Apple Cider Chicken with Roasted Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Here is the holiday dish I have been promising to put up. We took two roasting chickens marinated them in good quality apple cider and salt for 48 hours and then roasted them to perfection. There was no need to stuff the cavity with any herbs or veggies as the flavor turned out very robust on its own. If you do want to a little more to the chicken then stuff some onion and garlic in the cavity to add to the depth. Honestly though I do not think you will need anything else as far as flavor is concerned. Now onto the sweet potatoes, I wanted sweet and savory. Roasted garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, unsalted butter, a pinch of fresh grated cinnamon, a pinch of cayenne, and 1/4 cup gravy made from the drippings of the roasted chickens made these sweeties out of this world delicious. I paired these two items with fresh green beans sauteed with butter and cracked black pepper.

I will post the recipe for this soon. It is so easy to make and will please any crowd for the holidays!

Ingredients
The chickens:
2 whole fryer chickens- more tender than roasters
2/3 cup kosher salt
1 gallon quality apple cider
1 tbsp cinnamon
Unsalted butter
Note: Cooking times on these birds are not exact as every oven is different.

1. 1 cup kosher salt rubbed (split between the two) all over the cavity and outside.
2. 1 tbsp fresh grated cinnamon evenly sprinkled over each chicken on the outside. Rub the cinnamon and salt into the chickens well.
3. Place in a large bowl making sure there is enough room that both birds will fit. Poor the entire gallon over the chickens. Cover and let marinate for 48 hrs.
4. Remove chickens from the marinade, run with unsalted butter, and place in both in a large roasting pan. Take about 2 cups of the marinade and add to the bottom of the pan. Make sure the chickens are not touching eat other or the liquid. Preheat oven to 425 and roast the chickens for 1hr 10 min breast side down then flip and cook for another 30 minutes or until internal temp is about 165F at the breast, 175 at the thigh. Let rest for 10 minutes and slice it up how you like it. Keep drippings.

The tatters:
4 large whole garlci cloves peeled
6 lbs sweet potato peeled, rinsed, and chopped into 1'' cubes, boiled till tender
1/2 tbsp EVOO
4 tbsp unsalted butter
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
3 tsp fresh grated cinnamon or to taste
3 tbsp quality honey. I use a local spring honey.

1. 4 large whole cloves garlic peeled and placed in a piece of foil with 1/2 tbsp EVOO, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Roast for 35 minutes or until golden and tender. Let cool and dice up.
2. Mash up your cooked sweet potatoes, add butter, and cinnamon to taste. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste always starting off with a little at a time and building it up.

The green beans:
Prepare the fresh beans first, snip off the ends. Place in a pot of boiling water just enough to cover the beans and blanch for 3 minutes. Immediately place in ice cold water to stop them from cooking more.
Simply saute the beans in 1-2 tbsp of unsalted butter with cracked pepper, a pinch of salt, and 2 garlic cloves diced.

The gravy:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup water
Drippings should be about 1/2 a cup

1. Add water to the chicken drippings to make about 1 1/2 cups of liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan. (Or transfer drippings to a sauce pan if necessary)
2. In a small bowl, whisk water into the flour until it is thick, but not pasty. Then whisk the flour/water mixture into the drippings, and put the pan on the stove over medium heat.
3. Stir constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Suon Nuong Xa

Where is the holiday recipe you ask? Well I have been slacking on that one. There will be something special in store though I promise. The idea has been brewing since last holiday season I just never decided to actually execute it. In the meantime I cooked up a dish that is good any time of year. Full of robust flavor. Balancing sweet, salty, and tangy is harder than most people think. This dish though makes it pretty darn easy to have an exotic dish that balances all three bringing you into a world of bliss.

So what is Suon Nuong Xa? Well it is a Vietnamese dish with lemongrass pork tenderloin, skewered and grilled or pan seared. Then its placed on a bed of rice noodles with raw crushed peanuts, zuchinni, and bean sprouts. The last ingredient that brings it all together is a mixed Vietnamese fish sauce. Do not worry the sauce is not fishy as you know it. It is sweet, salty, tangy, with some heat to give an extra kick at the end.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons palm sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Thai chiles diced- leave this out if you can not handle the heat
3 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves and tops removed, root ends trimmed, and stalks finely grated
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
Bamboo skewers, soaked for 20 minutes and drained
Rice noodles
Nuoc cham
Raw peanuts crushed
Bean sprouts
Shredded zucchini

1. Mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and oil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Make sure grate the palm sugar so it dissolves evenly using a good quality grater. Add the lemongrass, shallot, garlic and pork. Mix well and make sure the pork is coated well. Allow to marinate overnight.
2. Place 2-4 slices of tenderlon onto each skewer. Make sure the pork has been skewered well enough that it will not fall off during cooking.
3. Cook on a grill or a well oiled cast iron grill pan/skillet. Sear the meat on both sides until lightly charred. About 2 minutes per side. Make sure the grill or pan is hot enough to sear and char effectively but do not overcook the pork.
4. While you are cooking the pork bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of kosher salt, and add 1lb of rice noodles. Cook until al dente about 7 minutes (some noodles can take longer than 7 minutes to reach al dente). Rice noodles cook a little different than your everyday Italian pasta so be sure to check it for doneness before you hit the 7 minute mark. Also if you cook the noodles pasta al dente they tend to fall apart easily. Drain and do not rinse, serve hot. If they start to stick then run hot water over the batch and gentle run your fingers through.
5. Place the hot rice noodles in some soup bowls. Divide the grilled pork among the bowls of rice noodles. Place shredded zucchini, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts on top of the noodles and drizzle nuoc cham over each serving. Serve immediately.

Nuoc Cham
Ingredients:
1/2 cup palm sugar
1 cup boiling hot water
1/4 cup quality fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
5 large garlic cloves diced
1 large shallot diced
2-5 Thai green or red chilis or jalapeno if you want something milder.

Mix all ingredients together and allow the sugar to dissolve. You might have to simmer the sauce on the stove if your water was not hot enough. Once the sugar has dissolved let it sit for at least one hour. The sauce is much better if left to sit in the frig over night. Strain out the pieces of veggies and you are set. Make sure you build the salt (fish sauce) and the sweet (palm sugar) as noted above. Take your time and adjust the sauce to your liking. Do not add to much fish sauce or it will be too salty.

Pasta Bolognese My Way

Before I get my gears oiled for some fall cuisine I wanted to satisfy a craving I've been having the last few days. Here is the recipe for my twisted non traditional version.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 pound ground buffalo
5 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 tbsp quality dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon Huy Fong Brand sriracha sauce
1 1/4 cups good quality dry chianti wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes- Some swear by San Marzano tomatoes but a good crushed tomato made with romas or plums works just as well. When tomatoes are in peak season grab some campari if you can for the sauce. These little guys have an amazing flavor.
2 tablespoons tomato paste no salt added
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound dried pasta, I used small shells
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai basil leaves, lightly packed
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus extra for serving


1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground buffalo and brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and sriracha. Cook for 1 minute. Pour 1 cup wine into the skillet and mix well. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

2. As your sauce is simmering bring a pot of water to bowl, add a couple pinches of salt, and then the pasta of your choice.

3 As the pasta cooks add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the leftover 1/4 cup chianti to the sauce. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

until thickened. Salt to taste at this point. Add a little at a time until you reach your desired level bur remember do not over salt! Add the sauce to the pasta and 1/2 cup Asiago cheese, toss well. Serve hot with rosemary butter toasted bread.

Contemplations

I have been trying to find my place in the world of cooking. Long contemplation of quieting and doing something else that brings in more bread have occupied my mind. Does the stove win the match this time around? Then I see a smiling face biting into something I created and it refreshes my vision. It is what I love.

Food is what I think about when I wake up and before I go to bed. Not in the sense of what I want to cook next but what I am yearning to learn. Its hard for me to see myself in a static kitchen pumping out the same boring dish hundred of times in a shift. I want variety, robust flavor, and knock your socks off tongue teasers. This is what I hope to find on the outside but going deeper I saw that something even more magnificent exists. What I truly yearn for is the experience. Now some would say go get a job in a kitchen somewhere. See how they do things and get a feel for the business. All I see are factories pumping out the same mediocre plates to all those desensitized folk with no sense of what great food is. Experience in my book is not producing fuel to sustain human daily activity. It is simply working side by side that frail, short Thai woman with broken English pounding and grinding down fresh ingredients to create curry paste. How about that cranky grandmother rolling out her pristine pie crust that will eventual house fresh rhubarb awesomeness? We cant forget that lady who says use a little bit of this, a little bit of that and then the food makes you lapse into a coma of pure bliss. Now that is experience. I have had my far share of these moments but I am always looking for more. Hoping someone will see my eyes light up with child like joy over a scrumptious chocolate bar. I have been getting to know Gabrielle Hamilton, owner of Prune, and how she brought people and food together from her book. It was ultimately her life experience that brought her customers not extravagant culinary training from the top chefs in the world. The world became her teacher. So with all this in my head I push forward on my journey. I remind myself that the voyage is just as important as the end result.

Im not trying to win a popularity contest, become "The Next Food Network Star", trump Rachel Ray in her magazine sales, or have thousands of subscribers. The purpose? To share my passion for great tasting food and to bring people together through sharing experience. I hope all of you who have been following my progressions see that food is more than fuel, it feeds the soul!

Twisted Part 2

This next dish in our twisted Italian inspirations is something rather simple but so delicious. Paulie O's spicy Italian sausage is the star yet again in this dish. These sausages are perfectly crafted and pack an amazing flavor punch. We all know that sausage, peppers, and onions go well together so that's what we built upon. We thought an open faced sandwich would be a great and easy meal. This scrumptious temptation uses toasted sour dough, fontina, mozzarella, and a fresh hummus mix to bring it all together. Here is a beauty to behold!

For extra spice I added a little sauteed jalapeno to my portion. Enjoy!

Twisted

For the month of September our theme was Italian cuisine. While the traditional idea of Italian is a delicious way to please your palate but as always I have put my own twist to things. The first dish we have on the menu brings flavors of Mexico wrapped with an Italian bow. The inspiration behind this dish came from a pasta I picked up at my local farmer's market. Chipotle and black bean fettuccine made its way into my hands. With a hint of smoke, spice, and black bean earthiness this pasta set the corner stone for an amazing dish. The protein we wanted for this creation was a bone-in pork chop rubbed with special spices and pan seared to perfection. Now what to coat the pasta with? Well I wanted something creamy and healthy so no heavy creams or cheeses here. So I looked through the isles at the market for about 30 minutes and then it hit me. Use avocado as your creamy base and build from there. So we took roasted poblanos, garlic, bell pepper, fresh ground cumin seed, fresh diced tomato, fresh diced onion, sea salt, black pepper, and pureed it all up. To give it an even richer and deeper flavor we took the left over juices from pan searing the chops and added it to the mix. This is how it turned out!

Better Late Than Never

I have been sitting here thinking about what pictures to post, what recipes will entice, and oh wait I did not finish last month's blurbs. Time seems to go by fast these days and I guess I just lost track of it all. Here is one of the finishing touches to last month's theme! Better late than never right?

Before we get into the first dish I would love to thank my beautiful wife for putting up with my kitchen antics and for her amazing photography! We used an afternoon sun and caught these snap shots. It is getting better each time we shoot and I love these new pictures.

Ok, hold on a bit more. I have to tell a quick story. It involves mushy macaroni noodles, rubbery shrimp, processed cheese, and too much salt the end! It was a culinary delight to be behold, ehh not so much. I am still to this day trying to get my family to try shrimp with my honed skills. They will convert someday. Ok so the dish........

Blackened Shrimp Salad
Cost: about $5.00 per person

Ingredients:
Fresh grilled corn kernels (2 whole corn cobs)
Raw almond slivers
Shrimp Skewers on sale for $1 at the local market, we bought 6 of them
Super green mix: baby spinach, tatsoi, arugula, and baby swiss chard
Kraft light three cheese ranch dressing
Blackening seasoning
Oil based butter spread
EVOO

1. Coat shrimp with softened butter spread, coat well with blackening seasonings. Heat up a cast iron skillet on medium high till it starts to smoke. Add 1/2 tbsp butter spread to the skillet. Do not be afraid Krakatoa has not overtaken your kitchen but it will get smoky so open a window. Place your skewers in the hot skillet and sear both sides until shrimp is done. For this size I do about 1 minute per side. Do not overcook these little guys.
2. This next part can be done on a grill, open flame if you have a gas stove, or the corn can be roasted in the oven. Take your corn cobs and lightly coat with EVOO. Lightly char your corn cobs. Let the corn cool and slice the kernels away from the core into your greens. Add almonds and dressing. Place your skewer over the top of the salad and enjoy!

Notes: Premade blackening seasoning can be too salty so here are the primary ingredients: Paprika- 3 tbsp, 1.5 tbsp- Black pepper, 2 tsp White Pepper, 1 tsp Oregano, 1/4 tsp Thyme, 1/4 tsp Cayenne chile powder. Play around with the amounts to see what you like. These are just rough measurements. Paprika should always be the dominate spice.

This last dish gave a little tingle on the tongue, juicy, and oh so yummy. Sunlight did not accent these pictures as we took them too late to get some good rays. So inside lighting and flash had to suffice. These dishes were amazing and I am proud to put them up as the finishing touches to last months theme.

Ever wonder what a chicken sandwich would taste like without a bun, not drowned in salt, and packed full of knock your socks off? Take a look at this beauty. Mouth watering yet?

Lemon Garlic Pasta with Paulie O's Spicy Italian Sausage

The month is not over yet and we some more dishes coming your way. It is amazing what you can do with a little creativity and even less money. This dish is amazingly simple, packed full of flavor, healthier than Olive Garden, and is cheap to make. I know most of you would not be able to get a hold of the sausage I use as its a local delight so use the best you find. Quality ingredients may cost a bit more but its worth it to your taste buds and you health. So there are a few ground rules for this dish. Do not use garlic powder. Use fresh garlic and you will see why. Garlic powder just can not deliver on this occasion. The last thing is do not over do it with the butter. A little goes a long way. Now to show you how easy and inexpensive this dish is. I did not have anything extra to spruce up this dish with some color but here are some suggestions: sauted butternut squash, fresh chopped parsley, green or red bell pepper, roasted zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, etc.

Serves 4 people
Total cost: about $20.00

Ingredients:
5 large cloves garlic minced
1 large yellow onion diced
12 oz mushrooms of your choice. I used sliced white shrooms this time around.
1.5 lemons squeezed
2 tbsp clarified non-salted butter
4 Spicy Italian sausage links, casing removed
EVOO
1/2 a regular box of whole grain or whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles cooked till al dente
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter and add the onions. Let them sweat for about 4-5 minutes or until lightly golden.
2. Brown your sausage in a little bit of EVOO (about 1/2 tbsp). Make sure you try to buy a lean sausage. You can tell if its lean or not by looking at it raw. If you see a lot of large specs of white throughout that's fat. So choose wisely.
3. While all this is going on you noodles should be put on to cook. It takes them about 6 minutes to cook till al dente for me. Drain well.
4. Now for the fun part. Add the garlic to the onions, saute until aromatic. Then immediately add the noodles and sausage to the veggies and make sure to toss well. Trust me there is enough butter as the onions and mushrooms soak it up so there will be plenty of flavor. Now squeeze 1/2 a lemon, salt, pepper and continue this until you have reached your desired levels. Use just enough lemon to give a zing and just enough salt to subdue the harsh bite of the lemon. Now you are ready to serve a jaw dropping dish. Simple and packed full of flavor. Enjoy!

Cooking up a storm!

It has been an amazing flavor ride lately. With keeping to our theme for the month we have whipped up some amazing dishes. Some of the creations we owe a great deal of credit to Jared, Allison, and Josh for inspiring great food at a budget price. Now to the food!

Our first meal was a group collaboration. Simply Stir Fry!
Jared, Allison, Josh, Mandi, and I all went to the store and pitched in for a meal that was light, hearty, and satisfying. Bok choy, bell pepper, onion, garlic, gave us our veggies all cooked to a light crisp. We could not decide on one meat so we used shaved pork loin, shaved chicken thighs, and shaved beef all marinated in a light garlic, ginger, and soy sauce marinade. For those who wanted some starch we had some rice noodles cooked to perfection to add to the mix. Of course all this was prepared using Chao technique. For those of you who do not know stir fry is just a general term used to describe two methods Bao (rapid, very high heat, each ingredient is put in the wok one after the other) and Chao (high heat, similar to sauteing, where each ingredient is cooked separately and then added back in at the end). Jared and Allison put together a simple, yet zingy ginger salad as a side dish that was to die for.

Our next dish combined simple Mediterranean inspired pasta and a Cajun flared chicken. We started off with a whole wheat thin spaghetti pasta tossed in a lemon garlic butter topped with sauteed cremini mushrooms, onion, zucchini, and sweet orange bell pepper. Now to make this a bit different we seared some chicken breast cutlets to lock in flavor and moisture. Reducing the heat and covering the skillet will also make sure your bird is juicy and succulent in each bite. Some say 170 degrees for breast but in my opinion that is overcooked. I cook my chicken breast to to temp at 160F and no higher than 165F. The last ingredient we used was Applegate brand bacon cooked to a crisp, chopped, and sprinkled over the top.

Now for a little thinking outside the box. We were able to get a hold of some ultra fresh Dover sole fillets. What to do with sole? Its fish taco time. The firm flesh and delicate flavor make this dish an awesome catch. Mandi gave me this great idea. Marinate the sole in the amazing pineapple/habanero jelly we bought from the fresh market. So I took the jelly smeared the whole jar on about 1.5lbs of delectable catch, a pinch of salt, a dash of black pepper and let it sit for several hours. The jelly infused the fish with a great tangy depth. The bite of hellish habanero softended by the sweet acidity of the pineapple finish off the flavor. Seared to perfection the fish was combined with a fresh jalapeno pico de gallo, creamy salsa refried beans, all on a crunchy corn tortilla shell.

As a side note I always try to buy hook and line caught fish as I do not support commercial fishing operations. The fishmonger at the local market knows me well and is always poised to answer my questions on origin, freshness, and the like.

There is more to come for this month's theme and if you like what you see here let me know and I will post the recipe for the dish you would like to prepare. Food is life, bon appetit!

Tuscan Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Hey there foodies thanks for stopping by to check out our next creation. Following our theme this month we constructed a flavor monster that will delight the senses. It is versatile and can be eaten by itself or compliment other dishes. We chose to eat this dish as a meal served up with some tangy sweet salad that Mandi made for us. Salad is something I do not do much because my wife does it better. She can put together some killer salads that even the most die hard carnivore would be begging for more. Ok so about the food already come on we are hungry.

Ingredients:
Serves 5 people
Cost per person about $6.00

Fresh french or cuban bread loaf cut into fourths
1/2 large yellow onion diced
8 cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp non-salted butter
4 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano
About 2 tbsp of Tuscan goat cheese per bread slice- contains, red bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes, and Italian herbs so if you can't find exactly Tuscan then find something similar.
2 plum tomatoes diced
1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
1/4 tsp fresh oregano chopped
Two slices of Applegate Genoa salami or equivalent
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaf
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

1. In a skillet melt 1 tbsp butter, add onions, saute until lightly golden, add 6 cloves minced garlic, saute until garlic is golden (be careful not to burn the garlic= bitter). Let the onions and garlic cool and mix with tomatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Preheat your oven to 375. Melt 2 tbsp butter, add the remaining garlic, a pinch of salt, and rosemary. Let this sit for about 5 minutes to soak up some flavor. Lightly brush your bread with the savory butter. Put the bread on a cookie sheet or pizza sheet and toast until lightly golden.
3. Plate the bread, spread the goat cheese on top, add salami, and then top off with the tomato salad.

Serve with a simple salad with mixed baby greens, gold raisins, shredded carrot, red onion, and a fruity vinaigrette. We used a pomegranate and raspberry dressing.

Make it and let me know what ya think! Enjoy!

Coconut and Basil Beef Stir Fry

We start our budget month off with this dish that is packed full of exotic flavors bringing something different to the table. If you like Thai and Vietnamese cuisine then this will satisfy your craving.

Ingredients:
Yields enough for 5
Cost per person about $6.00

1 lb top sirloin cutlets sliced thin, or something similar that you can find on sale
Marinate overnight in: 3-4 tbsp basil chili paste, 1.5 tbsp fs, 1 tbsp lime juice, 4 tbsp agave nectar, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1 Thai chili diced or more if you can handle the heat
About 2 tsp Three Crab brand fish sauce
1 regular size package of rice noodles
1/8 cup Nuoc cham per dish, use more if you want more, the recipe for nuoc cham will yield quite a bit and is very concentrated.
1 yellow onion cut into strips
2 red bell pepper cut into strips
Whole package of asparagus

Nuoc cham (awesomeness, fish sauce based condiment)
This sauce is balances, sweet, salty, and spicy and pushes the stir fry into another realm of flavor.

Ingredients:
1/2-1cup cup palm sugar
1 cup boiling hot water
1/4-1/2 cup Three Crab brand fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
5 garlic cloves diced
1 shallot diced
2-5 Thai green or red chilis or jalapeno if you can not handle the heat

Mix all ingredients together and allow the sugar to dissolve. You might have to simmer the sauce on the stove if your water was not hot enough. Once the sugar has dissolved let it sit for at least one hour. Strain out the pieces of veggies and you are set. Make sure you build the salt (fish sauce) and the sweet (palm sugar) as noted above. Take your time and adjust the sauce to your liking. Do not add to much fish sauce or it will be too salty.


The dish
1. Make your nuoc cham
2. Stir fry the beef in 1 tbsp of canola oil, do not overcook
3. Remove beef and set to the side. Add 1 cup water to the wok, bring to a boil and blanch the asparagus for 2 minutes. Remove water and asparagus, place asparagus in cool water to keep from cooking further.
4. While stir frying Cook your rice noodles until tender, about 6-7 minutes, drain. Make sure you time your noodles to be done at the same time your stir fry is done so you have hot noodles to plate.
5. Heat wok back up, add 1/2 tbsp oil, stir fry a hand full of veggies for 2-3 minutes, add fish sauce, add about 3oz of beef and stir fry for 20 more seconds, remove from heat and plate on top of hot noodles. Poor nuoc cham over dish and be prepared for some crazy taste bud action.

The theme for August is.....

This month's theme: Blissful bites on a budget

Lets save some money and make some really awesome food! I use to think that making yummy dishes required me to spend good money on the best ingredients. I have found that I can make amazing food with fresh ingredients and still have enough money left over for a trip to the movies. This month we will be creating dishes that will excite and will be easy on your wallets.

If you have grocery shopping tips, recipe ideas, or any other related information please share it with us.

Cardamom Agave Chicken

Wake up folks its time to read about an awesome creation we came up with. Cardamom and something sweet is not a new concept but we wanted to try something different. There are plenty of honey and cardamom seasoned dishes around so we wanted to try Agave nectar instead. We use the black cardamom seeds as it has a hint of smokiness and is cool on the tongue like mint. So how do you make it?

Ingredients

Marinade:
1/8 cup light agave nectar
4 Tbsp cream sherry
1-2 teaspoons black cardamom seeds, ground depending on your taste
1-2 teaspoon mixed peppercorns, ground again depending on your taste

Sauce:
1/4 cup light agave nectar
4 tbsp cream dry sherry
1-2 teaspoons black cardamom seeds, ground depending on your taste
1-2 teaspoon mixed peppercorns, ground again depending on your taste
Just a pinch of lemon zest

Chicken:
6 Chicken drumsticks skins removed
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Sea salt and black pepper

1. Marinate chicken for at least one hour. I did mine for 3. The flavor will be better the longer you let it marinate.
2. Line a baking dish with foil and oil it down a little. Place the lemon slices evenly on the bottom.
3. Take out the chicken from the marinade and let excess juices drip off. Add a little sea salt and black pepper to accent your flavors. Heat up a skillet and add the olive oil. Let the oil heat up (do not overheat the olive oil!) Place the chicken in the heated oil and sear evenly on all sides until golden. Once you are done searing place the chicken on top of the lemon slices. Preheat oven to 390.
4. Now just let that chicken sit for a few minutes. Place the sauce mixture in a skillet, on medium high heat until it boils, turn the heat down to medium, and reduce until a light glaze is formed (about 15 minutes). Drizzle over the chicken and bake for 20 minutes, pull it out and let it sit for 10 minutes to let it finish cooking. Make sure to temp your food before you eat it. Legs need to be 165F. Enjoy with some roasted potatoes or whatever you fancy!

CONTEST WINNER

Hey there everyone we have a winner for the gift basket. Before we announce who the person is we want to take a moment to extend our thanks. We are on a journey to create some awesome food. Now that we have a descent group put together we want to hear from you. Recipes, pictures, experiences are all appreciated. We want everyone to participate with us in creating awesome cuisine. Now for the winner, congratulations to Ernie Hanna you have won the gift basket we have put together. We hope you enjoy the contents and the recipe we have included.

Contents:
Jello chocolate pudding
Cup cake tin
Cake mix
Piping bags for frosting
24 baking cups
Mandi's recipe for simple but yummy cup cakes!

Flavor Explosion (A Thai Snack)

The other day I went to the Thai Buddhist temple here in town and had the pleasure of eating this amazing piece of art. The sweet Thai woman that introduced this to me said only a few words, "Eat this like Americans eat potato chips." I was told I had to put the whole leaf and its contents in my mouth and what happened next was amazing. The flavors or fresh lime, raw peanuts, toasted coconut slivers, minced ginger, dried baby shrimp, and a sweet chili sauce exploded like a grand firework show in my mouth. I loved it so much that I ran by the Asian market to see if I could get the ingredients to make it and was lucky enough to find them. The wild betel leaf used is from a vine that grows all over south Asia including India. It is subtle but delicately brings all the amazing flavors together. This was most definitely the highlight of my culinary experience lately. Who would have thought that this simple piece of art would bring the taste buds on a journey to the ends of the universe.

Roasted Pork Loin Burrito

I like to change things up a bit and this dish is no exception. Most people would simply roast the loin with some spices until it was done but I took things to another level. The first step in my process is I rub a mixture of spices into the meat. I use Mexican oregano, cumin, paprika, and a dash of cinnamon. I keep the fat on and on the opposite side I cut small slits into the meat so it will hold more seasoning. I take the loin and sear it in my cast iron skillet on both sides for 2 minutes per side. Now here is the kicker and brings even more flavor. I take the loin and slice it evenly in half. Then I take sweet mini peppers, yellow onion, and garlic and lay them length wise evenly. I place the top half of the loin back on and put a few more yellow onion as a topper. I bake this bad boy on 325 until fall apart tender. When its done take away the veggies, place in a blender, add some of the stock from the bottom of the roasting pan (strain first, no fat chunks allowed) and blend well. Place this liquid back in the cast iron you seared in and reduce until slightly thickened (salt and pepper to taste). Chop your loin up in a bowl and place the broth you created all over the meat. This seems like a lot of steps but in the end the flavor is amazing. Add some spice to it to balance out the sweetness, I used some fresh diced jalapeno.

Chunky Veggie Pasta

Mandi and I have been reducing our intake of animal proteins lately, primarily meat and poultry. We have been whipping up some awesome all veggie dishes and some seafood as well. This dish is packed full of flavor. The tomato sauce is robust, tangy, a tad sweet, and a bit spicy. Just enough spice to awaken the taste buds. Fresh basil is always a big ingredient in my tomato sauce as it adds unbelievable flavor and helps to marry the other aromatics as well. I love chunky sauces because of the textures it brings to the mouth. I also like to keep things as close to fresh as possible. I do not like thin sauces that have no heartiness to them. I served it over some whole wheat angel hair and voila, bon appetit mon ami.

CONTEST! GIVEAWAY!

Whohoo this is our first give away! The prize is a Goody basket! It's baking basket woohoo! The rules and entry are easy!
To Enter:
All you have to do is follow our blog! If you already do, then your already entered!
-You must be a follower by August 1st 2011 11:59 pm lol but seriously!
-ANYONE IN THE U.S. IS ELIGIBLE!

We will announce What's exactly in the basket on that day August 1st. The winner will be chosen at random with my eyes closed finger pointed at the screen! We'll Video tape it it will be fun!

-Winner will be announced August 6th right here on the blog!

**We will give away another basket when we reach 100 followers, so tell your friends!

Zucchini Pasta and Meatballs

So to start off I will never claim to make these awesome meatballs. Paulie O's does them best and I can not have it any other way. They use old world recipes handed down from generation to generation and boy are they yummy.

This dish turned out well, scrumptious. It is light, packed full of flavor, puts a light tingle on the tongue, and makes your toes curl! Thank you Paulie O for making such awesome polpette!

So many of you have asked me for the this recipe so here it is.

Ingredients:
Good quality Italian meatballs- I use Paulie O's Italian Gourmet product as it is superior to anything I can find here in town.
3 medium and long zucchini squash rinsed and pat dried
6 large garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp non-salted butter
1 medium sweet onion
1 small bay leaf
sea salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
fresh or high quality dried oregano, if using fresh you do not need to use as much, 1/2 sprig of fresh or 2-3 tsp dried, start off with a smaller amount and build up if you need more.
1/2 cup snipped sweet basil- European varieties
6 large or 8 small Roma tomatoes peeled and seeded

1. You will need a special peeler for the noodles. It is a peeler with small teeth across the length of the blade area. Shred squash, rinse, pat dry well.
2. Peel and seed the tomatoes, dice up and set to the side. In a skillet heat 1.5 tbsp butter till it melts. Add onion and let it sweat for about 2 minutes, add garlic, and finish saute until the garlic is lightly golden and fragrant (do not burn the garlic. Next add the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt-pinch, pepper-pinch, and oregano. let simmer for 7 minutes, add meatballs, simmer until meatballs have reached temp. Meatballs must be cooked all the way through. Turn off the heat. Add basil leaf, stir in well, cover and let sit. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. With the remaining butter saute the shredded squash until cooked but not mushy so until al dente. Add a pinch of salt and pepper while you are sauteing. Plate noodles with meatball on top. Spoon sauce on top of the meatballs. Bon Appetit.

Tips:
Do not overcook the garlic, the basil, the noodles, or the meatballs. Do not heat meatballs up in a microwave.

Recent Creations

While I was in the market the other day I noticed something rather interesting and disheartening at the same time. The majority of people I came across had their carts full of prepared and highly processed foods. I am not saying this is bad but it made me think about how much our food culture has changed so much from when our grand parents were young.

There is nothing wrong with your prepared food you buy. Be informed as to whether or not that food will give you a healthy meal. Try to change your mind set that healthy does not mean bland or gross. Healthy food can be so flavorful while giving your body what it needs to maintain itself.

How do you tackle a new menu for you and your family? Cook with ingredients you feel comfortable with and each time you use them change it up a bit every time. Start off with a main ingredient and build the dish from there. Do not get too creative too fast. This is when you will get that mystery dish comin to the table. Relax, have fun, and try new things.

I will give you some examples of recipes that are easy, yummy, and healthy.

Pita, Tortilla, or Naan pizzas- Take what you love on pizza and put it on the bread. Bake them in a preheated 450F oven until the cheese is melted evenly. You can use any topping and any sauce. When using sauces go light so that the pizza does not get soggy. Use a pizza tray or stone it will crisp the bread up quite nicely. If you do not like to chop and slice your local market will have pre-cut items for you. I guarantee this will be healthier and faster than buying one of those expensive chain pies! Make sure you place these guys on the middle rack in the oven. Serve up with a salad.

Another favorite with the family here is Pot Roast
Now there are tons of different ways to make this dish. The way we prepare it gives you an amazing flavor and very tender meat.

Any beef roast will work. I use tri-tip or other sirloin roasts. Take the roast and score the meat lightly. Cover lightly with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a good quality garlic powder. Heat up a skillet on medium-high, preferably cast iron, and add 1.5 tbsp EVOO. Sear both sides of the roast evenly (about 2 minutes per side). Remove and place in a slow cooker. Take 2-3 cups Merlot red wine and poor over roast (you want about 1-2 inches of wine at the bottom, just enough so that it will not evaporate completely while cooking). Slice up a sweet onion and throw it in. Start cooking before you go to work and set on low, when you get home it will be ready and fall apart tender. Serve up with some potatoes and veggies or any other side dish you like.

Here are some dishes we have created recently. We have been super busy in the kitchen whipping up some new ideas or using old ones and changing them up.