Original Recipes and Craft Beer Reviews by John Mark Osborne at Philosophy of Cooking

Who doesn't love a creamy mushroom sauce. It was one of my favorites from childhood. I've bumped up the flavor profile from just a can of creamy mushroom soup to include roasted garlic, rosemary and, yes, more mushrooms! Hooray! I might have gone overboard with the sauce but who doesn't love extra sauce. I also prefer thighs over breasts but substitute white meat if you prefer. I would cut the breasts in half with a sharp knife if they are large so people have room for the rice, noodles or…

I love salted cashews. I can eat a whole can in front of the television if I don't pay attention. But sometimes I like a change as I'm sure all of you do. With a few simple ingredients and an hour of your time, you can transform these humble cashews into a mouth watering, sweet and spicy snack food to which your family will become addicted.

Crispy... Sweet... Tangy... Buttery.... Garlicky.... Yep that's what these Spicy Pineapple and Mango Wings are all about. They're also a great party food. But most importantly they are one my guilty pleasures.... A plate of

This Healthy Tuna Stuffed Avocado is stuffed with a flavorful southwest mixture of tuna, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro. No mayo necessary here! It's the perfect healthy lunch.

Caeser salads are remarkably easy to make. I love the zing of the fresh lemon, the saltiness of the anchovy and the spiciness of the fresh garlic. This dressing really packs a punch that will wake up your ordinary weekday dinner meals. My wife always does a little dance of joy when I make this dressing so hopefully it will become a classic in your household!

Parmesan crisps add an elegance to any dish including salads, burgers or soup but don't require a ton of effort. Just pour, cook and cool. You can even eat them as a snack like my wife does. How I lived without these crispy delights is beyond me.

I make croutons all the time now. I love to eat crusty La Brea brand bread but those tapered ends don't work well for sandwiches or even a piece of toast. So, I freeze the bread ends till I have enough to make crunchy, garlicky, herby, oily croutons. Stale or even fresh bread is fine too! I usually make too much and end up snacking on them cause they're so good!

I keep a bottle of homemade balsamic vinaigrette in the fridge at all times. It's one of the most versatile salad dressings, pairing sweet and sour with just about any kind of salad. But, it's also very versatile, and can be used as a marinade for meats and vegetables. Learning how to make your own fresh vinaigrettes is not difficult and they are so much better than store bought dressings loaded with the cheapest ingredients.

Named after the purple flowering trees common in southern California, Jacaranda is a wonderfully fruity IPA. The overwhelming fruit note is grapefruit but not like grapefruit sculpin. It's an IPA first with just notes of grapefruit as well as pine. I personally love this IPA and have visited the brewery several times. Claremont Craft Ales is just beginning to break out and I fully expect it to be a big name in craft brewing. Not sure if you can get this beer in your area but it's all over…

Fried chicken is such an easy to prepare, yet satisfying meal. My parents roots are from the south and I just plain like fried foods. Yum, yum, yummy! This recipe has been passed down from my Great Grandmother Webb. She ate fried chicken every day cause she had a farm during the depression. In fact, she ate fried chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To say she was a master at cooking fried chicken is an understatement. Of course, her chicken was super fresh, having been butchered just…

I fiddled around a lot with the ingredients in this sausage recipe but it was worth the effort. Now it's a classic in my household. A little spicy but not too hot. What you really get is a flavor explosion of balanced jalapeño, cilantro, green onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder and, of course, chicken. And that's what I like best about these sausages. The chicken flavor is not masked but elevated by the supporting cast of ingredients.

There's nothing quite like fresh ginger tea for a sore throat. My Mom taught me how to make it and I have been drinking it quite frequently the last week or so. I'm finally feeling good enough to blog so here's my simple recipe for ginger tea. It's not gonna cure your sore throat but it's certainly better for you than those chemicals they put in throat lozenges and other cold/flu medicines.

Some call it a "toad in a hole" but Wikipedia lists many more designations like "hole in one", "egg in a basket", "gashouse eggs" and "spit in the ocean". Whatever you call this classic breakfast dish, you can't deny it's crispy, buttery bread and that yolky egg in the middle... it doesn't get better than this! Sure, I have a fascination with eggs if you look at my other posts but the egg is one of those versatile proteins and tastes so good just by itself or with a few added ingredients…

If you find yourself lucky enough to acquire this rare double IPA, share it with a couple of friends. But don't expect to go to your local liquor store and find it on the shelves. The search is almost half the fun. Even if you live in Santa Rosa, California, where the beer is brewed, you will be limited to one growler fill and two cases of bottles. I have tried to find it in my area and it does exist but only only for a fleeting moment, like a shooting star. As soon as the limited supplies…

Anyone still have one of these? Makes a mean grilled cheese!

I first had a kimchi burger about ten years ago. I can still remember chomping on that burger with just a bun... no ketchup, no mayonnaise, no lettuce and no tomato. It was that good. Okay, I had two burgers, lol. I couldn't help myself. I have since created my own version, with much less sugar than most recipes. I'm not a big fan of sugar except for balancing the acidity of tomatoes in spaghetti sauce or fostering bark creation on slow roasted ribs. Kimchi burgers also need sugar to balance…