Bowl of homemade pho.

Beef Pho

NOTE: This recipe is a work in progress! My husband and I eat Pho every week. We are lucky to have a fantastic Vietnamese takeout restaurant down the street from us, but even though reasonably priced, it’s about $34 for our two bowls. I’m hoping that by making at home, even though a long process, it…

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New Orleans boiled brisket

New Orleans Boiled Brisket

The original recipe is from “The New Orleans Cookbook”. I’ve only made minor changes to this recipe. Super easy and good for feeding a larger group or having great leftovers. I like to serve with mashed potatoes.

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Katsudon Donburi bowl

Chicken Katsudon

I have fond memories of a great little Japanese restaurant that I frequented during my high school days. I would often pick up one of their Donburi bowls. For years I thought all Donburi bowls were made with the same ingredients, but since have learned that Donburi is a general term and that there are different types.…

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Pink salmon cakes cooking in frying pan.

Fresh Salmon Cakes

This recipe makes a lot of salmon cakes. We love fishing in the Puget Sound and every other year salmon is in season, with pink salmon being plentiful. Pink salmon fillets don’t freeze as well as coho or king so we make pink salmon cakes instead. The frozen salmon cakes freeze great once we vacuum…

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Bowl of Dungeness crab risotto.

Crab Risotto

This is a great side dish, which we sometimes serve alongside beef. I like to make alarger batch with fresh crab and freeze for a quick side dish, appetizer or light meal. We’ve been vacuum packing our frozen foods so that everything has a longer self-life in the freezer.

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Bowl of Dungeness crab soup.

Dungeness Crab Soup

We do a lot of crabbing, so we’re always looking for new crab recipes. This is a simple creamy soup that comes together quickly. I use Dungeness crab but whatever type of crab is plentiful in your region would be delicious as well.

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New Orleans style chicken gumbo.

Chicken Gumbo

This is a traditional New Orleans gumbo so the recipe takes a while to cook. If you don’t have enough time, you can use a rotisserie chicken (for shredding) and store bought chicken stock.

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Asian beef short ribs.

Asian Beef Short Ribs

When I spot beef short ribs at Costco, I buy a large pack. This recipe makes about eight servings and fits in my large Dutch oven (7-quarts). We have plenty of left overs to heat up the next day or freeze for a quick dinner on a busy weekday night. The entire family loves this…

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Stuffed poblano peppers

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

When I go out to a high-end Mexican restaurant, I often times order stuffed poblano peppers, but don’t want to wait until we go out to enjoy. I like that this recipe doesn’t include rice, so that I can serve with a rice side dish. I’ve served with Cuban black beans and rice, but would…

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CafeRouge Swimming Rama

Pra Ram (Swimming Rama)

This is one of my Mom’s favorite Thai dishes and many Thai restaurants do not serve so,of course, I had to give it a try. My son even likes spinach now, thanks to the Thai peanutsauce!

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