Big Flavor. No Nonsense. Straight From the Galley.

Welcome on my blog! My name is Mike I learned to cook feeding hungry sailors — now I cook for my family of four and share every recipe here. Real food, bold seasoning, no culinary degree required.

Chicken Pot Pie — Golden Crust, Creamy Filling, Zero Leftovers

I‘ll tell you the exact moment I fell in love with chicken pot pie. I’d been out of the Navy for about six months, my wife was working late, and I had two kids staring at me expecting dinner. I grabbed a rotisserie chicken from the store, found pie crust…

Beef Pot Roast — Set It, Forget It, Eat Like a King

Pot roast is the dinner that makes your whole house smell like Sunday at your grandmother’s place. Even on a Tuesday. Especially on a Tuesday. You walk in after work, the oven’s been doing its thing for three hours, and the air hits you before you even…

Smoked Sausage Links — Smoke Until They Snap, Sear Until They Char

Smoked until the skin snaps when you bite it. Simple and perfect. Sausage links on the smoker are the easiest thing you can cook — almost impossible to mess up, done in about 2 hours, and they produce that satisfying snap and burst of juicy flavor that makes everyone…

Beef Burrito Bowl — Same Flavors as a Burrito, Less Structural Engineering

Everything you’d put in a burrito but in a bowl. Same flavors, less structural engineering. A burrito bowl is the deconstructed version of a burrito — all the same components, layered in a bowl, eaten with a fork. No rolling technique required. No tortilla…

Quesadillas — Butter the Outside, That’s the Tip, You’re Welcome

Butter the outside of the tortilla before grilling. That’s the tip. You’re welcome. This single technique is the difference between a quesadilla with a soft, pale tortilla and one with a golden, crispy, buttery shell that shatters slightly when you cut…