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AT HOME


Comparing Impossible and Beyond Burgers
I confess I was a shameless ridiculer of the new meat-substitute products that have flooded the market and taken even fast food...

the_maestro
Jul 13, 20226 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte – Bolognese
I am lucky to have family nearby––if I'm ever feeling lonesome in Charlotte or need a change of pace, it's an easy 90 minute drive up to...

the_maestro
Jan 25, 20225 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte – Soup Billi-Bi
I excitedly watched the weekend weather forecast for the Charlotte metro area develop over the past week––a massive winter storm was set...

the_maestro
Jan 16, 20228 min read
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The 2021 Variant of the Big Drunk Gay Awards
Perhaps it was the sense of impending doom resulting from waking up every day in this pandemic, now again in a terrible phase, that...

the_maestro
Dec 31, 20219 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Unless you've been living under a rock, y'all know that things are getting bad out there again with the virus. For this and mental health...

the_maestro
Aug 12, 20214 min read
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Inspired Ingredients – Ramps
You may have heard a bit of hubbub about ramps in recent years. Or maybe you haven't––I myself hadn't heard of them until five or six...

the_maestro
May 4, 20214 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte: Shiitake Larb
I wasn't planning to double down on my Lao food posts, but holy shit people... this recipe. Larb has been called the national dish of...

the_maestro
Mar 29, 20213 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte: Lao Khao Poon
My sister signed me up for a monthly spice delivery service, Spice Madam, for my Christmas gift, and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting my...

the_maestro
Mar 25, 20213 min read
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Wasting food waste: Broccoli Stem Hummus
Here's a quick post for a quick, healthy, easy-peasy, and super ethical snack to inaugurate a new series about various ways to reduce our...

the_maestro
Mar 23, 20212 min read
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Unboxing the Farm: a week with Stone Barns' "resourcED" Grocery Box
My mini-crusade to improve my choices and shift my life toward a more ethical food trajectory has involved a multitude of little...

the_maestro
Mar 6, 20218 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Sea Urchin Pasta
Today I present another of my neglected posts from back in the early parts of quarantine in Iowa, with the hopes that you, too can find...

the_maestro
Feb 26, 20215 min read
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Inspired Ingredients – Hakurei Turnips
Something I learned from my first visit to Stone Barns is how corporatized and streamlined our food experience has become. There are...

the_maestro
Feb 24, 20218 min read
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Table X @ Home – Salt Lake City, UT
One of the cooler trends we've been seeing emerge during the pandemic from restaurants are take-home, heat-and-eat style dinners. These...

the_maestro
Feb 22, 20214 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Xiao Long Bao
Despite writing it up, I'd never posted this gem from back in the depths of Iowa quarantine in March 2020, but figured no time like the...

the_maestro
Feb 20, 20217 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte: Tom Kha Gai
This short and sweet blog post is dedicated to the impending first week of classes, a time when I need short and sweet (and comforting!)...

the_maestro
Jan 30, 20213 min read
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The Maestro's Big Drunk Gay Awards – 2020 Dumpster Fire Edition!
I really enjoyed issuing a series of absolutely meaningless "Big Drunk Gay" awards last year, highlighting the very best things I ate,...

the_maestro
Jan 9, 20216 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte: Cacio e pepe
Like much of the country, I woke up on Wednesday morning feeling pretty darn terrible. Not just because of the amount of rum I drank the...

the_maestro
Sep 30, 20203 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte: Moroccan Chicken
I always love exploring the various cuisines of the world, but know relatively little about African culinary traditions. I have, however,...

the_maestro
Sep 19, 20203 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte: Salmon and grits
Now that I am back in the south, some of my memories of the south come back from time to time, and my discovery of the wonders of grits...

the_maestro
Sep 13, 20203 min read
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The Chef in Charlotte: Bison tenderloin
Ah, we have a new series to inaugurate! "Quarantine Cuisine" no longer seemed quite right, since I am, for all intents and purposes, not...

the_maestro
Sep 11, 20203 min read
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The Maestro moves to Charlotte
Well kids, what can I say? Life is crazy, and my dearth of posts this past month was due in part to my grand adventure in Alaska, yes,...

the_maestro
Sep 1, 20205 min read
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Summer Grilling: Thai Chicken Thighs
Things have been slow around here recently, mostly owing to the fact that my much-anticipated trip to California had to be shelved due to...

the_maestro
Jul 16, 20204 min read
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Summer Grilling: Currywurst
It's getting mighty hot out here in the heartland of late, leading the Maestro to sometimes decide it's not worth stepping out into the...

the_maestro
Jun 30, 20204 min read
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Summer grilling: Cedar Plank Salmon
Salmon has quite a reputation. Ask anyone and they'll likely have very strong feelings about it, love it or hate it. Most Americans have...

the_maestro
Jun 19, 20205 min read
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Summer Grilling: Churrasco
I suppose now that we are out of the most intense aspects of the "Quarantine" these days, at least in Iowa, I have decided to rename the...

the_maestro
Jun 6, 20203 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Sichuan Mapo Tofu
In southwest China is the rugged province of Sichuan, also Romanized as Szechuan, and beyond the modern-faced capital, Chengdu, lie...

the_maestro
May 25, 20203 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Duck breast
Rounding out our order from D'Artagnan was a beautiful breast of duck, one of my favorite proteins to cook, and one that is sure to make...

the_maestro
May 17, 20204 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Paella
Back when the pandemic was just starting, I noticed that our old reliable supplier of fresh seafood, Fulton Fish Market, was offering a...

the_maestro
May 15, 20207 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Brisket
Yesterday might be the day I fell in love with my pit barrel cooker. It also might be the day I decided it's the most infuriating thing...

the_maestro
May 13, 20206 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Mother's Day Special
Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas and mama figures out there! It's been a wonderful day here in Cedar Rapids. Despite some really...

the_maestro
May 10, 20203 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Veal chop
Some nights call for a simple, classic meal. Mom and I have been working diligently on transforming our kitchen, and things are slowly...

the_maestro
May 9, 20204 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: The perfect cheese plate
One of my favorite snacks during this quarantine (and ya know, generally) is a delicious cheese or cheese and charcuterie plate, with an...

the_maestro
May 6, 20205 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Brunch edition
I had received some feedback recently that my Quarantine Cuisine series features a) entirely dinner items and b) entirely meat or...

the_maestro
May 2, 20206 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Joël Robuchon's Quail
As quarantine drags into the 40-plus day timeframe, I find myself seeking increasingly interesting and challenging dishes to keep myself...

the_maestro
Apr 26, 202010 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Shrimp and grits
My dearest readers, you are now gaining entrance to a very dear place in my heart––my love for the cuisine of the Lowcountry, the coastal...

the_maestro
Apr 24, 20204 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Chilean Sea Bass
This edition of Quarantine Cuisine might be called the "Prose" edition, or perhaps the "George W.'s least favorite" edition. Why? I...

the_maestro
Apr 22, 20204 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Pit Barrel Ribs
How are we lucky enough to have barbecue in our lives? I do not claim in the least to be a barbecue expert, so don't @ me, BBQ pros (very...

the_maestro
Apr 20, 20205 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Greek Chicken Thighs
If you are like me, thirty-plus days of quarantine has begun to spark days of pronounced lethargy and depression––days where you stare...

the_maestro
Apr 17, 20204 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Korean Kalbi Short Ribs
As long as we can't travel physically, we might as well travel culinarily! Korean food is having a real moment in the Unites States....

the_maestro
Apr 14, 20203 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Turkish Lamb Loin Chops
I wasn't planning on creating anything transcendental with this meal, so the Quarantine Cuisine series was supposed to next travel to...

the_maestro
Apr 11, 20205 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Surf and Turf
Apologies for the delay in posting this next installment! The Maestro's computer suffered an unfortunate cracked screen, so a new one had...

the_maestro
Apr 8, 20206 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Octopus and Mole Amarillo
This week I present a double dose of seafood, because our Fulton Fish Market order was particularly large (so we could trigger the free...

the_maestro
Mar 27, 20204 min read
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Quarantine Cuisine: Scallops
Well kiddos, as you may have noticed, the world has stopped moving. Restaurants and bars are closed, the stock market is crumbling, the...

the_maestro
Mar 21, 20207 min read
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Monday Mollusks: easy IPA-steamed Mussels!
Quick post tonight to write a bit about a quick, easy snack! And to inaugurate my "Monday Mollusks" series ;) I don't know about you, but...

the_maestro
Mar 5, 20192 min read
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Duck Duck Syrah
Today's dinner is brought to you by a convergence of circumstances, and also a shade of melancholy. Despite my endless love affair with...

the_maestro
Feb 2, 20197 min read
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Double-Header, pt. 2! Grass-Fed Filet
Spent some time at Central Market this week (anyone surprised?) to snag some proteins and produce for the week's sustenance. I haven't...

the_maestro
Jan 30, 20194 min read
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Black cod: First 2019 Home cooked Dinner!
I'm finally back in Austin! I must admit I still feel a bit adrift, and after 6 weeks of traveling, it was difficult for me to focus on...

the_maestro
Jan 22, 20194 min read
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My gift to mama
I am not good at gift-giving. Come the holiday season, I find myself mindlessly perusing malls and websites trying to find something...

the_maestro
Dec 30, 20185 min read
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