Tag: appetizers

Eating Like a Teenage Boy – Sichuan Mala Chicken Wings

Eating Like a Teenage Boy – Sichuan Mala Chicken Wings

Have you ever watched a teenage boy eat? It’s amazing – and a little revolting – to see how much food they can stuff inside their body. They go to the refrigerator, stand with the door wide open, and eat whatever is in sight. As 

M*A*S*H – Sesame Broccoli Stems

M*A*S*H – Sesame Broccoli Stems

With three young boys each separated by roughly two years, my parents always gave us chores to do. There were weekend duties, cleaning specific rooms of the house, for example, and those we did on a daily basis. Daily responsibilities primarily revolved around dinner; setting 

Scottish Inspiration – Compound Mushroom Butter

Scottish Inspiration – Compound Mushroom Butter

In the fall of 2023, my wife Marci and I were lucky enough to take a trip to Scotland. It was a wonderful vacation. Because of the weather, traveling to Scotland in early November is a gamble. But for us it paid off. The week 

Crab Chaos – Crabcakes with Chipotle Aioli

Crab Chaos – Crabcakes with Chipotle Aioli

I must have been about 7 years old when my father brought home a big bag of blue crabs from the Italian Market. A trip to the open-air fruit and vegetable stands, cheese and spice stores, fish mongers, butchers, and live animal stalls lining 9th 

A Trip to Portugal – Clams with Garlic and Cilantro (Amêijoas á Bulhão Pato)

A Trip to Portugal – Clams with Garlic and Cilantro (Amêijoas á Bulhão Pato)

My wife Marci and I just returned from a lovely trip to Portugal. The weather was beautiful. We saw lots of churches, met interesting people, walked up and down miles of hills through narrow streets, had astonishing views, listened to amazing music, saw beautiful tile 

The Best Appetizers of 2024 (and 2023)

The Best Appetizers of 2024 (and 2023)

As the calendar rolls over from one year to the next, New Year’s Eve is a chance to celebrate. And what is a celebration without tasty and exciting foods? For me, New Year’s Eve means appetizers, and a wide variety at that. Here are my 

Spider Salad and Olive Tarts – French Onion Soup Puff Pastry Tarts

Spider Salad and Olive Tarts – French Onion Soup Puff Pastry Tarts

If one were to peruse my three ring recipe binders they would find newspaper and magazine clippings, printouts from the internet, and hand scrawled lists and notes, and they would come across two very special recipes, one for Spider Salad and the other for Olive 

A Climate Changing World – French Onion Dip

A Climate Changing World – French Onion Dip

As I took my daily walk on this early February morning, I couldn’t help but notice the green stalks of spring flowers already peeking through the ground. It left me conflicted. On the one hand I love that spring – my favorite time of the 

An Original Recipe – Banh Mi Bruschetta

An Original Recipe – Banh Mi Bruschetta

I thought I had the perfect, original recipe; one that no one else had thought of, let alone posted online or to social media. But it was not to be. As I mark the sixth anniversary of Max’s Kitchen and Garden this month, I think 

Let Your Kids Be – Eggplant Caponata

Let Your Kids Be – Eggplant Caponata

When I was a five- or six-year-old kid, my father occasionally took my two older brothers and I to the Palestra, the arena that opened in 1927 at the University of Pennsylvania, to see Big 5 college basketball games. We would wander in, find our