinated the steak for a few hours in a homemade worschestshire sauce with garlic and lemon. Be sure to marinate both sides of the steak so it's tasty all over! I also marinated the shrimp, this time in a basque-style green sauce. The great thing about these recipes is that you can marinate your protein and set them in the fridge for a few hours. That way when it's getting close to dinner time, all you have to do it is take them out and pop them on the grill!
While I was cooking the surf and turf on Caje's birthday, I got to chat with my dear friend, Chef Andrew Zimmern about ways you can support your local restaurants. Millions of people have lost their jobs in the hospitality industry and restaurants are in need of help. If you are financially able, please order food for pick up/delivery at restaurants that are still open for business. There are also many places selling gift cards that can be redeemed at a later date. These are invaluable at helping small businesses get cash flow.
The next recipe I'm sharing is for my Orange Sesame Beef. I'm sure you've had this dish dozens of times at Chinese restaurants. Now's the time to make it in your own home. I suggest reading through the instructions a couple times before you start cooking. You won't be adding all of the ingredients into the pan at the same time. There are some foods, like scallions and sesame seeds, that you won't be adding to the dish until it's ready to serve.
While I made this dish, I spoke with Tate Taylor about the impact of Covid-19 on the film industry. While things are still in the air, movie theaters may not open up for 18 months. Though it's discouraging, Tate made a great point when he mentioned how we all have normalized having an insanely busy and stressful life. It reminded me of something Cameron Mathison said: "If you can't go outside, go inside." We could all benefit from doing some self reflection. Hopefully, when the lockdowns lift we'll reevaluate how we spend our time. It's a blessing to work and have a job, but we shouldn't be grinding ourselves to the bone.
I want to end this week's post on a sweet note. So I'm sharing my recipe for Tsoureki, a Greek sweet holiday bread. I made this over Greek Easter weekend and it's a hit in my house. I love making this bread because it tastes amazing all by its self, especially when it's fresh out of the oven and still warm. This is also my favorite bread to make french toast with because of its soft texture and sweet flavor.
Thanks for tuning in this past week! See you guys everyday at 5 pm PST on CORA-ntine Cuisine!
Over the past week on CORA-ntine Cuisine, I got to reunite with several friends that Nicole and I have made over the years. Our incredible guests included Maria Shriver, Sheila E, Debi Mazar, Chef Gabriele Corcos, Chef Karen Akunowicz and the Shirley Temple King! Many of the guests spoke of the importance of taking care of your health and eating foods that boost your immune system.
I've had so much fun on CORA-ntine Cuisine this past week. I got to chat with several special guests including Chef Ingrid Hofffman, Chef Dominique Crenn, Cake Wars host Jonathan Bennet and my partners at the Little Kitchen Academy, Felicity and Brian Curin. There's been one common theme in all of my chats so far and that theme is positivity.
I know plenty of y'all are making pasta for dinner. If you've been making the classic spaghetti with red sauce for the past couple weeks, it might be time to try a new pasta recipe. This week, I'm sharing two of my favorite ones.
