Semiserious Chefs

I’ve made these breaded and deep fried mushrooms several times in the last 6 months, and figured it was time to add them to the site. As I was preparing to bring them to a barbecue recently I ran across a bag of pearl onions I had purchased on discount. I hadn’t really made a […]

This is a spin off Tom Kha; Thai galangal soup with coconut. I would have named it Tom Kha Sauce, but it would have translated to galangal soup sauce, and that’s a little silly. And since I didn’t feel the need to include galangal in this recipe, (it isn’t exactly the easiest ingredient to come […]

A little while ago I came up with a recipe for grilled salsa. It involved all the fantastic chilies and tomatillos I had been using for pozole verde, but I grilled them gently before dicing or blending. It became VERY apparent that this salsa could be used in a TON of recipes! I’ve used the […]

This beverage was thrown together for a group of friends who happen to like mulled wine. I decided instead to mull some apple juice, (basically apple cider,) using cinnamon, mace blades, and cardamom, then spiked it with whiskey instead. A Note About Mace Blades I used mace blades to spice my apple juice. These intriguing […]

I made Pozole Rojo the other day, and ended up with an entire extra pint of the fiery broth left over. Part of it we planned to use for canning pork, and I had planned to use the other half for an Indian style dish of lentils over rice. It just happened that I also […]

Anyone who has spend much time in ‘Tolkien-Land’ will most likely think of Gimli when asked about a dwarf. “Gimli, son of Gloin,” he can always be quoted. I always think of the 13 member dwarf company in the original book, “The Hobbit,” with all their clever, rhyme-y names: Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, […]

Bilbo. There is a possibility that you don’t know that name, but if you live in the US it’s quite unlikely. Either way, he was a most beloved hero in JR Tolkien’s book “The Hobbit.” He was the precursing character to Frodo in the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy. He was brave out of necessity, […]

I first came across this recipe when looking for Lord of The Ring’s related dishes. It was originally called Smaug’s Balls. I played around with it a little and renamed it a much more sophisticated Smaug’s Gems, but now that I’m sharing it with the entire world, I think maybe they need another new name… […]

You may notice that many of my recent recipes lately have revolved around chilies. Red and green. I just find their diversity so versatile! This recipe is a take on a ‘diet’ breakfast I relied heavily on at one point. I would always eat one egg, either fried and topped with salsa or over-easy on […]

This is perfect for summer. Grill your peppers and tomatillos. Grill your fish. You may need to make a starch on the side. I used rice. If you like heat, add some jalapenos and/or leave the seeds in. This would also make FANTASTIC tacos!