tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1 2008-09-09T04:32:30Z The guy's guide to cooking for girls. Movable Type 3.34 tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2015://1.335 2015-09-02T05:34:38Z 2008-09-09T04:32:30Z

Culinary Seductions: A good, home cooked meal could be the key to opening her heart, and closing the bedroom door...

dan Culinary Seductions: A good, home cooked meal could be the key to opening her heart, and closing the bedroom door... Most women love when guys cook for them. Why? There's a myriad of reasons, but most of all cooking a thoughtful, delicious meal, however simple, says to her, "Now here's a guy who's not into the old school idea that women should be barefoot, pregnant and chained to the stove." You immediately become "hip" and "open minded" to the contemporary reality that most women work just as hard as you and order in just as much as you. It frames you early on as a guy who's willing to pitch in. There are other benefits to cooking for the one you want. One is: it's a hell of a lot cheaper than taking her out and can be every bit as romantic as a five star restaurant. Two: it gets them over to your place. Better yet, It could get you over to hers. I started cooking for women when I realized it was a great excuse to invite her over, very early on in a courtship. Believe me, I was no Wolfgang Puck in those early days. I had only a few family recipes under my belt, but I found it was a good way to tell her and show her a bit of who I was. Besides, there were no websites like culinaryseductions.com to give me helpful advice and recipe ideas. And as I said, when I became more confident in the kitchen, I found that going over to her place worked even better. Imagine what is going through a woman's mind as you walk into her place carrying a bag of fresh groceries and a couple bottles of wine. A little effort can go a long way. I recently asked a very attractive young woman if she liked it when a guy cooked for her. She responded, "Is that a rhetorical question?" In fact, I've asked this question a lot over the past few years to many different women and not one of them said "no" or even commented that the meal had to be good. But the goal is to create the best meal and the best atmosphere your skill and budget can afford. Take everything into consideration: table settings, soft candle lighting, sensual or romantic music to feast by. Believe me when I say I've found cooking to be one of the best ways to reach her heart, soul and a whole lot more. My first adventure in culinary seduction happened while I was still in college. For three years I was courting a girl whom I had fallen madly in love with during my freshman year. We told each other our dreams and fears. I took care of her when she was sick, even wrote her love letters while she was studying abroad, but I was still just her "best friend." But one night, during my senior year, I invited her over for dinner and everything changed. It was like magic. I made her chicken cutlets and blanched vegetables. Simple but far better than any dorm food. I had also purchased a good, cheap bottle of wine to accompany the meal. Let me tell you, I was amazed at how comfortable it made her feel and even better-- how turned on. She suddenly saw me in a whole different light. By the time dessert was to be served, we were headed to the bedroom for one of the best nights of my young life. We ended up dating for a while, so it wasn't just another notch on my belt. Some people would say it was my years of persistence that took our relationship to the next level. I believe it had a lot to do with the power of food and the simple effort of cooking a good meal. After all, food is about sharing, comfort, community and great pleasure; it can gratify all five of the senses. And open the door to her heart. If you're in college or have a frugal financial situation, you can still create some wonderful meals to win her over. I recommend light pasta and salad dinners. Pasta is one of those things that most people can eat and you can add just about any ingredient to it. Don't make a tomato or cream sauce though, you might make a mess of yourself or your date. Also you definitely don't want to serve something she might be allergic to, that would be no fun at all. So you've been promoted at your job. You finally got your VP stripes or at least some substantial raise in pay. Still, you've never opened your oven door except to heat up a frozen pizza. What do you do? You up the ante of course. Get better table settings; nicer glasses, the best organic ingredients and classier beverages. There is no better way to impress a woman than with a great, home cooked meal and your own knowledge of putting it together. Experiment with the following ingredients: lobster, veal, truffles and caviar. Get great champagnes. If you go to the MENUS section of this website you will see a few suggestions for any difficulty and budget. Culinaryseductions.com has a wealth of great cooking 101 lessons, tips, entertainment and much more to help you get what you both want. Thank you for visiting our website.

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Simple Fiesta Feast For Two

dan Simple Feast For Two Fall is coming or is here for some parts of North America. I tend not to go with the grain on making heavy meals to seduce your date all the time when the weather gets cooler. Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines that works well in any climate. It’s festive, flavorful soul food. The below meal are some of my classics that I truly love! I hope she will too! 1) The Margarita Let’s start with the liquid libation that is needed to help lubricate the evening. The Perfect Margarita is the easiest recipe to master. Get recipe. 2) Chips and Guacamole You’re going to need something salty and delicious to accompany your pitcher of margaritas. Chips and fresh guacamole are the answer. Get recipe. 3) Wild Mushroom Quesadilla Now let’s move on to something that is warm, cheesy and delicious. The wild mushroom quesadilla is a perfect concoction to satisfy that hunger. Get recipe. 4) Mexican Hot Chocolate (optional) This is not only delicious it is simple. Churros (Hispanic donuts) would go great with this drink or just buy a good plan donut to dip in your hot chocolate. Get hot chocolate recipe. You can spice up your dishes with your favorite hot sauces or try these delicious sauces from All Spice Cafe! ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.502 2009-10-02T15:59:19Z 2009-10-02T16:14:24Z

Dead Sexy Gourmet Hot Sauce

dan Check out their website for locations. These sauces will be a staple in my pantry from now on. ]]> Dead Sexy Gourmet Hot Sauce tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.501 2009-08-02T15:47:08Z 2009-08-02T17:37:49Z

Cherish cherries!

dan Cherish cherries! How to Select Cherries can be either sweet or sour. Their season runs from May - August. Choose brightly colored cherries that are not soft to the touch. Sweet cherries are larger than sour cherries and are great to eat raw or cooked. The most popular varieties range in color from dark red to purplish black to golden red. Sour cherries are too tart to eat raw. The are great in tarts, cobbles, pies and preserves. The most popular sour cherries are bright red. How to Store Keep cherries in a bag in the refrigerator and wash them before using. Cherries go very well with many flavors and foods. These are some of the more popular matches. * ALMONDS * Apricots * Armagnac * Brandy * Cheese - Brie, goat, ricotta * CHOCOLATE - Dark and white * Cinnamon * Coconut * Cognac * CREAM AND ICE CREAM * Cream Fraiche * Duck * Grand Marnier * KIRSCH * Lemon, Juice - Zest * SUGAR * VANILLA * Vinegar - ice wine - red wine * WINE - dry red Flavor Marriages Cherries +almonds + cream + kirsch + vanilla Cherries + chocolate + walnuts Cherries +coconut + custard Cherries +coffee + cream Cherries +goat cheese + ice wine vinegar + black pepper + thyme Cherries + mint + vanilla Cherries + orange + sugar + dry red wine ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.497 2009-07-09T17:42:14Z 2009-07-09T17:47:28Z

Photo gallery of burger babes.

dan Photo gallery of burger babes.]]> Photo gallery of burger babes.]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.495 2009-06-30T13:36:19Z 2009-06-30T14:01:51Z

Flip meat and open beer bottle at the same time!

dan You can get it here. ]]> Flip meat and open beer bottle at the same time! tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.491 2009-06-26T12:43:19Z 2009-07-27T17:10:57Z

Tips for creating the ultimate burger.

dan Tips for creating the ultimate burger. 1. Select Your Meat. (If you’re a vegetarian then check out this recipe). The best burgers, according to my research come from ground chuck, which is about 20% fat. Meat labeled "ground beef" or "hamburger" can be up to 30 percent fat and you really don’t know what part of the animal the beef is coming from. Also those burgers tend to be too fatty. Higher-end meat, such as sirloin, is often leaner and trimmed of excess fat, which makes for a dry burger. Freshly ground chuck is best. Take a piece of chuck and let your butcher at the market grind it up for you. A coarse setting is best for juicy burgers. • Ground chuck has about 20 percent fat. • Ground sirloin has about 15 percent fat. • Ground round has about 11 percent fat, making it a favorite of dieters, but producing less-juicy burgers. 2. Season Your Meat. Many people just want great beef, straight up with salt and pepper. If you have bought already ground meat then I suggest you do season it with something delicious. It's a good idea to add flavors and fat if you are using leaner cuts of beef. You can add moisture at the same time with finely minced vegetables such as onion, mushrooms, or mild chiles are especially good for this. Adding a pad of butter to leaner meats works really well. Liquids - Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce are perhaps the two most common liquids to add to burgers. Most recipes call for about a Tablespoon of liquid per pound of meat, but I have seen anywhere from a teaspoon to 2 Tablespoons. Wine is another option. Just plain water is also great. I would use that if using top quality meat. Spices - Other than salt and pepper, almost any spice in the cabinet is a good addition. Garlic or onion powder are probably the most common. TIP #1: When adding other ingredients to ground meat, use a spoon or spatula to avoid heating the meat with your hands. See below. TIP #2: Prior to cooking your burger, taste the meat for desired seasoning. Eat it raw if you're a stud, or fry up a piece of meat about the size of a quarter and eat it. Adjust seasoning to your liking. Remember you can add, but you can't take away! 3. Shape your Meat. Don’t play with your meat too much. If you handle it a lot, the warmth of your hand will melt the fat. The meat should be chilled and you should either wet your hands under cold water or use a spatula. When making the patties, do not compress the meat. Instead, the perfect hamburger patty should have multiple tiny holes to hold the juices released during the grilling process. I like to use a large ring mold and gently add the meat to form the patty. The burger should not be more than 3/4 inch thick. If you have time, it's a good idea to cover and keep your patties in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will help keep the shape of the burger when cooking and it aids in heightening the seasoning of the meat if any has been added. 4. Cook Your Meat. On a medium high heat, grill your meat turning over once, for about 4-5 minutes total for rare or about 5-6 minutes for medium-rare. (Burgers will continue to cook slightly off the grill.). DO NOT PRESS DOWN on the meat. It will release the juices and dry out your burger. To test to see if the burger is done, touch your meat. Medium-rare is softly yielding, medium is semi-firm, well-done is firm. Also look at the juices. When they start to come out of the top of the burger, it's medium. When the juices that have oozed out of the top get cooked (stop looking red and become a bit more clear), it's medium-well. A combination of the two techniques should work well. Types of Burgers: The basic burger (1/4-3/4 pound burger) Sliders (mini hamburgers) Juicy Lucy (American cheese stuffed burger) Resources: Trial and Error (years of testing) http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/cooking/a/easybestburgers.htm America's Test Kitchen Gourmet.com Epicurious.con ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.490 2009-06-23T01:48:51Z 2009-06-30T02:14:32Z

Celebrity chef opens half-baked food market

dan I was expecting to be transported to the Culinary Garden of Eden upon entering McEwan’s. It was the grand opening of the highly anticipated grocery at Don Mills and Lawrence, and I was excited by the prospect of new gourmet delights brought to me by a Toronto-based celebrity chef. “Gourmet food is on the rise,” I thought to myself as I chugged my iced coffee, pumping myself up for the big day. North York will be home to another much needed alternative to corporate eateries and sterile foods. I entered the prepared food section of a bustling and modern food market and was greeted by two large LCDs listing the fresh eats of the day. I read the screens and thought to myself… wouldn’t it be cool to show a tantalizing food video or a recipe demo rather than just using them as digital chalkboards? My thoughts were interrupted by the subtle sound of sensual trance music in the background. How hip? How cool? How… is that Wonder Bread? The recipe for a half-baked gourmet market is born. “Make it the best it can be” is the McEwan motto. Is Wonder Bread really the best? What about Old El Paso? I think not. These are just some of the basic grocery brands intertwined with pretentious products such as a $36 bottle of “McEwan’s Ice Pressed Olive Oil”. What is ice-pressed olive oil? Don’t get me wrong, I love basic grocery brands and expect to see them in most grocery stores, but it ticks me off when people overcharge for them. Save your money and pick them up for less at another market down the road! So what about the higher-end items, you ask? If you can set aside the pretentious olive oil and rather underwhelming produce section, McEwan’s does have a couple things going for it. 1) It does an okay job with the prepared foods, although there isn’t a true salad bar, 2) The cheese section is better than most other options in the area, and 3) The meat counter is quite impressive. This is actually the best part about the whole market. They have gorgeous cuts of aged USDA PRIME meats and all sorts of lovely looking swine and cattle. I was also impressed by the selection of BBQ sauces to accompany the meats and was pleased to see hard-to-find favourites such as Stubbs and the Red Head Pantry. But these positives bear a hefty price tag. It would only be on a rare and special occasion that I would save up to buy a tiny morsel of steak or cheese. Even then, I’d probably be more willing to splurge at Whole Foods. I prefer its philosophy of high quality and good health to the rather confusing “high-low” concept at McEwan’s. Whole Foods also has better produce, better prepared-foods (including a salad bar), and a nice bulk food section (which you also can’t find at McEwan’s). For daily shopping, I prefer Longo’s because their products are reasonably priced and of great quality. They are home-style gourmet, satisfying everyday shopping, and have the best produce section in the city (prices and product). They also have a great seafood counter, bakery, deli, and salad bar. Overall, I have to give McEwan’s gourmet grocery a “not sexy” rating. Too expensive for Wonder Bread and ice-pressed olive oil, but the meat counter is magical and worth the price for a special occasion! ! Check out my review of McEwan’s North 44 restaurant. ]]> XX - Not Sexy X - Frigid $$$$ - Expensive $$$- Pretty Expensive $$ - Not Bad $ - Cheap ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.489 2009-06-22T17:19:06Z 2009-06-22T17:22:31Z

Simple, sexy recipes from last week! Check em out!

dan Check em out! ]]> Check em out! ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.488 2009-06-22T16:54:15Z 2009-06-22T17:18:54Z

The sixty second screw!

dan The sixty second screw! Check out more screws here! ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.487 2009-06-16T15:37:12Z 2009-06-16T15:48:29Z

Imagine an all Italian Ikea and Costco in one!

dan The Seafood Depot in Woodbrige, Ontario is like an all Italian Ikea and Costco in one. It’s a wonderful warehouse of fresh and frozen fish, seafood, live lobster and Italian groceries, furniture (not a lot) housewares and giftwares. It’s the largest Italian grocery I have ever been in. The quality is decent (for the most part) and the prices can be cheap. I was happily surprised to discover this about the Seafood Depot because I came just to purchase a few pounds of frozen Mahi Mahi. I had no idea there was anything else other than seafood at the Seafood Depot. I was so overcome with joy that I bought a terribly cheesy Van Gogh serving dish. It was on a sale for $5 and I love it! I also bought six white cereal bowls (they were three for $1). However, the frozen Mahi Mahi I purchased to make fish tacos was excellent. The two pounds of fish come in individual vacuum sealed portions. Take out a fillet or two when cooking for your sweetie and keep the rest in the refrigerator for another day. I highly recommend a visit to the Seafood Depot. I will be a frequent visitor! ]]> Check their website XXXX - Dead Sexy XXX - Sexy XX - Not Sexy X - Frigid $$$$ - Expensive (over $200 per couple) $$$- Pretty Expensive ($100-$200 per couple) $$ - Not Bad (over $50 per couple) $ - Cheap (not more than $50 per couple) ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.486 2009-06-12T15:32:13Z 2009-06-12T15:51:37Z

Emily Post's table setting guide.

dan Emily Post's etiquette everyday ~ entertaining. Emily Post's name has become synonymous, at least in North America, with proper etiquette and manners. "For a basic table setting (pictured), here are two great tricks to help you – remember the order of plates and utensils: 1.Picture the word “FORKS.” The order, left to right is: F for Fork, O for Plate (the shape!), K for Knives and S for Spoons. (Okay – you have to forget the r, but you get the idea!) 2. Holding your hands in front of you, touch the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your forefinergers to make a lower case ‘b’ with your left hand and a lower case ‘d’ with your right hand. This reminds you that ‘bread and butter’ go to the left of the place setting and ‘drinks’ go on the right. Emily Post could have used that trick – she was often confused about which bread and butter belonged to her—and sometimes she used her neighbor’s! In which case, when it was called to her attention, she would say to the dismayed lady or gentleman, “Oh, I am always mixing them up. Here, please take mine!” 3. Some other things to know: * Knife blades always face the plate * The napkin goes to the left of the fork, or on the plate * The bread and butter plate and knife are optional Check out the "informal" and "formal" table settings. Also check out the "Men's Top Five Mistakes" article on the left hand navigation. There are some good points." ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.485 2009-06-12T15:04:39Z 2009-06-12T15:24:07Z

That is the actual name!

dan SEXY ROSÉ 2008 Vinho Regional Alentejano (Fita Preta) A wine can be sexy. It's a simple wine that tastes better after the first glass. I would have to agree with the tasting note from THE LCBO. The LCBO is the "Liquor Board of Ontario." It's reasonably priced (by Canadian standards ) at $14.95 (CD). Check out where you can get your Sexy Wine. "TASTING NOTE: This flirtatious pink wine is as playfully seductive as the name implies. Strawberry and cherry aromas mingle with earthy notes and exotic floral accents. Juicy red berry flavours emerge on the palate, coupled with a delicate touch of spice. Comprised mainly of traditional Port grapes Touriga Nacional and Aragónez (aka Tempranillo), this rosé makes a delightfully satisfying sipper, or enjoy it with traditional Portuguese/Brazilian pastéis de bacalhau (cod in a light pastry) or honey-barbecue sausages."]]> That is the actual name! tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.484 2009-06-10T15:28:09Z 2009-06-10T15:45:05Z

Models wearing chocolate and creatures from the sea. It's sexy!

dan Sexy models wearing chocolate and creatures from the sea. This gallery idea was inspired by seeing an episode of Top Model where they were doing a photo shoot with gals wearing seafood. It was pretty artistic and sexy. This gallery was also inspired by watching a Food Network challenge show where chefs made chocolate outfits for models to strut down the runway with. Check out the gallery of high food fashions! ]]> tag:www.culinaryseductions.com,2009://1.483 2009-06-05T12:38:02Z 2009-06-05T12:53:01Z

Sexy sausages, organic meats and gourmet grocery!

dan Diablo Dan’s Chorizo It’s the new name I gave to my share of gourmet sausage links that I co-created after attending one of THE HEALTHY BUTCHER’S sausage making classes. It’s one of several culinary classes they offer in the evenings when the store is closed. The Healthy Butcher is a four-year old venture specializing in fresh organic meat and gourmet prepared foods. They have 3 locations in Toronto (GTA): Downtown on Queen, Midtown on Eglinton and in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. If Whole Foods sets the bar for gourmet goodness then The Healthy Butcher is above it. In addition to the vast variety of sausages, they have an exotic selection of local organic meats and fowl and a generous selection of gourmet grocery products to tantalize your taste buds. It’s among the finest food stores in North America that I have been fortunate to sample goods from. The sausage making class was informative and fun and you get to take home an ample sample of the sausages that you just made. Mario, one of the owners, was our trusted “sausage sommelier.” He did a great job teaching us the art of sausage making. After a demonstration and Q & A session we were paired off in teams and asked to write down what type of meat/blend we desired and how thick we wanted it. Our team opted for the 100% pleasurable pork (and later found out it was Berkshire) and we wanted it coarse. The larger the size of the meat the juicer the sausage will be. Then the game started. We were given some “fun money” to use to bid on fresh ingredients that could go in our sausages. Competition wasn’t too fierce and our money was spent well. We ended up with roasted garlic, raw onions, mozzarella cheese and a nice piquante pesto. No other team could use this combination. Another team had some left over white wine that they offered up. We gladly accepted some and poured it into our mix. Next we went to the spice station and created a blend of salt, black pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, dry oregano, cloves and cinnamon and added it to complete the sausage flavor. The teams took turns cranking out their own sausage concoctions. Mario cooked up a few links from each team and we sampled them. They were all delicious. However, I think ours may have edged out the competition. The sausage making class is a lot of fun and you should definitely consider this as cool date night destination. It’s a risky first date, but go a few months into your relationship. This of course depends on the type of gal. Next on the agenda, a class on how to butcher a pig! ]]> Check out their multiple locations and store hours. XXXX - Dead Sexy XXX - Sexy XX - Not Sexy X - Frigid ]]>