Semiserious Chefs

This dish came about after my week-long exploration of Latin American mashed plantain breakfasts. Finally, after plenty of savory, I created a sweet dish. For my own tastes I like just a dash of cayenne pepper included in the dough, but you can always leave it out. This is an especially fun and easy dish […]

Apparently there is no question about the fact that Tiger Nut Sweets are pretty much as ancient as it comes. I just wish I could find a picture of this Egyptian clay or broke pot on which the possibly 6,000 year old recipe was found. The name has me a little dumbfounded, though. Tiger Nut […]

Samboosa are Arabic fried triangle pastries. They are most often savory, so the title word here, halwah or ‘sweets’ gives us a clue that this is a fried triangular pastry sweet snack. The original recipe I played off called for cashews and walnuts, but I am really not a fan of walnuts. For my rendition […]

Yes, that is a spoof off barbecue, but no, I did not make it up. It is indeed a real thing, and a really popular thing! Also known as banana-Q, it’s actually quite funny in that these simple sweet treats are not actually barbecued, but rather fried and then served on barbecue skewers. This faux […]

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… […]

Although only given literately 5 seconds or less of attention on the air with Anthony Bourdain in Tangier, ‘Strawberries, Pine Nuts, and Honey’ pinged so loud on my foodie radar, “Make It! …Make It! …Make It!” that instead of having a song stuck in my head I pretty much heard this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9kv_V5lhiE ….from the moment […]

Running a preschool in our home for the last 4 years has definitely had an affect on how I view cooking. There are the quick kid friendly meals and the mass production recipes of course, but there are also really silly creative meals that come from bizarre themes and crazy child suggestions. Maniac Muffin Rolls […]

First off I will mention that rum could easily replace the bourbon. I suppose that triple sec could as well, but that would make it maple orange, and quite a bit sweeter. You can of course just replace the booze altogether with water if it fits your lifestyle better, but then, you might as well […]

Toasting coconut is so easy and so very versatile! You can leave it plain for a simple toasted flavor, or add about 1/2 t of your favorite spices and blends to  each 1/4 cup of flakes and pair it specifically to the flavor of your meal.     I’ve tried garam masala, a mix of […]