Chicken Marsala

Finally, a definite WIN!! Chicken Marsala. Those Italians, they really know their way around a kitchen.

Chicken Piccata

I've made this a couple times recently. It's a perfect example of how good chicken can be. Sometimes I fall into the trap of complaining that chicken is so boring. But when you break out of your norm and actually put in a little effort, it's DEE licious! Thanks Ina! And mom for sharing!

Healthy Eats

Over the weekend, I was in the mood for healthy and delicious (as if that's news). Naturally- I turned to Greek/Mediterranean food! I had a flourless cake recipe I wanted to try, from my cooking school. It would use a lot of lemon zest, so I knew I would have lots of lemon juice to put to use afterward. I used some in the marinade for chicken kabobs, some in tabbouleh, and I will use some more as a splash of acid in salad dressing tonight.

I love that lemon was the driving force in my cooking choices this weekend. Everything I made turned out so well and it all went well together! This light and lemony menu made me really crave summer - warm weather, barbeques, picnics, and general lingering about out of doors.

Chicken kabobs, marinated in yogurt, lemon and oil

Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Flourless Cake

The cake was delicious and extremely moist. I had never made a flourless cake before, but because I love almond, lemon and ricotta I figured it was good excuse. This definitely satisfied the sweet tooth, and although there was a decent amount of sugar, it was a healthier alternative. 

Farm fresh chicken dinner

There's hope that I am actually hitting my stride in the kitchen! I feel like I have had so many hit or miss dishes. And tried not to get discouraged by it. With this meal, I have to say, EVERYTHING turned out wonderfully!

First thing is that the produce I used I had purchased that day from the local farm stand in our neighborhood. This lettuce was beautiful, fresh, hearty, almost tough because it was so packed with good stuff. Some of the leaves were wine-stained looking. Gorgeous. I tossed in some shallot vinaigrette, goat cheese, and toasted pecans. A recent standby preparation that is just perfect (and easy).

Next, I was inspired by the fresh kale and sage I purchased at the local farm stand. I made farro and kale salad with brined then barbequed chicken breasts, and chermoula sauce on the side. Recipes courtesy of Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks and this great book on grilling and barbecuing.

This was the scene, a nice lazy day of cooking, hanging out, and enjoying the out-of-doors. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow! And a repeat of this scene.

Chicken pizzaiola with fresh basil and roasted cauliflower

by the way, what the heck is this sticking/curling out of the interior of the bell pepper?

Chicken Pizzaiola

Not bad for a mid-week, low-fat, quick and easy dinner that I found in a Weight Watchers cookbook.

Rotisserieeee

I roasted another bird on the bbq rotisserie. And made a couple of delicious sauces on the side: chimmichurri, and spicy peanut sauce. Both from the great Grilling and Barbecue cookbook by Cook's Illustrated.

Before

After

Chicken Fricassee

A fine Christmas dinner!!

Prepping

Braising

Dining

Just trussed the bird, threw it on the rotisserie, artichokes are steaming, mixing up some dipping sauces, listening to Superchunk

Sent from my iPhone

Artichoke with spicy cajon creamy dippin' sauce

Rotisserie chicken with a spicy Thai rub

Final Plate with basmati rice, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce and grilled asparagus drizzled with roasted lemon vinaigrette

Indian!

So tasty....
I helped make 3 dishes with a partner (or two) - Samosas, Tandoori Chicken and Indian Green Beans. It was another totally hectic class, but one of the best meals.

Braised chicken tarragon, Brussels sprouts, saffron potato gratin and the Knack

Sent from my iPhone

A so-so picture, but the Chicken was excellent

Random

Here are some random things I've made, and tried lately. Clockwise from top left: 
Roasted chicken with thai sweet chili sauce, chimichurri sauce, rice, beans and roasted potato salad with dijon vinaigrette. Chicken is often average and can be really boring. But when it's good-- it's really good. My goal is to perfect chicken, and have a handful of different sauces to jazz it up to keep my taste buds alert and excited. This attempt was extremely successful! 
Minty grasshopper pie - a See's candy recipe I found on their web site, which needs to be revamped with more specific instructions. (this image is what it was supposed to look like). What kind of whipped topping, See's? Clearly I used the wrong kind, hence no image of the actual, not-so-pretty results
Split pea soup with roasted potato/arugula salad again. I was inspired by the ham bone I nabbed before it got tossed after a luncheon at work. It helped make a really great soup!
Tapatio tray at a local taco joint (not because I made it, just because I like tapatio). Future post idea: document just what is right about SD Mexican food, and how everything else I try in LA County is just... not right. The tapatio was just about the only right thing I had that night

Review on last night's dinner

Last night I made Split, Stuffed, Baked Chicken with a Mexican influenced salad of Sweet Potatoes, Caramelized Onions and Guajillo Chile Dressing, and Slow Cooked Cranberry Beans. The main dish was Fall poultry comfort food, the rest was Southern Mexican. Not exactly the same 'flavor profile' but it was fine.
Everything turned out OK, but there were definitely challenges. Namely: timing. Knowing when the chicken is done and being able to estimate when everything will reach the table.
One factor that needs to be addressed is the temperature in my oven. Maybe it's time for a new oven thermometer. Recognizing that in the past I would often cook too hot, I now am so careful that it seems to take forever. I keep opening the oven, checking, putting it back in, wondering if the temperature will catch up during rest, setting my timer for another 10 minutes, watching the golden light brown color darken and darken, wondering when we'll eat, and when to reheat the other dishes that have been ready, wishing I hadn't dressed the salad yet... It still seems like so much guess work! I'm thinking that with properly calibrated tools, I will have a better timeframe and smoother transition from oven to plate.
My next point: I need to make and remake the same thing to master it. Otherwise each dish will always be a crapshoot and I'll have gained little knowledge and continue to over/undercook. I don't think I'll make the exact same chicken as last night, but I'll still do a whole chicken, perhaps an easier version from class where you just rough chop lemon, garlic and herb sprigs and throw them into the cavity. How easy is that? Then make a sauce from the drippings. OR maybe brining will become my signature, go-to move where I attain perfect, effortless results. 
Side note on the two Mexican dishes I made from Rick Bayless' book, they were fantastic. I love the way he gives you Riffs to change it up or add to the dish. These may become signature dishes too.

Braised Chicken

Chicken can be so boring sometimes. That is, if you don't vary your cooking method every now and then, add fresh ingredients, and treat it like the versatile protein that it is. Last night in class, we made several braised chicken dishes. Coq au Vin, Fricasse, Morrocan-style, etc. Not boring at all. Though the cooking method was the same on all dishes, the variety in flavors was vast. And what a huge difference herbs make! And butter. And bacon.