This is a handy little recipe. It's preparation is easy and the result is very tasty. It's impressive even! Sometimes I have stories that I like to write about my recipes and this one was a little tough in coming. So, I'd like to break format a little here and offer this recipe as a dedication.

I'd like to dedicate this recipe to our much-maligned, night-flapping brethren of the skies: the bats.

I like bats. I always have. I even kept one as a "pet" for a few days when an uncle had rescued him from a public building he worked at. The management had tried to have a laborer dispatch it before my uncle arrived with his good farmer's sense and decided to save it. The injured little brown guy eventually settled down, healed and I released him one evening into the night sky.

Literature, television and the movies have given bats a bad reputation and many people react to them out of fear. While all wild animals shouldn't be handled unnecessarily, and they should all be treated with respect and caution, ungrounded fear isn't intelligent or healthy and can cause both man and beast some grief.

Most species of bats are also beneficial. Did you know that one single little brown bat (the kind found most frequently in my area) can catch and eat more than 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour! Multiply that by a number of bats then by a number of hours over the course of days and weeks and then months and you have an impressive amount of mosquitoes -- GONE!

Did you also know that:

Mosquitoes infect 500 million people around the world each year with diseases such as West Nile virus, Dengue fever, encephalitis and malaria. That is half a billion people folks! 1/12 of the human population of the planet. One in 12 people! Mosquito-induced diseases also kill more than 2 million people around the world each year. Yeah, bats are good.

So please respect our little flying fuzzy friends of the night skies! Also, if you find that they've made a home in your attic, please investigate non-lethal ways of getting them to leave. We've made enough of a mess of our planet without making the way for beneficial animals any harder than we need to. Yeah, I'm a tree hugger WHAT OF IT? Also, I don't know about you, but I'd rather have more bats than mosquitoes.

This dish is great over rice or pasta. It is kind of one of those fancy-tasting things that really isn't all that hard to prepare. I suggest you use a marsala wine that you like the taste of. Sample a few, they're all pretty good and the one you like to drink is certainly going to be one of the ones that make a great sauce. I chose an inexpensive Taylor marsala and coupled with the diced tomatoes it had a really subtle cherry flavor-EXCELLENT!

Chicken Tomato-Marsala (for the bats)

2 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
salt & black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs unsalted butter
2-3 cups of Marsala wine
1 4 oz. can of tomato sauce
1-2 medium fresh tomatoes (diced)

Rinse and dry the chicken breasts. Place them one at a time in a large ziplock bag and GENTLY pound them about a 1/2" flat with the flat side of a meat tenderizing mallet. Glancing blows work best!

Dredge each breast in flour, cover them well and season with black pepper and salt, set aside.

Place a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter to the skillet and heat the mixture until the butter stops foaming. Do not allow butter to burn.

Place the chicken breasts in the hot oil/butter mixture and brown lightly on both sides. Do not overcook or the chicken will be dry.

When chicken is properly browned pour in the Marsala until the chicken is almost covered. Add the tomato sauce. Carefully blend the sauces around the chicken.

The sauce should already be simmering, if not, bring it to a simmer and then lower the heat until it is barely simmering. Cover and continue cooking (turning once) at a minimum simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. If the simmer picks up, lower the heat. You want this barely simmering.

Remove chicken breasts, add the diced tomatoes, set heat on high and stir sauce continuously until thickened.

Test for seasoning and adjust. Replace chicken, toss to coat and serve on rice or pasta spooning on extra gravy.

So this Zen guy goes up to a hot dog vendor and he says, "Hey, make me one with everything!" Come on, laugh! It's funny! I suppose you are one of the unbelievers and you doubt the "Be here now" Zen aspects of the hot dog? Many people can link certain foods they enjoy back to certain moments in their life. None do this as much for me as the hot dog.

I remember a rainy night of fishing in Newport, Rhode Island as a young child with my dad and grandfather. It was fruitless but it was capped with a late night stop at the King Phillip Diner in Fall River, MA. Several dogs with the works, a coffee milk and not one, but two pieces of blueberry pie. I also remember my dad returning from bowling on Friday nights with a dozen for my sisters, my mom and myself to share. These would be the first of my late night hot dogs. Later on however late night hot dogs usually came/come after copious amounts alcohol!

Then there's the one I had outside in the cool air after a night of dancing in a hot night club in Ponta Delgada, Azores. It had all manner of toppings including tiny french fries! Wait, then there are the ones I have had at that shrine to Americana, Fenway Park while watching the Boston Red Sox win the world series! (Remember when that was just a dream? GO SOX!). Sure, I can't remember every hot dog I have had, but why can I remember so many?

I first had Japanese curry in Hawaii. I was up late one evening having had a bit to drink and I got the munchies. I headed out of my hotel to one of Waikiki's curry houses. I ordered a chicken curry to-go and headed back to my hotel. Once there and settled, I tucked into it and it was delicious. Hot, rich, flavorful and with plenty of gravy for the rice that accompanied it. YUM!

Japanese curry, while familiar tasting, definitely has its own thing going on. Much the way Thai, Indian and Chinese curries are all familiar yet uniquely different. The version I had could be categorized as a little milder compared to an Indian curry, but with a host of other pleasant things going on. It has a certain "silkiness" I guess. Anyway, it was the perfect thing to stave off my late-night hunger and any hangover or headache that could have come along because of all the wine. I slept like a baby and left Oahu for Kauai the next morning. Distractions and travel plans soon swept the sweet memory of Japanese curry from my mind.

Then one day several years later I was talking to my dad about Japanese food, (he was a Marine stationed in Japan in the late 50's). When I asked him what the best thing he ever had there was, he said that every week he would go to a local restaurant and get curry. "Swoosh" came my own memory and I told him about it and we agreed it must have been the same kind of curry. Memory reloaded and enthusiasm piqued, off I went to the internet to find out how to make my own Japanese Curry.

In my initial research, I found out that unlike Indian curry powder and Thai curry paste the Japanese produce their curries in a block. I also found out that there are no recipes to make your own curry blocks. Rather, everyone buys their blocks from a few manufacturers. A little more research and I found that the S&B company of Tokyo, Japan produced the kind of blocks I was looking for. Though if anyone knows of a recipe for preparing your own blocks please let me know! I like making most things from scratch if I can.

I soon sourced the S&B curry blocks from a local Japanese and Korean market and my love for Japanese curry was renewed. It is a very easy curry to make, especially if you're in a hurry. Even people who don't usually care for curry tend to enjoy it. You can even tell them it's "stew" to start them off. Below you'll find the recipe I prepared for my family tonight. I've also listed an online source so you can purchase your own blocks if need be.

Japanese Golden Curry with Carrots and Pistachios

2 lbs. boneless chicken breast (cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 lb. onions (halved and then sliced thin)
2 carrots (halved and then cut into 1/2" pieces)
1/3 cup of pistachios (shelled)
2 TBS peanut oil
2-1/2 cups of water
3.5 ozs. S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix (I use mild but also available in medium or hot)

In a large skillet over a high flame, add the peanut oil. When it begins to shimmer, add the chicken, onions, carrots and pistachios and cook until onions begin to brown.

Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Break up the S&B Golden curry block and add it to the simmering water. Stir the curry to help dissolve the block. Simmer for 5 minutes and allow mix to thicken.

Serve over your favorite rice, (I use steamed basmati).

Like many similar dishes, this is even better the second day.

I've had beef dishes in a lot of different places, some of those places like Chicago, are famous for their beef. They were all pretty good, but the best piece of beef I've had to date was at an Argentine restaurant called "El Gaucho" in Aruba's capital of Oranjastadt. I was so impressed the first time I went, I have been back several times since. If I had a friend with a private jet, I'd be back more often.

There are two components which make this dish so good. The first is the use of Argentine Beef. For the uninitiated I'll offer the following as a crash course in just what that means: Argentine beef has less cholesterol and fat than American beef, in fact it more closely approximates the fat, cholesterol and calorie profile of venison rather than beef. It's no mystery as to why, the reasons are obvious and simple: Argentine cattle feed on a diet of protein-rich grasses as opposed to the grain feed given to American cattle. This makes Argentine beef lower in fat with more protein than its American counterpart.

Experts also say that the surprising tenderness of Argentine beef comes from the stress-free environment that the cows are reared in. This environment offers fresh, clean air and water and the cattle are allowed a free range to roam. They feed on living plants such as alfalfa and clover year round which helps the beef develop it's distinct, richer flavor. Finally, and I think more importantly Argentine cattle are not fed the antibiotics and steroids that are given to American cattle. While all of this makes for a smaller animal, it makes up for its lack of size by producing a wholesome, all-natural and superior beef.

The second reason this dish is so good is the addition of the traditional Argentine chimichurri sauce. Of course there are many variations of this popular sauce, but I think I have nailed the El Gaucho version with surprising accuracy. Now to the American mind set, a parsley-based sauce on beef may seem odd. Especially when you consider the amount of parsley used. At least I thought it was odd, but it has made a believer of me and an increasing circle of friends who try this recipe. If you love beef, I encourage you to try this dish. It is hands down, my meal of choice when the opportunity arises to cook something extravagant for myself.

OK, now for some twists. While you can find Argentine beef on occasion (and even if you couldn't you can now, because of that wonderful thing called the Internet), I have made this dish more frequently with American beef to excellent effect.

The sauce is a no brainer, make it a day ahead of time so the flavors infuse and half the battle is over. Pay special attention to the beef cooking instructions to really nail this dish. Serve it with a potato side dish and some roasted sweet corn on the cob. Try it once by yourself to get a feel for cooking it and then spring it on your friends at a holiday or dinner party. It is sure to please.

Churrasco Argentino

1 beef tenderloin (dressed and cut into 2" to 2-1/2" slices)*
1 large bunch of flat parsley
2-1/2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1 pinch hot Thai pepper flakes
Coarse cracked black pepper
Kosher or sea salt

To prepare the chimichurri sauce:

Remove parsley leaves from stems, discard stems and set leaves aside. You should have enough leaves to equal two cups, moderately packed in a measuring cup.

Place parsley, garlic, pepper flakes and vinegar in a food processor, or use a large mortar and pestle.

While adding olive oil, chop contents in the food processor until parsley pieces are about 1/4" in diameter. Add remaining olive oil.

Set aside in a covered bowl for 2-4 hours before using. Store unused portion in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

To prepare the beef:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Set a cast iron frying pan on high heat.

Add a little oil. When oil is hot, take each steak and sprinkle on all sides with coarse cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Place each steak in the cast iron frying pan and sear on all sides.

Transfer seared steaks to large cast iron dutch oven and cook in oven to desired doneness (I use a remote meat thermometer).

Serve with chimichurri sauce spread on top of the steak.

*A full tenderloin will yield about 8 steaks. Plan accordingly or eat like a fiend like I do when I do this dish.