Nikoli’s Kitchen

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Welcome everyone! This show is all about my journey of positivity and scratch-made food, inside the kitchen and out. I’m not a chef, I’m just someone extremely passionate about food and trying to make the world a better place, one dish at a time. Every episode, I’ll talk about what’s happening in my world to try to help people, and I’ll share a featured recipe for you to make at home. Thank you so much for listening, and thank you so much for coming on this journey with me.

Episodes

Wednesday Dec 28, 2022

Quick Bites - Asian BBQ Sauce

Wednesday Dec 28, 2022

Hello and welcome to what will likely be the final episode of 2022! This week, I'm talking about this amazing Asian BBQ Sauce I made out of a lot of the leftovers and components of Asian dishes I've made on the show over the past year or so. I don't know Asian food very well, but I know BBQ sauce, and I was thrilled to try to chuck tamarind and palm sugar into one, and the results absolutely blew me away.

Season five of the show will not be kicking off until January 2023 at the earliest. Until then, I'm working on reformatting areas of the show and making this about not just my journey, but about your journey. If something has happened in your life that has changed how you view life, and if you have something that changed your view on positivity, I want to hear from you! Please reach out to me on Instagram @nikoliskitchen or email me at nikoliskitchen@gmail.com and I'd love to sit down and chat with you.

Table for Two will return in season five as well! If you'd like to sit and talk to me about your content, your life, or whatever- all while I'm cooking your dish- please reach out via the means above with your recipe and we'll set it up.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

1-1/2 yellow onions, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, diced
1/2 c rice vinegar
3 c water
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut in half and halved lengthwise
1/4 c pomegranate molasses
3 T fresh ginger, minced
1 bulb of garlic, minced
12 T palm sugar, crushed
1 c tamarind paste
1/4 c dark soy sauce
1/4 c rice wine
2 T gochujang
2 T black bean paste
2 c Ketchup
1/2 t sesame oil
1 t fish sauce

Drizzle a bit of vegetable oil into a large skillet over mid heat and add your onions and peppers.
Sprinkle in a bit of salt and cook, stirring periodically, for 3-5 minutes.
Add your rice vinegar, 1-1/2 c water, and your lemongrass.
Reduce heat to low and cover, allowing to simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is mostly gone and the onions and pepper are softened.
Remove the lid. Turn heat back to mid and discard the lemongrass.
Cook off the rest of the liquid, then make a space in the center of the pan for your ginger and garlic.
Cook ginger and garlic for 1 minute, stirring so it doesn't burn.
Deglaze the pan with your rice wine.
Add the rest of the water, the pomegranate molasses, palm sugar, tamarind paste, soy sauce, gochujang, black bean paste, ketchup, sesame oil, and fish sauce.
Stir until everything is well combined.
Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low, allowing everything to cook and come together for 30-60 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, blend everything down into a smooth sauce.
Jar and refrigerate.

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Guest Appearances

I had the privilege of sitting down with Brendan of Unchefed to talk about food, mental health, and life. Check out this great conversation at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-love-food-nicholas-haskins-from-nikolis-kitchen/id1578898329?i=1000568984881!

I was thrilled to be invited back to Movie Reviews in 20 Qs, where I joined Liz and Billy to talk about the new murder mystery See How They Run! Tune in at https://mritqs.podbean.com/e/ep-216-see-how-they-run-w-nikoli-s-kitchen-and-we-watched-a-thing/! (Note: NSFW).

I had the honor of joining Billy on the We Watched a Thing podcast to talk about the latest entry in the View Askewniverse, Clerks III! Check out our discussion at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clerks-iii-w-nick-from-nikolis-kitchen/id1315531685?i=1000583178272 (Note: NSFW).

I went back to Two Peas to hang out with my good friend Gerald and talk about the top five on-screen TV deaths! Tune in at https://www.netflixnswill.com/twopeasonapodcast/2022/12/5/top-5-on-screen-tv-deaths-192! (Note: NSFW).

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"My Foolish Waltz" by Wendy Marcini.

Wednesday Dec 14, 2022

Quick Bites - Apple Crêpes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Filling

Wednesday Dec 14, 2022

Hello and welcome to another quick bite here in the limbo between seasons four and five! Today I'm busting out the apples and mascarpone cheese and things are going to get RICH. This makes for the perfect sweet breakfast treat to kick off your day!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Apple Filling-

3 apples, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 c light brown sugar
1/2 T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t salt
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 c water
1 t cornstarch

Add butter to a saucepan over mid heat.
Add your apples, sugar, and spices. Toss to coat well.
Make a slurry with your cornstarch and water, then add.
Cover and reduce heat to mid-low.
Cook until sauce is thickened and apples are soft.

Mascarpone Cream Cheese Filling-

8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese, softened
8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
1 T vanilla
1-1/2 c powdered sugar
1/8 c milk

Combine everything but the milk into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Start on low with an electric mixer and mix until combined.
Whip in an electric mixer on mid-high until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
Add more or less milk to desired consistency.

Crepês-

1 c all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c milk
2 eggs
1 T canola oil
1/4 t salt

Add flour, milk, eggs, canola oil, and salt into a medium bowl.
Using an electric mixer, mix them together until blended.
Grease your skillet or use cooking spray and heat the skillet at mid-high heat.
Remove from heat and spoon in about 1/2 c of crepê batter, tilting your skillet to spread the batter evenly.
Return to heat and flip as needed to cook it through.
Transfer to a plate to rest.

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Guest Appearances

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Moments Passing By," and "I Will be Right Here with You" by Wendy Marcini.

Wednesday Dec 07, 2022

Quick Bites - Smoked Cheddar Chicken Chili

Wednesday Dec 07, 2022

Welcome everyone to the first inter-season Quick Bite after season four! Today's "quick" bite isn't quite as "quick" in terms of cooking or preparation, but I promise you that nothing in the world says "stick to your ribs" food quite like my Smoked Cheddar Chicken Chili. The perfect bowl full of warmth and home for a cold winter evening, this chili is packed with decadent chili flavors, smoky chicken thighs, and rich cheddar cheese sauce. Please enjoy this recipe and give it a shot for yourself! Thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Marinade-

1-1/2 lbs chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
Zest & juice of 2 limes
2 T olive oil
1 T sea salt
1 t chili powder
1 T ground black pepper
1 c cilantro, chopped
8 cloves of garlic

~| I chose to do this with bone-in/skin-on chicken, because it'll have more flavor when you grill/cook it. You can do boneless/skinless if you like. |~
Prepare your marinade by combining all the ingredients together with the chicken in a large ziploc bag or bowl. Make sure the chicken is well-coated.
Marinate for 24 hours.

Chili-

3- 12 oz cans of preferred beans
4 c whole milk
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 stick of butter
16 oz cheddar cheese, cubed
2 large onions, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, diced, OR 2 other hot peppers- optional, to your desired heat level
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c white wine
4-5 T cumin
3-4 T chili powder
1 T black pepper
1 T Turmeric
1 T Italian parsley, chopped
1 T cilantro, chopped
Salt to taste
Brown sugar to taste

Over a grill at mid-high or in a skillet at mid-high, sear the chicken on both sides and cook through.
Remove and allow to rest.
Remove the meat from the bones. Save the bones and skin for future chicken stock!
Chop the chicken so it is the same size as the rest of your ingredients (all of your ingredients should be the same size in the finished chili for a consistent bite).

Add a splash of olive oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot and heat over mid heat.
Add half of your onions and peppers, tossing until well-coated. Add some salt to start sweating them down. Stir periodically.
After 2-3 minutes, add your white wine and a sprinkle of brown sugar.
Reduce heat to low and cover, cooking the onions & peppers for 15-20 minutes until soft and well-caramelized.
Return the heat to mid and cook out most of the liquid, stirring frequently.
Clear a space and add your garlic, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and chili powder and cook for 1 minute or so, stirring continually so the garlic and spices don't burn.
Add your flour and stir until well-incorporated, cooking for a minute or so.
Add the stick of butter and allow it to melt.
Continue stirring and cook until a roux forms, roughly 3 minutes (it tends to clump up with all of the other stuff in here, just keep stirring and cooking it).
Add your evaporated milk and continue stirring until it begins to thicken into a béchamel.

Reduce the heat to mid-low and add your chicken, beans, and the rest of your onions and peppers. Stir until well-combined.
Bring back to a light simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes to bring everything together, stirring periodically.
Remove from the heat and add your cheese and parsley, stirring until it is melted.
Season to taste.
OPTIONAL: Serve with fresh scallions over the top.

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Guest Appearances

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Down the Memory Lane," and "Sandcastle" by Magnus Ludvigsson.

Wednesday Nov 23, 2022

Season Finale - Lemon Meringue Pie from SCRATCH!

Wednesday Nov 23, 2022

Hello and welcome to the season four FINALE of Nikoli's Kitchen! A much shorter show today than normal because some things around here are going to be changing in the off-season, which I'll go more into detail on over the coming weeks on my Instagram page.

For now, please check out this amazing recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie made entirely from scratch! I hope you enjoy this amazing recipe, and if you're celebrating, I hope your Thanksgiving is amazing. Whether you celebrate or not, know that I am always and forever grateful for all of the amazing support from you amazing listeners. You are my lifeblood. Thank you so much for all that you do. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tune in to hear my (much much much) better half Rebecca on The Life Shift at https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/losing-hair-but-finding-strength-and-authenticity-rebecca-lerch/!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Pie Crust-

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 t salt
1/4 cup shortening, cubed and frozen
1/4 cup butter, cubed and frozen
1/4 cup ice cold water (add ice cubes to your water to make this easier)

Preheat your oven to 400°.
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and whisk together.
Add butter and shortening to the dry ingredient mixture. Stir this only with a wooden or silicone spoon and try not to touch it with your hands, as it'll make the butter and shortening melty and the dough won't come together as easily (and you'll lose some of the beautiful flakyness!).
Add half of your water and continue mixing until combined. Add the remainder of the water as needed until the pie dough comes together in a nice ball that is not sticky (you may need more water, just chuck some ice cubes into cold water to get it to temperature).
Wrap the dough ball tightly in shrink wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until you are ready to use.

Partially Blind Baking the crust-

Lightly flour your counter or work surface- you can use wax paper here to help transfer it to the pie pan easier.
Roll the dough to 1/8" thickness.
With a sharp knife, cut the dough about 1-1/2" larger in diameter than your upside-down pie pan (you can just flip it over and put it in the center of the dough for easy reference).
Gently roll your dough around your rolling pin or use your wax paper to transfer it into the pie pan.
Unroll or place it into the pan and work it into place.
Place the pie shell into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
Remove the pie shell from the freezer and brush the edges of the crust with egg wash (if desired).
Line the inside of the pie crust with parchment paper.
Use pie weights to weigh down your shell to avoid it puffing up or prick holes into the bottom with a fork.
Bake the shell for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the crust are starting to brown.
Remove the pie crust from the oven and remove your weights (if used).
Set aside the crust and prepare your filling.

Lemon Filling-

8 egg yolks
2 c water
2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 c cornstarch
1/2 t salt
1 c fresh lemon juice
2 T lemon zest (zest of 4 lemons)
6 T unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Reduce your oven temperature to 350°.
Whisk your egg yolks together in a bowl and set them aside.
Add the water, sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and zest in a saucepan.
Whisk together and cook until thick over mid heat, 5-7 minutes.
Reduce your heat to low.
Stirring your egg yolk constantly, add in a few spoons of the lemon mixture one at a time (this is to temper the egg yolks and bring the temperature up slowly instead of dumping all of the yolk directly into the hot lemon mixture, because then the eggs will start cooking). Add a total of around 1/2 to 1 c of the mixture this way.
Stir the egg yolk mixture into the lemon mixture until well-combined.
Turn heat back to mid and cook the mixture until it is thick and bubbling.
Remove from the heat and whisk in your butter.
Add your filling to the crust and make your meringue.

Meringue-

8 egg whites
1 t cream of tartar
1 c white sugar
1/4 t salt

~| Note: this will make WAY too much meringue for your pie. So you can either halve the recipe, or, I found this great recipe for Meringue Cookies you can make with the leftovers at https://platedcravings.com/meringue-cookies/! |~

Add your egg whites and cream of tartar to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
Add your sugar and salt to a separate bowl and set aside.
Using an electric mixer or your stand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, then increase to high speed until you form soft peaks (you can pull a peak but it immediately falls).
Add your sugar and salt and keep mixing at high speed until glossy, stiff peaks form.
Spread your meringue over the top of your filling.
Bake your pie on the bottom oven rack for 25-30 minutes or until your meringue is browned to your liking on top.
Remove your pie from the oven and let it cool for an hour or so.
Transfer to refrigerator and let it chill completely before serving.

Important Links

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Guest Appearances

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Sometimes When you Sleep," "Moments Passing By," and "I'm Still Missing You" by Wendy Marcini.
"Midnight Swing" by Jules Gaia.

Saturday Nov 12, 2022

Pasta alla Genovese

Saturday Nov 12, 2022

Buongiorno! Welcome to butchering Italian pronunciation on a new Nikoli's Kitchen! I've really wanted to do some kind of shredded braised beef dish, so I LET THE HEAT HIT THE MEAT and started building a ton of layers of flavor into this Pasta alla Genovese. Originally I wanted to make a version of a dish I made on my old food show a long time ago, a beef and onion ragu, but in researching it I came to find out that this is more what I wanted to make- though truthfully I'm sure some of the former bleeds into the latter. Regardless, this was an amazing dish absolutely loaded with flavor, and I hope you give it a try. In the first half of the show I talk about my frustrations with sitting down to record the first segment of the show, and how that gets me into my own head- instead of just sharing where I am on my journey. Because that's what this show is, right? It's my journey. For better or worse.

Tune in to hear my (much much much) better half Rebecca on The Life Shift at https://www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/losing-hair-but-finding-strength-and-authenticity-rebecca-lerch/!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

1 lb yellow onion (3-4 onions), sliced thin
1 c celery, finely chopped
1 c carrot, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped and divided
1 T fresh thyme, finely chopped and divided
1/2 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 T tomato paste
2 oz breasola, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1.5 lb chuck eye roast, cut into 4 equal-sized chunks
2 c white wine
1 c chicken stock
1 package (6 oz) of cherry tomatoes, halved
Chopped parsley (for serving)
Freshly-grated pecorino romano cheese (for serving)
1 lb rigatoni

Preheat oven to 300° and move your rack to the middle lower position.
Prepare your chuck eye roast if you haven't by cutting it into four equal-sized pieces. Season liberally with salt and pepper as well as half of your rosemary and thyme.
Drizzle olive oil in a large Dutch oven and heat over mid-high heat.
Add your beef and sear on all sides until you form a nice crust. LET THE HEAT HIT THE MEAT!
Remove your Dutch oven from the heat and remove your beef to a plate/platter to rest.
Reduce heat to mid and allow your Dutch oven to cool for just a minute.
Add pot back to the heat and then add your breasola and cook for 2-3 minutes (you can also do pancetta and/or salami here).
Add your onions, celery, and carrots, to the Dutch oven. Sprinkle some salt to help sweat them out. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until everything has started to soften and your onions are translucent.
Make a place in the pot for your remaining herbs and garlic and add them in. Cook for 60-90 seconds, stirring so they don't burn.
Add your tomato paste and cook for another 60-90 seconds.
Deglaze your pan with 1/2 c of your white wine, scraping up all of the browned bits as best you can.
Add the rest of your wine and the chicken stock to the pot.
Add your beef back to the pot. There should be enough liquid that your beef is just sticking out the top- if there's not, add some water (you'll be reducing this later anyway).
Bake in the oven uncovered for 2-1/2 hours, flipping your beef once to submerge the top parts under the water.

Fill a stock pot with water and add salt and bring to a boil.
Cook your rigatoni according to directions and drain when done; reserve 1-1/2 c pasta water.
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove your beef to a plate to rest. It should be fork tender at this point.
Return the Dutch oven to the stovetop and turn on over mid heat.
Add the cherry tomatoes and taste your sauce; add any additional seasonings you like.
Add 1 c of the pasta water.
Cook the sauce until reduced to your desired consistency (add the remaining pasta water if it is too thick).
Shred your beef and return it to the sauce, stirring until everything is well-combined.
Season to taste one last time.
Add your rigatoni to the Dutch oven and stir until everything is well-combined. Cook for another minute or two just to bring it together.
Serve topped with fresh parsley and pecorino romano cheese.

Important Links

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Guest Appearances

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"That Rainy Day," "I'm Still Missing You," "I will be Right Here with You," and "As Long as you Stay" by Wendy Marcini.

Thursday Nov 03, 2022

Sloppy Joes with Homemade Ketchup & Suicide Awareness

Thursday Nov 03, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen, which is coming a day later than it should be, but I'm still grateful to get it out for you. This week on the show, I talk about making homemade sloppy Joes with their own homemade ketchup, but before that I'm replaying a positivity segment from a stream back in September that I did to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Take good care of you, and please be kind to yourself. Remember that you are not alone.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Homemade Vegetable Ketchup

1- 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T fresh ginger, minced
1 c fresh basil
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c dark brown sugar
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t ground mustard
1/2 t turmeric
3 oz. tomato paste
1 T Salt
1 T pepper

1 c carrots, chopped
2 c water

Add your carrots and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cook the carrots until soft, then strain them out and reserve whatever water is left from cooking them down (you'll add this to your ketchup later).

Drizzle olive oil into a large Dutch oven or large pot and heat over mid heat.
Add your onions and begin cooking them down, sprinkling over a bit of salt to help sweat them out.
Add your vinegar and reduce heat to mid-low, cooking onions down until your liquid is mostly gone, 15-18 minutes. Stir periodically.
Return heat to mid and make a space in the middle of your pot, then add the garlic and ginger.
Cook for 1 minute, stirring so they don't burn.
Add your allspice, smoked paprika, and ground mustard, cooking for another minute.
Add tomato paste and stir well.
Add your basil, zucchini, sugar, and your tomatoes.
Add your reserved water from your carrots, topping it up to 1 c if you have less than that.
Reduce heat to mid-low and cover. Cook for 18-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until your zucchini is softened and your tomatoes have started breaking apart.
Add your carrots back to the pot.
Using an immersion blender or pouring this into a blender, blend the ketchup until it is very smooth (You can strain it here if you like, but I like the texture of a homemade veggie ketchup).
Return the ketchup to your pot and continue cooking on mid-low for another 30-60 minutes or until it reaches desired flavor and consistency.
Season with salt, pepper, or additional sugar to taste. If it is too thick, add water to thin it out to the desired consistency.

Sloppy Joe, Sloppy Sloppy Joe!

2 lbs ground beef 80/20
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 c dry white wine
1 Green pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 T tomato paste
2 c ketchup
1/2 c water (more or less to thin/thicken sauce to desired thickness)
4 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 T dijon mustard
4 T dark brown sugar
Salt
Pepper

Break up your ground beef into equal-sized portions before you add it into your skillet- I break it up onto a plate how I want it to go into the skillet. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Add half of the butter and olive oil to a large skillet or pot over mid-high heat.
Once the butter is melted, add half of your ground beef and let it sear for 1-2 minutes. LET THE HEAT HIT THE MEAT! Resist the urge to stir it frequently or move it around. Let it remain so it can form a good crust and start developing flavor.
Once it is seared to your liking (you'll definitely smell it), stir and cook it until you see no more pink on the outside. The beef should NOT be cooked through here, you'll finish it in your sauce.
Drain your ground beef, reserving the fat.
Repeat the above steps for the remaining portions of ground beef, reserving the fat each time.
After you've drained the last of the ground beef, deglaze your pan with the white wine. Use a spoon to scrape up any stuck-on browned bits.
Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft and the wine is mostly cooked off.
Make space in your pan and add the garlic. Cook for 30-60 seconds, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn.
Add your tomato paste and stir again, cooking for another 30-60 seconds.
Return the beef to the pan and add your ketchup, water, Worcestershire, mustard, and brown sugar. Stir everything to combine well.
Reduce heat to mid and cook for 12-18 minutes, or until everything has thickened to desired consistency. Season to taste toward the end of this process, you don't want to season beforehand in case the sauce reduces and the flavors get overpowering.
Serve over a soft toasted brioche bun.

Important Links

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Listen on

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Pandora
TuneIn Radio
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"A Single Gentle Raindrop," and "Tinker is Asleep" by Rand Aldo.
"Sandcastle" by Magnus Ludvigsson.
"Motionless" by Alan Ellis.
"Vulpecula" by Johannes Bornlöf.
"After You Took Off" by Miles Avida.

Wednesday Oct 26, 2022

Tofu Tikka Masala & Struggling to Create

Wednesday Oct 26, 2022

Welcome back to another new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen everyone! We're steamrolling toward the end of the season on the day before Thanksgiving, and... I'm struggling. Today on the show I'll talk about how I'm struggling with managing everything as NaNoWriMo approaches, and kind of share some open-ended thoughts about changes that will need to happen before season 5 kicks off in 2023. In the back half of the show, I'm adapting the chicken tikka masala recipe I did back in episode 15 with Dan of Netflix 'n Swill to make it vegetarian, so I could share a dish I'm really proud of with my son. It was also my first time ever cooking tofu, but everything came together so well. Thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Tofu Tikka Masala with Coconut Basmati Rice and Naan

Marinade-

1 c Greek Yogurt, plain
Juice of 1 Lemon
6 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
2 T Ginger, grated
2 t Garam Masala
1 t Hot Curry Sea Salt
1 lb extra firm tofu

Slice your tofu into even-sized slabs and layer between paper towels.
Squeeze or apply pressure to extract moisture.
Cut your tofu into 1/2" chunks.
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
Place covered in the fridge for an hour or up to overnight.

Sauce-

2 T Ghee or unsalted butter
1/4 white wine, semi-dry or dry
2 red onions, finely diced
6 cloves of Garlic, grated
2 T Ginger, grated
1 t Turmeric
1 t Ground coriander
1-1/2 t Ground cumin
1-1/2 t Garam Masala
1 t Chipotle Chili Powder (double for more spice)
2 c Tomato Sauce
1 c Heavy Cream
Hot Curry Sea Salt, to taste
Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
Cilantro to garnish

Remove your tofu from the marinade to a baking tray or platter lined with paper towel.
Pat the tofu chunks dry to remove excess marinade.
Bring a large skillet to mid-high heat and add your ghee or butter.
Once the butter/ghee has melted, add your tofu in batches ensuring you do not crowd the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until nicely browned and remove to a plate or bowl to rest.
Add white wine to pan and reduce heat to mid. Deglaze the pan, being sure to mix up all of the stuck-on bits from the tofu.
Add onions and begin to cook. Add some hot curry sea salt to sweat the onions. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until translucent and soft.
Make a clearing in the middle of your skillet and add your ginger and garlic. Saute for 30 seconds, stirring regularly to avoid burning.
Make another clearing. Add your turmeric, coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Cook for another 30 seconds, continuing to stir.
Add tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, and cracked black pepper.
Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the tomato sauce thickens and begins turning a deep reddish brown, about 15-20 minutes.
Add the tofu and heavy cream and stir to combine.
Cook this for another 10 minutes until mixture is a burnt orange color and the sauce has thickened.
Garnish with fresh cilantro!

Coconut Lime Basmati Rice-

2 c basmati rice, rinsed
1- 12 oz. can coconut milk (should be 1-3/4 c)
1-3/4 c water
Juice of 2 limes
1 t white sugar
2 t hot curry sea salt
2 T cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over mid-high heat.
Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Remove the cover and fluff with a fork.

Naan-

3 c flour
3 t dry yeast
1/2 to 3/4 c warm water
1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
2 T sugar
1/4 c olive oil
1 large egg
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder

Combine your wet ingredients together with the sugar in a large bowl and mix together.
Add your yeast and set aside to proof for about 5 minutes.
Sift your flour, salt, and baking powder in another bowl.
Once your wet mixture is proofed, combine with the flour mixture and mix just until combined into a dough. It should be tacky but not sticky. Once it comes together, stop kneading.
Coat the inside of your bowl with a light bit of olive oil or olive oil spray and place the dough inside.
Cover with a damp towel and let it rise for about 90 minutes or until doubled.
Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface.
Shape your dough into a long rectangle around 24 inches long and 3" - 4" wide. It should be between 1/2" to 1/4" thick.
Using a knife or pastry cutter, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half into six equal portions. Coat the dough chunks in a light coating of flour to prevent sticking.
Place a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over mid-high heat until it gets very hot.
Roll out the dough chunks to about 1/8" inch thickness.
Pass it back and forth in your hands to knock off any excess flour.
Place into the skillet and cook for 60-90 seconds per side or until it has browned and blistered.
Once off the heat, immediately brush it with your garlic cilantro butter.
Keep them in the oven at 200° to keep them warm until ready to eat.

Garlic Cilantro Butter-

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
8 cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 T cilantro, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix your garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper into your butter and mix together until well-combined.

Important Links

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Guest Appearances

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Fight to Win" by Sven Karlsson.
"L'ombre du Platane," "Reve d'Enfant," and "The Girl from North" by Magnus Ludvigsson.

Wednesday Oct 19, 2022

Pumpkin Pecan Thumbprints with Cream Cheese Frosting!

Wednesday Oct 19, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another brand new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! Today I'll be talking about the "Potential of Tomorrow" and reading a poem I wrote in a much darker time in my life. After that, we're making Pumpkin Pecan Thumbprints, and talking about my "kitchen brain." Thank you for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Cookies-

1/2 - 3/4 c unsalted butter, softened (see below)
1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, separated to whites and yolks
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 T cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice

Coating-

1 c finely chopped pecans
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T cinnamon

~| If your pumpkin puree is liquid-y, you'll need to cook the moisture out of it. Add 1/4 c butter and your pumpkin to a saucepan and heat over mid heat, stirring regularly until the moisture is gone and you're left with a thick pumpkin paste. I didn't add any fat to this step when I did it but I'd recommend at least some butter here, your cookies will end up a little bit richer and nuttier. If you have solid pack pumpkin, you can omit this step, unless you want to melt butter into this and cook off the moisture to add more richness to that. |~

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cream together your butter, pumpkin puree, egg yolk, brown sugar, and vanilla in a bowl.
Sift your flour, salt, and dry spices into a separate bowl.
Add your dry ingredients into your wet, mixing just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Roll your dough into balls, about 1 t each.

Combine your pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Whip your egg whites slightly with a fork.
Dip the dough balls into the egg white, rolling around until fully coated.
Roll the dough in the pecan mixture.
Place 1" apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
Press your thumb (or if you have huge fingers like me, your pinky) into the center of each dough ball to create a depression.
Bake 10 - 12 minutes on the center oven rack.
Remove and rest on a baking rack until cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting-

~| Recipe is adapted from Ann Reardon's recipe at https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/best-frosting-recipes/ |~

16 oz. 1/3 fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
2-1/2 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla bean paste

Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth and well-combined.
Stir in your powdered sugar (slowly, so it doesn't go everywhere) until well-combined.
Beat on high for 2 minutes.
Add your vanilla at the end and beat until incorporated.
Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe a dollop into the depression on each cookie.

Serve the cookies chilled!

Important Links

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Guest Appearances

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Bringing Hope," and "You're Everywhere" by Gold in June.
"As Long as you Stay," and "Sometimes When You Sleep" by Wendy Marcini.
"Godspeed Nebulae" by Rand Aldo.

Wednesday Oct 12, 2022

Vegetarian Breakfast Pizza with Spinach and Onion

Wednesday Oct 12, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to a brand new Nikoli's Kitchen! This week on the show, I'm talking about where I am in my current journey, and then in the back half of the show I'm talking about this new pizza dough recipe as a base for this incredible vegetarian breakfast pizza! This is a MUST-TRY if you love breakfast pizza! Thank you all so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Pizza Dough recipe:

1-3/4 cups hot water
2 T olive oil
2 t Salt
1 t white sugar
1 t garlic powder
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
2-1/4 t yeast

Combine the water and sugar, and stir. This mixture should be lukewarm, around 110°.
Add the yeast and stir. While it proofs, move on to the next step.
Add flour, salt, and garlic powder to your stand mixer bowl and mix the ingredients together with a whisk.
Attach your dough hook. Turn on the mixer and add the olive oil.
Add the yeast mixture slowly until the dough begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If it becomes sticky and sticks to the bowl, add a touch more flour; if it is still shaggy looking, add more of the yeast mixture in small dribbles (or water if it is gone).
Tip the dough onto a lightly-floured counter and form into a ball.
Separate the dough into two equal-sized balls.
Oil the inside of two large bowls with olive oil and place the balls of dough inside.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but up to 48.

Take the dough out 2 hours before you plan to bake your pizza to allow it to rise.
Sprinkle a light dusting of flour or cornmeal on your counter or surface (depending on the type of pizza).
Begin working your dough out by hand, keeping it circular, stretching it to the size of your pizza pan. I didn't need a rolling pin for this, but use it if you need it.
Place your dough onto the pizza pan.

Béchamel Sauce:

1/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c milk
1/2 c heavy cream
1 T salt
Nutmeg and allspice to taste
1/2 c freshly-shredded parmesan cheese

Melt your butter in a saucepan over mid head.
Add your flour and stir until well-combined, cooking for 1-2 minutes to cook out the flour taste.
Add your milk/cream and stir (I'll note I had 2% milk, hence the heavy cream- you can use 2 c whole milk instead).
As this begins to cook it will thicken into your béchamel.
Add seasoning and stir to combine.
Remove from the heat and add your parmesan cheese, stirring until melted and well-combined.
Layer béchamel over your pizza dough.

Toppings:

12 eggs
Cooking spray
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2 c freshly-shredded white cheddar cheese
2 c baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
Fresh Black pepper

Preheat your oven to 450°.
Whisk your eggs in a large bowl with 2 T water until well-combined.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over mid heat.
Add the eggs and cook them, stirring regularly, until they are about half-done.
Remove from the heat, continuing to stir.
Add partially-cooked eggs onto the pizza dough in an even layer.
Add your spinach and red onion in an even layer.
Cover with your cheeses.
Season with freshly-cracked black pepper.
Bake in the oven at 450° for 12 minutes.
Open your oven and de-pan your pizza (optional but it'll help crisp up that crust).
Bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is nice and browned.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Em of Verbal Diorama to talk about Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy and we had a blast. Please tune in at https://www.verbaldiorama.com/episode/anchorman-the-legend-of-ron-burgundy!

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Sandcastle," "Down the Memory Lane," and "Early Bloomer" by Magnus Ludvigsson.
"Langholmen" by Gustav Lundgren.
"Letting Go of the Day" by Hanna Lindgren.
"The Way to the Sky" by Hampus Naeselius.

Wednesday Sep 21, 2022

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich & How You Talk to Yourself MATTERS!

Wednesday Sep 21, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week, I'm making the most glorious sandwich ever to make it between two halves of a brioche bun with this incredible fried chicken sandwich topped with a whipped hot honey butter. Also... how you talk to yourself matters.

This month's charity stream will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Tune in Sept 28th at 5 PM EST at https://twitch.tv/nikoliskitchen for games, food, and fun as we stream to raise money and awareness for AFSP.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Marinade-

4 large breasts, pounded flat and cut in half
2 c buttermilk
2 T salt
1 T black pepper
1 T smoked paprika
1/4 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg

24-48 hours before you're preparing the meal, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate.

Coating-

1.5 c ap flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c rice flour
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1 T smoked paprika
2 T salt
1 T black pepper
4 eggs
1 gallon peanut oil for frying

Mix your AP flour, cornstarch, rice flour, and dry seasonings in a large container and whisk together until combined.
In a separate container, crack and whisk your eggs with a dribble of water.
Remove your chicken from the buttermilk marinade and place on a platter/plate lined with paper towels or a towel. Use another towel/paper towels to pat the chicken dry, removing excess marinade.
Dredge the chicken through your flour mixture and place on a rack to rest for 15 minutes.
Heat your oil to 350°.
Dredge your chicken in the egg wash, then dredge it in your flour mix again, returning to the rack to rest while your oil comes to temperature.
Fry at 350° for 4 minutes, then remove to a paper towel-lined tray to rest.
Heat the oil to 375° and fry again for 2 minutes or so until done.
Remove the chicken back to the paper towel-lined tray and sprinkle with salt.

Whipped Hot Honey Garlic Butter-

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/8 c whole milk
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 T honey
1 t salt
2 t calabrian chili oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whip on low speed with a mixer for 2-3 minutes until everything comes together.
Mix on high speed for 2-3 minutes until the butter becomes lighter and fluffier.

Building your Sandwich-

Brioche Bun
1 T Aioli of your choice
1/2 c baby arugula
2 T whipped butter
1 t chopped scallions, optional

Toast your brioche bun by spreading your whipped butter on each half (about 1/2 T each) and toast until golden brown.
Add a smear of your aioli (I had green goddess aioli from Quick Bite 26) over the bottom bun.
Add your baby arugula, then top with your fried chicken.
Add the remaining whipped butter and scallions over the top of your chicken and serve.
I mentioned this in the recording, but something acidic is going to play well here. Add a pickle, or pickled onions, or something over the top.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Dordogne Peace II," "Goodnight Story," "L'ombre du Platane," "Sandcastle," and "Contemplation" by Magnus Ludvigsson.

Wednesday Sep 14, 2022

Crispy Chicken Ramen & Are You Living... or Surviving?

Wednesday Sep 14, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week, we're talking about surviving versus living and in the back half of the show, I talk about making homemade ramen from scratch!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

~| The most important thing I can note here is PREP, PREP, PREP. Prepare *EVERYTHING* that this dish requires ahead of time because there are a lot of things that need to get done. |~

Ramen Base-

5 c homemade chicken stock
1 sweet onion, sliced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
2-inch piece of ginger, finely grated
1 T olive oil
1/4 c dark soy sauce
1/4 c mirin
1/4 c rice vinegar
1 t sesame oil
1 T fish sauce

Add your olive oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot at mid heat.
Add your onion, garlic, and ginger and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently so nothing burns.
Add your soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, and fish sauce and bring to a simmer for a minute or so.
Add your chicken stock and allow to come to a boil.
Let this come to a simmer and reduce your heat to mid-low, allowing it to simmer and reduce for 45 to 60 minutes. You really want to let this concentrate to build a good depth of flavor.
Add your sesame oil here (optional).
Once your broth reaches your desired taste, turn off the heat until you're ready to build your bowl.

Marinade-

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 c honey
8 cloves garlic (minced)

Marinate your chicken for 8 hours or up to overnight.
Remove from the marinade, shaking off any excess marinade, and place on a tray lined with paper towel. Get off all the excess marinade you can.

Batter-

1/3 c AP flour
2/3 c rice flour
1/3 c corn starch
1/2 c water, more or less to desired consistency
1 gallon vegetable or preferred frying oil
Deep frying thermometer (if available)

Combine your flours and cornstarch together in a bowl and whisk until combined.
Add your water in, stirring constantly until this has a nice, thick, batter-like consistency.
Add your chicken to the bowl.
Stir until well-combined and the chicken is well-coated (the batter will be so thick it will not have an issue).
Once your oil hits 350° or once a drop of batter dropped in pops back to the surface and floats after 1-2 seconds, it is ready.
Add your chicken in batches (I did three), cooking it for about 2-3 minutes, being sure to break up any chicken that is clumped together (add it a piece at a time to save yourself the trouble of unsticking them later).
Remove the chicken and rest. Heat your oil to 375°.
Add all of the chicken to your oil and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until it is a very crispy golden brown.
Remove the oil from the heat and place your chicken on a paper towel-lined platter or a drying rack to rest.

Chicken Glaze-

1 c honey
1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
sesame seeds (optional)

Combine your honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small saucepan.
Heat over medium heat until it starts to boil, stirring frequently.
Remove from the heat.
Add your chicken to a large bowl and coat with the glaze, tossing it to make sure it is well-coated.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds as desired.

Additions-

1/2 c scallions, finely chopped
1 c shitake mushrooms, sliced
Sesame seeds (optional)
2 c baby spinach, roughly chopped
Wonton strips
Soft-boiled eggs

~| For the wontons I followed the recipe at https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/wonton-wrappers/, but this will make a LOT more than you need for this recipe. I'd use 1/4 of the finished dough or less, and freeze the remainder for another use in the future. Roll your dough as thin as you can in cornstarch and cut into strips of your desired length (I did about 2"). Fry at 350° for a minute or so until golden brown. |~

Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add cold eggs and cook for 6.5 minutes.
Remove eggs to a bowl of ice water immediately to stop them from cooking.
Peel the eggs and slice in half.

Noodles-

1 package (9.5 oz) Soba Noodles

Prepare noodles according to package directions.

To build your ramen bowl, heat your broth back to boiling.
Add your noodles to the bowl, then add broth until the noodles are covered.
Add your chicken and any of the additions you prepared for your ramen bowl.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

"Aeon," "June," and "Ali" by Lucas King. Find this and more amazing music by Lucas and subscribe to him on YouTube by visiting https://www.youtube.com/user/LucasKingPiano!

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Ambient Sun" by Cerulean Skies.
"Fight to Win" by Sven Karlsson.

Wednesday Sep 07, 2022

Creamy Parmesan Pasta & Living Life for Others

Wednesday Sep 07, 2022

Hello and welcome back to another new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! In this week's episode I follow up on my progress from two weeks ago of living an intentional life, and about a quick pasta dish inspired by my love of leftovers, which I don't talk about enough on the show.

In positivity, spurred by current events, I talk about living life for others and why I find it so frustrating that so many only seem to care about themselves. Thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

1/2 portion of homemade pasta or 4 servings of normal pasta
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 c fresh basil, chopped
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c Mexican crema
Juice & zest of 1 lemon
1 t white sugar
1/2 c white wine
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 c freshly-shredded parmesan cheese

Cook and prepare your pasta to al dente while you prepare the sauce. Boil salted water and cook according to package directions, or, for homemade pasta, you'll want to do it right at the end.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet and heat over mid-high heat.
Add your cherry tomatoes and cook until they are blistered and caramelized, 5-7 minutes.
Add your basil, lemon zest, and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously to not let them burn (you just want to bring out those oils and let them start to open up).
Reduce heat to mid and de-glaze the pan with your white wine.
Add lemon juice and sugar, continuing to cook. Stir everything together and reduce by half.
Add your Mexican crema. Let this begin to simmer to come together and stir to combine everything well.
Season to taste, being mindful of the salt since you'll still be adding parmesan cheese.
Add your pasta and parmesan cheese, tossing until well-coated. This only needs a minute or two to finish coming together.
Add any other seasoning you may need.
Serve immediately.

Important Links

(All links open in a new window)

Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Fly By Night," and "Inner Vision" by Wendy Marcini.
"Contemplation" by Magnus Ludvigsson.
"Cluster One" by Hampus Naeselius.

Wednesday Aug 24, 2022

Living an Intentional Life

Wednesday Aug 24, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another brand new Nikoli's Kitchen! For the first time ever, no featured recipe this week, and the format is shaking up a bit. In the first half of the show I talk about some of the stuff I've been cooking up in the kitchen lately, and then in the back half, I talk about some inspiration I found from the Imp & Skizz Podcast about going for what you want. Thank you all so much for listening!

Tune in to the Imp & Skizz Podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/imp-and-skizz-podcast/id1639033817 or search for Imp & Skizz wherever you listen to podcasts!

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
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Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight' I. Adagio Sostenuto" by Ludwig Van Beethoven.
"Tomorrow will Save Us," "Sailing Anima," "Sleeping like the Birchwood," and "Tinker is Asleep" by Rand Aldo.

Wednesday Aug 17, 2022

Every Perspective Matters & Winging it, Asian Style

Wednesday Aug 17, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to a brand new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week, I talk about a dish I prepared two ways, inspired to make something stir-fry or maybe lo mein-adjacent. I talk about where I feel each succeeded and failed.

Up top in positivity, I talk about the passing of TinFoil Chef, a content creator and Minecrafter that I was a big fan of, and that turns into a discussion about every perspective mattering so much. Thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Original Version

2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into thin strips
Salt
Pepper
Ginger
Olive oil

1 c white wine
2 green bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
2 onions, sliced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c hoisin sauce
1/2 c black bean sauce
1/2 c dark soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c rice wine
3 T lemon juice

7.7 oz package of brown rice noodles
A few drops of sesame oil (optional)
Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Scallions for garnish

Season your chicken with the salt, pepper, and ginger.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet at mid-high.
Working in batches, sear your chicken on all sides, being careful not to crowd the pan.
Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
Deglaze your pan with the white wine, scraping up all the browned bits.
Add your peppers and onions and reduce the heat to mid-low.
Add a sprinkle of salt to help sweat them out.
Cook for 20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and your peppers and onions are nicely caramelized and sauteed.

While your onions and peppers are sauteing, prepare your rice noodles according to package directions until they are al dente (for mine, I boiled water and then poured it over the noodles and let them steep for 3-4 minutes).
Strain and set aside.

Return heat to mid and add your garlic. Let it cook for a minute, stirring so it doesn't burn.
Add your hoisin sauce, black bean sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, and lemon juice to the pan and stir until well-combined.
Let this simmer for a few minutes to bring everything together and until the sauce begins to thicken.
Return your chicken to the skillet, stirring to combine.
Add your noodles to the skillet, stirring to combine until everything is well-coated and well-distributed.
Add a few drops of sesame oil if desired.
Serve garnished with scallions and sesame seeds if desired.

Second Version

Marinade:

1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c olive oil
2 T garlic, minced
2 T fresh ginger, sliced
1 t fresh lemongrass
Juice of 1 lime
1.5 lbs ribeye steak, sliced thinly

Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Marinated steak

1 c white wine
2 T fresh ginger, sliced
1 t fresh lemongrass
2 green bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
2 onions, sliced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c fresh pineapple, diced
1 T gochujang
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 c hoisin sauce
1/2 c dark soy sauce
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c rice wine

7.7 oz package of brown rice noodles
A few drops of sesame oil (optional)
Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Scallions for garnish

Prepare your marinade by combining the soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and lime juice in a large bowl or resealable bag.
Add your ribeye and marinate for 8 hours or up to overnight (don't exceed 24 hours).

Remove your ribeye from the marinade and shake off any excess bits.
Place on a paper towel-lined tray or plate to remove excess moisture. Discard the remaining marinade.
Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet at mid-high.
Working in batches, sear your steak on all sides, being careful not to crowd the pan.
Remove your steak to a plate to rest.
Deglaze your pan with the white wine, scraping up all the browned bits.
Add your peppers, onions, ginger, and lemongrass. Reduce the heat to mid-low.
Add a sprinkle of salt to help sweat them out.
Cook for 20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and your peppers and onions are nicely caramelized and sauteed.
Discard the lemongrass and ginger.

Return heat to mid and add your garlic. Let it cook for a minute, stirring so it doesn't burn.
Add your hoisin sauce, pineapple, gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, and lime juice to the pan and stir until well-combined.
Let this simmer for a few minutes to bring everything together and until the sauce begins to thicken.
Return your steak to the skillet, stirring to combine.
Add your noodles to the skillet, stirring to combine until everything is well-coated and well-distributed.
Add a few drops of sesame oil if desired.
Serve garnished with scallions and sesame seeds if desired.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Sommarpsalm" by Artist Unknown.
"Cry" by Johannes Bornlöf.
"Felt Like November," and "Contemplation" by Magnus Ludvigsson.
"Amazing Grace (Piano Version)" by Edward Hall.
"Midnight Swing" by Jules Gaia.

Wednesday Aug 10, 2022

Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta with Scallops & Shrimp

Wednesday Aug 10, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another brand new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week I'm talking about this absolutely amazing and fresh lemon garlic pasta dish stuffed with scallops and shrimp! With every element freshly made, this is one bite that you have to taste to believe. I also talk about resetting for the day and focusing on making the world a better place.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Homemade Pasta

1/2 c semolina flour
1/3 c + 2 T all-purpose flour
4 egg yolks
1-1/2 T olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 c water

Mound your semolina and all-purpose flours on the countertop and create a well in the center. The well should be wide enough and tall enough to hold all of your eggs and liquids.
Add the egg yolks, olive oil, and half of the water (reserving the rest if you need it).
Using a fork, begin stirring the mixture in the center, pulling in flour as you go to incorporate it. Once you reach a point where this becomes too difficult, remove the fork and begin cutting the remaining flour into your dough with your hands.
Continue working the dough to incorporate all of the flour. If it is too dry or flaky, dribble in the remaining water a little at a time as you work it until it reaches the right consistency, which should be tacky but not sticky. If it is too sticky, sprinkle in extra AP flour.
Once the dough has formed, knead it by pressing it out with the heel of your hand for 8-10 minutes or until the dough feels silky smooth.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest for 30-60 minutes.
Lightly flour your countertop.
Cut the dough in thirds, keeping the remainder wrapped until you are ready to use it.
Using a rolling pin, continue working the dough and roll it out into a long rectangular shape. Turn it over and continue working it as necessary. You want the dough to be relatively thin.
Once rolled out to desired thickness, lightly dust the flattened dough with flour and fold it over itself over and over in 3" sections or so.
Using a sharp knife, cut very small strips out of the dough and unwrap them to make your pasta noodles.
Repeat using the remainder of your dough.
Hang your dough from a pasta rack or something to rest while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

2 c chicken stock
1 c white wine
Juice of 2 lemons (second lemon is optional)
6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 T unsalted butter
2/3 c heavy cream
Salt and Pepper

Add your red onion to a skillet at mid-high.
Let this cook for just a few moments, sprinkling on some salt.
Once you've let this perfume for a bit, add your garlic and parsley.
Cook this for maybe 30 seconds, stirring constantly; don't let it burn!
Deglaze the pan with white wine and your chicken stock.
Add the juice of one lemon and cook for approx 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to only about 1 cup. Remove from heat.
OPTIONAL: Add juice from the other lemon, stirring to combine.
Add your butter and stir until the butter is melted and incorporated, then add your cream and stir to incorporate that.
Return to heat for only a minute and continue stirring; you don't want the mixture to come to a boil, it just needs to come together (you should see it starting to simmer along the edge of the pan).
Remove from heat.

Scallops and Shrimp

1/2 lb sea scallops
1/2 lb shrimp
1 lemon, halved
Salt
Pepper
Smoked paprika
Olive oil

For the scallops, place on a paper towel and pat them dry.
Heat your olive oil in a large skillet at mid-high heat until smoking hot.
Season one side of the scallops with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Add to the pan in a clock-face fashion, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
After 90 seconds, begin turning in the same order you added them to the pan.
After another 90 seconds, squeeze 1/2 lemon into the skillet and remove from the heat, tossing the scallops in the lemon juice.
Tip the scallops onto a paper towel to stop them cooking.
For the shrimp, season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet at mid heat.
Add your shrimp and cook through, 2-3 minutes, turning halfway through.

Making the dish

Heat a large pot of water at high heat and add salt to taste.
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, drop your fresh pasta in. It will only take a minutes or two to cook, so make sure you stand ready to remove it.
Remove the pasta when it is still slightly al dente.
Return your pan with the lemon garlic cream sauce to the stove and turn heat to mid.
Add your pasta and seafood, stirring/tossing in the sauce until everything is well-coated and covered.
Remove from heat and serve with fresh parsley over the top.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"When Hope Returns" by Erasmus Talbot.
"Dark Turns to Light," "In Shadow of the Stars," and "Behind the Moon" by Hampus Naeselius.
"Lost Thoughts" by Hanna Lindgren.

Wednesday Aug 03, 2022

Quick Bites - Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies!

Wednesday Aug 03, 2022

Hello and welcome everyone to a new Quick Bite from Nikoli's Kitchen! Unfortunately I've been working 50+ hours the last couple weeks and I'm in training, so my free time is exceptionally limited right now, so I couldn't get a new episode out. However I didn't want you to miss out on new content, so I put together this Quick Bite based on these melt-in-your-mouth amazing peanut butter cookies made with almond flour, so they're gluten-free! Check them out and let me know what you think!

This recipe is based on a recipe from Virginia Hernandez found in the Cook's Cook Community Forum! Check out her original post at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCooksCookCommunityForum/permalink/3961112184006837/.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

1-1/2 c almond flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c peanut butter
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c monk fruit extract
1 t vanilla bean paste
1 large egg
white sugar (optional, for rolling cookies before baking)
fleur de sel (finishing salt - optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°.
Combine the butter, peanut butter, vanilla, egg, brown sugar, and sugar substitute in a large bowl and cream together.
Add almond flour and baking powder. Stir until well-combined.
Roll the dough into 1" balls and roll in the white sugar.
Place on a baking tray and bake on the center rack for 13-15 minutes. They'll puff up during baking into little mounds.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes.
Press lightly in the center with a fork to make the criss-cross pattern.
Finish with fleur de sel and allow to cool.

Important Links

(All links open in a new window)

Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Wednesday Jul 27, 2022

Quesabirria (Tacos de Birria) & Perception

Wednesday Jul 27, 2022

Hi and welcome back to another new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week on the show, inspired by a stop in Erie on our way home from a vacation to Cincinnati, I am making quesabirria for the first time ever! These delectable tacos are packed with INCREDIBLE flavor! I also share some thoughts as I finish another circuit around the sun on my 42nd birthday. Thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Birria

3 lbs chuck roast
2 lbs short rib
Salt, pepper, smoked paprika (for seasoning your meat)
4 dried guajillo chiles
4 dried ancho chiles
1 large white onion, finely dice 1/4, rest large chunks
2 carrots, peeled, then halved and then quartered
1 bulb garlic, smashed
6 roma tomatoes, quartered
Olive Oil
1 T smoked paprika
1 t chipotle chili powder
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t chili powder
2 t oregano
3 t cumin
2 T salt
1 T black pepper
1 c vegetable stock
1.5 c beef stock
2 c water
1 T white vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves

Remove your meat from the fridge and let it start to warm up to room temperature a bit.
Boil 6 cups of water in a pot.
While you're bringing your water to a boil, toast your chiles in a dry skillet for a couple minutes per side to bring some oil out and start developing the flavors.
Add the chiles to a large bowl and pour the boiled water over them.
Set aside for 15-20 minutes or until they have rehydrated. Once they have done so, de-stem them and remove the seeds (unless you want to keep some heat in there, then keep the seeds!).
While your peppers hydrate and your meat starts coming toward room temperature, prepare your other ingredients. IMPORTANT: Quarter your white onion and finely dice it, then store it in the fridge. You'll need this for building tacos later.
Combine your smoked paprika, chipotle chili, chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Prepare your meat by cutting it into equally-sized chunks. My short ribs I left as-is, but I quartered my chuck roast.
Pat your meat dry, then season liberally with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Drizzle some olive oil in a large Dutch oven and heat over mid-high.
When the oil is good and hot, add your meat in batches and hard sear it on all sides (let the heat hit the meat!!!).
Remove your meat and reduce the heat to medium.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Add your onion, garlic, and carrots.
Add a sprinkle of salt here and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they start to brown and get a little color.
Add your dry spices and let them cook for a minute to bring out the flavors.
Add your tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with your beef stock and vinegar, scraping up all those flavorful bits stuck to the bottom.
Pour the contents of the pan into a large blender.
Add your rehydrated peppers to the blender.
Blend everything together until it is smooth.
Return your meat to the Dutch oven then pour over the sauce.
Add your bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and your water and vegetable stock.
Cover and bake in the oven for about 4 hours, or until the meat is fall apart tender.
Remove from the oven and remove your rib bones, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
Spoon as much of the fat and oil off the top layer as you can and reserve for frying your tortillas. Because I used too little liquid in my braise I had very little- if this happens to you it's okay. I just added a couple tablespoons of corn oil to some of the braising liquid and used that to fry the tortillas.
Remove the meat to a large bowl and shred with two forks.

Tortillas

~| This recipe is from https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-corn-tortillas |~

2 c corn flour (masa harina)
1-1/2 to 2 c hot water
2 t chili lime sea salt

IMPORTANT: These can be made ahead of time since you'll be frying them again when you make the tacos.
Add your corn flour and sea salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add 1 c of hot water and begin stirring together.
Dribble in additional water and stir until your dough comes together and forms a ball; it will have roughly the consistently of clay or play dough.
Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and rest for 10 minutes.
Flatten your dough into a rough rectangle on your countertop about 1" thick.
Using a knife or dough cutter, cut into 12 equal pieces and cover with a damp table cloth.
Heat a cast iron skillet over mid-high heat.
Roll out your dough between pieces of parchment paper, or use a tortilla press to press them out.
Cook for 45-60 seconds per side in the skillet and remove from the heat.

Taco Time!

2 c oaxaca cheese, shredded
1 c cotija cheese, crumbled
1 c cilantro, chopped
1/4 white onion, finely diced (from above)
Tortillas
Birria
Reserved oil
Braising liquid

Brush your tortillas on both sides with the reserved oil/fat (or as noted above).
Place in a skillet at medium heat (I used an electric flattop so I could do several at once).
Add your oaxaca cheese, then top with the shredded birria (be careful you don't overstuff these).
Top with cilantro, onion, and cotija cheese.
Once your oaxaca cheese is melty, fold it into a taco (this worked better for me folding the meat and cheese side over, and not trying to fold the empty half over). Flip and finish on the other side- this will help your taco come together.
Serve with a bowl of your braising liquid as a jus for dipping, adding additional onion and cilantro to taste.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Midnight Swing" by Jules Gaia.
"Bringing Hope" by Gold in June.
"Faultless Poems," "A Single Gentle Raindrop," and "Tomorrow will Save Us" by Rand Aldo.

Wednesday Jul 13, 2022

Bourbon Cherry Maple Syrup... Playing with FIRE!

Wednesday Jul 13, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another brand new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week, a photo from my memories pops up and reminds me how precious time is, and how important living every day to the fullest is. Then on the back half of that, I play with fire, literally, as I cook down some cherries in bourbon to make a decadent syrup.

Check out the YouTube short showing me making this syrup at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Qf5pO9l1k!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

2 c cherries, pitted
1 c bourbon
1 c water
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c 100% maple syrup

Add your bourbon and cherries into a medium saucepan.

~| NOTE: Only do this next step in a safe area- outdoors or with a large enough ceiling and ventilation system. I did mine on my grill's side burner. |~

Heat the bourbon & cherries over mid-high heat. Tip the pan to the flame to burn off the alcohol.
Reduce until the bourbon is thick and syrupy and mostly cooked off.
Add water and sugar (sugar can be omitted, this would be especially great with tart/sour cherries too).
Cook down for 7-10 minutes, or until the syrup begins to "foam." You will note a clear change in the cooking process from simmering/boiling to it starting to foam up. This means your liquid is getting saturated with the sugars and you don't want it to burn.
Add maple syrup and cook for another minute.
Remove from the heat and strain through a mesh sieve (I have an old wine decanter top for this).
Bottle and refrigerate.

Important Links

(All links open in a new window)

Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Midnight Swing" by Jules Gaia.
"Like a Midnight Song," "Reverie Finale," "In a Distant Future," and "Rose-Colored Faith" by Rand Aldo.

Wednesday Jul 06, 2022

Season Premiere - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Fail!

Wednesday Jul 06, 2022

Welcome back everyone to SEASON FOUR of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week we're talking about under-baked strawberry rhubarb pie and about beating myself up a lot in the preceding weeks. The journey continues. Growth never ends. Stop the cycle of negativity and stop beating yourself up for not achieving 100% of everything every single day. And thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Crust (makes two)

3 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c shortening, cut into small cubes and frozen
10 T butter, cut into small cubes and frozen
1-1/2 t salt
1/2 c ice water

~| The key to a great, flaky pie crust is not to touch it with your hands as much as possible. Your fat should be as cold as possible/frozen and put ice cubes in your water so it is ICE cold- and then don't let the heat from your hands warm it up! |~

Cut the shortening and butter into small cubes and freeze them.
Add flour and salt to a food processor.
Add the shortening and butter cubes and pulse until your dough is nice and crumbly.
Dribble in your ice water a little at a time, pulsing as you go until the dough clumps. Do not add more water than you need to or you'll need to correct with flour.
Transfer dough to floured surface and form into a ball.
Separate the dough into two balls. Flatten into 1" discs.
Wrap the discs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours (you can also freeze them for later use if you don't need the second one now).

Pie Filling

5 c strawberries, quartered
3 c rhubarb, chopped
2 T light brown sugar (can be omitted)
1/4 t salt
3 T cornstarch

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir to coat the strawberries and rhubarb well.

Almond Streusel Topping

1/2 c light brown sugar
1 c almond flour
1/2 c unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and frozen
1/4 t salt

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until crumbly.

Making The Pie

Preheat oven to 450°.
Remove dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface, working out from the center as you go around.
Press the dough into a 9" deep-dish pie pan.
Add a few crumbles of the sugar crumb topping into your pie pan.
Add your strawberry rhubarb filling to the pie pan.
Top with the remainder of the crumb topping.
Bake at 450° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool before serving.

~| In the episode I noted that my pie was noticeably underdone in the center; the rhubarb hadn't broken down all the way and was still fibrous and a bit crunchy. It definitely needed more bake time which I believe would have resolved any issues with excess liquid as well. |~

Important Links

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Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Langholmen" by Gustav Lundgren.
"Lost Thoughts," "Soft Symphony," and "Letting Go of the Day" by Hanna Lindgren.

Wednesday Jun 29, 2022

Quick Bites - Orange Sweet Chili Sauce

Wednesday Jun 29, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome to another new Quick Bite from Nikoli's Kitchen! Today we're talking about this beautiful orange sweet chili sauce that will light up any Asian dish with a citrusy umami blast of flavor. While I didn't make it as well as I'd hoped, I'm definitely still learning and growing. Thank you so much for listening!

Season four begins July 6th! I am really excited to kick off the next full season of Nikoli's Kitchen, and especially excited now that (with big thanks to Brendan of Unchefed) I feel like I've cracked the code on the food segments of the show. The show won't be changing substantially, but more than anything I want to welcome you to my table and sit down and eat these meals with you so I can describe them to you in the moment. Thank you so much for choosing Nikoli's Kitchen. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

1/2 c orange juice
Zest of 2 oranges
1/3 c dark brown sugar
1/4 c cold water (for slurry)
2 T fresh ginger, finely minced
2 T fresh garlic, finely minced
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c rice vinegar
2 t cornstarch
1 T gochujang
1 T cooking sherry or rice wine

Combine your water and cornstarch in a bowl and set aside.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over mid heat. Cook for a few minutes to bring everything together.
Strain this through a fine mesh colander. Don't skip this step, or the sauce won't have quite the texture it should.
Return to the pot and add your slurry.
Use an immersion blender to bring everything together in the sauce.
Bring back to a boil; it will immediately start to thicken.
Cook for an additional few minutes and remove from the heat.

Yield: 2 cups (approx).
Calories/Serving: 82 per 2 tablespoons.

Important Links

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Listen on

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Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Wednesday Jun 22, 2022

Quick Bites - Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bites

Wednesday Jun 22, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another quick bite here from Nikoli's Kitchen! Today I decided to throw together some chocolate protein bites with quick oats as a quick calorie- and protein-dense snack. We'll also jump into a small positivity segment and reset ourselves for the day.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

2 c quick oats
1 c peanut butter
4 scoops chocolate protein powder
2 T honey
2 t dark chocolate cocoa powder
2 c Almond milk

Combine all ingredients into a bowl.
Microwave for 60 seconds.
Mix until well combined.
Scoop into 12 cupcake liners.
Store in the fridge.

10 g protein and 222 calories per serving.

Important Links

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Listen on

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Goodpods
Spotify
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Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

I let out a massive ROAR with my boys on Epic Film Guys as we sat down to dissect/destroy Jurassic World: Dominion! https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-jurassic-world-dominion-review/.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" and "Good Night Waltz" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Wednesday Jun 15, 2022

Quick Bites - Tomato Zucchini Salad w/ Mozzarella Pearls

Wednesday Jun 15, 2022

CW/TW: In this episode I talk about suicide and death. If you're struggling right now, I promise you, you're not alone. Please reach out and talk to someone today. In the United States, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. If you're not in the U.S., there are resources in your country that can help you. Please don't ever give up, no matter what. You are not alone.

This month's patreon donation (with a match from me) was made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Learn more about AFSP and make a donation yourself at https://afsp.org/. The donation was made in Richard Nadolny's name. Richard was the narrator of the Oz 9 podcast which I am a huge fan of. Please check out the show and start listening today at https://oz-9.com/.

Welcome back everyone to the first Quick Bite in quite a long time! In this week's episode I'm finally getting a chance to tell you about this beautiful tomato zucchini salad I concepted months and months ago to pair with a crispy panko-crusted salmon dish. This one's super easy to throw together with not many ingredients, and it's super calorie-friendly too. Give it a try and thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

4 cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh dill, chopped (optional)
1 T lemon juice
1 T cracked black pepper for salad
1 t salt for salad
1 T olive oil
2 c green zucchini, quartered
32 oz container of mozzarella pearls (optional)
2 c sweet cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

Preheat your oven to 400°.
Place your zucchini in a large bowl and drizzle over your olive oil and add some salt and pepper- NOT the S&P you've reserved for the salad itself.
Roast them on an elevated rack on a baking tray in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Place them on the top oven rack and turn the broiler on high.
Broil until they start to blister and caramelize, then remove from the oven. Allow them to cool.
Chop your zucchini and tomatoes to be the same size as the mozzarella pearls, if you're using them. Keep your chopping consistent so your bite is consistent.
Add the garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Toss everything together until well-coated and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 cups
Calories per Serving: 102 per 1/2 cup- omitting the mozzarella from the recipe makes it only 32 per serving.

Variations:

Replace the dill with basil and drizzle a balsamic reduction over this for an elevated caprese-style salad.
Replace the lemon and dill with lime and cilantro and add in a teaspoon of chili powder or cayenne pepper for a fresh salad with a little kick.
Grill your zucchini instead!

Important Links

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Listen on

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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

It was amazing to go back home again and sit down with Justin and LoySauce to review Spider-Man: No Way Home! Tune in to this very NSFW episode at https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-nick-loysauce-return-for-spider-man-no-way-home-review/!

I headed back to Epic Film Guys again and joined Justin and the SAUCE for a review of Matt Reeves' The Batman! Check out the review at https://epicfilmguys.podbean.com/e/efg-classic-the-batman-review-special-edition/!

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Wednesday Jun 08, 2022

Glazed Donuts FROM SCRATCH and Life Needs Editing

Wednesday Jun 08, 2022

Hi everyone and welcome back to Nikoli's Kitchen! This week is your first mid-season episode, and though I fully intended it to be shorter, I just missed being on the mic so much and I had some things to get out. In the first half of the show I'll talk about being on a plateau and overwhelming myself too much, and then in the back half we talk about the glazed donuts I made live on the air during this year's Livestream for the Cure. A special thanks to all of my listeners and supporters for coming out and supporting the event! We smashed our goal once again and ended up raising over $23,000 for the Cancer Research Institute. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter from Bless This Mess for donuts, so I'll just link it here!

https://www.blessthismessplease.com/pioneer-womans-glazed-donuts/

Donut Glaze

2 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
2 T heavy cream
2 T milk

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until combined (dribble in a bit more milk if this is too thick, it shouldn't be thick like batter but be a bit thinner).
When the donuts are hot out of the oil, place in the glaze and then flip to coat it all over and then remove.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Etude for Dreamers" by Infinity Ripple.
"Five Floors," "Returning Memories," and "Never Look Back" by Erasmus Talbot.
"Glitz at the Ritz" by Jules Gaia.

Monday May 16, 2022

Blackened Fish Tacos & A Letter to Myself

Monday May 16, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to Nikoli's Kitchen- the season three FINALE!! I can't believe we've come this far, and I'm so grateful to all of my amazing listeners for your support. This week on the show I'm talking about blackened fish tacos made with salmon and topped with a delicious pico de gallo... and reading a letter I've written to myself. Thank you all so much for your amazing support. Season 4 should kick off sometime in June, but stay tuned to the feed for plenty of quick bites and short episodes ahead of the premiere.

The 6th Annual Livestream for the Cure will take place from May 19th - May 21st, as we work with content creators and podcast partners around the world to raise $20,000 for the Cancer Research Institute. This is our sixth year, and over the past five we've raised over $50,000. Please help us add to that total and help us spread the word by sharing promos for the event and information leading up to it. Learn more by visiting livestreamforthecure.com.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Blackening Seasoning:

2.5 lb Salmon (skin on), portioned
2 T smoked paprika
2 T dark brown sugar
2 T chili powder
1 T chipotle chili powder
2 T salt
2 T black pepper
2 T garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.
Liberally spread half of the seasoning over the flesh of the salmon.
Grill at 375° skin-side down for 8-10 minutes or until your filets release easily from the grill.
Flip the salmon over and remove the skin (it should come off very easily).
Add the remainder of your seasoning.
Grill for an additional 8-10 minutes. Flip again to blacken the seasoning, 1-2 minutes (your salmon should only need 20 minutes tops on the grill unless it is REALLY thick- mine was about 1" thick at its thickest part).
Remove the salmon and allow it to rest.

Tortillas:

~| This recipe is adapted from https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-corn-tortillas |~

2 c corn flour (masa harina)
1-1/2 to 2 c hot water
Zest of 2 limes
1 T chili powder
1 t salt

Add your corn flour and sea salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add 1 c of hot water and begin stirring together.
Dribble in additional water and stir until your dough comes together and forms a ball; it will have roughly the consistently of clay or play dough.
Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and rest for 10 minutes.
Flatten your dough into a rough rectangle on your countertop about 1" thick.
Using a knife or dough cutter, cut into 9 equal pieces and cover with a damp table cloth.
Heat a cast iron skillet over mid-high heat.
Roll out your dough between pieces of parchment paper, or use a tortilla press to press them out.
Cook for 45-60 seconds per side in the skillet and remove from the heat.

Pico de Gallo:

1 large onion, finely diced
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c cilantro, chopped
6 roma tomatoes, finely diced
Zest of 2 limes
2 T lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Build your tacos with romaine lettuce, topped with basmati rice (I made mine with coconut milk & water, zest of 2 limes, and 1/2 c chopped cilantro). Top that with the salmon and top that with pico de gallo. Serve with a lime wedge.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"When Worlds Collide," and "Within its Own Silent Shell" by Hampus Naeselius.
"Take me With" by Trevor Kowalski.
"Langholmen" by Gustav Lundgren.

Thursday May 12, 2022

Angel Food Cake with Lemon Icing!

Thursday May 12, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Nikoli's Kitchen, with massive apologies for the delay in getting this into your ears- prep for the Livestream for the Cure has overwhelmed me of late. This week on the show, I talk about letting go of anger and trying to work to make the world a better place, and then I talk about the wins (and failures) I experienced trying to make angel food cake from scratch. Pro tip: Buy a tube pan. Thank you all so much for listening!

~| In this week's episode I talk about my failures to make the recipe adapted from Cake by Courtney. I believe that was because I still followed the baking instructions for the tube pan instead of instructions more meant for loaf pans. The first time I made angel food cake was from a recipe adapted from https://www.chocolatemoosey.com/angel-food-cake-in-a-loaf-pan/. For the recipe listed below I tried to adapt the instructions from this recipe for loaf pans, which will yield a much better result. |~

Featured Recipe for this Episode

~| This recipe is largely based on the recipe from Cake by Courtney found at https://cakebycourtney.com/angel-food-cake/. |~

1 c all-purpose flour &
2 T cornstarch OR
1 c + 2 T cake flour
1-3/4 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1-1/2 t cream of tartar
zest of 3 lemons OR 2 oranges
13 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325°.
Combine 1 c of your sugar, the flour & cornstarch, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Sift them through a mesh strainer four times.
Add your egg whites to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whisk or beat the egg whites on mid-high. When they start to foam, add your cream of tartar and zest.
Slowly add the remaining 3/4 c of sugar while the egg whites continue to beat.
Stop beating the egg whites when you reach soft peaks- they should form a peak as you pull the whisk/beaters out of the bowl, and then the peak will fall.
Sift your dry ingredients into the egg whites in four batches, folding them in gently between batches (literally JUST until mixed).
Pour the batter into two ungreased 9x5" loaf pans and place them onto a large baking tray together.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes at 325° or until brown and no longer sticky on top. Don't open the oven until you're sure it's done. Make sure your batter is set by shaking the pans slightly to see if they still have a liquidy jiggle in the middle.
Remove from the oven and turn the loaf pans upside down and rest the handles on two things of equal height (I used cans of beans!) to allow air to cool the cake but so it doesn't collapse. Let it cool for an hour before removing from the pan to serve.

Lemon Icing

1 c powdered sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 T lemon juice
1 T heavy cream
yellow food coloring (for extra yellow hue)

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together vigorously until smooth.

Important Links

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Listen on

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Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

"Almost in F" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"The Way to the Sky" by Hampus Naeselius.

Monday May 02, 2022

Nashville Hot Chicken is AMAZING! (And SO ARE YOU!!!)

Monday May 02, 2022

Hello one and all and welcome to a brand new Nikoli's Kitchen! This week, I take on Nashville Hot Chicken, something I never knew existed and I'm so thrilled to have found it! I also talk about some things that were stirred up on Twitter lately. How do you deal with detractors? Thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Spice Rub

3 T salt
1-1/2 T smoked paprika
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
2 T black pepper
2 t Turmeric
1 t ginger
2 t ground red cayenne pepper
1/4 t allspice

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
Reserve out 2 T, one for the marinade, one for the hot sauce mix- the rest goes into the dredge.

Marinade

2 c buttermilk
1/4 c hot sauce
1 T spice rub
1 whole roasting chicken

Combine all ingredents in a large bowl and whisk together.
This was enough for 1 large roasting chicken, broken down into quarters (wings removed).
Marinate for 24-48 hours.

Dredge

1-1/2 c flour
1/2 c cornstarch
Remaining Spice mix

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
Remove your chicken and place on a rack above a baking tray, allowing the excess marinade to drip off.
Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and return to the rack, allowing it to rest for 10 minutes.
Dunk back in the buttermilk, then dredge again and return it to the rack, letting it rest another 10-15 minutes before frying.

Making your chicken!

Preheat your oven to 400°.
Heat your oil to 375°.
Fry your chicken for 5-7 minutes, or until the coating is a beautiful golden brown color. You may need to do this in batches.
While your chicken is frying, clean the rack and baking tray you used during dredging, then line the tray with foil.
Transfer the chicken to the baking tray and place into the oven for 25-35 minutes (this will highly depend on the size of your chicken, mine took about 35 minutes in the oven after frying).
Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a paper towel-lined tray to rest.

Hot oil mix

1 T spice mix
2 T brown sugar
1 T smoked paprika
1 t cayenne
1 T garlic powder
1 c oil from frying

While your chicken is resting, prepare your hot oil mix.
Combine all of the dry spices in a bowl and whisk together.
Place them in a small skillet over mid heat and warm them for a few minutes, allowing them to release some of their oils. Remove from the heat.
Add the 1 c oil from frying and mix together well.
Brush the oil over the finished chicken and serve.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Goodpods
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
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Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Breathe it in Deep," "Close to the Edge," "Where Heroes Come to Die," "The Way to the Sky," and "Deyja" by Hampus Naeselius.

Monday Apr 25, 2022

Berry Pancake Breakfast with a Potato Apple Hash!

Monday Apr 25, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! Today we're resurrecting an old recipe from the RestauRant days as I give my almond flour berry pancake recipe a bit of an upgrade, and decided to pair it with a beautiful breakfast hash made with sausage, potatoes, and honeycrisp apples! Thank you so much for listening!

All this month, Podchaser is donating 25 cents per review to the World Central Kitchen to help feed refugees from Ukraine. Please follow Nikoli's Kitchen on Podchaser at https://www.podchaser.com/users/nikoliskitchen and leave a 5-star review for the show and my episodes. Best of all, for every comment or review I reply to, the donation is doubled! Please help support my show and at the same time help feed people in need.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Homemade Almond Berry Pancakes

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c almond flour
1/4 c powdered sugar
1 egg- separate the white and yolk
1/2 t vanilla
1-1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 T butter, cut into cubes and softened to room temperature
1 cup preferred berries
1-1/2 c almond milk

Sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine your egg yolk, berries, milk, and vanilla.
Whip your egg whites with an electric mixer until they reach soft peaks.
Mix your butter into your dry ingredients, so you get some crumbly bits and small bits of butter throughout the flour mixture.
Mix your milk & berry mixture into the flour mixture JUST until combined- don't over-mix.
Fold your egg whites into the batter just until combined.
Pour your batter onto a heated non-stick skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, flipping once when bubbles start coming up through the middle of the batter.

Berry Compote

16 oz (1 lb) Preferred berries
1/4 c sugar
2 c water

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and reduce by 2/3 over medium-high heat.
You can strain the berry pulp out to truly make this syrup-like instead of a compote.

4 large russett potatoes, cubed
2 honeycrisp apples, cubed
2 shallots, diced
1 c preferred sausage, grilled and chopped
1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 T fresh sage, finely chopped
1/2 c white wine
Eggs (as many as you want served over it)
Wing Sauce (optional)
Salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon (to taste)

~| Remember when preparing your ingredients you want everything chopped uniformly! |~

Prepare your potatoes ahead of time and boil them in salt water until they are soft around the edges with just a bit of bite to the middle (you want them to be about half done).
Remove from the boiling water and rinse in cold water to stop them cooking and store until ready to use.
Add a drizzle of your preferred oil/fat to a VERY large skillet over mid heat (seriously, this makes a lot).
Add your shallots and begin cooking them, adding a sprinkle of salt to start sweating them down.
Once they get transulent and start to brown, add your white wine. Continue to cook until most of your liquid is gone.
Add your sage and rosemary and stir, cooking for about a minute to bring out some of those oils.
Add more of the oil/fat you're using here and heat it, then add your potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper and cook your potatoes until they are nicely browned on all sides.
Add the apples and sausage, then season with nutmeg and cinnamon (a little of both goes a long way since it's a savory dish).
Toss everything together very well until everything is evenly distributed and coated. Continue cooking the hash until the apples have started to soften- I wanted the apples to still have a bit of bite to them, so I only let them cook halfway.
Serve topped with a fried egg (or few) and a dollop of your favorite wing sauce.

Important Links

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Listen on

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Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

"Dewdrop Fantasy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Monday Apr 18, 2022

Gai Yang Chicken & Believing in Yourself

Monday Apr 18, 2022

Hi everyone and welcome back to a brand new Nikoli's Kitchen! This week I'm giving a swing at something I've never done in the name of Gai Yang Chicken, which is Thai BBQ chicken typically spatchcocked and cooked over coals in the streets of Thailand. Also this week, I continue on last week's thoughts about celebrating all of the little wins in your life, and how to continue to believe in yourself even when you fail or are set back. Thank you so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Gai Yang Marinade

1 whole chicken
2 T lemongrass, white part only, thinly sliced OR
1 T lemon zest & 1 T fresh ginger
1 t white pepper
1 t black pepper
10 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
10 stalks of cilantro
1 shallot, roughly chopped
1 t coriander
2 T fish sauce
2 T palm sugar, roughly chopped
1 red chili, roughly chopped
2 T soy sauce
2 T dark soy sauce
1 t Turmeric
2 T vegetable oil

Nam Jim Jaew (dipping sauce)

1 T cilantro, finely chopped
1 T lime juice
1 T toasted sticky rice, finely ground
1 T red pepper, finely diced
1 T fish sauce
2 T tamarind paste
2 T palm sugar, finely chopped
1 T hot water
1 T scallions, finely diced
1 T shallots, finely diced
1 t dark soy sauce

~| Note: I broke down a whole chicken for this and this was more than enough marinade for two split breasts and two leg quarters, including enough to baste it on the grill several times. If you're making more than four pieces or so of chicken, you may want to double the marinade recipe. |~

Break down your chicken into split breasts and leg quarters. Save your wings, the spine, and any other parts for future chicken stock.
Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until combined.
Pour the marinade over your chicken and marinate for up to 48 hours.
Set up your charcoal grill so most of your coals are on half of it, creating a "warm" and a "cool" side where the chicken won't receive much direct heat on the "cool" side.
Grill the chicken skin-side up on the cool side for 35-45 minutes (depends on the size of your chicken). Baste your chicken every 10-15 minutes with the leftover marinade (I had enough to do this twice).
Flip the chicken over and place it skin-side down on the "warm" side for just a few minutes until the skin crisps up. Babysit the chicken at this phase- you don't want the skin to burn!
Remove your chicken and let it rest; while it does, prepare your dipping sauce.

For the Nam Jim Jaew, combine all of your ingredients into a bowl and stir. You want to make sure you get small cuts on everything so there aren't big chunks of anything.
Serve in a small dipping cup with your chicken.

My first attempt at this was served with basmati rice, made as directed replacing half of the water with coconut milk and adding 2 T cilantro and 2 T lime zest with some salt.

Important Links

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Listen on

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Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"The Sanctuary Within," "The Dust Settles," "Never Look Back," "To Witness in Silence," and "Returning Memories" by Erasmus Talbot.

Tuesday Apr 12, 2022

Making Brownies with BEER & Celebrating 50 Episodes!

Tuesday Apr 12, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! This week with episode 50 rolling around, I wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate by going back to the very first episode of the show and taking another look at the brownies I made. Instead of making them with red wine syrup and ganache, I made them with an Imperial stout and caramel! The results didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but they still had great flavor.

Also this week, I answer your questions and continue on the thread from last week's positivity segment, talking about self-awareness and celebrating the little things in life. Thank you all so much for listening and for your amazing support that has taken me to 50 episodes. Here's to the next 50 and beyond! Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me.

Featured Recipe for this Episode

Brownies:

1 12-oz bottle of Imperial Stout
1/3 cup white sugar
2 sticks butter
10 oz chocolate (good quality chocolate/baking chocolate, get it as dark or semi-sweet as you like, minding the sugar)
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 t vanilla
5 large eggs
3/4 c flour
1 t salt

Imperial Stout Caramel:

1 12-oz bottle of Imperial Stout
1 c white sugar
6 T unsalted butter
1/2 c heavy cream
1 t salt

~| Original caramel recipe is from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-salted-caramel-recipe/ |~

Brownie Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Add beer and white sugar to a large saucepan and cook, over medium heat, until the liquid is mostly gone- you'll notice a distinctive change in the liquid state from a simmer to a foaming or frothing as the liquid evaporates. Stir this and don't let it burn.
Remove from heat and let it cool.
Add two sticks of butter (1 cup) and the chocolate to a large glass or metal bowl.
Fill a saucepan with 2 inches of water.
Place bowl over top of the saucepan and turn it to high; the steam from the boiling water will melt the chocolate and butter. Stir frequently to combine.
Remove from heat once melted and allow to cool (it should just be warm to the touch, then you're ready). Once this is cooled and your beer syrup is cooled, add it into your chocolate mix.
Add brown sugar, salt, and vanilla and stir to combine.
Add one egg at a time, stirring until it is incorporated. Note- if you want to whisk these in quite a bit you're going to add a lot of air that will make your brownies more on the cake-y side. If this is something you like, by all means, whisk each egg as it goes in.
Sift 3/4 c flour into the bowl and stir together just until it is incorporated.
Grease or spray a 9x13" or an 8x8" baking dish. Your brownies will obviously come out thicker in the 8x8" pan and not being as thin you won't get that kind of "crunchy" brownie edge like you do with a thinner 9x13" brownie.
Spread batter out into the baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes (9x13") or 30-40 minutes (8x8"). This depends largely on what consistency you want. To get them rich and fudge-y in the middle you want a fork/toothpick inserted into the center to come out with brownie on it, but it shouldn't be liquidy or drip off it.
Remove and allow to cool.

Caramel Directions:

Add your beer and sugar to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the liquid is mostly gone (you can follow the same process as for the brownies- you can also make both at the same time in the same pot and then split it into the brownies and caramel).
Once your beer syrup is reduced, immediately stir in the butter until melted and combined.
After the butter has melted and combined with your beer syrup, cook for 1 minute without stirring (I covered it during this stage as well to wash down the sides of the pot, so as to avoid crystallization).
Very slowly stir in the heavy cream- the mixture will rapidly bubble when added.
After all the heavy cream has been added, stop stirring and allow to boil for 1 minute (I also covered it during this stage).
Remove from the heat and add the salt, stirring to combine.
Allow to cool before use.

Important Links

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Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

"Deep Relaxation" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"At Dawn," "Cessura," "Gray," and "Progress" by Ever So Blue.
"Leverage" by Infinity Ripple.

Monday Apr 04, 2022

Spinach Lasagna from Scratch & Talking About Change isn’t Making Change

Monday Apr 04, 2022

Hello everyone and welcome back to another brand new episode of Nikoli's Kitchen! In this week's episode I talk about making changes- and how we sometimes convince ourselves that we've made a change just by talking about it, when we really need to put those words into actions. On the back half of the show, I talk about making spinach lasagna because it randomly popped up as a basket ingredient on Chopped! Thank you all so much for listening!

Featured Recipe for this Episode

4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 c freshly shredded parmesan cheese
32 oz ricotta cheese (whole milk)
Zest of 3 lemons
2 c baby spinach
2 c fresh basil
2 eggs
1 t salt
1 t cracked black pepper

4 T clarified butter
4 T all-purpose flour
2 c whole milk
1 c sweet onions, finely diced
20 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 t Salt
1 t white pepper
Allspice, nutmeg, and paprika to taste

12 homemade pasta sheets, 9" x 5"
1 c freshly-shredded parmesan cheese
1 c fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Prepare your filling by combining the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and eggs in a large bowl. Whip them together with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add your 4 c shredded mozzarella, 1 c parmesan, baby spinach, fresh basil, salt, and pepper into the bowl. Mix until well-combined and place in the fridge until it's time to build your lasagna.

Melt your clarified butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add your diced onion and cook for 7-10 minutes or until mostly softened. Add some salt to help sweat them out. I let them cook until they had just a little bite left to them.
Add your garlic and stir well. Cook for an additional minute to perfume.
Add your flour and stir well; this will turn into your roux. Continue stirring until well-combined and cook for a minute or two to cook out the taste of the flour.
Add your whole milk and seasonings/spices. Bring back to a simmer; this will thicken into a béchamel quite easily.
Add additional seasonings to taste.

Preheat your oven to 350°.
Spread a layer of béchamel over the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.
Layer your fresh pasta over the béchamel. I did this straight from my pasta roller right into the pan; mine can only do sheets between 4" or 5" wide, so I did three strips each layer about 9" long, the same as the width of the pan.
Layer 1/3 of your spinach ricotta mixture over the pasta.
Add another layer of béchamel.
Repeat this another 2x with layers of your fresh pasta and the ricotta mixture.
Top with a final layer of pasta.
Pour the remaining béchamel over the top of your final pasta layer.
Top the lasagna with the freshly-shredded parmesan and the mozzarella. Add any additional seasonings atop this.
Bake the lasagna covered for 40 minutes.
Remove the cover and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Turn the broiler on high and just let the cheese brown on top.
Remove and rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into it.
Cut and serve!

Important Links

(All links open in a new window)

Listen on

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google Podcasts
Pandora
TuneIn Radio
iHeart Radio
Spreaker
PlayerFM
Stitcher
Podchaser

Guest Appearances

I was honored to sit down with Ashlee of the Rabbit Ears TV Podcast again to talk about all things Big Little Lies! Check it out at https://www.netflixnswill.com/rabbitears/2021/8/31/big-little-lies.

Credits

Intro "Midnight in Carmel" by Wendy Marcini. Licensed from Epidemic Sound. Check out her amazing music at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CaTfk4pRkpA8A9gXamYg2.

"Concentration" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Outro "The Climb" from Music for Makers. Sign up and get a royalty-free song delivered to your inbox every Monday at www.musicformakers.com!

Other music in this episode licensed from Epidemic Sound. Learn more and sign up for a free trial with access to thousands of songs at https://www.epidemicsound.com/.

Track Listing:

"Live a Little" by Francis Wells.