In a sauce pan a melt butter. Add heavy cream next, do not let it start bubbling. Whisk in flour slowly and avoid clumping. Reduce heat and slowly add in cheese. Whisk well. Salt and pepper to taste.
Do not use pre shredded cheese whatsoever. The nature of pre-shredded cheese reduces the flavor and often the melting ability leading to cheese and milk not forming together (cheese becomes a goo that sinks at the bottom of the pan while the cream and butter stays on top)
Cooking Pasta
Put 1/2 gallon to a full gallon of water in a large pot for long pasta or a smaller pot of shaped small pasta. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of salt. Cover with a lid. Put the pasta noodles in the water and stir every minute or so to avoid sticking to the bottom.
4 min to 18 min until pasta is cooked depending on the pasta. Fresh pasta cooks way faster than any other type.
Cook enough for 3 people. Fettucinni or Linuinni works great. Shell, spiral, and other shaped pasta like penne are often paired with the dish. Do not use think strand pasta types like angle hair.
Common Additions
1/2 to 1 cup of peas
1 lb fresh cooked seasoned scallops
1 cup of sliced, cubed or otherwise, fresh cooked seasoned chicken breast
Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce
Lemon Butter Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter (salted or unsalted)
1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tbsp flour ( you can add more to make thicker )
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper
Making Lemon Butter Sauce
In a sauce pan on medium heat, melt the butter then reduce heat low. Add in minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Next mix in lemon, cream. Stir well. Once its all the same consistancy add salt, pepper. Top with the chopped parsley. Taste as you go.
Whisk in flour last for a thicker sauce. As it cools it will thicken a bit more ( be sure to whisk flour in slowly and whisk well to avoid clumping )
Salmon Ingredients
1 lbs salmon
1 ~ 3 tbsp Olive Oil ( butter or other vegetable oil can be used )
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper
Prep Salmon
Pat dry the salmon. If need be remove the skin, or as I do, leave skin on and cut the fish into 1 inch long strips if it is not pre cut. Salt and pepper both sides of the fish.
Using a Pan/Skillet
Medium heat add oil/butter to a skillet. If the skin is on the salmon brown the skin on a high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook til flakey other wise cook the salmon in the skillet til flakey.
About 1 1/2 min to 3 min on the bottom, flip, 3 min on top. Repeat this 3 times. Add fresh parsley on top last.
Server with the sauce either on the side or on top of the fish.
Using the Oven
Pre heat to 400
You can brush the top and bottom of the fish with butter/oil before you season it. This makes for a bit more of a crust on the fish when using the oven. This is optional.
Oil a baking try with about 2 ~ 4 tbsp of oil. This prevents the fish from sticking to the tray. Place fish on tray leaving about an inch gap between seaperate slices and bake til done ( 10 min to 15 min ). Its fully cooked when flakey and the rendered white fat is clearly visible from the sides of the fish.
Serve with sauce on the side or sauce on top of the fish
Reconmended Sides
1/2 to 1 cup of peas
1 bundle of steamed asparagus
Cooked potatoes
Smoked Salmon
Grill Prep
Load a Charcole grilll. Set the heat to 500 degrees.
You can soak apple wood, maple wood, or even hickory wood chunks in water for 30 minutes if you would like to add that specific wood smoked flavor to the salmon.
Use one wood chunk no more than 2 to 3 inches thick. More smoke will make the fish taste like smoke and not fish ruining the flavor.
Salmon Ingredients
1 lbs salmon
1 ~ 3 tbsp Olive Oil ( butter or other vegetable oil can be used )
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper
Prep Salmon
Pat dry the salmon. If need be remove the skin, or as I do, leave skin on and cut the fish into 1 inch long strips if it is not pre cut. Salt and pepper both sides of the fish.
Optionally: You can brush the top and bottom of the fish with butter/oil before you season it. This makes for a bit more of a crust on the fish when using the grill
Grilling the Fish
Place top side down on grill for 5 min. After wards kill heat to start smoking. Flip fish and grill the other side for 5 to 7 min then remove from grill.
Close top vent half way or mostly to smoke well.
If using wood chunks
Place the wood chunk on the charcole right before you put the fish on the grill
Cook for 5 min then kill the heat to the grill, flip the fish and cook for another 5 min.
I dont reconmed partially shutting the top vent as it gives it too much smoke but you can if you like that.
Do not use tongs to flip fish, the flakey nature will cause the fish to break. Use a spatula to flip fish and move off grill
Top with fresh chopped parsley after you finish cooking the fish and have removed it from the grill
Scallops in a White Wine Sauce
White Wine Sauce
▪ 1/2 stick butter ( 4 tbps )
▪ 1/2 cup heavy creme
▪ 1/4 cup white wine ( choose one that pairs with seafood well )
▪ 1/2 tbsp shallots
▪ 1/2 ~ 2 tbsp flour ( you can add more to make thicker )
▪ Salt and Pepper
Making the Sauce
Sauce pan on medium heat, melt butter in sauce pan. Add cream and mix well. Simmer, add wine and shallots then reduce heat to low.
Add flour to make it thicker, I use 1 tbsp but depending on your taste you can use more.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Scallops
▪ 1 ~ 2 tbsp salted butter
▪ 2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
▪ Salt and Pepper
Cooking Scallops
Pat dry the scallops. To get the classic good sear and brown on them they need to be dry.
▪ If you wish to serve the scallops on the side you should pat dry them
▪ If you are going to add the scallops in the sauce with the pasta you dont need to pat dry them. The sauce will rub of that brown sear and crust.
▪Salt and pepper the scallops
Pasta
Small shaped pasta is best for this. I often use one of the ones below
Penne, Fusilli, Bow Tie, Orecchiette
Put 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon of water medium pot of shaped small pasta. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tbsp of salt. Cover with a lid. Put the pasta noodles in the water and stir every minute or so to avoid sticking to the bottom.
4 min to 18 min until pasta is cooked depending on the pasta. Fresh pasta cooks way faster than any other type.
Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp Scampi
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
about 4 servings of linguinni
1 1/2 lb shrimp
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsely
Salt and pepper
Prep
Boil 1/2 gallon to 1 gallon of water in a pan. Add in 2 tbsp olive oil. Cook pasta then strain and set aside.
In a sauce pan add 1 ~ 2 tbsp of butter. Melt then combine the shrimp and the garlic in the sauce pan. Cook until the shrimp is done. Salt and pepper the shrimp. Toss in the rest of the butter, lemon and wine. Simmer then decrease heat.
Putting it all together
Combine the pasta in the sauce pan with the shrimp. Mix really well. Turn off heat and top with parsley.
Scallop and Shrimp Pasta
Scallops Ingredient
1 lb scallops
1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Scallops
In a pan/skillet add butter and melt. Pat dry scallops. Salt and pepper both sides of scallops. Cook in pan ( 5 to 15 min depending on scallop size ) til brown or until fully cooked. Mix in the fresh lemon juice then cover the pan/skillet with a lid. Let sit for about 3 min.
You can also add the lemon jucie to the cooking pan prior adding the scallops if you prefer
Shrimp and Pasta Ingredient
1 lb shrimp
1 ~ 2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsely
1 tbsp minced garlic
Shrimp and Pasta
Add olive oil to a sauce pan. Salt and pepper the shrimp. On a medium heat, add shrimp and garlic to the pan and cook til done. Decrease the heat and add 4 tbsp of butter to the sauce pan.
With the pasta, boil 1/2 gallon to a gallon of water. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook 3 ~ 4 servings of pasta. Once its done strain well and add pasta and shrimp to a bowl or the sauce pat tne shrimp was cooked in. Top with fesh parsley and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the scallops on the side.
Thyme Steak
Thyme Steak Ingredient
2 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 ~ 1 1/2 thyme leaves or a fresh sprig of thyme
3 tbsp of butter
1 ~ 2 tbsp olive oil
Thick cut of T-Bone, Ribeye, or New York Strip Steak
Salt and Pepper
Cooking the Steak
Add the oil to a skillet then set to a medium heat. Do this about a minute before adding the steak on the skillet so you get a good even sear on the steak. Pat dry all sides of the steak. Salt and pepper all sides of the steak. For thicker cuts you will need to over season. Add steak to hot skillet and sear on all sides.
After searing, place the butter, garlic, and thyme in the skillet. You can either cook to perfection or baste the steak with the ingredients. Prior to removing the steak from the pan to eat you can dust off the excess garlic and thyme if need be. Let meat rest for about 3 minutes.
Chicken Fried Steak
Ingredient
2 new york strip steaks (thick cut)
1 cup flour
2 ~ 3 large eggs
1 tbsp pepper
½ tbsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 ½ tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
½ tsp basil
3 ~ 6 tbsp olive oil
Breading and cooking
Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano parsley and basil to the a bowl or cup. Mix well. Pat dry the meat. Cut fat from meat, tenderize meat if needed. Add the seasoning mixture to all sides of the steak. Over season the meat. Pat the seasoning into the steak well. Cut the seasoned steak into strips.
Scramble the eggs into a bowl. In a separate bowl add the flour. Moving 3 to 5 strips at a time, mix seasoned strips of steak in the flour well be sure you are coating all sides. Ensure the excess flour that falls off the steak stays in the bowl. Next mix the floured steak in the scrambled egg. Coat all sides. Once again mix the steak in the flour. ( if there is not enough egg of flour add more ).
Add 3 to 6 tbsp of olive oil or butter to a skillet. Medium heat brown the steak on all sides ( about 4 min per side ) or cook the steak to desired doneness.
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Short Ribs Ingredients
2 lbs short ribs
Dutch oven
2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cup Merlot
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 whole sliced onion
1/4 cup flour
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup flour
2 ~ 5 tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper
2 Bay Leaf
Prep
Chop carrots about 1 inch or 1/2 inch in length. Slice the onion into quarter inch rings/ thin rings. Peel then chop garlic. Set aside prepared carrots, onion, and garlic.
Place flour in bowl, pat dry the short ribs. Toss the ribs in the flour. Dust off excess flour. Medium heat, put the olive oil in dutch oven. Place short ribs the dutch oven. Sear/brown ribs on all sides of ribs then remove them from the dutch oven.
Cooking
Add beef stock to the dutch oven to de-glaze it ( scrape the stuck on brown bits from the bottom ). Once simmering add the short ribs, carrots, onions, garlic, and the bay leafs. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Stir every 10 minutes. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Jack's Food Safety Tips
For meats
► Buy local/organic meats as much as you can
► Buy meat products as fresh as you can
► Cook non frozen meats asap to get the maximum flavor for your purchase
► Meats fit the following criteria
▻ Has a healthy color
▻ Has exp data that is not the current date
▻ Packaging is fully sealed with no damage
▻ Is not leaking
▻ Has no signs of damage to the actual product
▻ Price is not out of normal range ( price being very low or very high is not a good sign )
► For frozen products defrost over night in the fridge. Avoid trying to defrost in microwaves or bowls of water. Prep ahead, easiest way to defrost is 8 to 24 hours in a fridge ( overnight works great ).
► Absoultly do not refreeze a fully defrosted product. Discard all defrosted seafood with 24 hours of defrosting to avoid food bourne illeness.
For vegatables/fruits
► Buy local/organic veggies and fruits whenever you can
► Always wash well before eating
► In general fresh vegatables/fruits can stay fresh for weeks ( be sure to check for mold and discard the whole product if mold is present )
► Vegatables/fruits fit the following criteria
▻ Has a healthy color
▻ Feels normal ( like if its a potatoe it shouldnt feel soft and if its a kiwi it shouldnt feel squishy )
▻ Has no signs of damage to the actual product
▻ Smells normal
▻ Is not leaking
▻ Price is not out of normal range ( price being very low or very high is not a good sign )
Remember, its best to play it safe with food prep. Use a good quality brand, good hygiene, and take time to do things the right way.
If it smells wrong, looks bad, feels bad, and overall gives you ick in concerns to safety just play it safe
Jack's Reconmended brands
Pasta
Spices/Seasonings
Places to Buy
About Jack
How I got started, the reason behind some of the recipes, what it means to me, and why I kept cooking
I start cooking at a very young age. Around 9 or 11. My mom would watch and help me make bacon and eggs. As a child I had stomach issues making it harder for me to get an appetite and keep food down. So much so that pepto bismol was always around for me. Wasn't a picky eater, for me eating was a bit difficult as some of the more common foods people would make and offer ended up making my stomach go into knots. This on top of being really lactose intolerant limited what I could eat and process. Made me a super skinny guy and for years my BMI was close to under weight.
Later, In middle and high school I started cooking more and more. The nature of cooking means I can decide what I want to go into meals allowing me to create meals that are easier for me to eat. Not to mention when cooking I decide what to eat so I get exactly what I want. I didnt even attempt complex meals in middle school I usually would make breakfest foods or a simple lunch/dinner. Nothing complex. In highschool I started to expand my skill set in the kitchen making meals that require more thought like pizza from scratch. Started to look more into the proper ways of cooking things and using recipes that were more multi step and not simple.
With this long history of making meals, in college I took everything to the natural conclusion and started cooking way more. I had time to do it, in my first couple years of college when I wasnt being a degenerate or studying I was cooking. My parents both loved this hobby and allowed me to pursue it more by buying me better things to cook with, such as a grill, and buying foods for me to cook. Encouraging me to get into a good hobby as all good parents should. Helping their kid to correctly and easily pursue a decent hobby is something I want for everyone. Despite making bad meals, horrible messes, wasting hours by trying to undo something like using the wrong ingredient in making a cake and creating a 6 inch thick solid cookie which was difficult to remove from the cake tin, I kept cooking and baking and got to the point where I am now.
My taste buds were not aligned to the normal standard and still don't align. Since my childhood for snacks I would just eat veggies and fruit raw. People in class thought it was weird that I would just show up with carrots or lettuce and not ranch dressing. Some thought I was a turbo vegan back in 2010 but in reality I just like eating romaine lettuce. Never liked sweet treats really. My sweet tooth is just geared for fruit, if I want something sweet often I will just eat an apple or an orange. The recipes I made above are all very savory as this caters to my taste. Foods and meals with lots of cheese upset my stomach. Low lactose cheeses, of course, do not which is why I can always eat pizza. In my recipes note how I only use parmeson cheese. This is because its low in lactose and I can process it easier. Heavy cream and butter is high in lactose though as time has gone on I can process lactose way more allowing me to eat these meals with low to no negative effects. On meats, I keep things super straight forward for 2 many reasons. First is because of my taste buds. I just prefer things that don’t require like 100 ingredients. Second ease. When making a recipe that involves a meat Ive found the simple ones taste almost as good as the more complex ones. Not the same whatsoever but similar enough so you can get a really good flavor with not as much work
Getting to the point where I am now just simply took time and understanding. Going out of my way to ask the "why does it taste like this" or "how do others cook" led me to making my own recipes. Didnt want to just cook something good, wanted to understand why certain things taste good and others don’t. Why certain methods are used while others arent. What all the parts related to cooking do, the how does it all function and work together.
It does go deeper of course. I struggled with anxiety and depression for over decade. Now this is a difficult battle because you cant really see it unless you are very close to the person. Its worsened as many will try to gain sympathy for having these issues when in reality they don’t. Leads to a negative stigma around anxiety or depression where the person claiming to have one of these ailments is assumed to just be lazy or is not believed. The anxiety and depression shut me, anyone who deals with it too, out of doing so many things that I want to do, have to do, or enjoy to do. Dealing with these issues is a constant internal struggle where, for me, I am greatly inhibited at times. Thoughts that are not wanted and don’t go away sometimes preventing me from completing tasks properly. Anxiety attacks literally stop me in my tracks derailing my whole day if not derailing the next day too. As therapy has show me this sets me up for a cycle of self destructive behaviors. These self destructive tendencies set me back so so so much which feeds into more anxiety and depression. Creates a vicous cycle. Cooking for whatever reason has always alleviated my anxiety and depression for a short time. Cooking and making things in the kitchen keeps my hands busy too so Im less likely to fall into self destructive behaviors. Sets me up for being in the correct mindset to do things that keep me in that mindset. Cooking reminds me that I can do something even when I feel like I can not do things.
Im not the best cook; my recipes and methods for cooking likely are not what professionals would recommend. Though I’ve always loved cooking and it really does give back to me not just because theres now delicious food to eat. Gives back a little bit of something we all need. Peace of mind.
About This Specific Page
This page and website is 100% created by me and AI FREE. I take pride in the ability to function without AI. Dont like AI at all. Despice it greatly as you could recreate this whole site with 20% less effort and 80% less character.
Spent hours working on this since; I had to research lots of tools, functions, and style sheets, and ways to create html pages and type it all up. This site is almost entireyl formed from my mind, aka, I did not copy and paste code directly from the internet.
Code I did copy is the following:
▪ css button format
▪ I modified it after copying it into here so it can align with my webpage theme
▪ rgba and rgb
▪ this defines colors
▪ viewport
▪ scaled the page to fit the screen
w3schools.com : This is the site I used to create this page. Although I know some html editing I looked up tools I can use and how to use them on this site to create this page.
notepad ++ : This is the editor I used to create the html
