Chicken Noodle Soup for the Sick

I think one of my favorite perks of dating a chef is getting homemade chicken noodle soup when you've got the sniffles. The warm rich aroma of this chicken soup was the first thing I remembered being able to smell in days. Mmmm.

Ken first roasted a chicken to make this soup as I don't care for the taste of boiled chicken. He made homemade noodles, which was a bit of a trick as we don't currently have a pasta roller. In the end, the soup was just fantastic. As you might notice in the picture, I didn't even think of taking a picture until after I had eaten most of it (including all the noodles). I always enjoyed store bought chicken soup as a kid, but homemade soup is an entirely different experience. Well done, Ken. It was very sweet of you to make me soup.

Hamburger Bun

So, Ken is the chef in the household. He is professionally trained, works in a restaurant, does catering, all that fancy stuff. But, I have always enjoyed food and eating, and am also not too bad at cooking if I don't say so myself.

A bit ago, I was trying to figure out what to do with some hamburger we had on hand. I figured I hadn't had a good juicy burger in a while but realized that we didn't have any buns. I looked around on-line for a while and found this recipe.

The buns turned out very well. They were flavorful and had a nice light crumb that was excellent when lightly grilled. We ended up with far more buns than the recipe indicated, but enjoyed them over the next few days with all kinds of different things.

Seared Poppy and Sesame Encrusted Tuna

As promised, here are some prep photos of the Seared Poppy and Sesame Encrusted Tuna. In the interest of honesty, however, I have to confess that these pictures are not from Thursday but from Monday. I was surprised last Monday with impromptu date plans which involved a new tuna recipe. Little did I know, this romantic gesture served the dual purpose of being a practice meal for Thursday's dinner. Oh well. Really, who can complain about eating fantastic tuna twice in one week.

Below you will find prep pictures and an outline of the cooking procedure. If anyone is reading this and would like a recipe or more specific details. Please feel free to post a comment.


Rub the tuna with salt on both sides and let sit (for 1-1 1/2 inch thick steaks approximately 10 minutes).








Cut and prep mushrooms, green beans, and thyme.
Prep shallots and ginger for the sauce.






Prepare the mushrooms and green beans and then keep warm in the oven until they are to be served.






Sear the tuna on all sides. If you prefer your tuna rare (like me!), make sure not to overcook it.






Set the tuna aside on a rack to rest and prepare the sauce.

Cut the tuna carefully.








Arrange everything on the plate and eat.
Yum. That looks tasty.

Beginnings: A Farewell Dinner

I have been meaning for some time to begin posting pictures of Ken's food, some recipes, and descriptions of our cooking endeavours. Up until this point, I have been quite successful at avoiding actually carrying out this plan, but now, as I have a pretty long list of other things to do, I guess its time to begin.

As these things go, it seems somehow fitting that a beginning should start with a farewell. Below are photos of a lovely 5 course meal that Ken made this Wednseday as a farewell dinner for a good friend of his who is moving away from Chicago. I intend to post pictures of the prep (with recipes?) very soon. Apparently, my todo list just got longer. I hope you enjoy the pictures.


Moules Meuniere
(mussels poached in wine and shallot broth)
Served with 2005 Séguinot-Bordet Chablis













Berry Salad
(field greens, strawberries, raspberries, candied walnuts and Cabrales blue cheese with a raspberry mustard vinaigrette)













Seared Poppy and Sesame encrusted Tuna Loin
(with sauteed shitake & green beans, and a ginger shallot, soy-reduction and beef demi-glace sauce.)
Served with 2005 Michael Sarrazin, Bourgogne Rouge (Pinot Noir Les Vielles Vignes)













Followed by a 2005 Vega del Rio, Rioja from Calificada













French Silk Pie










Strawberry, Blueberry and Lemon Gillato
Served with 2005 St Christopher, Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling - Spatlese