Does moist, flavorful chicken with crispy skin float your boat? Then look no further. This recipe is very similar to one we often cook using the whole bird. You can vary the herbs as you like, but stick to the hardy ones—thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano. They’ll roast without burning and have a stronger flavor.

While the Baked Chicken with Herbs, Garlic & Shallots takes longer overall than most of my weeknight recipes, the process is largely hands off and the oven does the lion’s share of the work.

Because we are extremely partial to the allium family, we increased the number of shallots and garlic cloves, which is noted in the list of ingredients below. And while it’s optional, we definitely made the au jus, but for more flavor, we incorporated homemade chicken stock and white wine in place of one cup of water, and it was mighty tasty!

Our side of Roasted Vegetables was a perfect companion to the baked poultry and the meal was complete with some leftover reheated spiced polenta. Take the easy way and use frozen pearl onions. Fresh are great, but they are no picnic to peel.

Chicken recipe adapted from Abigail Johnson Dodge of Fine Cooking

I’m throwing you a lifeline to rescue you from those dull, bland salads that we all tend to throw together at home. Instead, try this super-healthy and fabulously delicious Red Pepper, Shrimp and Papaya Salad. It’s chockfull of nutrients that boost your immunity, vision, heart and brain health. Got your attention now?

While oranges are perennial favorites as an immune booster, it’s time to shine the light on papayas. They boast slightly more vitamin C than the all-star orange and are loaded with betacarotene, an antioxidant that helps protect tissues from cellular damage. Plus, eating antioxidant-rich food can help you feel less sluggish and decrease your risk of chronic disease.

Additionally, the sweet red peppers add color, crunch and lots of vitamins, boost heart health, and strengthen immunity such as ferulic acid, an anti-aging skin phytonutrient. And who doesn’t need a little help in that arena—especially after a certain age…

A papaya as it looks once cut in half.

The bonus on papaya? It’s high in fiber that feeds the good bacteria in your gut! You’ll feel like a million dollars when you’re done eating. My papaya was a bit large so I only used half of it. But the remainder was perfect in a morning fruit salad containing sliced bananas and watermelon chunks.

Bring on the summer!

After making the dressing, prep all of the veggies and chop the nuts.

Assemble all of the salad ingredients on a couple of plates, then top with shrimp, nuts and dressing.

Recipe adapted from one found in Bottom Line Health

Let’s just say I was more than a bit skeptical about poaching steak, especially a rib-eye, which is what we substituted for the flat iron steak. First of all, it’s difficult to even find flat iron in our area, and secondly, it’s not the best cut of meat if cooked incorrectly, whereas rib-eye is a sure bet. But if you do use it, the deep flavor of flat iron steak works really well with the umami-rich soy sauce and sesame oil featured in this dish.

Unless you prefer an obvious sweet note, you may want to cut back on the amount of granulated sugar seeing as how mirin is a subtly sweet Japanese rice wine. It is similar to sake, but has more sugar and a lower alcohol content (14% to be precise). If you don’t have mirin, you can sub in a dry sherry or a sweet marsala wine.

I was disappointed that the grocery store wasn’t carrying fresh edamame, but the frozen kind worked out just as well. Be sure to let it thaw for a spell before you begin cooking.

By Lynne Curry from Fine Cooking

Fajitas, a fast and fun answer to “what’s for dinner?” Adults and kids alike will enjoy assembling their own version of the perfect fajita. Figure on three per person—we each built two, with a third sans the tortilla, more like a small side salad.

For more color, choices and additional flavor, I added Trader Joe’s Autentica salsa and chopped Bibb lettuce as ingredients. And why not include a mix of bell peppers with the yellow, orange and/or green varieties? A lime wedge as garnish enables you to add an extra squirt of lime if desired.

While chicken breasts are fine cuts, and always popular, there are a few other cuts from the poultry aisle worth buying and exploring. The rich, dark meat of boneless, skinless chicken thighs stands up well to intense flavors like the cumin, red pepper, and lime in this quick and easy dish. Though I’m still mostly a white meat fan, boneless chicken thighs in particular have been gaining in popularity with me.

Cooking the peppers and onions in the same pan that you seared the chicken amps up the flavor of the veggies from the browned bits stuck to the skillet. And be sure to drizzle any juices from the resting thighs over the sliced meat for another boost of tastiness.

By Adam Ried from Fine Cooking

And the birthday celebration continued into another day…

The Brick Hotel was a Newtown Borough, PA icon for many decades but fell on bad times for a few years to the point of Gordon Ramsey of Hell’s Kitchen fame coming in and trying to resurrect it’s glory days. Didn’t happen. After Gordon’s revamp and prompted by GroupOns, we dined there on a few Saturday nights only to find it pretty much deserted of patrons.

Not the case anymore. Now known mostly as a steak house, Rocco’s at The Brick, the reincarnated restaurant occupying the main floor of the historic Brick Hotel, reopened in late January, 2018. And every time we drove by it, it was packed, no matter the time of day. And no matter how far in advance we’d try, we failed to secure dinner reservations but were finally able to score for a Sunday brunch. It was to celebrate Russ and his son Dan’s mutual birthdays while Dan was in town visiting with his girlfriend Tina.

Our foursome table was positioned in the large enclosed spacious porch with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the outside patio and gardens. In a nod to the dual birthday celebration brunch, we ordered a carafe of Mimosas to get us started. Then we set about the task of narrowing down our choices which included the regular menu along with an additional brunch addendum, from which both Dan and Dad chose their meals.

The pace was somewhat slow because, according to our waiter Frank, the kitchen was a bit backed up. This suited us just fine because it gave us an opportunity to chat, enjoy our drinks and peruse the menus. Looking out the wall of windows, I was shocked to see a Philadelphia Trolley Car packed full of sightseers roaming the town making several trips past the restaurant. Is this a new offering in Newtown?

Up first, Tina opted for a House Special, the Filet Mignon French Dip composed of a crusty baguette packed full of moist, sliced beef tenderloin with a side of au jus and sharp cheddar fries. She managed to consume all of the crunchy fries, but had to doggie-bag half of the sandwich.

The Twin Maryland Crabcakes, also a House Special, were calling my name. They came plated over a bed of tasty remoulade with a side salad and grilled asparagus. I didn’t leave as much as a crumb. Although they were not on par with the very best crab cakes I’ve ever had (at Brian’s in Lambertville, NJ), they were certainly up there at the top of the list.

Now the guys decided on heartier fare with Russ selecting the brunch item Crab Cakes Benny. He loved the extremely thick slabs of bacon nestled between the Maryland crab cakes and two poached eggs slathered with a generous helping of hollandaise sauce.

Daniel went all out with the Kansas City Steak & Eggs entrée. The 22-ounce, medium-rare, bone-in NY Strip came topped with fried eggs and was loaded with truffled potatoes and a side of grilled asparagus. Dan managed to finish all but a few veggie spears and a bit of meat around the bone, which Russ had them bag up for a later gnaw.

Shortly before we finished eating, the skies opened up and there was an unexpected downpour which made for an interesting show as patrons ran out of the building without umbrellas trying hopelessly to dodge the raindrops. We pretty much waited for the showers to dispense before we said our goodbyes and then Dan and Tina started their journey back to Massachusetts—and us to the grocery store… We’re looking forward to one day getting a dinner reservation…

For Russ’ birthday dinner celebration (other than the porterhouse steak feast enjoyed at home a few days prior), we took a quick trip to Barcelona—no, not in Spain, but the Barcelona Wine Bar nestled among the destination restaurants on Philly’s hottest food strip. Located on a triangular corner on East Passyunk Ave, it’s a very hip dining spot with an industrial, eclectic décor vibe that includes a dressmaker’s dummy in a glass case.

It’s a raw, fun space with cinder block walls and concrete floors. I read that some of the lights were recovered out of a warehouse and some are actually chicken feeders! There’s a “jigsaw puzzle” wall made of wood slabs with spaces between them which breaks up the large room, loosely dividing the dining area from a big white marble U-shaped bar lined with high stools.

After following the crazy directions given by the car GPS system, we were thrilled when we found a parking spot just a few short steps from the front entrance. It had been raining on and off all day, and the humidity was through the roof so we opted to dine inside as opposed to their spacious outdoor patio—which BTW, was packed by the time we departed a few hours later.

Thank goodness we’d snuck a peek at their extensive wine list ahead of time, because it is pages and pages long (over 450 bottles strong) and would’ve taken forever to make a decision if we’d come in unknowingly. As one of the largest Spanish wine programs in the US, they offer an extensive selection from Spain and South America, and Russ had narrowed it down to several, finally deciding on the Azul Temperanillo.

As you know, I rarely eat bread but when the basket arrived with thick, still-warm-from-the-oven crusty slices and a pour of really good extra virgin olive oil, I knew I’d have to sample it. WOW, what a perfect start! Now to make some savory selections…

Starters were from the Charcuterie & Cheese menu with a selection of three for only $17.50. Our choices included Idiazábal, a smoked raw sheep’s milk cheese from the Basque Country served with a small dollop of quince paste which perfectly paired with the nutty and robust flavors. The Valdeón was a tangy and spicy goat and cow’s milk blue cheese from the Castilla-León region and made a perfect counterpoint to the mound of paper-thin slices of Segovia-raised Jamón Serrano, a dry-cured Spanish ham, and an all-time favorite for Russ.

Of the more than 30 different Tapas listed, we selected five with a variety of vegetables and meats, some priced as low as $4.50 per plate. (There are also vegetarian and vegan options.) We asked our waitress Randi to bring out the dishes slowly starting with our choices of two veggie tapas, the very tasty Piquillo Peppers in a garlic confit with thyme, and the Champiñones, succulent mushrooms marinated in garlic and scallions.

Next up were the Albondigas, a quintet of delicious spiced meatballs bathed in a ham-tomato sauce. The last arrivals were the Patatas Bravas wedges plated with wooden spears into a salsa brava and yummy garlic aioli; and four perfectly round and delicately fried Jamón & Manchego Croquettes lined up over a swath of that same garlic aioli. These were almost a little too rich for my taste.

When Randi came back to check on us, she saw one potato wedge left and refused to clear the plate until Russ popped it in his mouth. By this time I couldn’t eat another bite, but Russ felt compelled to finish his birthday celebration with a sweet treat and landed on the Crema Catalan Flan and a cup of Café Con Leché. BTW, in case you’re not in a tapas mood, the menu includes several Ensaladas, a few meat entrees and a handful of Paellas to share.

As we were leaving, Russ received a token for his birthday and we also got another at our departure for having filled out the short survey when we got our tab. One was for a complimentary drink and another for a free tapa. Aw shucks, I guess we’ll have to make another short trip to Barcelona soon…

…In my beautiful, my beautiful, hot air balloon… cookies for Maddie’s 1st birthday. Who’s Maddie? I’ve never met the adorable little bundle of joy, but Russ works with her mom Shin. It so happens whenever I make my decorated sugar cookies, Russ’ coworkers are the happy recipients of the “extra” cookies which he dutifully totes into the office. And Shin LOVES them! She admitted to having five the last time Russ brought some in.

So apparently Shin got to thinking they would make a great addition to her pastel-palette, hot air balloon-themed daughter’s 1st birthday party (for 100 people no less!) I received a text from her one week before deadline, which would necessitate Russ to deliver them via a work transfer toward the end of the week (because Shin and her family live nowhere near us.) Not a lot of time to plan, purchase, bake and decorate—but I sometimes work better “under pressure” (the melody to Queen’s song playing in my head.)

Knowing from past experience that each batch makes 2-3 dozen—depending on size of the cookie cutter—I made three batches of dough. But I had to wait a day to cut out and bake them until the cookie cutters that I ordered through Amazon were delivered (to add variety, I decided to also make some “1” cookies.) After all were cut out and baked, it made just over 6 dozen, with the leftover two cookies going to Russ for taste-testing purposes 😉

Shin’s color scheme included touches of gold so I dabbed on a bit of gold powder on the basket portion of the cookies and added two edible gold stars on the chute portion. The number “1” treats also each contained a gold star as part of the decor.

While the cookie dough itself is easy-peasy, if you’ve never worked with Royal Icing, it can be a bit tricky and takes patience and practice to get the feel of the consistency and technique for both the piping (which is stiffer) and flooding (which is thinner). And, if like me, you start getting elaborate with the designs, it can take hours, even days, to complete the task of icing. So you might want to start with a single batch, just sayin’…

I incorporate an “assembly-line” technique to create my designs, knowing when to pipe and flood, then add flourishes and final embellishments. Often, one layer of the icing will need to dry before you can begin the next step, so plan on blocking out large chunks of time to complete your designs.

PS—Shin actually took the time to individually wrap each cookie for the guests. As I understand it, the poor mom and Maddie were both under the weather for the party, but they “rose” to the occasion and were party troopers instead of party poopers…

An interesting twist on a Marsala dish, this recipe will surely make a comeback in our household. The initial instructions directed you to brown the meatballs under a broiler, but our broiler is often times less-than-satisfactory; plus you don’t get the advantage of having the browned bits left in the skillet which add a wonderful depth of flavor to the mushroom sauce.

Speaking of mushrooms, we selected a mix of portobellos, creminis and shiitakes and they were fabulous! And being connoisseurs of everything mushroom, we upped the ante by incorporating a full pound as opposed to 12 ounces.

My other changes included increasing the amount of ground meat to one pound each of the beef and sweet sausage (therefore requiring a slight bump in the bread crumbs to a 1/2 cup), adding minced garlic, and reducing the chopped parsley down to 3/4 cup, (all noted below.) For those suffering from a gluten intolerance, the meatballs are easily made with GF breadcrumbs and flour.

You know I always harp on incorporating homemade broth whenever possible and I’m advocating that here too because of the tasty intensity it adds to both the mushroom sauce and the mashed potatoes. It’s quite filling, so even though your tastebuds may want a second helping, your stomach will probably have to settle for leftovers on another day—all dependent of course on the fact that there is any left!

Adapted from a recipe by the Food Network Kitchen

We’ve been fans of Fine Cooking’s “Make-It-Tonite” series for a couple of years now. Their recipes generally take only 25-45 minutes to prep and cook, yet produce lots of flavor. Here, boneless chicken thighs get treated to sweet, salty, and gingery flavors. Sake, a Japanese rice wine, balances the bold flavors of garlic and soy sauce with its subtle savory-sweet notes. The smaller florets on broccolini are great for mopping up the vibrant sauce, though broccoli works well, too.

Unfortunately we were plum out of sake, so I had to make a special trip to the liquor store. Now I can say with some confidence, while I’ve imbibed in sake in the past (like my 20’s), I don’t know a heck of a lot about the different brands. So when faced with a choice, I decided to buy the small black bottle that was twice as expensive as the large cheaper stuff figuring it would be a lot smoother. I convinced myself we were worth the extra cost.

Well, I got to tell you, the meal was great! Can’t definitively say it was because of the more costly sake, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt the flavor profile. And because it tore at my heart strings to discard the ginger planks, I sliced them down and mixed it in, which added a nice bite.

Because of the sugar, the sauce got quite thick and sticky after it was reduced down. If you prefer it thinner, keep an eyeball on it while it reduces. Serve with white or brown rice.

By Abby Simchak Donovan from Fine Cooking

Mondays have never been my most favorite day of the week (especially when I was working full time), but having a meal plan in place makes it just a smidge more accommodating. And while we’re not strict advocates of “Meatless Monday,” we tend to keep it in the weekly rotation as often as possible.

This Butter-Basted Spiced Cod with Polenta recipe found in Fine Cooking’s “Make-It-Tonight” series looked like a fine contender, especially given the fact that we conveniently had some homemade harissa on hand. Harissa is a North African paste made of ground dried chile peppers, garlic, olive oil, and spices; and is not the easiest condiment to find. You can make your own following this recipe from an earlier blog (scroll down toward the bottom of the post.)

Baking the cod in melted butter added a richness to the fish that nicely balanced the heat from the harissa. Nestling the fish over the polenta topped with the melted butter brought the dish together; with the green herb garnish adding a pleasant pop of color and earthy finishing touch.

We made a few minimal changes to the original recipe by Ronne Day. For starters we purchased a one-pound piece of cod loin and cut it down into 3 equal pieces. Therefore our baking dish was smaller, measuring 8 x 8 square; but I kept the amounts of the other ingredients as listed since we like saucier finishes.

To add dimension to the polenta, I used 3 cups of homemade seafood stock as opposed to water, and WOW, did it make a difference not only in taste but the gorgeous goldenrod color.

As a side, we made Fennel-Orange Salad with Red Onion and Olives, a really nice change from lettuce and spinach salads. This popular Sicilian salad is made with blood oranges when they are in season, but navel oranges work just as well. This salad is sure to cheer you up with its soft bright colors and zingy flavors.

We love lettuce wraps: so tasty and so fun to assemble. The zesty flavors in these Korean-Style Spicy Steak Lettuce Wraps make them an interactive standout—but you have to like a kick to your food, mostly from gochujang.

More and more recipes call for gochujang, the popular Korean chili paste with the spicy and bold miso-like flavor. But as popular as it has become, it can still be tough to track down. The good news is there are many ways to substitute for gochujang. The bad news: none will have the same complexity of flavor. Authentic versions of this Korean chili paste ferment for months to get that sweet and sharp miso bite.

You’re best bet is to check out an Asian Mart, that’s where we find it every time. But if you seriously can’t find any locally, try ordering it over the Internet before trying to replicate your own. In desperation, the grocery store alternatives are Sriracha chili sauce or a Thai chili paste, but neither are truly viable alternatives.

OMG, both the main entrée, Garlicky Shrimp and Tomatoes, and the accompanying Orange-Scented Rice Pilaf with Fennel are an amazing duo that’ll win a spot in your rotation for sure! The combination of flavors in this memorable shrimp dish is reminiscent of cioppino, San Francisco’s popular seafood stew. A jolt of fresh flavor with raw garlic gets stirred into the tomato sauce at the end of cooking, unusual in that it is also an ingredient in the initial stages.

Of course you know I am a strong proponent of using homemade stock because the flavor impact is so much more pronounced than the bland contents of canned or boxed. In place of the clam juice, you could use homemade seafood stock if you’re lucky enough to have some on hand. Otherwise, use a good brand of clam juice.

Although the ingredients list instructs you to get peeled shrimp, buy unpeeled jumbos, the shells will be a perfect addition to your body bag (kept in the freezer.) Accumulate enough over time to make a batch of homemade seafood stock for future recipes. Remember, a pressure cooker shortens the process of making stock down to mere minutes.

The rice pilaf, by one of our all-time favorite chef/authors Molly Stevens, is subtly perfumed, light and fluffy, and compliments the shrimp dish perfectly—especially with fennel as an ingredient in both. In this side dish, you’ll want to incorporate homemade chicken stock (or vegetable for vegetarians.) 

By Selma Brown Morrow from Fine Cooking

Orange-Scented Rice Pilaf with Fennel

Once finished, the rice can sit, covered, for up to 30 minutes before serving.

Refreshingly Spring! Fresh mint, a classic pairing with peas, brightens this creamy pasta dish. This melodious and quick meal came from Fine Cooking’s Make It Tonight series by Jessica Bard. Many of our recipes tend toward the spicy side of life, but this one exudes a mellower composite of flavors without being bland.

The little mezze penne size made for a perfect mouthful without screaming pasta. And our ham was not smoked and weighed in at closer to over a half pound. No leftover ham? The recipe would work fine with one (or two) of those prepackaged slices. Or try a thick slice of pancetta to amp up the flavor.

Disappointingly the grocery stores weren’t carrying fresh peas, even though it was the height of Spring 😦 But the frozen variety worked quite nicely, just make sure to thaw them ahead of time. And I made a birdbrain move while shopping when I grabbed the feta cheese because I unknowingly picked up fat free, so to compensate, we also included some grated parm. All-in-all, we really liked this dish.

Woohoo! It is FINALLY grilling weather here in the Northeast U.S. After what seemed like an endless winter, the month of May blossomed with above average temps, low humidity, a soothing breeze, and a break from the wetness. Everywhere you look, people are smiling and I’m feeling human again…

Time to bust out the “ole barbie.” And while you can grill just about anything, we were in the mood for our tasty Deconstructed Chicken, Sausage and Veggie Kebabs. What’s nice about these puppies is you don’t have to thread every single morsel unto a skewer. The veggies all get dumped into a heated grill basket and only the meat pieces are speared. (Since the sausage cooks quicker than the chicken, they need to be on separate spikes.) Portioning the ingredients this way allows diners to eat as little or as much meat and vegetables as they prefer.

Speaking of the meat, if you’re not a dark meat fan (white meat is usually my preference), go ahead and use chicken breasts instead. And while we opted for some Iberico Buttifara Spanish sausage, go wild and crazy with whatever brand your little heart desires—just make sure to choose fat links.

And BTW, we prefer the flat metal skewers as opposed to the round wooden ones. Reasons being, you don’t have to soak them so they won’t catch fire, and because they’re flat the morsels stays in place; plus they are reusable—waste not, want not. An added grain such as couscous, rice, orzo or quinoa rounds out the meal.

NOTE: The spelling kabob is mostly used by North Americans as they try to transliterate the sound for the dish, kebab, that is made with grilled meat in Arab countries.

99.9% of the time I do not eat sweets or baked goods, especially for breakfast. But I volunteered for a Master Gardner event that took place starting early on a Saturday morning, and they requested donations of homemade breakfast items to help feed the crew.

Yeah, I could’ve bought a dozen bagels from a local bakery, but that’s just not the way I roll (pun intended). So after a bit of nosing around on the Internet, I found a tempting Glazed Apple Crumb Muffin recipe (thanks to sallysbakingaddiction) that I altered a bit. I particularly liked the fact that I had all of the ingredients on hand and didn’t have to make a special trip to the supermarket.

Well, of course I had to try one before I submitted the muffins to the event, right? Wouldn’t want to put something out there that was inedible, you follow? While still warm, I sliced one in half and took a bite… then another bite… and another, until it was all gone! It literally melted in my mouth. Nobody was more shocked than me…

A dozen of these were earmarked for the event, one I ate, and one was saved for Hubby. Knowing his abhorrence of walnuts, I left that muffin sans nuts. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t 😉 BTW, Russ ate his the next morning before heading to work, and he agreed, it was truly yummy.

How did they fare with the volunteer crew? I’m not totally sure, but several of my mates grabbed one during our lunch period and planned to nosh on it later…

Above, Chris holds one of the muffins as does Terri (can only see her arms in the lower right); while George gives us a radiant smile.