Mr. Bijoy Writes

Sometimes, you just need a super-easy recipe around the holidays. Big food holidays and all the prep required to put on such a show makes for delicious, easy meals like this to be truly appreciated, both by the people eating, and the people making the meal. I hope you enjoy! What ya need: 1 pound of quality orzo 1/2 pound of coarsely chopped sliced Serrano ham (2 cups) 1/2 pound of mild goat cheese, crumbled 5 scallions, thinly sliced Ok, so: Preheat your oven to the broiler setting. Grab a 3-quart oven-safe, preferably flameproof, baking dish. Most of these are about 2 inches deep. That's what you want. In a pot, cook orzo in salted water until al dente. Drain the water, reserving about 3/4 cup for later. In a bowl, toss the hot orzo with the remaining ingredients, reserved cooking water, and any salt and pepper you may want to add until the cheese is melted.Transfer this to your greased baking dish and broil until lightly browned. Thi

Candied bacon. I don't think I really need to elaborate anymore than necessary here. Make it, eat it, be happy. What ya need: 1 pound of somewhat lean bacon, sliced 3/4 cup of packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons of finely ground black pepper Nonstick cooking spray Ok, so: Preheat your oven to 325ºF. In a large bowl, incorporate all of the pepper into the brown sugar with a whisk. A whisk will break apart the clumps in the sugar and allow for the most even mix with the least effort. So use a whisk. Now, grab a large baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil. Then set an oven-safe cooling/wire rack, that you've liberally coated in nonstick spray, on top of that. Slice-by-slice, dredge the bacon in the sugar mixture and set it out on the wire rack in one layer. You may need two baking sheets and you may need to do more than one batch, that's ok. Bake this for 20 minutes, take it out of the oven and promptly remove from the wire rack. Set aside to cool on a larg

I work in food. It's something I love. Often, people ask me about what they should get their "foodie" friends or family members as gifts. Now, I can't tell anyone what their friends and family need or should-have, but I know of some really cool things for the kitchen that may work. So here we go! One thing that people never think that they will actually use, actually want, but more importantly, kind of need, in the kitchen is a proper cast-iron skillet . Seriously. It's been a culinary staple for longer than a lot of countries, including the US, have existed. A restaurant-style rotary cheese grater is cool, but it isn't pretty. Until now . Fresh herbs are pretty great. But if you buy them from the store, storage can be a pain. Here's a really cool herb keeper that solves the issues of herb storage and looks fairly elegant in doing so.  I know a few people that collect salt & pepper shakers. So this one's for them.   Knives. Everyone is alw

  I often am asked what my favorite methods are for some simple things. Honestly, for a lot of things, I have more than one way of doing them, and I just choose the method I find best suited for the time and audience. So, in light of all this, here is one of my favorite steak rubs. If you don't put a rub on your steak or do anything to it, out side of seasoning it a little bit, I have nothing bad to say to you. That's how I generally like my steak. However, sometimes, I feel the need to step it up a bit. This recipe is just that- a step up. This recipe yields much more than you'll need for one steak, so don't overdo it. What ya need: 1/2 cup of light brown sugar 1/2 cup of kosher sea salt 2 tablespoons of cumin 2 tablespoons of garlic powder 2 tablespoons of onion powder 1 tablespoon of dry English mustard 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper 1/2 tablespoon of finely ground white pepper 1/2 tablespoon of finely ground black pepper Ok, so- In a medium Tupperwar

So here's the thing - Sometimes it's difficult getting gifts for a guy who has a tendency to just buy the things that he wants. Therefore, I thought I'd compile this "Ultimate Gear" edition of the gift guide for those who have this dilemma. Also, this stuff is pretty damn cool. Sound good? Ok. Everyone knows that person who loves being the guy with a bottle-opener on hand at all times. The problem at hand is that a key-chain bottle-opener or a large bartender tool isn't all that much fun. To add, I don't want my keys being passed around to open up everyone's beer. So, for a soltion, check this out- Titanium Sunglasses . Classic style, awesome functionality. Just don't let them wear these inside at night. That's stupid. Ok, carrying around a camera everywhere is a pain in the ass. To add, it seems like phone-based cameras are taking off, both in functionality and convenience. However, sometimes, the quality is just appalling. So, some folks o

In the first installment of this year's gift guide, I present to you cigars. The past three years of gift guides have had a cigar guide, so I thought his would be the best place to start! So here are my choices for cigars that would make great gifts for the cigar smoker on your Christmas list - Winston Churchill No. 10 - A Davidoff cigar with a great, earthy profile. A great addition to any humidor Davidoff 100 Years Geneva - A carry-over from last year's list, I can't do justice in explaining this complex cigar. It's great. Bolivar Royal Corona - Spicy and splendid with the right amount of power. This is the cigar I like to gift most often. It speaks to most of the cigar smokers in my life.  La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Chisel - Bold, strong, beautiful. I love this smoke. If you have a cigar smoker in your life that appreciates cigars with a little heft, this is a great choice! Camacho Diploma- Another great smoke for the cigar smoker who appreciates a heartier

Here’s a really cool side-dish that is not only tasty, but fairly healthy. The spinach and mushrooms allow for a nutritional touch to a hearty dish. Have a great time with this and enjoy it! What ya need: 6 ounces of dried farfalle, also known as bow-tie pasta 1 tablespoon of  extra virgin olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped well 1 cup of sliced portobello mushrooms, rinsed 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced 4 cups of thinly sliced fresh spinach 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme 1/8 of teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 2 tablespoons of shredded Romano cheese Ok, so: Cook farfalle according to the directions on the box. Drain the water, but don’t rinse the pasta. In general, stop rinsing any pasta after cooking it. Well, unless the recipe calls for it. Grab a large skillet and heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in the spinach, thyme, and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the co