Should restaurants make their portion sizes smaller to reduce the price of the food? That's going to be a hard no for me, both as a restaurant worker and as a guest at other places. If I'm going out to eat, I want to know that I'll be leaving full— preferably with leftovers, too.  The way I see it, there has to be the perfect balance. The product that you are serving must be of high quality, well-portioned, and fairly priced. At the end of the day, you should be proud of what you're serving. If you're only in this industry to make money, you're definitely doing it wrong.  Would you rather pay more for a bigger portion size, or pay less for a smaller one? Let me know.  - Chef Mike #restaurant #price #portion

Here are 3 levels of hot dogs.  Level 1: Classic Hot Dog Bring a pot of water to a boil with a head of garlic and cilantro (stems, too). Add in your hot dogs and boil for about 4 minutes.  Add a wire rack across the top of your pot, place your buns on the rack, and cover with a bowl to steam for a minute or two.  Assemble with yellow mustard and ketchup for that classic taste.  Level 2: Detroit-Style Coney Dog To a pan over medium heat add a little oil, onions, garlic, jalapeño, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until soft.  Add in ground beef, cumin, allspice berries, tomato paste, and chicken stock. Cook this chili down until you're happy with the consistency and flavor.  Boil your hot dogs and steam your buns the same as Level 1. Assemble your hot dog with your homemade chili, yellow mustard, and some diced onions.  So good, but we can do better.  Level 3: The Ultimate Hot Dog Poach some cheddar jalapeño hot dogs the same as Levels 1 & 2. Create a garlic butter spread by combining a little oil, butter, smashed garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley, and parmesan cheese.  Spread this over your buns and pan fry until golden and crispy. Add on some mozzarella, parmesan, and fontina cheese, and torch or broil until melted.  Score your boiled hot dogs and pan fry to give them some color. Assemble your hot dogs with your cheesy garlic buns, and finish with some pickled jalapeños and some grainy mustard. Even if you’re working with basic ingredients, there are ways to prepare them to be something really special and delicious. Check out our YouTube for the full recipe and ingredients. - Chef Mike #hotdog #cookingathome #recipes

Here are 3 levels of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Level 1: Elementary School Lunch PB&J Start with some slices of industrial white bread and spread creamy peanut butter on one slice and grape jelly on the other. Smash together and you're done.  This is so nostalgic, but we can do better.  Level 2: Homemade Real Fruit PB&J Start with some artisanal white bread slices. Spread one slice with crunchy peanut butter and add some fresh fruit of your choice right on top. Carefully place another slice of bread on top of the fruit and give it a nice smush.  My kids love the taste and I love that there's so much less sugar than with traditional jelly or jam. It's a win-win. We can still do better.  Level 3: The Ultimate "Uncrustable" PB&J Add a jar of unsalted peanuts to a pan over medium heat and get them toasty. Pour directly into a food processor and blend on high until you have a smooth and creamy texture.  Using the same pan, kick your head to medium-high and add some fruit of your choice, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring this to a boil and then reduce your heat to medium and cook about 5 minutes or so.  Get a couple of slices of fresh bakery bread and add a dollop of your peanut butter to the center of one. Top that with a spoonful of your compote and top with another slice of bread.  Use a cookie cutter or container to cut out your "uncrustable" and you're ready to eat.  These are so much better than those frozen things that cost a fortune. Just because it's a PB&J doesn't mean it can't be made better.  - Chef Mike #peanutbutterandjelly #pbj #recipes #cookingathome

Here are 3 levels of Caesar Salad Level 1: Bagged Salad Honestly, you get what you pay for here. It's fine in a pinch, but we can definitely do better.  Level 2: Homemade Caesar Salad Make your dressing with some mayo, spicy mustard, capers, anchovy paste, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt, a little Worcestershire sauce, and some fresh parm.  Roughly chop your romaine, add some good croutons, and toss your salad in your dressing.  This is delicious, but lets do better.  Level 3: The Ultimate Caesar Salad Make your dressing with some smashed garlic, spicy mustard, egg yolk, whole anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, a splash of Tabasco, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, a little salt, and some freshly grated parm. Slowly add some olive oil and whip your dressing well.  Cut some baby gem lettuce into quarters and add some dressing to each leaf so they're all evenly coated.  Make some good croutons with stale sourdough, salt, garlic, parm, and some olive oil. Pan fry or toast in the oven until crispy.  Combine all of your ingredients and let it rain parmigiano reggiano.  If you're going to make a salad, make it right.  - Chef Mike #caesarsalad #salad #recipes #cookingathome #saladrecipe

Here are 3 easy and healthy sauce recipes that will make any chicken taste out of this world.  1. Creamy Avocado Sauce Add yogurt, avocados, green chili, fresh lime juice, and a little salt to a food processor and blend until creamy.  This is one of my favorite go-to sauces.  2. Zesty Cilantro Sauce Add yogurt, garlic, cilantro, fresh lime juice, cumin, and salt to a food processor and blend until smooth.  If you're a fan sauces on tacos, you're going to want to try this one for sure.  3. Smoky Chipotle Lime Sauce Add some yogurt, some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, some honey, salt, pepper, and garlic into your food processor and blend this well.  If you're looking for a fresh, healthy sauce to elevate your chicken dishes, definitely give these a try.  - Chef Mike #sauce #cookingathome #sauces #recipe #healthyeating