Chez Spence

Chez Spence Food and travel writer living in Key West, Florida.

08/21/2026

sheet pan fish po’boys with bang bang tartar sauce! I’m using Gorton's Seafood crispy battered fish fillets, which have a sturdy, even crunchy coating and beautifully flaky inside...a timeless classic for a reason (and the sauce levels everything up.) full recipe below!

-1 package Gorton’s Crispy Battered Fish Fillets
-4 hoagie rolls
-3 tbsp butter
-1 garlic clove, crushed
-1/2 cup mayonnaise
-2 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
-2 tbsp chopped dill pickles plus a splash of the pickle juice
-1 tbsp sriracha
-Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
-Shredded lettuce
-Sliced tomato

Arrange the fish fillets on a large sheet pan and bake at 425°F for 12 minutes. Flip the fillets over, then add the hoagie rolls, cut-side up, to the same sheet pan.

Meanwhile, melt the butter with the crushed garlic clove in the microwave. Brush the cut sides of the rolls generously with the garlic butter, then return the sheet pan to the oven for 8–10 minutes, until the fish is golden and crispy and the rolls are toasted.

While everything bakes, stir together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, chopped dill pickles, sriracha, pickle juice, and lemon juice to make the bang bang tartar sauce.

Spread a generous layer of the bang bang tartar sauce onto each toasted hoagie roll. Pile on the crispy fish fillets, then top with shredded lettuce and sliced tomato. Serve immediately while the fish is hot and crispy.

08/21/2026

day 3 of my kooky crazy Wisconsin road trip. I feel like I’ve trained my whole life to visit House on the Rock and I still wasn’t prepared. all spots listen below for you to save!

📍 Buffalo Phil’s Pizza & Grille
📍 House on the Rock
📍 New Glarus Brewing Company
📍 Puempel’s Olde Tavern
📍 New Glarus Bakery

08/19/2026

my perfect one day, five stop itinerary in the Wisconsin Dells. all spots listed below so you can easily save for your trip! and you should plan a trip…it’s wild.

📍 Mr. Pancake (Mr. Pancake)

📍 Original Wisconsin Ducks (Original Wisconsin Ducks®)

📍 Wilderness Resort (Wilderness Resort)

📍 The Del-Bar

📍 Aquavia Lumina (also at wilderness resort!)

08/18/2026

sheet pan sausage & pesto meatball tortellini with vodka sauce 🤌 full recipe beloooow

– 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
– 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping and serving
– 3 tbsp pesto
– 1 large egg
– 1 lb hot Italian sausage
– 1 (20 oz) bag refrigerated cheese tortellini
– 1 (24 oz) jar vodka sauce, plus more if you like it saucier
– 1/2 cup water
– 2 cups chopped kale or spinach
– about 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
– Fresh basil or parsley, for serving
– Red pepper flakes, for serving

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a large sheet pan, or line it with parchment paper or foil for easier cleanup. If using foil, grease the foil well.

In a large bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan, pesto, egg and Italian sausage. Mix until just combined, then roll into about 20 meatballs and arrange on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and give it a good shake to loosen the meatballs from the pan. Add the tortellini and vodka sauce. Pour the 1/2 cup water into the empty sauce jar, shake it up to get every last bit of sauce, then pour it onto the pan and toss everything together, scraping up any brown bits from the pan.

Add the kale or spinach and toss again until everything is evenly coated. Spoon over a little more vodka sauce if you like it extra saucy, then add dollops of ricotta all over the top and finish with a gentle snowfall of Parmesan.

Return to the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the tortellini is tender and cooked through. Finish with fresh basil or parsley, more Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

08/17/2026

My ultimate Wisconsin road trip has 🎶 only just beguuun 🎶…day 1 itinerary with prices below and let me know where else I need to stop in Wisconsin!!

📍 The Nook — St. Paul, MN
Juicy Nookie burger — $15.95

📍 Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery — Ellsworth, WI
Giant soft serve — $3.49

📍 Big Sky Twin Drive-In — Wisconsin Dells, WI
Cheese curds — $6.50
Movie tickets — $10/person

08/16/2026

one-pot crispy orecchiette with corn and zucchini 🤌 full recipe below as always. oh, and you can preorder my cookbook from the link on my profile if you like my recipes (have I mentioned that before?)

– 4 oz pancetta, diced
– 1 lb orecchiette
– 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
– Corn kernels from 2 ears of corn
– 1 medium zucchini, grated
– 4 oz garlic & herb goat cheese
– Zest of one lemon
– Handful of torn fresh basil
– Freshly grated parm
– Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet.

Add the orecchiette to the skillet and cook in the fat for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted and golden around the edges.

Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the corn and grated zucchini—the zucchini will release additional liquid as it cooks (you can add more broth as necessary if the skillet gets dry before the pasta is finished cooking.)

Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently, until the pasta is cooked through and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the garlic & herb goat cheese until melted and creamy. Stir in the lemon zest, basil, then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan and the crispy pancetta.

08/13/2026

turkey, spinach and feta stuffed pepper…nachos? because I love stuffed peppers but I hate stuffin peppers ya know

-5 bell peppers
-Olive oil
-1 lb ground turkey
-1 tsp Greek seasoning (I use Cavender’s)
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 tsp garlic powder
-3/4 cup whole wheat orzo
-1 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 cups chopped spinach
-8 oz feta cheese, divided
-Zest of 1 lemon
-Chopped cherry tomatoes
-Chopped cucumber
-Sliced pepperoncini
-Chopped pickled red onions, plus a splash of the brine
-Chopped fresh dill or parsley

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the bell peppers into wide, flat pieces and arrange them in a single layer on a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan or similar rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. If you like your peppers on the softer side, drizzle them with olive oil and bake for about 6 minutes while you make the filling. If you prefer a little more crunch, you can skip the pre-bake.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey, Greek seasoning, oregano and garlic powder and cook, breaking up the turkey, until browned.

Add the orzo and chicken broth. Cook, stirring frequently, until the orzo is almost tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, adding an extra splash of broth as needed if the pan gets dry before the orzo is cooked through. Stir in the garlic and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat and stir in half of the feta and all of the lemon zest. Taste and season with salt, pepper or additional Greek seasoning as needed.

Spoon the turkey-orzo mixture over the pepper pieces. Crumble the remaining feta over the top and bake for about 12 minutes, until the peppers are crisp-tender and the feta is lightly browned.

Meanwhile, make the Greeko de Gallo by tossing together the tomatoes, cucumber, pepperoncini, pickled onions, a splash of the pickled onion brine, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh dill or parsley.

Pile the Greeko de Gallo over the hot stuffed peppers, finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

08/12/2026

one glorious weekend of eating at some of my favorite NYC restaurants (plus a couple spots I’d never been to before…I’m branching out)

if you’re looking for where to eat in New York City, here’s my lineup: Le French Diner, Bagel Pub, Nan Xiang, Lil’ Frankie’s, Thai Diner, Radio Bakery, Emilio’s Ballato…plus a Mary O’s nightcap and tell her I sent you.

Le French Diner 𝕭𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖑 𝕻𝖚𝖇 | 𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙴𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚢 Nan Xiang lilfrankies Thai Diner radio bakery EmiliosBallato Mary O’s ☘️

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