This chowder is perfect when it’s cold outside—or make that downright frigid, as it is with the current Polar Vortex rearing its ugly head again. Here, fresh dill and cod take the place of parsley and clams, making this pottage taste deliciously different from the popular summer stalwart. For a soup so rich and satisfying, it comes together surprisingly quickly.

Our stock of fresh herbs consisted of everything except thyme, and as noted, the weather outside was no where near gardening season so I had to resort to using dried, which wasn’t a big deal. And while dill is probably my least favorite herb (although it has been growing on me lately), I strongly recommend that you purchase the fresh dill called for when you buy your fish because the flavor was perfect and not overwhelming.

Prep all of your ingredients first to ensure an easy flow while preparing the chowder. Keep in mind homemade seafood stock will provide so much more flavor than canned or boxed. If you don’t have any, try purchasing some at a local seafood mart. If you live near me, there is Madara’s (no relation to my Ex) Seafood at the Newtown Farmer’s Market. If all else fails, use clam juice.

We were thrilled that there was enough leftover for each of us to have lunch the following day.

Recipe by Ronne Day from Fine Cooking

An intriguing combination to be sure, roasting bok choy and butternut squash together on a sheet pan makes for easy prep and interesting texture. If you buy the squash already diced you’ll save yourself time and frustration because peeling the hard skin off of squash is no easy task.

But unfortunately I added extra steps and time because we were out of store-bought Teriyaki sauce, and I didn’t realize this error until dinner prep time. I quickly Googled a recipe for Teriyaki sauce and made a 1-cup batch, more than required, but it’s something I could refrigerate for later use.

Inevitably pork tenderloin comes packaged with two strips of meat, so since this only calls for one, freeze the other for later use. It’s almost a given that we’ll increase the amount of garlic called for in a recipe, and this one was no exception. Use as little, or as much as, your preference tolerates.

Recipe by Deborah Reid from Fine Cooking

Oooo la la! We were about to embark on an interesting, eclectic culinary experience peppered with a French-American flair at Robin’s Nest in Mount Holly, NJ. This gem of a restaurant is uniquely situated in a beautifully restored Victorian building filled with antiques; and, located in the heart of downtown Mount Holly overlooking the Rancocas Creek.

It was a few weeks after the Winter holiday season had given up the ghost when we made our grand appearance with my former coworker Francis Paixao and his wife Jane. Our original date with them was to have been four weeks earlier but due to the ever-increasing demands of pre-holiday planning, they had to postpone for a month. Yet once there, the holiday decor was still ever-present, as shown below.

Luckily we had a reservation because the joint was hopping, as I understand is usually the case. We were shown to a cozy four-top in a quiet corner of one charming room outfitted in maroon walls and period decor. Then, in addition to the regular menu we were offered an additional list of nightly specials.

Selections are creative and delicious with Robin’s Nest offering lunch and dinner entrées that are heart friendly, vegetarian and gluten-free.

Above and below are a few stock photos showing the interior spaces sans diners.

After placing drink orders, we finally settled on sharing a couple of starters. We were all intrigued by the Truffle Brussels Sprouts which came as a healthy portion of deep fried Brussels sprouts tossed in white truffle oil, sprinkled with an aged parmesan cheese and topped with crumbled crispy bacon. OMG, they were surprisingly light but packed with flavor. (Since bacon doesn’t usually agree with me, I tried to avoid most of it.)

Our other appetizer was the amazingly scrumptious Butternut Squash Cakes. Comprised of roasted butternut squash with rice, and pepper jack cheese they were also deep fried to perfection over goat cheese cream sauce topped with NJ cranberry chutney and toasted pumpkin seeds. Consensus was, these were probably the favorite, although it was a close race. I almost never eat deep fried food, but neither of these options were greasy in the least.

For entrées, Francis chose the Stuffed Pork Loin consisting of two lean pork loin medallions stuffed with traditional sourdough sage apple NJ cranberry stuffing wrapped in bacon, pan seared to perfection, and finished with a bourbon glaze. They were served with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley of carrots, cauliflower, zucchini and broccoli. Did he like it? By the looks of the clean plate, I’d say the answer was an astounding yes!

Jane and I seemed to be on the same page with our Blackened Tuna entrée. The combination of Ahi tuna, coated in cajun seasoning and sesame seeds, was pan seared to order (in our cases, medium), served with wasabi, pickled ginger, soy sauce, rice and the same aforementioned vegetable medley. Some of the accoutrements were a bit spicy for Jane who didn’t hesitate to give me her wasabi paste. Alas, we both surrendered halfway through and took home doggie bags of the leftovers.

Russ was excited to see one of their nightly specials was a Duck entrée (we can’t remember the tile). However, while it was served with a delicious polenta and perfectly cooked asparagus spears, in the end he was disappointed in the overcooked meat which he had ordered medium-rare, bathing in a sweet sauce, which for him was a bit cloying. This was the only pitfall of the evening.

Robin’s Nest is known for their large selection of delicious desserts so some of the gang was gung-ho to venture there. Jane and Francis opted to share the Chocolate Soufflé Roll with coffee liqueur cream filling topped with a swirl of whipped creme and a sprinkle of edible gold enhancements.

Not realizing the size of the dessert, Russ was a bit overwhelmed with his large glass of Chocolate Mousse topped with whipped creme and dark chocolate curls. Although it was very good, he said had he known, he would not have ordered it.

In addition to all of the wonderful delicacies, Robin’s Nest also offers live music inside and out (weather permitting), comedy nights, catering services, special events and psychic readings by Diana! We can’t wait to go back—possibly in warmer weather to dine al fresco…

Chicken thigh’s dark meat translates to reliable juiciness, but I prefer the white meat, so we added a couple of breasts along with the thighs to this crazy-good tasting Lemon Chicken Thighs dinner. No matter your choice of meat, their delectable skin will get as crispy as cracklin’ over a hot fire.

Capping off this one-skillet method is a punchy and bittersweet lemon vinaigrette built on the brown bits left in the skillet. And trust me when I tell you, that’s what you’re going to want to drag each bite of chicken through. Oohing and aahing all during dinner, we love-love-loved this meal!

You can see the breast skin got just as crispy as the thighs did. We served ours with lemony baby carrots (recipe below) and a side of couscous which was cooked with homemade chicken stock instead of water for even more flavor.

Both the poultry and the carrots are treated with lemons. In the case of the vegetables, make sure to use Meyer lemons, which are a cross between a citron and a mandarin—a hybrid citrus fruit native to China. The fruit is rounder than a true lemon, deep yellow with a slight orange tint when ripe, and has a sweeter, less acidic flavor.

And don’t skip the charring of the regular lemons in the chicken dish. Not only does the process help loosen them up to release their juices, but renders them bright and citrusy, and removes the bitterness. No reason why you couldn’t use Meyer lemons here too.

A few minor adjustments we made to the chicken directions included increasing the number of cloves and then chopping up the cooked garlic before adding it to the sauce. Also please note, depending on the size of your poultry pieces, you may have to add a few more minutes cooking time in the oven. Numerous reviewers admitted to cooking the chicken twice as long as the preparations call for, but ours were done in the original allotted time.

Drizzle half of vinaigrette on a platter and set chicken on top. Serve with remaining vinaigrette alongside.
I mean, look at how beautiful this meal is! And it’s even more delicious than gorgeous, if that’s possible…

http://www.lynnandruss.com

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Adapted from Recipe by Molly Baz at Bon Appétit

Baby Carrots with Meyer Lemon, Honey, Basil, and Mint

These carrots may quite possibly be the BEST cooked carrots we’ve ever eaten!

Recipe by Deborah Reid from Fine Cooking

You’re familiar with the soup and salad deal, right? Well, how about combining the two into one dish? This Chickpea and Celery Soup with Chile-Garlic Oil recipe transforms the ordinary combo of celery, onion, and chickpea into something delicious!

The celery/chickpea soup by itself is kind of boring, BUT with the addition of the garlic-chile oil and salted greek yogurt, it is elevated to the next level. There’s a complexity in the flavors that is really unlike any other soup. I had my doubts at first, but once I had a few spoonfuls, I was a convert.

And the fact that you can make this in about 20 minutes, well, need I say more? As far as ingredients, sometimes there are instances when forced to make substitutions, case in point with the onion. We used up our entire stock of onions during the week, but had shallots on hand. When cooked, they have a similar flavor profile.

Other times, due to personal preferences, you may change the amount of an ingredient, like we did with the chickpeas. The recipe only calls for 15.5 ounces but we purposely bought the larger 19 ounce size, and agreed the soup could stand to have even more of the healthy legumes, also known as garbanzo beans.

Make sure to prep all of your ingredients ahead of time.

My other tweaks included increasing the garlic to five huge cloves (you know how that goes), and extra celery stalk, 2% Greek yogurt, and homemade chicken stock, as opposed to store-bought. If you want to make this vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead. All-in-all, it’s hardy enough to be considered a meal in itself. Slurp up!

Recipe by Andy Baraghani from Bon Appétit Healthy-ish

Glazing vegetables is a sure-fire way to make them sing and impress your dinner guests. Here are two recipes that caused some buzz and are worth the additional effort.

Cider-and-Bourbon-Glazed Shallots

I don’t know about you, but we just adore shallots. So I got my freak on (in a good way) when I came across this Bon Appétit Cider-and-Bourbon-Glazed Shallots recipe with it’s sweet, salty, umami flavor profile. Now thats a way to make these tasty alliums shine! For those unfamiliar with them, a shallot—a type of onion—looks like a small, elongated onion but has a milder flavor with a hint of garlic.

The benefits shallots bring to heart health is becoming more widely appreciated. And did you know that they help by reducing bad cholesterol levels and prevent accumulations of plaque in the arteries? Such artery blockages count as one of the most common heart problem triggers. Also, shallots contain allicin and quercetin antioxidants. Studies show that the presence of these compounds with their strong anti-hypertensive properties lowers the risks of heart damage.

In some recipes, it is hard to determine whether the entire shallot bulb is needed or if the number count in the ingredient list refers to the number of shallot cloves. In general, if the recipe calls for one shallot, use all the cloves within that single shallot bulb. To me, the more, the merrier! Since it doesn’t have the same bite as onion, raw shallot is ideal in a salad or dressing, and won’t overpower more delicate dishes.

You can substitute shallots for onions, just follow the general rule of thumb that, for every small onion, use three small shallots. What may happen more often is that your recipe calls for shallots but you only have onion. Unfortunately, this swap only works if the shallots are to be cooked—raw onion tastes nothing like raw shallot.

This recipe is so easy and uses very few ingredients but delivers in spades when it comes to flavor. My only complaint with the recipe was in Step 3 which indicates liquid evaporation should occur after 5 minutes. I knew by looking at the amount of water and other liquids, along with previous reviewers comments, that was not going to happen. In fact, it took more than 6 times longer than that at over 30 minutes! I think you could probably get away with using only 1 cup of water instead of two…

Party Carrot Coins

Usually a side of cooked carrots is a rather mundane affair, but with this award-winning recipe, adapted from one found online by Helen Bethel, these glossy carrots, flavored with orange juice, cinnamon and ginger, are impressive enough for a special occasion.

Along with a spiral-baked ham and a cheesy potato au gratin, they were a perfect accompaniment to our potluck party for a dozen folks. Super easy to assemble, they can be cooked, cooled and refrigerated up to a day ahead, then gently reheated just before serving.

How could it be that the two of us—avid and accomplished home chefs—had never cooked a brisket before? It actually dumbfounded us, and felt we needed to remedy this omission in our culinary repertoire. A Red Wine-Braised Brisket recipe from Bon Appétit, gave us a jumping off point.

Mind you, their recipe called for a 5-pound brisket, way too big for the two of us. Instead we chose one half that size at 2 1/2 pounds and made numerous adjustments to most of the other ingredients, all of which are incorporated in our new recipe below.

You know those dishes that everyone says taste even better if you make them ahead of time? This is a perfect example. The flavors continue to deepen as the braise sits, and it’s that much easier to skim the surface when the sauce has a chance to chill—although there was no fat for us to skim! So go ahead and make it when you have a good chunk of time on your hands and then serve it during the week when you’re short on time, your family will thank you.

The depth of flavor was out of this world, and served with our side of Cider-and-Bourbon-Glazed Shallots, well it did temporarily transplant us to another universe, yes the meal was THAT good!

You may notice in one of the photos that I added the carrots in Step 3, instead of waiting until the last 30 minutes of braising. It wasn’t until three hours into the process that I realized my mistake and figured the carrots would turn to mush so I prepped a few more bunches of baby (and I mean tiny) carrots and nestled them in as noted in Step 5. Interestingly, the original additions weren’t mushy at all, and I was glad we had the extra carrots for our leftovers later in the week.

Apples with walnuts are the more common pairing, but The Mr. detests them, claiming walnuts taste like soap. I personally like them especially in baked goods, but to keep the peace, pecans became the nut of choice for this recipe. And they do have some redeeming health benefits, such as monounsaturated fats which help reduce the risk of heart disease.

In addition, since pecan nuts are fiber-packed, they improve digestion; are rich in magnesium which is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits; and are an excellent source of vitamin-E, vitamin-A, zinc, folate and phosphorous which play an important role in maintaining good skin. And let’s face it, they taste darn good too!

While on the subject of health, I incorporated whole wheat flour. When baking, you can replace part, but not all, of the all-purpose with whole wheat. Blending equal parts whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour lightens the finished product while maintaining the nutritional benefits of whole wheat. The end product has a slightly coarser texture and less volume, which I prefer.

One slice with a schmear of butter (or maybe apple butter?) with your cuppa joe—or green tea in my case—makes for a perfect start on a busy morning…

Meatballs in Almond Sauce is a great party food served with little plates, or a substantial main course for six people. Taken from “Tapas” by Penelope Casas, the sauce of ground almonds in this dish creates a dense, flavorful coating, almost thick enough to eat with a fork.

According to Penelope, these meatballs come from Santa Maria del Paular, a hotel on the grounds of a Benedictine monastery. Guests are told to “respect the silence of the grounds” with this enclave being a welcome respite from the hectic world of Madrid, some 40 miles away. But you don’t have to travel to Spain to enjoy this wonderful Albondigas en Salsa de Alemendra tapa, just make them at home.

In the final step the sauce is supposed to thicken. Well that didn’t seem to be happening for me, I’m guessing it was because I used Spanish Marcona almonds (go figure), which tend to be a bit oilier than regular blanched almonds. So I removed the meatballs from the pot, added in some ground blanched almonds and boiled it for a few minutes to reduce the mixture. Luckily that worked and I slipped the meatballs back in.

The dish was our contribution to a party of eight about 25 minutes away. We placed them in an oven-safe serving dish wrapped with tinfoil, and gently reheated them upon arrival.

We love pasta and using a whole-grain variety somehow makes one feel a little bit better about consuming it. Here, the rustic pasta is enhanced with the mild sweetness of roasted peppers and shrimp, and the kick of a spicy garlic marinade. You can use jarred roasted peppers, if you like, but roasting your own will make the pasta tastier, especially if you make them a day ahead.

To roast the peppers you can do so on a grill, under a broiler, or directly over a burner on a gas stove like I did. Once blackened all around, seal them in a ziploc bag for about 15-20 minutes, this will loosen the skin so you can easily sloth it off. Our box of whole-grain farfalle was only 8 ounces as opposed to 12, but it was more than enough for two of us with plenty of leftovers.

I’ve mentioned many a time, that our broiler is sub-par and I wasn’t confident it would sear the shrimp properly so I used a skillet method (noted in the directions below). Doing this, I didn’t have to remove the shrimp from the marinade or pat them dry, lending more of the spicy flavor to the dish. Plus, the reserved pasta water wasn’t needed, saving yet another step. It is also much easier to flip the shrimp in a skillet then under a hot broiler, just sayin’ 😉

Adapted from a recipe by Maria Speck from Fine Cooking

It was the holidays so of course I had to raise the bar on dessert, right? Which is exactly what I did for a dinner we were invited to just days before Christmas. I usually bring an appetizer, but I was in the mood to take a walk on the sweet side of life with these Fudgy Layered Irish Mocha Brownies.

But I elevated their status another tier or two with the green colored mocha layer—after all the name includes “Irish” and it was Christmas. Plus, a smattering of dark chocolate chips on top of the ganache takes it over the top, especially for chocolate lovers like the hostess Barb.

They are quite simple to make, but have to be assembled in three stages: the brownie layer, the mocha middle, and the ganache topping. Keep in mind, there is some refrigeration time after both the icing and the chocolate finale.

If sweet is your thing, then these brownies are for you… If you have any left after a couple of days, wrap tightly and refrigerate. Bring to room temp before serving again.

Recipe found on TasteOfHome.com

Who doesn’t love meatballs, other than vegetarians of course? These little mini chicken meatballs will steal your heart not only because they are charmingly quaint and fit in your mouth in one easy bite, but also they taste fabulous! We have to thank Giada De Laurentiis for the Orecchiette with Chicken Meatballs recipe. (Orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian.)

Now ground chicken can be somewhat difficult to handle. One trick I’ve learned is to keep a bowl of water at the ready so you can keep your fingers and palms moist as you roll the balls. If you have time or can make the mixture ahead, refrigerating it for a few hours can also make it easier, but it’s not necessary. I did not use any instrument other than my hands to form them—which made exactly 60 as the recipe indicated.

The second time I made them I took the suggestion of another reviewer and used chili garlic sauce instead of ketchup, which gives an ever-so-slightly spicy component rather than a sweet one—but that’s a personal preference.

The first go-around, the bocconcini mozzarella cheese ingredient was a bit of a mystery to us, as it was to the cheese monger at the store who also had never heard of it. So while we just bought a chunk of regular mozzarella, later we found out that Bocconcini, described by its Italian name which means small mouthfuls, are small mozzarella cheeses the size of an egg. We just diced our block into small cubes. The second time making this, I used the small mozzarella balls.

In the end, it was such a nice change to have a light, brothy sauce instead of a heavy one. And of course it will make a noticeable difference if you can incorporate homemade chicken stock as opposed to the boxed or canned store-bought varieties. But it’s not a deal breaker if you don’t have any because there is a lot of flavor in the meatballs themselves.

Adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Recently roast a chicken and have leftovers? Use the remaining meat, or buy a small rotisserie chicken at the supermarket—either way, you’ll have this Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde dinner on the table in 30 to 45 minutes depending on your cooking method of choice.

The following recipe details using the broiler, but as I’ve complained on numerous occasions, my broiler is a bit finicky to say the least, so I heated them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until the cheese just starts to brown. But if you’re confident in your broiler’s abilities, go ahead and use that route, it’ll save you about 15 minutes.

Our cheese was a shredded Mexican mix with jalapeños and then I tossed in a bit of leftover shredded cheddar for an additional pop of color—and let’s face it, more cheese 😉 Meanwhile, you can make the side dish of Mexican Rice and Beans which take a total of 40 minutes to assemble. If you have any leftovers, it’s very good by itself reheated.

WOW, the name alone gets my mouth watering! And paired with our Cauliflower, Pear and Fennel Soup and Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Parsnips side dish, what a meal it made! It’s a little time intensive and a bit tricky to wrap, but you’ll amaze yourself when you take the first bite.

Initially I wanted to get one larger pork tenderloin, but it’s almost impossible to get just one from our grocery store, they always seem to come prepackaged with two. A one-pounder just didn’t seem like it was going to be enough for four of us (let alone 6-8 as the recipe describes), so we devised a way of overlapping the two, giving us nearly 2 pounds of meat. Well, let’s just say, there was a good bit leftover…

Since we did enlarge our portion of meat, we doubled the amount of glaze, a smart move. My only critique would be to perhaps include a pan sauce or gravy to spoon over the slices when plated.

Prosciutto makes a fantastic wrap, holding the bread stuffing in place and crisping up during roasting. If it’s a bit on the fatty side, the fat will melt away, revealing the stuffing underneath. A little cayenne in both the stuffing and the glaze balances the dish’s inherent sweetness.

Here’s a step-by-step visual before the written directions:

Gather your ingredients

Sauté the onions and celery

Toast the bread cubes

Strain the apricots over a bowl, squeezing them to extract more liquid

Whisk the broth and eggs, and pour over the bread mixture, toss well

Shingle 2 rows of prosciutto to roughly make a 14×14-inch square

Use your hands to lightly press the stuffing mixture into an even layer, leaving a border on top and bottom and on each side

Position the pork across the center of the stuffing


Lift the plastic to help wrap the prosciutto and stuffing around the pork, and continue to roll up like a sushi roll, encasing the pork with the stuffing and prosciutto

Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto, then wrap the roll tightly in the plastic wrap, twisting the ends to tightly compress the roast

Remove the plastic wrap from the pork and place the pork seam side down in the center of the rack

…. According to Zagat… And Fayette Street Grille is among the recipients of the 2017 Experts’ Choice Award—fewer than 2% of restaurants worldwide receive this honor! Who can argue with these accolades? Opened in 1998, Fayette Street Grille has proven their worth with consistently providing high-quality food and attentive service. The BYO with a three-course prix fixe dinner menu, an open kitchen, and a casually elegant atmosphere was perfect for an evening out.

Our friends Karen and Ed Mortka chose the establishment—somewhere between our two places of residence, because they had been there before to celebrate their anniversary, and loved it. And we’re always up for trying new restaurants, especially BYOs with great ratings. We were more than willing to make the 35-minute road trip.

Located in a small brick building in the heart of Conshohocken on Fayette Street, arriving practically at the same time, we found street parking directly in front. Since it was on the early side (for us anyway), inside there were many unoccupied tables and a smattering of high tops, but as the night wore on the place filled up, and the noise-level rose quite a few decimals.

It had been a while since the four of us got together so we chatted and sipped wine for about a half hour before we put in our food orders. Their three-course meal includes a half dozen choices under each header beginning with Starters, followed by Entrées and ending with Desserts. Once we made our choices, a basket of warm, crusty, toasted bread (always a good sign of things to come) arrived at the table and we continued the conversations.

All of the listings were tempting so it took a while to finalize our choices. Ed and I were on the same page with Starters as we both chose the Beef Kabobs skewered with seasoned, grilled medium-rare beef cubes, bell peppers, mushrooms and yellow squash then topped with a sesame-wasabi vinaigrette and microgreens. While I did think the kabob was good, the dish wasn’t over-the-top thrilling for me.

But Russ and Karen couldn’t say enough about their selection of Mushroom and Crab Ragout containing seasonal mushrooms, crab claw meat, chopped garlic and fresh parsley tossed in a roasted vegetable veloute and gorgeously plated in a phyllo dough cup with a pop of microgreens.

For entrées we all went a different direction, although it wasn’t an easy choice for any of us because everything sounded delicious. However, I pretty much knew Russ would get the Port Wine Braised Shank of Lamb which was accompanied by braised red skin potatoes and braising vegetables plated on a bright yellow dish. Did he love it? You betcha!

The Mediterranean Bass Blanco was calling my name, and I am sooo glad to have chosen it as it was one of the most sublime pieces of fish I’ve ever eaten—no doggie bag for me! The shallow poached bass was served over a pillowy lemon-thyme risotto, and finished with a seafood bechamel and a side of roasted green beans. OMG, I think I died and went to heaven!

Karen elected to try the Seared Ahi Tuna, something she said she’d never had before. The ample portion was seared rare and placed onto a pineapple and sage risotto with those same roasted green beans, then all finished with an orange-sesame vinaigrette. Let me just say, that we all cleaned our plates, with no leftovers what-so-ever…

Not to be outdone, Ed ordered the Shrimp Monsignor (now how did it get that name?) which was sautéed with shiitake mushrooms, diced tomato and basil, ladled over a bowl of penne in a light seafood broth. The added microgreens did not thrill him, so wife Karen was the recipient of that ingredient.

Since dessert came with the meal, everyone ordered, although I took my Chocolate Gateau served with Mint Creme to-go. (We hosted a brunch for 7 the next morning and everyone had a taste.) As with the Starter, both Russ and Karen chose the same Apple Crisp served with Vanilla Ice Cream. Ed on the other hand opted for the Saint Louis Butter Cake with Strawberries. BTW, all desserts are prepared in-house.

The pace was very leisurely and we never felt rushed. In fact, even after dessert we continued chatting and before we knew it, it was over 3 1/2 hours since we sat down! While it is not exactly in our back yard, we know for sure we’ll be making another road trip to Fayette Street Grill.