Homemade Manicotti by Nancy Miyasaki

This recipe is simple and absolutely delicious. It is a reasonable amount of work, so good to cook for a large party or family gathering. It is fun to prepare with a friend or relative, perhaps with a glass of wine in hand! I adapted this from a recipe cookoff I saw on the Food Network.

SHANGHAINESE LION’S HEAD by Linda Tay Esposito

They call it Lion's Head because the meatballs are ye big with manes of soft, tender napa cabbage...looking like a lion. Seriously, in Shanghai, the meatballs are the size of a tennis ball - let's call that a quarter pounder meatball. Slowly braise or steam to get a tender, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs. If you have a small…

Simple Sole Meuniere by Nancy Miyasaki

I seem to have a fetish with dover sole right now. It’s so plentiful and inexpensive, I keep looking for different ways to cook it. This easy recipe adapted from the barefoot contessa is really delicious. The slightly burnt flour in the butter gives it a nutty flavor with I just love. You can serve this with a simple rice or pasta…

Baked Chicken with Tomatoes and Basil by Catherine Pappas

Shrimp and Tofu with Black Bean Sauce by John Spottiswood

We're on a mission to create the ultimate black bean sauce. This recipe is getting pretty close I think. I took bits from a traditional Chinese recipe and combined those with another few bits that I got from a Martin Yan recipe. The result was not as sweet as Martin Yan's, but with just enough sweetness to fill out the flavor of…

Thai Basil & Curry Shrimp - Pattaya by John Spottiswood

This is a delicious curry flavored shrimp stir fry without a heavy curry sauce. The combination of curry and basil is really delicious. This is normally not served very spicy, but you can spice it up as much as you want.

Spaetzle with Succulent Beef by John Spottiswood

Our good german friend Helmut Solfrank loves to cook Spaetzle. He recently returned from a summer vacation in Germany and brought us a Spaetzle maker back! It's a simple device for making this very simple, but tasty, German pasta of flour, water and oil. You want to serve it with a flavorful meat stew with lots of juice/gravy. We…

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole by Nancy Miyasaki

Seasoned chicken, corn tortillas, and black beans layered with a tangy enchilada sauce. Our kids love this simple recipe. We serve it with refried pinto beans and sometimes Spanish rice.

Dutch West Indies Chicken Kebabs - Boka Dushi by John Spottiswood

This dish offers an amazing collage of flavors blending Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish and West African flavors. Personally, I prefer the marinade and dipping sauce on these kebabs to traditional Indonesian satay. The heavy sweetness of the Indonesian peanut sauce is replaced by a tangy, spicy and slightly sweet mixture of peanuts,…

Chicken Braised in Coconut Milk by Kristin Chen

For a more kid-friendly, non-spicy version, just do steps 2-4. It’s still super-moist and delicious – and even faster and easier! On really rushed days, you could even skip the onion/garlic/ginger in step 3 and just add the coconut milk – it’s still good! Serve with steamed rice.

Green string beans with potatoes and smoked sausage by Easy Cook - Laka kuharica

Seasonal, light and nutritious.

Glazed pork chops by Easy Cook - Laka kuharica

Pan-grilled pork chops with amazing balsamic and honey glaze.

Yellow Split Peas with Vegetables (Dal Takari) by John Spottiswood

Wow, this is such a wonderful dish and so easy to cook! The keys to this dish are the yellow lentils, fried potatoes, and cumin seed. You can change out the other vegetables (spinach is a nice addition as it adds to the creaminess of the dish). Make sure you fry the cumin seed and potatoes over sufficiently high heat that the cumin…

Butter Chicken - Chicken Makhani by John Spottiswood

My kids love Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken) and Chicken Tikka Masala whenever we go to an Indian buffet. So we tried replicating it at home. It's not a difficult dish to make once you have all the ingredients, and the results are delicious! It also gains flavor in your refrigerator over the next few days, so it's great for…