Playing With My Food ~
A journal about food, thought, travel, and life; by Chef & Raconteur Chaz French.

Victory!

One of the things I love about cooking is learning something new, and sometimes learning just doesn’t come easy, a gap in my skills has always been my inability to make a decent omelette. Now not being good at something and having them consistently fail, over time, I stopped trying. Last night I was hungry, […]

And speaking of carbs…

Oh how I miss potatoes, I adore them, their creaminess, their texture, their versatility. What follows is my favorite recipe for potatoes, I love them crispy and cheesy, this version works well in any number of situations. Tweet

My Favorite Grilled Cheese

I’m craving carbs, bread to be specific, and though I can’t have this, I thought I’d daydream of cheesy, bready goodness and share the recipe for my absolute favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Charles Tweet

Mango Salsa

Quick, Cinco de Mayo is coming, what are you going to make? Too late for reservations, those should have been made months ago, Del Taco and Corona not your groove. Try some organic tortilla chips and this fabulous mango salsa, then bring this as your contribution to a party of other losers people who neglected […]

My Chimichurri

Chimmichurri, used as a marinade for meats in Argentina, I first discovered it as a bread dip at a faux Argentinian restaurant, not knowing any better I just assumed it was a bread dip, which is still how I use it, cause in addition to being a good marinade for meat, it’s a damn tasty […]

Honey Mustard Marinade/Glaze for Chicken

Another great item for a picnic or barbecue, this dish is easily prepared in advance in your oven and chilled for a picnic or done up on a grill on the spot. I love the flavors of this one. Tweet

Rustic Potato Salad

I’ts May (yay)! And that means summer picnics are coming up soon, this potato salad uses no mayo, so it’s picnic friendly and it’s also a bit different from your average potato salad because the potatoes are roasted rather than boiled. Rustic? What the hell does that mean? in this case, chunky, choppy, and not […]

Lamb stewed in red wine, parsnips, and mushrooms

I adore lamb, mushrooms and recently parsnips. I’d never had parsnips until a year or so ago, I had no idea how wonderful they were, how much more carroty than carrots are, nor the divine texture they have when roasted or stewed. I’m so glad I found out how good they are. This recipe is […]

Rigatoni in Gorgonzola Sauce for Emily

Where do you begin with something named after someone…. It starts with having made an adult version of Mac & Cheese, it evolved here and there until I went to Visit Emmy (Emily) in Ohio and her sole request for the weekend was to cook with me. This is the recipe we did with Emmy […]

Rigatoni & Cheese in Meat Sauce

Rigatoni, cheese, tomato and meat, with a hint of truffle oil meld together to make a fantastic meal you won’t soon forget. Rigatoni & Cheese in Meat Sauce Ingredients: The Sauce: 1/2 medium large Vidalia onion (about 1/2 a cup) diced 5 ounces chopped spinach (1/2 a frozen package defrosted and drained) 2 tablespoons butter […]