When musicians spend days, weeks and months on the road, there’s certain comforts of home that automatically go out the window. So it’s not a surprise that many find the inability to prepare their own meals a real challenge (unless you’re Jonny Corndawg). If there’s one thing that most musicians learn, it’s that there’s nothing like eating in your own food in your own kitchen.

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.







Dish: JK’s Challah French Toast with Port infused Pears and Raspberries

Description: Description of the recipe: One of my favorite meals is brunch as a good one is usually full of my dear friends and will last several hours. The French toast can be done ahead of time and tented with foil so you can spend more time with your guests (just don’t do the powdered sugar until the end as it will melt). A lot of people make French toast but don’t think of how to elevate it. The Challah bread is key as it can really handle the liquid and not get mushy. The port infused pears make an elegant sauce that rounds everything out—like a syrup, but better!

Ingredients: 1 loaf challah bread, 3 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 stick of butter, 3 bosc pears (cubed), 1 cup tawny port , 1 cup raspberries, powdered sugar

Recipe: – Slice the challah bread into 1/2" slices and the butter into small pads.

- Combine the beaten eggs, the milk, the cinnamon and vanilla in a large shallow bowl.

- Dip the sliced bread into the egg and spiced milk mixture. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and melt a few pads of butter.

- Add the soaked bread to the skillet and cook approximately 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Set the French toast aside and add the pears to the skillet absorbing some of the flavors from the toast.

- Pour in the port wine and sauté until the port has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

- Add the warm pears to the French toast and top with fresh raspberries and a light dusting of powdered sugar.







Photo by Naomi Firestone-Teeter



Dish: The greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world.

Description: Gumbo is BY FAR my favorite food. It takes a long time to make and requires a lot of chopping, but it’s really easy. I make this recipe every year during the holidays. It will make a large pot of gumbo, enough for all of your friends/family. There will be leftovers, and gumbo is just as delicious the next day. Enjoy.

Ingredients: 1 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup flour, 2 cups fresh okra, sliced thin, 1 large white onion (diced), 2 cups minced green onions (you can include the green parts), 2 cups celery (diced), 1/2 cup green bell pepper (diced), 3 or 4 minced garlic cloves, 28 oz. vegetable or chicken broth, 8 cups boiling water, 2-3 lbs. peeled and deveined shrimp (cut half of the shrimp in half, Leave the other half whole), 1 tbs. Tabasco, 2 tbs. sea salt, 1 tsp. ground black pepper, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. Old Bay, 2 large bay leaves, 1/3 cup ketchup, 2 packages fresh crab meat (white lump or claw-don’t get the cheapest stuff, you really don’t want shells in your gumbo), Basmati rice. Optional: a few Littleneck clams (steamed in vegetable broth) per serving, Andouille sausage (sautéed in pan)

Recipe: – First you make ROUX, the foundation of any excellent gumbo. It takes a long time, but it’s super easy, and if you have someone helping you, this is a great job for them. In a big iron skillet combine 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour. Keep the stove on LOW. This is very important. DO NOT BURN YOUR ROUX. Stir the flour until the combination becomes brown and it sort of separates a little. This will take a little over an hour to get right. Stir the whole time and make sure you have a bottle of wine nearby and some good music on. You will need to listen to music and drink wine to pass the time.

- Meanwhile, in another skillet, heat the other 1/2 cup oil over medium-low heat. Sauté the okra and onions until they wilt and the onions are kind of translucent. Add the other veggies and the salt and pepper and stir until it’s all wilted and sticky and mushy. Okra has a ton of slimy starch that kind of resembles Ectoplasm. This is why gumbo is so thick and rich and amazing.

- So when the roux is brown, add to the veggies skillet. Stir well and transfer to a giant soup pot. Seriously find a really, really big pot. Add the broth, boiling water, half of the shrimp (the half you cut up) and all of the seasonings.

- At this point, feel free to toss in any kind of seasonings you want. Worcestershire sauce (which is NOT vegetarian FYI!), soy sauce, parsley, thyme, oregano, that strange Cajun seasoning you got somewhere, gumbo file, hot sauce, more hot sauce, beer, brandy, white wine. Seriously go nuts. Just keep tasting it until you love it.

- Simmer this for about an hour over low heat. Your entire house will now smell delicious. Your guests will start getting very hungry at this point; so make sure they have plenty of alcohol and music to keep them occupied.

- If you want to make some of the gumbo servings vegetarian, it’s easy. Just make sure you use vegetable broth (instead of chicken), and at this point move some of the gumbo to a different pot before adding the shrimp in this step. And don’t add Worcestershire sauce!

- At some point cook the whole shrimp in a saucepan with `/1 cup boiling water and a pinch of salt. When they’re pink (it will take little to no time), put the shrimp and water in the gumbo pot. If you’re going to use Andouille sausage or Littleneck clams, now is the time to cook those as well. I recommend both. Just slice and sauté the sausage in a pan and add to the gumbo when cooked through.

- If you’ve never cooked clams before, it’s easy. Scrub the outside of the clams with a stiff brush to remove dirt and sand. Put them in a saucepan with 1/4 cup broth or white wine per dozen. Cover and heat on high. As soon as the clams open, they are done. The liquid can go in the gumbo. Set the clams aside.

- When the gumbo tastes delicious, remove from the heat add the crabmeat. The gumbo is now ready to eat.

- Serve the gumbo over basmati rice, garnish with some leftover green onions, and clams.







Dish: Laura and Tracey’s Pasta Ceci, A Ray Family Tradition!

Description: My sister Laura and her partner Tracey concocted this hot pasta recipe and gave it me in a cookbook, It has become a tradition in my house. Chickpeas, olive oil, onions, garlic, and Parmesan cheese—perfect combo and easy!

Ingredients: 3 16 oz. cans of chickpeas (or prepare your own from 2 cups dried chickpeas), 5 medium yellow onions (coarsely chopped), 6 cloves of garlic (finely minced), 2 tbs. of olive oil, freshly ground pepper, Parmesan cheese (shaved)

Recipe: – Heat olive oil in large skillet (with lid) on medium.

- Add chopped onions to sauté, stir frequently until onions are translucent and sweet.

- Turn Heat to low, add garlic and stir (add more olive oil if it’s too dry at this point). Cook for about 5 more minutes.

- Add chickpeas and enough cooking liquid until liquid is even with the surface of other ingredients in skillet. Simmer covered on low for 15 minutes.

- To thicken sauce, use a fork to mash up some of the chickpeas. Add pepper and salt as needed.

- Prepare pasta. Farfalle and Penne are great for this, but use what you want. Serve chickpeas over warm pasta and most importantly—add plenty of shaved parmesan cheese.







Dish: I Should Coco Curry

Description: This is the culmination of a many year’s effort and [the] curiosity of a super ignorant white guy who’s been trying to make a Thai meal as good as the ones that he eats all the time at small southeast Asian [restaurants] for $10+/plate. I recently moved near the Jean-Talon market here in Montreal and, while everyone raves about the market itself, the real treasure is this place called Marché Oriental where you can buy all these seemingly rare ingredients (e.g. lime leaves, Thai basil, fresh egg noodles) for ultra cheap. The fresh ingredients for this meal cost me less than $15 and it serves about 4+ people. The reality is that every decent sized urban centre in North America probably has at least one store like this, so it’s really just a matter of you finding it.

The meal itself is a simple Thai red curry with tofu and vegetables, served on some fresh egg noodles. Of course rice or other noodles would be just as good, so suit your fancy.

I ate this meal recently with pals and fellow musicians: the amazing Jordan Robson Cramer (pictured) from Ancient Kids and Sunset Rubdown and Martin Horn, from Cotton Mouth (and who produced all of Parlovr’s records to date).

Ingredients: Curry paste: 1 can of coconut milk (400ml), 1 tsp. of miso, 1 tbs. of fish sauce, 1 tbs. of soy sauce, 1 hefty tbs. of chili paste (I use the Huy Fong stuff here;), 1 tbs. of chopped ginger, 1 tbs. of chopped garlic, 1 tbs. of chopped thai basil, 1 tsp. of sesame oil

Curry/Other: 1 brick/500 grams of extra firm, pressed tofu (this stuff is hard to find in USA for some reason, but a cinch here in Montreal), 1 half head of broccoli, 1 large yellow onion, 1.5 carrots (diced), 1 tomato (cut into wedges), 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp. of chopped garlic, 1 lime, 3 lime leaves (can usually buy them in a bag in an Asian supermarket), 3 leaves of Thai basil

General: Some soy sauce, sesame oil, some fish sauce, some honey, 1 bag of freshly fried Chow Mein noodles (you can buy them pre-fried)

Recipe: – Heat up some sesame oil, throw in some fish sauce and a bit of honey and soy sauce.

- Throw in the tofu bits as well as half of the onion and let it fry until the tofu becomes golden crispy on the outside (about 15 minutes).

- While the tofu is frying, prepare the paste—add all the ingredients from the paste and blend them with a blender.

- Now that tofu is fried and paste is made, throw in the other ingredients at different times (to ensure crispyness).

- Start by throwing in the lime leaves, carrots and the other half of the yellow onion.

- Next, after about 5 minutes, throw in the broccoli. After about 5 [more] minutes, throw in the tomato.

- Add all the curry paste, the garlic and ginger. Squeeze half a lime into it. Add any soy sauce if it seems that it needs more liquid.

- Let it come to a light boil and let it boil for about 10 minutes.

- Let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

- While the curry is cooking, prepare the egg Chow Mein noodles (usually this should just require putting them in boiling water really quickly).

- Serve the curry on top of the egg noodles, garnish with fresh Thai basil.

- It’s all ready to go after that. Save the other half of the lime and cut into wedges for the meal itself.

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.







Dish: Wop-Corn

Description: It’s a spicy stove-top popcorn recipe with classic Italian flavors, sure to please WOP’s (or folks With Out Popcorn) everywhere.

Ingredients: 3 tbs. olive oil, 2 1/2 tbs. butter, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 large clove of garlic (minced), 1/2 cup popping corn, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 small sprig rosemary, salt, black pepper

Recipe: – Combine olive oil and butter in a large, deep pot at medium-high heat. You’re going to have to scrub the hell out of it later so choose wisely. Keep in mind, too, if you choose a pot that’s too small you risk the popcorn overflowing onto the range.

- When the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove the roasted garlic and set it aside.

- Add the popping corn to the pot followed by the cayenne pepper and black pepper if you’re into that sort of thing. I usually just throw in a few shakes. Make sure the corn is submerged in the butter/oil combination and stir in the cayenne pepper amongst the kernels.

- Place a fitting lid on the pot and wait for the first couple of ‘pops’ to start. When this starts you want to shake/shift the pot to keep the popcorn on the bottom from burning and shift the unpopped kernels to the bottom—-similar to Jiffy Pop, if you’ve ever done that. Using pot holders or small towels, hold the lid on, and shake until there’s more than 3-4 seconds between popping sounds. You can check it out, but only briefly. The kernels like to escape.

- Pour out into a large bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and toss in the Parmesan cheese. Shake the cheese around in the bowl. Once the whole thing is thoroughly mixed, scoop the roasted garlic on top in the center of the popcorn and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

- You’re ready to serve. Soak the pot it’s probably black on the bottom and will be a pain to clean if you don’t. That’s it.







Dish: Sweet Hot Mess Breakfast Sandwich

Description: Eat and sober up, you sweet hot mess. Do the dishes tomorrow.

Ingredients: A couple pads of salted butter, field roast apple smoked vegan sausage (it’s really good), 2 eggs, a handful of grated Monterrey jack cheese, 1 plain croissant, a few shakes of lemon & pepper, hot honey, cayenne pepper

Recipe: – Slice your sausage and beat your eggs while you melt your butter in a small skillet.

- Toss the sausage in the skillet and let it brown. Lower the heat slightly and pour your lemon & peppered yellow goo in the skillet over your sausage.

- Keep it all moving around as your scramble begins to emerge.

- Turn off the heat and litter your skillet with a handful of pepper jack cheese and let it melt.

- Drizzle your cayenne infused honey over your hot mess and shovel the goods onto your sliced croissant.





Dish: Vegetarian (or not) Korma

Description: This is a nice one to make with friends since it feeds 4 or more people. It’s a colorful dish and tastes great in the winter. Takes an hour to make start to finish, serve over rice and with Naan bread if you’d like.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 tbs. vegetable oil (canola/olive oil mix), 1 small onion (diced), 1 tsp. or more minced fresh ginger root, 4 cloves garlic (minced), 2 potatoes (cubed), 4 carrots (cubed), 1 fresh jalapeno pepper (seeded and sliced), a handful or cashews and almonds, 1 can diced tomatoes (optional), salt to taste, 1 1/2 tbs. or more curry powder, chili powder to taste, 1 cup frozen green peas, 1/2 green bell pepper (chopped), 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped), coconut milk to taste (about 2 1/2 cups), fresh cilantro for garnish, add some chicken (optional), splash of white wine.

Recipe: – Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until fairly see through and tender. Add ginger and garlic, and continue cooking 1 minute. I like to put in extra ginger. Mix potatoes, carrots, jalapeno, cashews and almonds, and half of the coconut milk.

- Season with salt, curry and chili powder. Cook and stir 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

- Stir peas, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, white wine, and the rest of the coconut milk into the skillet. If you want to add chicken, do it now.

- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.

- Garnish with cilantro to serve.







Dish: Winter Coconut Soup

Description: When we are busy, busy in the winter we like to cook soups. Here is my favorite.

Ingredients: 1/2 onion, as much ginger root as you can handle, 4 cloves garlic, 1-3 chili peppers, 1 large yam, 1 bunch of collard greens, 1 can of coconut milk, some chicken stock, some chicken, water, 1 lemon, 1 lime, salt to taste

Recipe: – Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, chili pepper together in large pot until tender.

- Add yams and sauté some more.

- Add a little water, add greens and steam greens until they become more manageable.

- Add everything else and cook on lower heat until chicken is cooked and yams are soft and tender.

- Eat soup, but make sure you have enough to have some the next day also, because it always tastes better.

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.





Dish: Bourbon Apple Pie

Description: Bourbon deepens the flavor of a classic apple pie, creating a slightly more “rock and roll” version that grownups can appreciate, but will still be enjoyed and gobbled up by all!

Ingredients: – For the crust (makes 2): 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup granulated white sugar, 2 sticks of very cold, unsalted butter (preferably frozen), approximately 1/4 cup ice water, pinch of salt.

- For the filling: 6-8 large baking apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tbs. all-purpose flour, 2-3 tbs. bourbon, 1 tsp. cinnamon, generous pinch of ground cloves.

- For the egg wash: 1 egg yolk, splash of cream

Recipe: – In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and sugar. Grate the butter with a cheese grater or cut into small pieces and mix into the flour, breaking up any big pieces. If using a food processor, mix until the dough looks like small pea-shaped pieces.

- Drizzle the ice water in small amounts over the dough and mix in, adding more if needed until the dough just holds together.

-Shape dough into two large discs and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 20 minutes.

- Preheat oven to 375 F.

- Combine all ingredients for the filling in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

- When the pie dough is done chilling, place one disc (leave the second in the fridge) on a floured work surface and dust the top of the dough with flour. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is large enough to fit in your pie dish with some excess. As you roll out the dough you can continue lightly dusting the top with flour if it begins to stick to the rolling pin; be careful that the bottom does not begin to stick to your work surface either.

- Carefully transfer the dough to your pie dish, gently press into the sides and let the excess hang over the edge. You should have an extra inch or two, if there is more then simply tear it off and set aside. Excess dough scraps can be rolled out, using cookie cutters to decorate the top of the pie.

Set the bottom crust in the freezer while you roll out the second disc of dough.

- Take the pie dish out of the freezer and pour in the filling. Place the second piece of dough on top and fold the edges over the bottom, gently pressing together and folding under to create the edge of the crust.

- Beat together the egg yolk and cream and brush onto the crust with a pastry brush, dust with sugar (optional) and cut a few slits into the top.

- Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

- Reduce the oven heat to 350 F. and bake for another 45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden. If the edges start browning too fast, cover them with tin foil. When the pie is finished baking, let it sit for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!





Dish: Oatmeal

Description: I eat this everyday (I also make my band eat it everyday). It can be prepared really easily in a van and I always get the hot water from Starbucks because they don’t charge for hot water. Another thing I do is buy PG Tips in bulk. I like the 80-teabag box. This breakfast lasts the whole day and costs roughly $60 a tour.

Ingredients: 1 handful of rolled oats (old fashioned rolled oats—neither steel cut or instant); 1/4 handful of each of the following: raisins, sunflower seeds, pistachios, tart dried cherries, pepitas, almonds, dried blueberries, raw pumpkin seeds, dried banana (chopped—not chips, whole dried bananas) and flax seeds; 3 or 4 drops of orange extract; 1.5 tablespoons of expeller pressed coconut oil; a pinch of cardamom and cinnamon; 1 tbs. of honey; 1 tbs. of almond butter, 3 chopped apricots; 1 chopped date

Recipe: – Fill your mason jar about two fingers high with hot water.

- Add coconut oil, cardamom, cinnamon, orange extract, apricot pieces, date pieces, honey and almond butter.

- Mix it around until the coconut oil and almond butter melt.

- Add oats (you might need more hot water but don’t put more than a half inch above “oat level”).

- I usually let the oats soak in the hot water for about 4 minutes..

- Add your nuts and berries mixture and mix it up.





Dish: Meiko’s Famous Turkey Balls

Description: Meiko’s Famous turkey balls are easy to make, gluten free, low in calories and high in protein. They’re good hot and cold and will impress at dinner parties (tested and true)... Women: 2 balls, Men: 4 balls. Nutrition facts per ball: Calories: 80, Fats: 2 grams, Carbs: 4 grams, Protein: 11 grams.

Ingredients: 2 lbs. ground turkey (Vegetarians use Ground Seitan), 3 egg whites, 1 cup quick cooking oats, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, 2 tsp. dry yellow mustard, 2 tsp. black pepper, 2 tsp. curry powder, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tbs. garlic powder (2 cloves minced), 1 small onion (finely chopped), 2 celery stalks (finely chopped), add 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper for an extra kick in your balls

Recipe: – Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

- Put baking cups in muffin pan.

- Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl.

- Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan.

- Balls should be about the size of a golf ball.

- Bake for 40 minutes. Makes 12 balls+ (dip your balls in ketchup, if you’d like).







Dish: Egg Yolk Ravioli With Porcini, Sage and Pancetta Brown Butter Sauce

Description: Once you split that first ravioli and that perfectly poached runny egg yolk spills onto the plate and mixes with the cheese and pork fat and sage… Whomever you are making this for will be very, very happy with you.

Ingredients: – Pasta: 1 1/2 cups of flour, 3 whole eggs plus 2 yolks, pinch of salt, few grinds of black pepper

- Other: One half of a shallot (finely minced), 3-4 good-sized sage leaves, 1/3 cup fresh or dried porcini mushrooms, about four tbs. of good quality butter (I make mine at home…super simple and way better than store bought…but that’s a whole different recipe!), 1/4 to 1/3 cup of minced pancetta, 3 extra large organic eggs

Recipe: – Make a well out of the flour and crack your eggs into it. Add salt and pepper and slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs in the center. Use your hands! They make the best pasta.

- Once your pasta has rested, cut it into four sections and start working it through a pasta maker. I use a hand cranked one, but, use whatever machine you have. Work the pasta to the second to last setting…this will make the pasta nice and thin, but, will allow it to still have a great bite when stacked to make the ravioli.

- Lay one sheet flat on a floured board. Crack and separate the eggs, don’t throw out the egg whites! Keep those and make some meringue…hell, why not?! The raw egg yolks are your filling, so, treat them as such. Once the yolks are in place, gently add the second pasta sheet over them to form the ravioli.

- Get your big pot of water to a nice rolling boil, not too hard that it will damage your perfect little pockets of joy.

- In a saucepan, begin by sautéing your pancetta. Then, add the shallots and sage. This doesn’t take long, so, just keep a close eye on it.

- Right around this time, drop your ravioli into the water. They only need around four minutes… don’t over cook them! Overcooked pasta is a serious crime.

- With the pasta in the water, add your butter and mushrooms to the sauté. The butter will brown slightly, which is exactly what you want. Remove the ravioli from the water and add them into the sauté pan, allowing them to get coated with all your delicious other ingredients.

- Finish by plating and showering with a healthy dose of a good quality parmesan cheese and maybe a good crack of fresh black pepper.

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.







Dish: Veggie Stuffed Chile Rellenos with Tomato-Habanero Sauce

Description: This is my take on the Mexican classic. I don’t care much for deep frying as it usually tastes more like fried then pepper and cheese. Plus stuffing it makes one pepper a meal and half!

Ingredients: – For the peppers: 4 large poblanos, 1 large zucchini, 1 large red bell pepper, 1 large white onion (half used for sauce), 1 can of black beans, drained of liquid, 3/4 to 1 lb. of shredded Chihuahua cheese (leftover cheese never hurt anyone), queso fresco (optional… it does look pretty!), cilantro (for garnish).

- For the sauce: 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of plum tomatoes, 3 peeled garlic cloves, half white onion, cut into half inch thick slices, 1 habanero pepper, olive oil, salt and pepper

- Sides: brown rice, avocado, lime.

Recipe: – Halve the plum tomatoes, and place cut side down on a sheet pan covered in tin foil. Place the sliced onion and peeled garlic on the same sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper the whole mess. Pop it into an oven, on the top shelf, and set it on high broil. Check on the tray often, you want the tomato skin to start blackening and the onion and garlic to brown nicely.

- On your stove top, with the flame on medium high, roast your poblanos. Let the the skin on the peppers blacken over the flame and turn to to make sure the whole peppers gets this way. After it is done, place the pepper into a plastic bag, this will help the peppers steam, and the skin to come off easily.

- If you’re making brown rice, you might wanna put that on blast now. Usually 1 cup of dry rice is enough for 4 peppers.

- At this point the roasted tomatoes should be done. If so, pop all of them into a blender, make sure to get all the juices from the pan in there as well. Puree that shit up!

- Once nicely pureed, pour into a sauce pan. Puncture your habanero (or 2, depending on how spicy you like it) and put into the sauce pan. Simmer on medium low, remember to stir it yo, otherwise you gonna burn it.

- Dice the zucchini, red pepper, and other half of your white onion. Set a pan on medium high, add olive oil and cook the onion until translucent. Throw in the peppers and zucchini and cook til browned.

Once finished, take off the heat and stir in the beans.

- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

- Under cold running water, using your fingers gently peel the skin off the peppers. Cut a slit in the side, and rinse out all the seeds from inside the poblano. Set aside on a tray. Layer in the cheese and zucchini-pepper mixture into the peppers. Stuff it in good. Then sprinkle some more cheese on the top of the pepper for good measure.-

- Place the peppers in the oven. Let them cook until the cheese on top of the peppers starts to brown.

- Mash some avocados with a little chopped cilantro, lime juice and salt. Taste the tomato-habanero sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

- Place the peppers atop a bed of brown rice. Pour some sauce over the bottoms of the peppers (you probably want to discard the habaneros that were in there) and onto the plate. Garnish with a lime, a few sprigs of cilantro, a sprinkle of queso fresco and some mashed avocados. Enjoy the hell out of one beast ass stuffed chile rellenos! P.S. that sauce is good enough to put on most anything.





Photo by Ace Norton

Dish: Chile Rellenos (Vegetarian)

Description: Serves 2.

Ingredients: 2 Poblano chiles, 1/2 box of fake ground beef (Lightlife Smart Ground – Mexican Style), 1 small potato, 1/4 medium size onion, 3 tomatoes, 1/4 Serrano Chile, shredded Mozzarella cheese, salt

Recipe: – Blacken Poblano chile skin on an open flame, once cooled, peel off the blackened skin. Slice down the center of the chile to remove seeds.

- Sauté onions and potatoes until browned. Add fake ground beef. Sauté together for 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat.

- Blend tomatoes, Serrano chile, and salt to taste in food processor until pureed. Warm in a small saucepan until it begins to boil lightly.

- Stuff Poblano chiles with beef, onion and potato. Place in an oven safe casserole dish. Cover the beef, onion and potato portion with shredded mozzarella.

- Place in oven, pre-heated to 350°F degrees. Heat for 10 minutes or until cheese begins to brown.

- Remove from oven and cover with tomato sauce.

- Served with brown rice with cilantro and cucumber with lime juice and chili powder.







Dish: Vegan Paella

Description: I really love this recipe, though it’s pretty luxurious (note the amount of fancy mushrooms, which typically run about $20-25/lb.) so is only for special occasions when you’re a skint fellow like myself. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients: 3 tbs. olive oil, 2 tsp. chili powder and/or paprika, 1 tsp. oregano, salt and pepper to your liking, 1/2 lb. Chanterelles (cut into chunks), 1/2 lb. lobster mushrooms (cut into chunks), 1 can artichoke hearts, 1 yellow bell pepper (chopped), 1/2 cup green peas, 2 heirloom tomatoes (seeded and chopped), 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup Arborio rice, 1 pinch saffron, 1/4 cup parsley (chopped), 2 cups vegetable stock, 1 lemon (cut into 8 wedges), 1 small onion (chopped)

Recipe: – Set oven to 350°F to preheat. Heat 3 tbs. olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

- Stir in garlic and rice. Cook, coating rice with oil, about 3 minutes or until starting to brown.

- Stir in saffron, herbs, vegetable broth, Chanterelles + lobster mushrooms, tomato, onion and yellow pepper.

- Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes.

- Add in peas, stir and simmer a further 5-8 minutes.

- Remove from heat, cover evenly with artichoke hearts and parsley.

- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

- Let sit for 5-10 minutes, garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

- Melt with gustatory joy.







Dish: “I Come Down From The Mountain” for Brunch Pizza

Description: This is my favorite brunch recipe to make after a late night out or in the morning after a show (especially when served with a homemade Bloody Mary). Toppings vary depending on what’s in my fridge. For example, I might use red peppers instead of tomatoes or Gouda instead of Gruyere. I’ve also been known to substitute the pizza crust for a tortilla shell. Just wrap up all the toppings (eggs, sausage, cheese, onions, and tomatoes) in the tortilla shell and top with the Mountain sauce for an amazing breakfast burrito. The contrast of the spicy Mountain sauce and smokey Gruyere makes this pizza (or burrito) really delicious.

Ingredients: – Crust: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tbs. sugar, 1 ts fast rising yeast (or fast rise, 1/2 envelope), 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup hot water (120 to 130 degrees), 1 tbs. oil

- Pizza: 1/2 lb. ground sausage, cooked, 8 oz. smoked Gruyere cheese (sliced thin), 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1/2 red tomato (diced), 4 large brown eggs (scrambled with 1/2 cup milk), salt and pepper to taste

- Mountain Sauce: 2 tbs. mayonnaise, 1 tbs. Cholula, dash of red pepper flakes.

Recipe: – In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt; blend well

- Gradually add water and oil to mixture. Blend at low speed until moistened, then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. By hand, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.

- On floured surface, knead in 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover loosely with plastic and let rest in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

- Press out dough onto 12-inch pizza pan. Prick randomly with a fork. Let rest again in a warm place for 10-15 minutes.

- Brush crust lightly with oil or butter, then pre-bake in a 450°F oven for 5 minutes.

- Add a layer of sliced Gruyere cheese, scrambled eggs and cooked sausage.

- Top with chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and more Gruyere cheese.

- Bake at 450°F for 5 minutes, broil 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Drizzle Mountain sauce over entire pizza.

- Slice and serve with Bloody Mary.

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.





Dish: We call it Vegetarian Sausage and Pasta.

Description: My wife Destiny always made this for us and I liked it so much that I now cook it every time I make a meal.

Ingredients: 4 Cups Water, 2 Cups Farfalle Pasta, 2 Italian sausage links (we use tofurky), 1 tbs. butter, 1 tsp. salt and pepper, 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, 2 tsp. oregano

Recipe: – Bring Water to a rolling boil, add pasta.

- While pasta is cooking, add sausage and olive oil to skillet and cook on medium heat.

- Once pasta is almost done, turn heat up on sausage from medium to high heat.

- Drain pasta and do not shake out excess water, set aside.

- Add butter to skillet and once it has melted, add pasta all at once to hot skillet

- Allow the pasta to set in the skillet for at least 1 minute before stirring.

- Stir frequently and add remaining ingredients.







Dish: Bangers & Mash

Description: None of us had tried this before—a traditional English “pub grub” dish—but had a craving to test it out as a pre-birthday party meal. Serves 6 starving people, 8 normally hungry.

Ingredients: 10 large potatoes, 1/2 cup milk, 2 lbs. sausage (fresh from a butcher), 1 large onion, 1/2 lb. bacon (fresh from a butcher), tequila , vinegar, A1 sauce, cinnamon, various spices, a bunch of carrots, some brussels sprouts, peas, Link Wray’s eponymous album and any Taste record

Recipe: – Start by pouring shots of tequila for everyone. Why not? And put on a Taste record.

- Fill the large pot 3/4 full of water, pour in a dash of vinegar and bring to a boil.

- While the water heats, peel and cut up the spuds (light saber is preferable), onion, carrots and bacon how you like them, separate the sausage links, and clean the sprouts. Talk about how incredible that Rory Gallagher guitar solo is.

- When the water is like a rough sea, drown the potatoes. Toss in the carrots and half the onion too.

- Plop the sausages in the skillet—as many as you can fit on LOW heat.

- When the sausages start sizzling, rain down the bacon and rest of the onions on them and mix it up.

- When the sausages are cooked through (but not overcooked), pull them out and toss the sprouts into the bacon/onion mix for five minutes or until basically tender

- Boil the peas for about two minutes or until hot.

- When the potatoes are soft, strain ‘em and mash ‘em with milk and butter. Spice how you like. Don’t worry about keeping it all a bit lumpy.

- Put it all on a plate, making presentation aesthetics a priority. Zigzag/douse the sausages with A1 sauce and sprinkle subtly with cinnamon. Blanket the bacon and onions over everything. Yeah.

- Enjoy while listening to Link Wray.







Dish: Chili

Description: March Madness is nigh! A big pot of this chili should get you through the first few days of the tournament. If you want to do it the old fashioned way, use dry beans (soaked overnight), but this way is easier.

Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef, 1 green pepper, 1 yellow onion, 1 red onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 jalapeno peppers, 1 can diced tomatoes, 2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce, 1 large can drained red kidney beans, 1 16 oz. can drained black beans, 2 tbs. chili powder or to taste, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tbs. fennel seed, 1 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. basil, 1/2 tsp. cumin, touch of ground ginger, cheddar cheese, sour cream

Recipe: – Cook peppers, onion, garlic on medium heat until a little soft.

- Add beef, but don’t break up too much. Drain grease. Add to large pot with everything else.

- Add spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. If it’s too chunky add a little water or beer. If it’s too runny let it boil down a little.

- Cover and let simmer for an hour or so.

- Let it sit for a minute then serve that with shredded cheddar and sour cream.







Dish: Molly’s Chicken Succotash

Description: After a long 10 days at the studio, Tyler, Dad, Molly and I decided to kick back at the ranch for a couple days of R&R. The first order of business for our day off was cooking a band favorite, Molly’s Chicken Succotash. Here is a little information to help our fellow musicians out there living the road warrior lifestyle. Now you don’t have to be a road warrior to enjoy this savory succotash—we recommend this dish to all our buddies. Enjoy! Serves 5 hungry musicians.

Ingredients: 2 rotisserie chickens, 1 bunch of scallions, 5 ears of corn, 1 1/2 bags of baby Lima beans, 4-6 jalapenos, 2-3 green house tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 4 tbs. or 1 stick of butter

Recipe: – Shuck and boil ears of corn in large pot. Once cooked, rinse with cold water and cut corn off cob.

- In a saucepan, heat butter and sauté scallions and diced jalapenos for around five minutes.

- Separate chicken meat from bone and add meat, corn and whipping cream.

- Allow mixture to simmer for additional 7-8 minutes.

- Finally add chopped tomato to garnish. Salt and pepper to taste.

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.







Dish: Vegetable Moroccan Tagine

Description: Tagines are the Moroccan’s answer to the crock pot done in a clay cooker. The more you let this simmer the better the flavor. Tagines can be done with meat as well and the vegetables then become the sauce to the meat. But the vegetable sauce is a meal on its own, and I recommend baking some shredded up cauliflower to use as a substitute for couscous.

Ingredients: 1 clay tagine cooking pot with cover, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 onion (sliced into rings), 2 sliced garlic cloves, 2 tomatoes (sliced), lots of capers, lots of olives, 1 eggplant (sliced into 1/4 pieces), 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced yellow squash, 2 sliced green zucchini squash, 2 sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced 1/4” thick), 1 1/2 tsp. of sea salt, 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. cumin, several pinches of saffron threads, 1 tbs. of cinnamon

Recipe: – You want to use the onions, garlic, olive oil and tomatoes as your base along with all the spices.

- Eventually, add everything else in and let it simmer together in the tagine for 30-40 minutes.

- Once everything feels soft and mixed together feel free to put on low and serve away on a bed of the baked cauliflower.

- Refrigerate, and enjoy the next day. It usually tastes even better as left overs when you let it sit in all of its flavors over night.







Dish: Broiled Lamb Chops with Brussels Sprouts, Harissa and Cauliflower Puree

Description: This recipe serves 2 and takes quite a while to make, so hopefully you have a bottle of wine and don’t have to get up in the morning.

Ingredients: 2 lamb loin chops (use pork chops for a more frugal alternative), tons of olive oil, 1 head cauliflower (broken into florets), 10 brussels sprouts (cleaned), 1 head of garlic, 1/2 cup of cream (whole, light or half and half), 1/2 tbs. butter, 1 cup chicken stock (water is fine if you don’t have it), 1/2 red bell pepper, 2 whole fresh jalapenos, 1 bunch mint, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 lemon, 2 squares dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher), 1 pouch Chimayo red chile powder (or other ground red chile powder), cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander

Recipe: – Set your lamb chops out on a cutting board. Salt them on both sides and let them sit while you start on everything else.

- It’s easiest to start the marinade/rub for the lamb and the harissa at the same time because they have a bunch of ingredients in common. Set out two bowls, one for each. Press 2-3 medium cloves of garlic into each bowl and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add about a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of ground coriander, a dash of cardamom and a small dash of cinnamon to each bowl.

- Chop a few leaves of mint and a few leaves of coriander and add them to one bowl. Spoon the contents of this bowl onto each side of each lamb chop. Add olive oil before you do so, if necessary. Once the lamb chops are coated, put them in a zip lock bag, or wrap them in plastic wrap and add the rest of the contents of the bowl. Let them sit until the rest of your recipe is ready to go.

- Take the second bowl and add a few whole leaves of mint and a few whole leaves of cilantro. Add about two tablespoons of Chimayo red chile (Nuevo Mexico por vida!). If your chile is really hot and you’re a wuss, you can add less. Clean 1/2 a red bell pepper and two jalapenos and cut them into pieces that are small enough for a food processor to manage and add them. Add 2-3 squares of dark chocolate. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon (strain out the seeds) into the bowl. Dump the contents of the bowl into a food processor and begin to puree, stopping occasionally to taste. Add lemon, olive oil and salt (and whatever else it needs) to taste as you are pureeing. The final texture shouldn’t be completely smooth, but close to it. Set contents aside at room temperature. This recipe for harissa is totally inauthentic, by the way. I just made it up using what I could find at the vegetable stand across the street.

- Start pre-heating your broiler. Drink something.

- Next make the cauliflower puree. Slice 2 cloves of garlic and sautée in olive oil over medium heat. Break cauliflower into florets and add to pan. Add chicken stock, a pinch of salt and then cover to let the cauliflower steam. When cauliflower is soft (probably around 10 minutes), empty the contents of the pan into a food processor. Add 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 tbs. of butter. Puree until smooth and set aside in a small pot on the stove. Keep it warm at low heat, stirring occasionally, but don’t let it get hot.

- It’s time to broil the lamb chops. Broiling happens very fast, so set a timer. Put the lamb chops on a sheet of foil and broil them for 2-4 minutes on each side. Don’t be afraid to cut them open and see how they’re doing if necessary. When they’re done, set them out on a cutting board for about 5 minutes and let them relax. Settle down, you’re almost done.

- While the lamb chops are broiling, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Place the brussel sprouts face down in the pan and put a little bit more olive oil on them as well as a pinch of salt. Don’t move them for 5 minutes or so. They should be slightly burnt when you start to move them around in the pan. Cook them for about 5 more minutes or until tender. Smoke something.

- Spread a few heaping spoons of the cauliflower on an ugly Ikea plate, sprinkle a few brussels sprouts over the cauliflower, then place the lamb on top. Finish with a spoonful of harissa and, of course, a sprig of mint for that bourgeois look!







Dish: Chicken & Potato ‘Desi’ Curry

Description: My name is Nova, I play piano for the UK band Scars On 45. I have always been brought up from a young age on good food but best of all good local food. In Bradford, England where Scars On 45 are from, we have the best Pakistani cuisine in the UK! Bradford is renowned for its wide selection of curry houses where they serve the most delicious dishes I have ever tasted. Curry is the favorite meal of the band, and when I got asked to provide a recipe, I jumped at the chance to share my experience with you. My main advice is the three P’s

•Planning – How many people, choice of meat, etc.

•Preparation – All ingredients are chopped, spices measured, etc.

•Patience – Take your time and enjoy the cooking process!

Ingredients: 1 kg. chicken pieces either on bone or off, 2 medium onions (finely chopped), 1 garlic bulb (peeled and crushed), An equal-sized piece of ginger (finely grated or crushed), 3 tomatoes (chopped), 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. red chili pepper, 1/2 tsp. tumeric, 1/2 tsp. mild paprika, 1 tbs. fresh coriander (finely chopped), 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 crushed, new potatoes (washed and chopped in half or quarters depending on how large they are), 1-2 fresh green chili

Recipe: – Heat 5-6 tbs. of vegetable or olive oil in pan, put in onions and fry until soft and golden brown.

- Add garlic, ginger and tomatoes, fry on medium heat until they release oil and all liquid [is] gone.

- Add in spices (not cumin), stir.

- Add chicken, put heat on full and stir occasionally. When the chicken starts to stick to sides, lower heat and continue to stir until oil is released.

- Add green chili (if heat desired, split and leave in seeds). Taste and check for balance of salt and chili. Add more if required.

- Add potatoes and 1 pint of water. Bring to boil, once boiling reduce to lowest heat and simmer for at least 20-30 minutes. Once oil is released on top. Put in bowl to serve.

- Garnish with coriander and cumin. I always like to eat my curry with Chapatti or Roti flatbread. Pinch the chicken and wipe the sauce. It will truly melt in your mouth!





Dish: Sopa de Tortilla

Description: First thing I do when I get off a long tour is go to the market and get ingredients for chicken stock so I can make a big old pot of soup. This is one of my favorites, it’s comforting, filling all on it’s own and it’s got a little kick. And really—make your own stock. Chicken stock is just made by boiling the crap out of a chicken, it’s super easy and it makes your house smell great and every pot of soup a million times better.

Ingredients and Recipe for Sopa de Tortilla: – Sauté in a couple tbsp of bacon grease (or butter) till soft (about 5 minutes): 2-3 medium yellow onions (finely chopped), 3 or 4 ribs of celery with leaves (finely chopped), 1 poblano pepper (sweet pepper if you don’t like a kick, add habaneros if you do!), 6 cloves garlic.

- Add 1 can Ro-Tel chopped tomatoes and chilies (other brands make the same thing in small 10-14 oz cans), homemade chicken stock (8-12 cups, see below).

- Simmer, partially covered for about 30-45 minutes. For the last minute or two add a 1/2 bunch fresh parsley and a 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro. Add salt to taste.

- Set out small serving dishes with good melting cheese (oaxacan string cheese, Monterrey jack or mozzarella, diced small), 1 avocado (diced or sliced small), tortilla chips, 1 small red onion (finely chopped) fine, 2nd half of fresh cilantro, sour cream.

Ingredients and Recipe for homemade chicken stock: – Need 1 whole chicken (including giblets), 8 chicken thighs on the bone, 2 carrots, 2 celery, 2 onions, 1 bay leaf.

- Feel free to peruse your vegetable drawer for any old stuff to add (except broccoli or cabbage, yuck) turnips, parsnips, potatoes, peppers, old garlic cloves. As long as they’re not rotten it’s ok if they’re tired.

- Put in a big pot. I use one of those pasta pots with the pull out colander-makes it really easy to separate the stock from the rest of your meat!

- Cover chicken, vegetables and bay leaf with water. Bring to a boil, turn down to an active simmer, partially covered—and let it go for at least an hour and a half, maybe 2. Add more water if it goes down too low to cover stuff. Skim off anything dirty and foamy every once in awhile. Chicken should be completely falling apart. Just cook the crap out of it.

- Pull colander out, and put on large plate to let cool. If you don’t have a pasta pot combo—carefully pour contents through a large colander that’s on top of another large pot or bowl to catch the stock underneath your stuff. Set aside chicken and bones to cool before handling.

- When cooled down, pull good eating meat from the bone by hand, discard bones, skin and anything unpleasant to eat. Chop meat coarsely or rip into bite-sized bits and set aside for later. The breast/white meat is usually too dry for soup-it’s best to slather it with mayo and make yourself a chicken sandwich with. Your call.

- Makes 8-10 cups of stock. Feel free to clarify. I like my soups murky, peasant style myself.

Side note: Soups are a notoriously inexact science. It’s one of the things I love about them is that they’re a little different every time. So I’m just guessing for some of these amounts, and If you know you like one ingredient a LOT, go ahead and add more.

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.







Dish: Broiled King Salmon with Oyster Mushrooms

Ingredients: 1/4 lb. of King Salmon, handful of iyster mushrooms, 2 cloves garlic, 2 white onions, 1 cup brown rice, 1 can black beans, sliced lemon, 1 cup arugula, 2 small radishes, handful of cherry tomatoes

Recipe: – Boil brown rice for 45 minutes or until done.

- Sauté minced onions, minced garlic and Oyster mushrooms in olive oil for 5 mins or until they are half way cooked.

- Put a 1/3 of the sauté into another pot with the can of black beans (do not drain beans, keep the sauce so that the beans absorb it).

- Add a copious amount of olive oil to the black beans and put them on medium heat. – Cook until the beans have absorbed all of the sauce. You can add a pinch of cumin to taste.

- Spice salmon with salt, pepper and olive oil

- Set the broiler on hi and place salmon on a rack over tinfoil, adding another 1/3 of the sauté around the edges of the fish.

- Broil on high for 10 minutes or until fish is flaky.

- Wash and dry arugula and add chopped radishes and halved tomatoes. Add whatever dressing you like.

- When fish is done garnish with sliced lemons and serve.







Dish: Lip’s Pizza Fries

Ingredients: 1 bag of McCain frozen French fries,1 24 oz. can Unico pasta sauce, 1 lb. of lean ground beef, 1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Recipe: – Set oven on 425F.

-Spread french fries onto a cookie sheet and cook for 20 minutes until golden brown.

- During this time, brown meat in a skillet until completely cooked and drain the fat away.

- Mix cooked meat into 48oz of pasta sauce bring to a boil. It is advisable to begin this process before cooking the fries for best results.

- Slowly simmer the sauce and meat until it thickens up.

- Remove fries from the oven and pour the sauce over the fries.

- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top, return to oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

- Remove and dish unto plates to serve.







Dish: Lambacon Egg Sammy

Description: This spin on the classic egg sandwich has all the food groups. Look for lamb bacon at your local charcuterie. This particular Lambacon is spiced with star anise, Chinese five-spice and a little brown sugar.

Ingredients: 1 oz. lamb bacon (2 slices), 1 egg, 1 oz. Gruyere, sliced English muffin preferably with raisins, 1 cup mustard greens, 1 tsp. Honey Dijon mustard, 2 tbs. butter, salt, pepper

Recipe: – Heat a medium size cast iron pan on medium-low heat. place bacon in the pan to begin cooking either side. Cut english muffin in half, butter both sides and lay face down to begin browning.

- In another small sauté pan under medium-high heat, add a small dollop of butter. Once the butter is clarified, add the mustard greens and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook just a few minutes then set aside.

- Back in the hot cast iron, crack the egg, season with salt and pepper, and fry. It’s important to check the heat, as you do not want to overcook the egg. cook just 1 minute then flip over easy. Once flipped, add the slices of cheese. Cover 1 minute just until cheese is melted.

- Spread a little honey Dijon mustard on bottom half of the crisped english muffin, then assemble a bed of mustard greens, add the layer of lamb bacon followed by the egg with cheese.







Dish: “MONSTER” Scampi

Description: Whole wheat pasta with garlic cream sauce and sautéed shrimp!

Ingredients: Garlic, Olive Oil, Chopped Celery, Herbs, Red Bell Pepper, Shelled & Chopped NC Shrimp, Butter Cream, Flour to thicken, Whole Wheat Pasta, Red Pepper Flakes, Touch of Nutmeg, Sea Salt

We asked 32 musicians to share their beloved recipes with us. What we received in return included a wide variety of cuisines for just about any level of cook. Whether you’re looking for something simple like a breakfast hangover cure from Firehorse’s Leah Siegel or the “greatest southern seafood GUMBO in the world” courtesy of The Antlers’ Darby Cicci—these artists have prepared something for everyone.





Dish: Salmon with Ginger preserves & Thyme

Description: We found this recipe last year when Gwyneth Paltrow released her cookbook, “My Father’s Daughter,” and have loved it ever since! It’s super healthy and one of my favorite dishes that we would make this past summer—over and over again. All you need to do is coat a few salmon fillets in any kind of good quality jarred orange marmalade, sprinkle with thyme, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Fire up the grill and bake for about 10-11 minutes. It’s THAT simple. We love to serve this dish on top of a warm serving of steamed brown kale rice and garnished with a big scoop of fresh mango salsa.

Ingredients: 4 6 oz. salmon fillets (with skin on), coarse salt, fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 cup ginger preserves (I like the Wilkin & Sons brand), 1 tbs. fresh thyme leaves

Recipe: – Heat the grill over medium-high heat.

- Sprinkle each piece of salmon with salt and pepper and then evenly distribute the ginger preserves, being sure to coat not only the tops of the fillets, but also the sides.

- Sprinkle the top of each fillet with the thyme leaves.

- Place the salmon skin side down on the grill, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

- Slide a large, sturdy spatula in between the skin and the flesh of each fillet and carefully lift them off of the skin—this should happen pretty easily.

- Discard the salmon skin.

Side note: Gwyneth will tell you to discard the skin, but once the fish is finished cooking, I like to remove the fillet, flip the gooey side down on the hot grill for 15-20 seconds and then quickly remove it; allowing it to crisp up to perfection in just a few seconds. It’s a little adventurous and makes a great addition to the dish. As long as the fish was cleaned and scaled properly, it’ll taste great!





Dish: Nana’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe

Description: I love my grandmother Dorothy Binder. She is 92 years old, a gifted painter, takes Belly Dancing Classes and yes she even goes speed dating! I also love all things Pumpkin. She has made this cake for every special occasion since I can remember. The cake is great with chocolate chips added or just by itself. I make the traditional bundt cake but have also made mini bundts as well as mini-loafs of this yummy dessert. For those who love icing, fill the center of the mini bundt cakes with a Cream Cheese Frosting.

Ingredients: 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, 1 cup oil (Canola), 1 large can of pumpkin, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt, bag of Nestle chocolate morsels

Recipe: – Combine eggs and oil.

- Add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and 1 large can of pumpkin.

- Mix until very well blended with an electric mixer.

- Add half a large bag or all of a small bag of morsels.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Liberally spray a bundt pan with Pam.

- Add mixture and bake for 55-60 minutes.

- Let cool (I usually very gently separate the cake from the pan with a knife before inverting it on a large plate). And there you have it! Nana’s pumpkin cake.







Dish: Nic’s Whole Wheat and Pepper Salmon Cakes

Description: At the end of the day this healthy and hardy-ass meal shouldn’t cost more than a ten dollar bill for the lonesome soul and fifteen for the loving couple. Serve with fried okra, baked beans and a Guinness.

Ingredients: 1 can of pink salmon, 1 tbs. of olive oil, 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, 1 banana pepper, 1 jalapeno, 1/4 cup of diced sweet onion, 1/2 celery stick (diced), 1 egg, salt, pepper, Old Bay, chili powder

Recipe: – When you’ve got your bread crumbs the next step is forming the patties. You’re typically supposed to refrigerate them over night before frying. But I usually just refrigerate them for the length of a nap or a workout.

- Start by draining the water from the can of salmon (one can makes three to four patties), then remove all the skin and bones (save it for the local alley cats.) You want to compile your meat in the center of a cutting board or bowl and dump on your bread crumbs.

- Dice up half of the banana pepper and half of the jalapeno and add them to the bowl along with onions and celery. Kneed it into a mound and burrow out a little cylinder at the peak like a salmon volcano.

- Crack your egg into the volcano and work it into the mound.

- This keeps the cakes from falling apart in the frying process. After you’ve massaged the salmon concoction to an even consistency you want to add a healthy dusting of the spices listed above.

- Form them into little pucks about an inch thick. Add another dusting of Old Bay to each side and refrigerate. The rest of the process won’t take more than 20 minutes.

- After your nap, heat up a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a frying pan on lower medium heat. Fry about eight minutes or until golden brown on each side.

Side note: The most difficult part of this recipe is the little bit of forethought that goes into it. Being a single man, it’s easy to let a lot of food go to waste. So I tend to use things in more ways than one. For instance, the bread crumbs I typically use are from whole-wheat baguettes that sat out a few days too long. Grate that shit with a cheese grater into a clean-whipped topping container, sprinkle some salt in and a bit of parsley and you can just store it with your dollar store spices.







Dish: Hoppin’ John New Year’s Eve southern dish

Description: with collards for luck, health, and prosperity… add a coin to the peas pot for extra juju.

Ingredients: – Collard Greens: 2 lb. Applewood smoked bacon, 4 oz. chopped shallots, 3 cups sherry vinegar, 5 bunches of collard greens (cleaned), 2 quarts of chicken stock, 1 quart water, 5 tbs. Tabasco sauce

- Black-Eyed Peas: 3 lb. fresh black-eyed peas (or cowpeas) 2 smoked pork knuckles, 3 quarts chicken stock, 3 sprigs of oregano, 6 garlic cloves, black pepper, salt

Recipe: – Dice and render the bacon until crispy

- Add Tthe shallots and cook until translucent.

- Add honey and Sherry vinegar; cook until syrupy.

- Add collard greens and cook until wilted.

- Add water and chicken stock; simmer for two hours.

- Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco.

- Cover peas with stock and water; bring to a simmer.

- Add oregano, garlic, and pork knuckles; cook for 45 minutes or until done.

- Season with salt and pepper.

- Add rice and it becomes Hoppin’ Johns.