Unique Food Recipes & Dinner Ideas

Easter (and passover) is, for most people, one of the most important holidays, whether for religious reasons or simply to gather friends and family. The foods we all serve often are not given as much thought as the other important holidays. Here are some really simple recipes to change all that. 

All the other traditions are important, but a flavorful meal with some unique variations can make the passover seder truly special. We have some recipes that take the traditional foods to a new level. First, we think the grass fed bison, sustainably raised on the great plains of the Dakotas offers a new flavorful, healthy and environmentally friendly ingredient of traditional foods.

It seems on St. Patrick's Day, everyone thinks of corned beef and cabbage. It is simple and perhaps more interesting to consider corned meats, such as bison brisket, elk brisket or wild boar shoulder in lieu of only planning for beef. The process of corning meat only takes time (our recipe suggests 10 days) as the meat is sitting in the refrigerator and very little prep or cook time.

The period between Epiphany and Fat Tuesday is known as Carnival or Carnaval (the spelling in Brazil). On Ash Wednesday, all the debauchery ends and the deprivations of Lent begin. Food and feasting is a big part of the events. Canival or carnival derives from "carne" or meat and "levare" or remove. In other words, feast and party hard until you give it all up for Lent. In the US, we of course think of the celebration as Mardi Gras.

While many dishes are flavored with either red or green chilles, there are two main southwestern dishes that rely entirely on either red or green chiles. Historically, game meats, the primary proteins consumed in the early history of the chiles, were used. Not surprising, today almost any meat can be used in making a red or green chile and the character and flavor is different each time it is made.

Roosevelt is said to have preferred comfort foods (his favorite was fried chicken with white gravy) so we have combined his love of game with a comfort food flair. These recipes are savory and satisfying as one "tucks in" on a winter evening with friends and family.

Because it is a region that for centuries had commerce and trade with distant lands, such as the Far East (in which the Venetians learned the the use and value of spices) and Northern Europe. The four key points of Venetian cuisine are: polenta, cod, rice and beans. 

Carnevale, which means "farewell to meat," is one of the biggest festivals in Italy and begins two or three weeks before Ash Wednesday. 

The  Smörgåsbord is Sweden's most internationally renowned culinary tradition. The word smorgasbord is broken down to smorgas, meaning open-faced sandwich and bord, meaning table. The modern Smorgasbord originated in the 1700s as a tradition of serving appetizers and spirits prior to the meal of the upper class. Appetizers included cheese, bread, butter, herring, salmon, Swedish meatballs, potatoes and other foods.

L.A. is a town of many tastes. Its famous foods are less defined by available ingredients than by the transplants to the city. Transplants from other parts of America and from all over the world 0 especially Mexico and Asia. The food is as vaired as the diversity of the population. The recipes below try to capture that variety starting with the lowly burger that is not so lowly in LA.

Gourmet Seafood is difficult to find and it is a showcase ingredient for appetizers that have a taste (not to mention health factor) that your guests crave and will remember long after they have returned home. Here are some of the recipes we think show off the seafood best.

Appetizers using caviar are often very simple recipes to make and the result is always a gourmet delight. It must be nice to be caviar and know that you are always a gourmet treat. Here are seven easy recipes using various types of caviar and roe.

Recipes for one bowl meals rely, in our opinion, on great flavors that the best foods deliver. Mix up the same bland foods in a one bowl recipe and your one bowl meal is bland. Put in fabulous ingredients like Wagyu steak, the best Louisiana white shrimp, Carolina stone ground grits or aromatic rice, or Smoking Goose Andouille and Tasso Ham and you create a masterpiece in a single serving.