My Recipes
Passion Project
Life is a lot like cooking, and Love is the most important ingredient. These recipes represent decades of culinary exploration and the joy of sharing great food with the people you care about.
Passion Project
Life is a lot like cooking, and Love is the most important ingredient. These recipes represent decades of culinary exploration and the joy of sharing great food with the people you care about.
139
Recipes
8
Categories
For the Love of Cooking
I never set out to have a career in the culinary world. Life just took me in that direction. It all started on a tragic day that turned our lives upside down. You can read my first book, “Recipes for Success” to learn more, but the point I want share, and it’s the most important thing I could ever tell you, is that your life can change at any moment. The only thing we really control is how we deal with the challenges that life presents us.
The kitchen became a place where I could relax and focus my attention on something other than life’s daily challenges. It’s really difficult to think about anything else when you are preparing a meal for someone you love. One of the many joys of cooking is sharing your creations with others, and I've had the privilege to stand side-by-side in the kitchen with some amazing chefs. What started out as a theraputic diversion eventually became part of my future.
Over the next several decades my team opened and operated over 50 restaurants ranging from quick serve to fine dining, and I can testify that this is the hardest work you will ever do. And if you want to be successful, you have to love what you do, love who you do it with, and most important of all, love who you do it for. Food is the centerpiece of how people recognize the important milestones in their lives. Rarely do people celebrate anything without good food and friends to share it with. In many ways, good food and success are inexorably linked to the quality of our lives.
In my first book, “Recipes for Success” I use the analogy that Life is a lot like cooking, and living a great life requires a great recipe, and a great recipe is more than just selecting the right ingredients and mixing them together. You have to start with a vision of what you want to create, select the right ingredients, measure carefully, and bring them together in the proper order to create a truly special dish. Every ingredient must be introduced at the right time and place, and you must genuinely care about the outcome. Life is a lot like cooking, and Love is the most important ingredient.
Here are some of my favorite recipes. I hope you enjoy. Bon Appétit!
Appetizers
20 recipes
Asian Chicken Wings
Bruschetta with Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese
Bruschetta with Sun dried Tomato Jam
Bruschetta with Tomato, Basil and Garlic
Crispy Oysters in Tomato Cream Sauce
Cuban Sandwhich
Fried Calamari
Guacamole
Huevos Rancheros Pizza
Prep: 45 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes
Lobster Rolls
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 10 minutes
Mussels ala Escargot
Pico de Gallo
Prep: 15 minutes
Pizza Dough
Pot Stickers
Refried Beans
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 3 hours
Roasted Cipollini Onions
Shrimp Stuffed Avocados
Stuffed Mussels
Summer Rolls
Thai Lettuce Wraps
Pasta Dishes
17 recipes
Arrabbiata Carbonara
Bucatini All´Amatriciana
Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 1 hour
Bucatini ala Enzo
Prep: 10-15 minutes · Cook: 10 minutes
Creamy Porcini Mushroom Penne
Karen's Carbonara
Lemon Shrimp in Linguine
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Marinara Sauce
Marinara Sauce - Soffritto Style
Pappardelle Bolognese
Penne Arrabbiata Style
Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms
Risotto with Red Wine Sauce
Shrimp Pad Thai
Spaghetti with Porcini Mushrooms and Arugula
Sweet Potato Risotto with Smoked Applewood Bacon
White and Black Truffle Macaroni and Cheese
Sauces and Spices
22 recipes
BBQ Rub
Blackened Rub
Cajun Style Remoulade Sauce
Chinese Five-Spice Seasoning
Creole Sauce
Creole Seasoning Mix
Fresh Ketchup
Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce
Greek Seasoning
Jalapeno Balsamic Wine Reduction
Jamaican Jerk Marinade
Lemon Aioli Sauce
Marks Cajun BBQ Sauce
Ranchero Sauce
Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes
Shallot Gravy
Spicy Mango Salsa
Stone Crab Remoulade
Taco Seasoning
Tomato Cream Sauce
Turkey Brine
Veal Demi-Glace
White Wine and Porcini Mushroom Sauce
Main Courses - Seafood
14 recipes
Balsamic-Ginger Glazed Swordfish
Blackened Tilapia with Creole Sauce
Cajun Style BBQ Shrimp
Crawfish Étouffée
Crispy Salmon
Fried Frog Legs
Herb Crusted Sea Scallops
Lobster Risotto
Roasted Monkfish
Scallops in Tomato Garlic Sauce
Seared Scallops and Tomatoes
Shrimp Scampi
Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes
Spicy Jalapeno Crab Cakes
Wasabi Sea bass
Main Courses - Meats & Chicken
50 recipes
Beef Fajitas
Prep: 20 · Cook: 10
Braised Lamb in Mediterranean Tomato Sauce
Chicken Enchiladas with Red Salsa
Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Chorizo
Chicken Scaloppini with Saffron Sauce
Chicken Under a Brick
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 1 hour
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya
Chicken in White Wine, Mushroom and Garlic
Chipotle Encrusted Rack of Lamb
Chipotle and Garlic Pork Rib Roast ala Diablo
Coq Au Vin Blanc
Coq Au Vin Rouge
Cornish Hens a la Diablo
Cornish Hens with Spicy Garlic Salsa
Donar Kabob
Garlic and Herb Pork Chops
Greek Chicken Thighs
Grilled Chicken with Garlic-Balsamic Marinade
Grilled Lemon Garlic Lamb Chops
Italian Country Captain
Italian Meatballs
Italian Meatloaf with Jalapeno Balsamic Glaze
Jalapeño Honey Glazed Lamb Chops
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes
Maple Braised Beef Short Ribs
Meat Tacos
Mongolian BBQ Ribs
Pork Carnitas with Spicy Tomatillo Sauce
Prep: 45 minutes · Cook: 5 hours
Rack of Lamb
Roast Beef with Spicy Italian Tomato Sauce
Roasted Turkey
Rotisserie Lemon and Herb Chicken
Sesame Chicken
Prep: 1 hour · Cook: 1 hour
Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Southern Fried Chicken
Spanish Chicken Under a Brick with Spicy Tomatillo Sauce
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 45 minutes
Spanish Spice Rubbed Turkey Breast with Orange Sauce
Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Spicy Beef and Broccoli
Spicy Chicken Stuffed Poblanos in Tomato Pepper Broth
Steak Au Poivre with Jalapeño Reduction Sauce
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 10 minutes
Stuffed Poblanos in a Shallot Pepper Sauce
Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork
Prep: 30 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes
Szechuan Chicken
Tandoori Chicken
Tuscan Pork Chops
Veal Cacciatore with Poblano Peppers
Veal Lemon
Veal Osso Buco in Tomato Sauce
Veal Parmigiana
Veal Saltimbocca
Desserts
1 recipe
Featured Book
Recipes for Success
A unique blend of favorite recipes and leadership insights—because the best leaders know that taking care of people starts with bringing them together.
Learn More