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 16th, 2011%
For those wondering if we’re ever going to move, the answer is “no.” We’ve been looking at apartments (both online and in-person), but nothing has given us that we-want-to-move-right-now feeling.
Regarding Queens, we like Forest Hills — a lot — but it would make for a pretty long commute.
Astoria is great, but I’m not sure that young crowd is the vibe we’re going for.
In Brooklyn, I adore Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Park Slope, but I’d like to be able to move into a bigger apartment and feed my husband and dog every now and again. (Yes, it’s that pricey.)
And then there’s Manhattan. Would I die to live on the UWS or UES? Yes, probably. But we need more space for less money than those neighborhoods are asking. Also, moving to Manhattan would indisputably mean selling my car. Sad.
I don’t consider places like Soho or Noho viable living options for us. We’re just not those types of people.
Midtown? Nope. Financial District? Not happening. Harlem or the Bronx? I think I’d rather not.
Hi, I’m the pickiest person ever. Continue reading Pies ‘n’ Thighs
By Ari, on August 28th, 2011%
Got the hurricane blues? Us too. We were supposed to be in Massachusetts this weekend visiting friends, but instead we’re sitting inside waiting for our Super to show up and examine the leak in our ceiling (thanks, Irene). What’s worse? My husband is participating in a weight loss bet at work (yay!) and has given up carbs for the next few days (boo!).
Can you imagine a life without carbs?! I can’t. Bread, pasta, cereal, and more pasta are what I live off of. And while I used to go carb-free every once in a while when I was actively doing Weight Watchers, those days are long gone.
All I want to do is cook. Stormy, rainy days are perfect for that. Everything I want to make, however, is full of carbtastic goodies. Like this pasta. (Have you noticed that I adore homemade pasta?) I would eat this every day if I could.
Continue reading Lemon Fusilli with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Pesto
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 March 1st, 2011%
If you could only imagine what went down in our small apartment on Sunday, you’d be laughing with me. We divided up our pots, pans, and kitchen utensils; we split the oven and stove, and worked on separate sides of the apartment. The flip of a coin determined who got our “nice” cutting board (John) and who had to suffer with the less impressive, wobbly one (me).
I have to say, we really pulled it off. Not only did we have a blast (yes, we’re that couple who loves cooking together), but also we ate some very tasty food.
Before I show you pictures and announce the winner, I should tell you that our 2-hr time limit was… stretched a little. Given the space restraints and the amount we were trying to get done, we ended up serving our appetizers and entrées for “lunch” and our desserts for “dinner.” We needed a break (read: a nap), and our stomachs were too full to even think about dessert before dinner.
Also, we had to clean up the catastrophic mess of dishes we left from earlier in the day.
*Side note: maple syrup sticks to everything. Continue reading Victory is Sweet
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 February 15th, 2011%
I spent the better part of Super Bowl Sunday preparing food for our small get together. There were three of us, and as it turns out I grossly overestimated how much food we’d consume. Continue reading Super Bowl Treats
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