Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

Since we've officially entered grilling season, here's another grilling recipe.  These are very simple to make but I do recommend using carrots with the tops. I find that carrots with tops are usually thin and much sweeter and I think this recipe just tastes better with them. Carrots in Foil Packets 1 bunch of carrots (tops removed and saved for stock) 2 t dijon mustard 1/4 c Vinegar (Kressi preferred) 2 cloves garlic (minced) 2 t Rosemary 1/2 c olive oil salt/pepper Tear off a decent size sheet of aluminum foil. Place carrots in center. Mix ingredients for vinaigrette. Pour over carrots and seal foil packet. Place on grill and cook until tender - about 15-20 minutes. The vinaigrette infuses flavor into the carrots. I suppose if you wanted some char marks on them you could remove them from the packets and place them right on the grill to get a little color.

This is a pretty forgiving recipe. I used chicken wings, but you can use thighs, legs, bone-in breasts, or a whole chicken. If you are doing a whole chicken, you will probably need to double the marinade. Grilled Lemon Honey Thyme Chicken 1lb chicken wings (thighs, bone-in breasts or whole chicken) 1 head garlic 2 lemons (juice and zest) 2 T honey thyme sprigs 1/4 c olive oil salt pepper Mash garlic cloves and salt together with the side of a chef's knife to form a paste. Whisk together marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken in marinade. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Place on hot grill and cook until done (about 15-20 minutes). We have an old-fashioned (well not really old fashioned - it's really new fashioned) charcoal grill. We don't do that gas grill thing. So we pile the charcoal on one side and start the wings off the direct heat. We then move them over for about ...

I don't know we always called this toad in a hole. It's not the real deal British toad in a hole - which is sausages in a Yorkshire Pudding batter, but it is a nice version. It makes a nice lunch on a weekend when you don't know what you feel like eating. Obvs this is for two and the recipe is for one Toad in a Hole 1 slice bread 1 egg butter salt/pepper Place the bread on a flat surface and using a glass about 3" across cut out a circle of bread. You will need to give the glass a little twist. Butter both sides of the bread and the bread circle. Place on a skillet or griddle. Cook until egg starts to set and bread is toasted. Flip and cook on the other side until done. Meanwhile toasted the bread circle on the skillet/griddle. Salt and pepper egg. The best part about the bread circle is you have something to dip in the egg yolk. The British call them soldiers. OK really soldiers are strips of bread that they dip into soft boiled eggs but since I was me...

This is a nice quick and easy way to cook up some collards. I never thought I would like collards but when I finally did try them, they were amazing. Often people cook them until they are soft and mushy, while there is something to be said for that, there is also something to be said for not cooking them until they are soft and mushy. Collard Greens 1 bunch collards 2 cloves garlic olive oil 1/2 c white wine 1/2 c chicken stock salt/pepper Trim center vein out of collards and cut crosswise (about 2" wide). In a skillet or dutch oven, add olive oil and garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add collards - they will sizzle a little from the water that is left from the rinsing. Let wilt a little. Add wine and cook until almost all evaporated. Add salt/pepper. Add chicken stock and cook about 10 minutes. Do not cover (they will lose their bright green color). You can also cook them until softened if you like them that way. You may need to add additional chicken stock (or if you ...

I will never make steak another way. This was one of those life altering food moments. Fresh pasta in Italy was another one but that's not as easy to have! I have read that steak Sous Vide is the best and I have to say I was thinking blah, blah, blah. But I'm here to say Steak Sous Vide is the best. I had a sirloin steak that wasn't the best cut of meat but certainly not the worst and it became this wonderfully tender, moist steak. OK so it is a little bit of work but it's really not a lot of hands on time. Just in time for the holiday weekend... Now I've told you before that I do not eat steak properly. I don't care! I like my steak on the well done side of rare. Is that a nice way of saying it? You can check out this website to see what temperature you should Sous Vide your steak to get the desired doneness. I cooked mine at 145. They said 150 was a turning point to badness but I thought 140 looked too rare for me. Sous Vide Steak 1- 2lb Sirloin Stea...

I'm always on the prowl for new uses for sourdough for Bertha (she can be so demanding). I had some tomato sauce left and mozzarella so I though this would be a good use. Sourdough Pizza (Adapted from King Arthur Flour ) Makes 2 thin crusts 1 c sourdough starter (unfed, straight from the refrigerator) 1/2 c warm water 1/2 t yeast pinch of sugar 2 - 21/2 c flour 1 t salt 2t dried basil 1t oregano olive oil for cooking Toppings as desired Spoon 1 cup of starter into a bowl. Add yeast and sugar to the warm water and let sit for 10-15 minutes until bubbly. Add to sourdough starter. Add 1 c of flour, salt, and herbs. Use dough hook to incorporate flour, gradually adding enough flour to leave the dough sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise 2-4 hours (depending on room temperature). Divide dough in half. Let dough sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile oil two 15" round pizza pans (use a smaller one for thicker crust).  Press the dough into the pan. Cove...

Be prepared for a sticky pan that will have to be soaked overnight with this recipe! The poor Sous Chef... See that baked on goo but oh so worth it Sticky Chicken Wings (Adapted from Martha Stewart ) 3/4 c packed brown sugar 1/4 c fish sauce 1/4 fresh lemon juice and zest 2 T soy sauce 1" piece of fresh ginger, grated 1t red pepper flakes 2 lbs chicken wings, cut at joint (tips saved for stock) Whisk together ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Place chicken wings in a single layer in a 13x9 pan. Pour sauce over chicken toss to coat. Bake 1 hour at 300. Increase temperature to 450 and bake until sauce is reduced to a glaze (about 30-40 minutes). Turn chicken about every15 minutes to coat. See how easy that was? OK the cleaning up part really wasn't that bad (especially since I didn't do it). Seriously let the dish soak overnight with a little baking soda.

Serve with a balsamic reduction This is the kind of recipe that you can use whatever kind of vegetables you have sitting around waiting to be used. It's a very loose recipe. The amounts are not exact as it depends on what you have and want to get rid of ;-) Vegetable Frittata 2 carrots, shredded 1 small zucchini, shredded 1 potato, shredded 2 c spinach or chard shredded 1 c tomato, diced 2 green onion or 1 shallot chopped 1/2 c cheese, shredded (Fontina, Gruyere, or White Cheddar) salt/pepper fresh herbs (basil, parsley, tarragon, or oregano, dill) Ancho, Smokey Paprika Nutmeg 9-10 eggs Grease a 10 inch pie plate (you can even use a 9"). Combine all the vegetable ingredients in a bowl (I usually just grate the vege right into the bowl). Add herbs, salt/pepper, Ancho, smokey paprika, and nutmeg. Gently stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk 9 of the eggs together. Add the eggs to the vegetables and gently stir.  You might need to add that extra egg at...

This sounded very intriguing when I first came across this recipe. Chicken in Milk (Adapted from Jamie Oliver via Food 52 ) 1 whole chicken salt/pepper 3 T olive oil 2 cinnamon stick zest of 2 lemons 10 garlic cloves, skin on 2 c milk Preheat oven to 375. Salt and pepper the chicken. In a pot that the chicken will fit tightly in, heat the oil. Fry the chicken until it gets nicely brown on all sides. Remove chicken and discard remaining olive oil (I just wiped it out with paper towels). Put the chicken back in the pot with the remaining ingredients. Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours basting every 20 minutes. The milk becomes curdy and makes a really delicious sauce for the chicken as well as mashed potatoes. The chicken comes out super tender. The lactic acid in the milk tenderizes the chicken. I was wondering if you could make this with buttermilk. I'm thinking that would add some additional flavor. Jamie Oliver uses fresh sage in the recipe. It was raining really ...