By Ari, on October 28th, 2011%
Well this was a surprise. I’m normally not a lover of fennel. My only experience with it has been at restaurants, and I’ve always hesitated to order dishes containing it. (Before last night I had never even cooked with it.) While raw fennel has a very strong licorice and anise flavor (not my fav), the sautéed or roasted version gets sweeter and less intense.
After my first bite, I declared that I had not screwed up dinner (success!). After my second, I realized that it was actually quite tasty. By the time I had finished my plate, I had walked over to our leftovers and began eating the onion and fennel mixture directly out of the pot.
True story.
For someone who doesn’t generally eat fennel, I’d call this a triumph!
Continue reading Braised Chicken Thighs with Caramelized Onion & Fennel
By Ari, on September 6th, 2011%
Most of you know we’re trying hard to continue our “healthy” streak over here. As much as I would love to make mac n’ cheese or burgers every day, I love my clothes far too much to compromise their fit. (True story.)
These peppers make a perfect (and healthy!) weeknight meal. I can say this because I speak from experience. While the peppers are roasting, combine the rest of the one-pot ingredients. Stuff the roasted peppers with filling, melt some cheese on top, and you’ve got one happy couple.
 Continue reading Stuffed Peppers
By Ari, on August 8th, 2011%
The flavors in this recipe were somewhat out of my comfort zone. I’m not one to “blacken” anything, and my appreciation for spice and heat is relatively new. In the past, I’ve thought that answering “yes” to the question, “Do you like spicy food?” meant I enjoyed my mouth being on fire. Turns out, that’s not the case at all. Sure, there are times when residual heat from a dish leaves my lips tingling, but I believe spice can elevate the flavors of a simple dish without burning off your tastebuds.
This sauce is one such example.
It’s spicy for sure, but the flavors are complex and well-rounded. To counteract some of the heat from the sauce, serve this with a sweet potato mash.
 Continue reading Blackened Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Soppressata Cream Sauce
By Ari, on July 17th, 2011%
For me, summer, aka “grilling season,” wouldn’t be complete without barbecue chicken or burgers. In an attempt to eat healthier, yet still enjoy the best of both worlds, I tried out a new-to-me chicken burger recipe this past week.
If you’re a skeptic like me, you probably predicted failure.
Chicken and turkey burgers have a tendency to lack flavor and dry out completely. I’m happy to report that this recipe (a real winner, in my opinion) is both extremely delicious and moist!
I know I say this a lot, but you have to try these to see what I’m talking about.
Continue reading BBQ Chicken Burgers
By Ari, on May 12th, 2011%
I’ve had an inexplicable craving for buffalo wings for the last few weeks. It’s the craziest thing. Not wanting to give in to greasy (albeit delicious) bar food, and wanting to explore other options than baked wings, I decided to make buffalo wingless risotto.
Risotto is incredibly versatile. The “mac n’ cheese” of adults, it can adopt any flavor profile the cook desires.
Continue reading Buffalo Wingless Risotto
By Ari, on March 8th, 2011%
I’ll keep this brief. I used to hate mushrooms, and now I don’t. This dish is partially responsible for my change of heart.
Don’t believe me? Give it a try.
Continue reading Chicken Marsala
By Ari, on February 22nd, 2011%
This risotto was a happy accident. A happy, creamy, indulgent accident. I say this because it was the result of not knowing what to cook for dinner, not going to the grocery store, and not wanting to spend money on another meal out.
Maybe I should call this a “gourmet pantry meal,” because that’s what it is. I had all the ingredients on hand and threw it together as I was heating up the chicken stock.
Continue reading Risotto with Chicken and Truffle Oil
By Ari, on December 14th, 2010%
I know for a fact that winter is here. Do you want to know how I know? Because yesterday it snowed. And then last night the snow melted a little, and ice froze on the ground. And today as I was walking to work I slipped on said ice, landed on both my knees (true story), and thought both my knee caps were broken.
Good news first: my kneecaps are not broken.
Bad news: I have two humongous bruises on my knees, and it is now painful to walk.
To sum up: I know that winter is now here because I have officially slipped on ice/snow/icy snow for the first time. Continue reading My Favorite Chili
By Ari, on December 8th, 2010%
Have I told you yet how much I love classic pub food? Burgers, fries, nachos, chicken wings. I love them all. As with most extremely tasty foods, these items are high in fat and low in nutritional value (figures). When I recreate these dishes at home, I try to lessen the calories as much as possible: with burgers I use lean meat, for fries I bake off sweet potatoes, but baked chicken wings? The two best things about eating chicken wings are (a) the sauce, and (b) the crunch. This recipe had a delicious sounding, zingy Asian sauce, but would the wings be crispy?
I was definitely skeptical, but these wings pleasantly surprised me. I might even prefer them to the fried variety! And hello, how gorgeous did they come out?
Continue reading Crispy Asian Baked Chicken Wings
By Ari, on November 10th, 2010%
Year after year, the star of our Thanksgiving feast is unquestionable: turkey!
I love roast turkey. I love the crispy skin, I love the natural gravy, and I really love the leftover sandwiches with potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy.
Continue reading Turkey with Cranberry Wine Reduction
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