Hope everyone had a great 4th!! I made this Barefoot Contessa flag cake to celebrate. While it’s definitely not as pretty as she makes hers (lack of time and tools on my part), it was very tasty! I didn’t photograph the process, just the end product! Enjoy!
Don’t know if zippy is the word I’m going for but I was trying to think of something that would describe these cilantro lime chicken skewers that have a hint of heat from a serrano chili and are nicely complimented by the chunks of pineapple. Maybe it’s the tequila that makes them zippy!
Anyway, I try and stay away from gimmicks - like skewers - when cooking because it just adds more prep time and just makes the food more “fun” but not necessarily taste better. I guess this time around, I was a little bored in the kitchen and did want to make something more “fun”. Besides, I finally figured out how to make loading up skewers faster - you have to soak the sticks ahead of time in water (maybe 20 minutes or so).
This chicken came out tasty but a tad dry - I don’t want to blame the grill master (my husband) - so let’s just blame it on the chicken breast! Next time I will make it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs (and you should too!!!). I served this with a light summer salad of romaine, tomatoes, corn, red onion, and avocado, dressed with olive oil and lemon.
With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, it’s time to get grilling (that is if you haven’t already). This Two Herb Chimichurri recipe is super easy and a great way to dress up grilled steak.
Chimichurri is a traditional Argentine topping made from parsely, garlic, oil and vinegar. Some folks like to spice it up with crushed red pepper but I keep it on the mild side. Instead of chopping everything by hand, I like to throw all of the ingredients in the food processor to blend (speeding up the process!).
This sauce is great on a bunch of different cuts of meat. I prefer and nice flap meat that has a decent amount of marbling but isn’t super fatty. It’s great on flank and skirt meat as well but can also be used to top grilled chicken.
For my birthday this year, I really wanted to make a classic double layer yellow cake with delicious chocolate frosting. Is it really a birthday treat when you are making it for yourself? In this case it totally was!!!
I had never made a double layer cake before and my birthday was a perfect excuse to make a super indulgent treat. Ahhh one year older but a little bit happier because of this cake!!
Two things you should know about making a strata:
1. It’s very easy to pull together, BUT
2. You need to prep and allow the dish to soak overnight.
Clearly, I didn’t realize point #2 until I was halfway through prepping the morning of my brunch. (Thanks Bon Appetit for putting that important tid bit of info in the middle of the recipe!) And while this Prosciutto & Goat Cheese Strata was delicious, it would’ve benefitted from an overnight soak.
So what I love to do with leftover parmesan chicken is to turn it into chicken parmesan. And literally it takes 15 mins to make, so all of the frying from the day before is totally worth it. Let’s be honest, this isn’t the lightest of meals (especially because I like to serve with a side of pasta) but it really makes eating leftovers quite awesome!
I usually just serve with a simple spaghetti dressed with a little olive oil, butter, salt and pepper. I was trying out a new recipe (which I still have to tinker with) so that’s why the picture above has penne. But I really do try and keep this meal really quick because I feel like that is the point of leftovers - to be quick and easy. Anyway, if serving with pasta, make sure to put a pot of water to boil right when you start cooking, so everything is ready to go at the same time!
This parmesan crusted chicken is a total win win meal. My husband loves it, my child loves it, it’s easy to pull together and makes for great leftovers. Served with a simple salad (I usually serve with arugula but this time I used romaine) of romaine, tomatoes, parmesan and a lemony vinagrete, this makes for delicious but not super heavy meal.
The best thing about this chicken is that you can use any leftovers and reinvent it into a completely different meal the next day. Clearly, that will be my next post! But on with this chicken dish…
Happy Friday! This tabbouleh salad makes me happy for sure. It is bright, delicious and a fun side for a spring meal. It’s super easy to make, just takes a little advance planning.
While I am mostly Cuban, I’m an 1/8 Lebanese (that counts right?) - so I credit my grandmother with teaching me how to make this. She taught my mom and so forth. Most tabboulehs I’ve ordered at restaurants are way too heavy on the parsley which I think are too harsh tasting. In my version (my family version) I tend to increase the bulgur to parsley ratio making it more appealing and delicious!
This apple & goat cheese tart is a mix between a dessert & a cheese plate. The recipe uses no sugar (just honey). So while it is a touch sweet from the honey and apples, it has a slight tangy cheese flavor. I served it after I made my Moroccan chicken and I have to say it was a nice subtle finish to the meal (no need to overwhelm the palette any further!).
P.S. These individual tarts make for a nice dinner party presentation.
I love getting ideas from friends about a dish I should try. That’s exactly how I came about making this Moroccan chicken tagine. My conversation with a friend went like this:
Friend (at 10am on a Saturday!): I just watched Barefoot Contessa and she made chicken tagine.
Me: Cool.
Friend: It’s looks really good. I think we should make it.
Me: Let’s do it.
AND done. It was delicious and made me want to hop on a plane straight to Morocco and eat my way through the country.
There are many ways to make a tagine, which is basically a moroccan stew, with different meats (lamb, chicken, beef) or different sauces (apricots, raisins, lemons). This one is with preserved lemons and olives. If you’ve never made a tagine or eaten at a Moroccan restaurant, this recipe is a good introduction to the cuisine. The mix of ingredients makes for an interesting meal without being too radical and the preparation is not difficult. It was really really good and was a nice change to my usual chicken dishes.
I think I discovered lamb when I was in college. I probably ate it earlier in life but I have these fond memories of coming home during a school break and my mom would grill up delicious lamb chops. I don’t know if it was the carnivore in me or just the fact I wasn’t eating another cafeteria salad that made me so happy! Regardless, I attribute the beginning of my love affair with lamb to that time in my life.
These lamb meatballs are so delicious and not nearly as expensive as lamb chops. They are so easy to pull together and baked in the oven so there is no oily mess from frying to deal with. They are great for a weeknight meal or fun as part of a dinner party menu.
Ok so I was bit of a skeptic when Gwyneth Paltrow came out with a cookbook - I mean she is a vegetarian and was on a crazy microbiotic diet for years. But I looked at the book at my sister-in-laws house and was intrigued by some of the recipes. I recently made her Ahi Tuna Burgers but with some changes (like using real mayonaise instead of veganaise - yuck!) and additions to brighten the flavors. I thought it was a good, solid take on the tuna burger.
PS - this is a good recipe for Fridays during lent!
So if you live in DC or have ever visited me here - I’m sure I’ve been to restaurant Zaytinya with you. I love this place - I go there for birthdays, a quick meal at the bar, or when family comes to visit. I even think it’s one of the few places you can take a child in DC and not get dirty looks from other patrons (unless, your child decides to screech at the top of her lungs!). It’s lively and fun and the food is top-notch.
One of my favorite dishes at the restaurant is the Garides Me Anitho - or Shrimp with Lemon & Dill. I seriously loooove this dish and could eat it every other day. I found the restaurant recipe online a couple of years ago but didn’t feel like it tasted the same when I made it. After tinkering with it, I think I’ve finally captured a delicious version. It also takes no time to make with about 5 ingredients, which now makes me feel bad when I pay $11 for the dish at the restaurant.
Nothing says “I love you” like some homemade milk chocolate pudding!!! I whipped together this special treat for Valentine’s Day in only 15 minutes and topped it with some fresh whipped cream. So easy and so deliciously chocolate. The key to this pudding is to use high quality chocolate (thank you Ghiradelli!).
Happy Valentine’s Day!
So I tried to post this before the Super Bowl (I made this during the playoffs) but I couldn’t get it to upload. I was trying to decide if I should just scratch this post because I feel like at this point most people are just chili’d out. BUT I love this recipe.
This is my take on Texas style chili. I know there are so many different types, with people favoring the one from the region. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the different chilis from different regions are known for. I just know that I found this recipe a long time ago and have been tinkering with it a little to make it the way I like it. I really like this recipe because it hits all of the notes a good chili should: smoke, heat, & spice.
This chicken is A-M-A-ZING! It will cure any craving you have for fried chicken. It is crispy and juicy and cooks in the oven (so much healthier). It takes 4 ingredients to make and is ready in 35 minutes. So it’s great for an easy weeknight dinner.
I served it with a hummus vinagrete for dipping and a blood orange, pomegranate, and goat cheese salad. It goes well with so many side dishes.
Ropa Vieja is one of those Cuban dishes that every Cuban mother or grandmother has a different way of making. Oh and every one of them claims they know the best way to make it. So when my friend Isabel and I decided to make this dish during our cook-a-thon, I had a dilema - do we go with my mother’s recipe which is pretty easy or do we use a chef friend’s recipe and go for a challenge? I think the name of this posting says it all.
So what makes this particular recipe, which translates to “old clothes,” highbrow? Well for one, the process includes words such as “mirepoix” and “deglaze.” Definitely not something my Abuela would say! Second, the process was intense and made for a very busy day in the kitchen. BUT this recipe sounded like a challenge and we were up for it. It was deliciously rich and was a very true tasting ropa vieja (being 100% Cuban, I am TOTALLY an expert). Maybe down the road, I will make my mother’s version to see which I prefer. But for now…
This past weekend my good friend Isabel and I spent all of Sunday cooking up an amazing feast that we shared with friends that night. A meal that started with these delicious Roasted Tomato Ricotta Crostini, included Ropa Vieja, and finished with a cinnamon cake was the perfect way to enjoy the long weekend.
The star of this appetizer is the tomato - so good. The tomatoes need to be roasted ahead of time and then soaked in olive oil but the great thing about this dish is all of the components can be prepped ahead of time and then pulled together quickly before company arrives.
So my dad, Papi, loves crab cakes. When we were down in Miami over the holidays, I wanted to make a meal he would really love since I rarely cook for him. These Baltimore Crab Cakes were just the ticket.
Whenever we are down in Miami, it is really difficult to peel myself off of the lounge chair outside (or stop playing with little lulu in the pool) and get inside to cook. Even with my mom’s dream kitchen, it’s really hard. So these were a perfect compromise. Delicious and decadent but pulled together extremely quick.
No, this isn’t a picture of a meal at Bourbon Steak. This is a boneless ribeye my husband grilled on Saturday and topped with mushrooms sauteed in olive oil with thyme and garlic. Best. Husband. Ever.
