Portugese-Style Roasted Chicken

Let's be realistic. At the end of the day, I want to eat good food. I often want to make this food myself. And I definitely want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen making it. Yes, I love cooking. I will probably love it even more when I become a millionaire and have a gorgeous kitchen with marble counters and a fancy gas stove, and I can spend the whole day getting dinner ready for friends and family and...Ok, I'll stop daydreaming now. Sometimes after working in a kitchen all day (or night), I simply don't feel like doing the same when I get home. Which is why roast chicken is my go-to dinner recipe. I love that the prep work can be done in under 10 minutes, and I can walk away for a few hours while it roasts to perfection in the oven.

Portuguese Roast Chicken

1 Chicken
4 cloves of garlic
Tbsp. coriander
Handful of cilantro
1/2 cup of olive oil
4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
2 limes, halved
1 lemon
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
Sweet peppers-cut the tops off and hollow out the center

1. Throw the garlic, coriander, olive oil, juice of the lemon, paprika, red pepper flakes and oregano in a blender to make the marinade. Pour this over the chicken in a baking dish. Stuff the chicken with the limes. Make sure there is room for the sweet peppers but don't put them in with the chicken until the chicken has been roasting for about an hour. Continue roasting after you put the peppers in, maybe about 30 or 40 min more, depending on the size of your chicken. Spoon the extra juice from the pan all over the bird and serve with some Greek yogurt on the side. I added a splash of lemon juice, black pepper and drizzle of olive oil for an added kick. It also just looks better. Enjoy!








Recipe adapted from The Londoner.

Summer Sides for Al Fresco Dining

Don't you love it when you make something for the first time and think, "Where has this been all my life?" These two recipes are a few of my favorite things when it comes to summer cooking.

The Strawberry Arugula Salad is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Just a few ingredients go a long way here, and the colors together are lovely. I like the pea tendrils because they give the salad an unexpected layer of something green and crunchy.

The vinaigrette, packed with flavor, is so fast and easy to make. I love it's versatility, too. I use it as a topping for crostini or serve it alongside grilled fish or steak. You will probably decide after your first batch that you need this condiment in your fridge more than anything else. And don't worry, no one will judge you for eating it straight from the jar with a spoon. At least I won't!

 

 

  

Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pint cherry tomatoes (cut half of the tomatoes in half)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt/pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1. Heat some of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened.

2. Add the halved and whole tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally about4-6 min. Mash some of the tomatoes with a spoon.

3. Add the vinegar and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and add the chives just before serving.


The Strawberry Arugula Salad is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Just a few ingredients go a long way here, and the colors together are lovely.   

Strawberry Salad
1/2 cup slivered almonds (preferably toasted)
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. whole grain mustard
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup veg. oil
1 cup shelled fresh peas
3 cups baby arugula
8 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and halved.
1 cup pea tendrils
1 oz. parmesan, shaved

1. Whisk the first 5 ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook peas in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain.
3. Add arugula, strawberries, pea tendrils, peas, and almonds to the dressing and toss. Top with parmesan.

Orange Mascarpone Layer Cake

Having a friend over for dinner on a recent rainy evening gave me the perfect excuse to make a cake. Seriously though, I find any reason to bake a cake! Cake reminds people of celebrating a special occasion, so having cake "just because" makes any day extra sparkly.

 

 

 

 Simply make your favorite cake recipe and cut into 3 layers when completely cooled. I made a chiffon cake because I wanted something airy yet still rich in taste. I followed a recipe from one of my favorites, The Cook's Illustrated Baking Book.  You can also find it here

After cutting my cake into 3 layers, I arranged berries in even circles and alternated with the mascarpone filling.  I whipped heavy cream and just covered the cake in a thin layer with an offset spatula.

Mascarpone Filling:
 2 Ibs. Mascarpone
Zest of 2 oranges
10x sugar (to taste)

Wedding Cookies

Last Saturday, one of my best friends, Kayla, tied the knot! The ceremony and reception were held in her backyard at her new home. It was a very sweet and special day! I was happy to contribute to the dessert table and make Kayla's favorite, French Macarons (raspberry and almond). I'm all for making things personable and unique, so I also made monogrammed  and painted sugar cookies. Guests seemed to love the cookies as they disappeared within minutes. I should have made more! I think anything monogrammed at a wedding is just the perfect little touch. And the luster dust I used to paint designs added an unexpected pop of color.

Painted Cookies that sparkle!

To paint the cookies, add luster dust to a small bowl and add a few drops of either lemon or almond extract to get the right consistency. Using a clean small paintbrush, (found some at Michaels that are appropriate for pastry use) paint stripes or other designs across icing. Make sure your royal icing has set for at least 2 hours or more before painting on it.

Note: I used gold luster dust which can be found at NY Cake. I just added a few drops of pink coloring until I found the right color.