Distinguished Flavors, Private Chef & Catering

09/01/2026

“Short rib Bolognese” 🍝👨🏽‍🍳

Ingredients:
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 pound pancetta (or bacon), diced
1 pound boneless short ribs cut in 1-2 inch cubes
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
red pepper flakes to taste
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine (or beef broth)
1 cup beef broth
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes, crushed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces pasta (gluten free for gluten free)
grated parmesan to taste
fresh parsley and/or basil to taste

Instructions:
1. Cover the porcini mushrooms in 1 cup boiled water and let soak until tender, about 20 minutes, before chopping the mushrooms and reserving the mushroom water.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large sauce pan and set aside reserving the grease.
3. Cook the beef in the same pan over medium-high heat until browned on all sides before setting aside.
4. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, mushrooms and tomato paste and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
6. Add the wine, deglaze the pan, add the reserved mushroom water, pancetta, beef, broth, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and italian seasoning, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2-3 hours. (You can also transfer the pot to the oven preheated to 275F/140C and cook until falling apart tender, about 3-4 hours.)
7. Mix in the parmesan and cream and season with fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
8. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed, toss with the sauce and enjoy topped with parmesan and parsley!

08/28/2026

“Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug” ☕🍫 197 cal 🍪 🤤 .
- 2 tsp oil (10 g)
- 2 tsp nut milk (10 g)
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup (10 g)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp flour (15 g)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder - 1/2 tbsp chocolate chips (7 g)
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a small ramekin (mine are 1/2 cup I think, in my amazon store: amazon.com/shop/plentysweet200).
2. Mix together oil, milk, syrup, vanilla well.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, pinch salt.
4. Combine the two into cookie dough. Add chocolate chips.
5. Bake 20 min, top with ice cream if you like !

08/26/2026

“Sweet Potato Soufflé Or Sweet Potato Casserole”
————————————————

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:(melt Butter and combine ingredients. Pour over sweet potato mixture)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans(Glazed Pecans)
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Coconut Milk
1/4 Cup of butter(Half Stick)

Sweet Potato Mixture:(Preheat Oven To 400 Degrees)
5 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar(You can reduce sugar)
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
1/4 Cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 Teaspoon Mixed Essence
2 Eggs(Beaten)
1/4 Cup of Butter(Half Stick)
(combine all ingredients and mix for 3-5 minutes. Add topping and Bake for 30 minutes at 400 Degrees) !!

08/26/2026

Smoothies 😃🌱

08/22/2026

“Spaghetti Carbonara” 🍝👨🏽‍🍳

Ingredients:

6 oz guanciale (pancetta or block bacon), with skin removed
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
3.5 oz parmigiano reggiano , finely shredded (or pecorino romano, sub parmesan.
1/4 tsp black pepper
14 oz spaghetti
1 tbsp cooking/kosher salt (for cooking pasta)
1/2 cup pasta cooking water
1 garlic clove , finely minced
*GARNISH:
Parsley , finely chopped
Parmigiana reggiano

Instructions:
1. Guanciale – Cut into 0.5cm / 1/5” thick slices then into batons.
2. Carbonara sauce – Place eggs and yolks in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Then stir in the parmesan and pepper.
3. Bring 4 quarts of water to the boil with the salt. Add pasta and cook per the packet directions.
4. After pasta is done Reserve pasta water – Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
5. While the pasta is cooking, place guanciale in a pan over medium high heat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. If using garlic, add it in the last minute.
6. Remove done guanciale, then place pasta into the pan and toss to coat in guanciale fat.
7. Transfer the pasta and any residual fat in the pan into the bowl with the egg. Add 1/2 cup (125 ml) pasta cooking water. 8. Stir vigorously using the handle of a wooden spoon for 1 minute and watch as the sauce transforms from watery to creamy and clings to the pasta strands!
9. Plate, and Serve immediately, garnished with a little extra parmigiana reggiano if desired, and a pinch of black pepper and finely chopped parsley! 😃

08/21/2026

🤯 August has been a busy month for food recalls and there are a few worth knowing about.

😨 The most urgent is 1.6 million eggs from Midwest Poultry Services, originally flagged in late July and now elevated to a Class I recall, the FDA’s highest risk level, due to Salmonella contamination. Class I means there is a reasonable probability that consuming the product will cause serious adverse health consequences.

🙅🏽‍♂️ Outshine popsicles from Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream are being recalled after possible glass fragments were found, announced August 16. Jalapeños distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors are also being pulled for Salmonella, with downstream products affected at Whole Foods, NatureBest, and Taylor Fresh Foods. Over 12,000 lbs of bacon from Maple Leaf Foods were recalled August 8 for skipping mandatory import reinspection, and 3,215 Ibs of pastrami and corned beef from City Foods Inc. across the Midamar, Bea’s Best, and Kirsch brands were recalled for Listeria.

🚮 If you have any of these products at home, check the FDA’S recall database at FDA.gov for lot numbers and best-by dates before consuming.

08/19/2026

“Better than S*x Cake”🍫👨🏽‍🍳

Ingredients

1 package devil’s food cake mix
1 ¼ cups water
½ cup grape-seed oil
3 large eggs
½ (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces caramel ice cream topping, divided
3 ¼ (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Instructions:
1. Gather all ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass pan.
2. Mix cake mix, water, grape-seed oil, and eggs in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until well combined. Pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut shallow slits across top of cake; make sure not to touch the bottom of the dish.
4. Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk and 6 ounces caramel topping in a saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth. Slowly pour mixture over top of warm cake, letting it soak in. Set aside 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped chocolate toffee for decorating; sprinkle remaining toffee liberally across entire cake.
5. Cool cake completely, then top with whipped topping. Decorate top of cake with the reserved toffee and drizzle with remaining caramel topping.
6. Refrigerate until chilled through and serve right from the pan. Enjoy!

08/17/2026

“Raw Turkey leg Brine”🍗🌱👨🏽‍🍳

Ingredients:
4 quarts water
1 cup Kosher salt
1 cup Dark brown sugar
2 medium onions (peeled and quartered)
1 bulb garlic (cut in half)
10 black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 bay leaves

Instructions:
1. Make the brine. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil on the stove. Stir in salt, brown sugar, and all the herbs and spices. Turn off the heat, and let sit for 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into a large container and add 3 quarts of cold water. Put in the fridge until cold.
2. The brine should be cold when the turkey legs go in, so if you need to speed up the process, fill the sink ¾ of the way full with cold water and ice and let the container sit in it for a while, stirring occasionally.
3. Brine the turkey legs. Add the turkey legs to the cold brine so that they are completely submerged. Cover tightly and return to the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

08/14/2026

“Sautéed green beans with French Onions”👨🏽‍🍳
Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided, can also use coconut oil or canola oil)
5 large onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions:

To make the sauteed green beans: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add fresh green beans and cook for one minute. Remove the green beans out of the water and soak them in a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking. Drain green beans and set them aside.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-8 minutes until soft. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are caramelized – about 15 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup of broth to deglaze if your pan gets too dry, and keep stirring until onions are browned. Stir in fresh minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.

3. Allow your skillet to cool enough so you can wipe out the excess fat. Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter. When hot, add the blanched green beans, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Top with the French onion and serve the sauteed green beans immediately. Enjoy! ❤️

08/09/2026