Semiserious Chefs

Driving the Alcan. Or as it’s now known, The Alaska Highway. It’s the long aspiring dream of so many people. Retire and take an RV trip all the way to Alaska. The adventure of a lifetime! But I guess we’re not most people. First, we’re FROM Alaska. Second, I think when most people envision their […]

Pickling has been a crucial part of the Norse lifestyle for pretty much ‘forever.’ It’s either that or salting, and freezing when the weather is right, but there is no bad weather for pickling. They pickle vegetables, fruits, meats… you name it. Today we are making a quick pickle of red onions. These sweet and […]

In the Norse cooking of Sweden, Norway, and Finland, potatoes usually accompany a main dish that may have a sauce and fresh herbs already included, so often they just serve the potatoes boiled and skinned to be added to the main plate and mashed with either butter or the main sauce. Here we have roasted […]

Meat and Potatoes. Two staples of the Nordic diet. Given, they consume a lot of fish, but meatballs and patties are always a favorite. This dish blends another commonality, pickled vegetables. Obviously there are pickled onions as a topping, but these smallish patties also contain pickled beets, sweet gherkins, and capers, lending to a very […]

This fűszer, or ‘spice,’ plays off some of the common flavors found in Hungarian cuisine, as well as many of the surrounding countries of Central and Eastern Europe. One of the only countries to really grasp onto chilies within Europe, the Hungarian herdsman rather preferred a milder strain for their meat stew, or goulash. But […]

So I’m calling this dish Cinnamon and Coriander Fried Chicken because those are the two flavors I want to highlight with this chicken. Here’s the story. As I was messing around the other day, or as I like to call it; working in my mini test-kitchen, I figured something out. I was over complicating how […]

Pulling together this blend was a bit of a kick in the pants. Saying you have the recipe for berbere (pronounced bur-bur-EE) is about the same as saying you have the recipe for barbecue sauce, or the ras el hanout blend. Every family, mother, grandmother, cousin, region, restaurant, and spice shop has their own concoction. […]

Beef and cheese enchiladas; a favorite of many Mexican restaurant goers. In fact – and this is only speculation on my part – it seems to be the most prevalent item found on many combo plates. And today we’re going to show you how you can make delicious homemade beef and cheese enchiladas right from […]

Shichimi Togarashi – 七味唐辛子 – means ‘seven spice blend,’ but it’s funny that if you break down those syllables a little you end up with Shi chi mi togarashi -しちみ とがらし – ‘scrubbing.’ Perhaps this tingly, spicy blend helps to scrub your innards? I don’t think so. I just found it an interesting aspect of […]

Americans love yogurt. We particularly like it sweet, often with berries or fruit, and even flavored like favorite desserts and pies. We like it in single portions and easy to grab on the go, including, but not limited to, the ever-popular squeezable tubes for children. We also have what is marketed as ‘drinkable yogurt.’ Now […]