Sweet & Spicy Chicken

I adore Real Simple magazine. It's the only one that I have a subscription for and it always makes me smile when I get the latest one in our mailbox. They have great recipes, really creative household tips and very interesting articles. Usually, I tear out the recipes I want to try and stuff them in a folder, never to be seen again. But this one jumped out at me because I've been looking for a new way to do a basic roast chicken. My usual method is just olive oil, rosemary, thyme, with some "Poultry Seasoning", and it's delicious. But occasionally, I want to spice things up...know what I mean?

This recipe creates a paste-like spice rub that I coated the chicken with, and even worked some of it under the skin. I don't eat the skin, so I wanted to get the flavor directly onto the meat as well. Then I popped the chicken in the oven and it was perfectly done in 45 minutes. I served it with roasted grape tomatoes and broccoli. The recipe is a really flavorful way to do chicken. I will definitely try it again!

Ingredients:

1 TBS olive oil

1 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt & pepper

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces or a 3-4 lb roasting chicken

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400.

Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or large baking dish. Combine all the ingredients together to form a thick paste. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, making sure to get some of it underneath the skin on the breast.

Cook for 45-55 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165+ when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken (usually near a joint or the thigh). Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving it so that the juices redistribute.

Enjoy!

TWD: Chipster Topped Brownies

Oh Dorie. I did not want to make this recipe. I didn't want to be anywhere near it. I can't resist brownies. Seriously, it's a total achilles heel weakness. Usually, I just go straight for the boxed mix, when I make them (which isn't often at all or I'd turn into a brownie). But this was homemade brownies, complete with butter and melted chocolate...all topped with a layer of chocolate chip cookie. Could it get anymore killer than that?

Yeah, I really didn't want to make them. But I did. I knew that they would be perfect for a Memorial Day barbeque and I could bring a few of them to my Girls Night on Sunday. Other TWD'ers noted that the cookie batter was really difficult to spread onto the brownie batter, so I tried to use a very light touch. I didn't have enough batter to reach all the edges of the pan, so I was left with a 1-inch margin of brownie all around. Not that this was a bad thing. The other bakers also said that even at 55 minutes, the middle brownies were underbaked while the cookie layer was getting overbaked. Again, underbaked brownies are not a bad thing.

Overall? This recipe rocks. The brownies are rich and delicious, topped with a thin and crispy layer of chocolate chip cookie, and it all melts in your mouth. I'm keeping the leftovers tightly covered, hoping that out of sight = out of mind. And that Alex eats them all very soon. I would totally make these again, but only for a big party with lots of people. If you want to try these, check out the recipe here, on Suppilicious, by Beth (a great name, BTW!).

Tamale Pie

I first saw this recipe in a Moosewood cookbook a few months ago, and made a mental note to come back to it...someday. Then, one of my favorite bloggers, Ezra Pound Cake, posted the recipe and I knew this was my sign. I must make this. So I did.

Tamale Pie sounds kind of complicated, but it couldn't be more simple. Layer polenta slices in a baking dish and top with beans, salsa, spices, cheese and cilantro. Bake and devour. Done and done! If you love Mexican flavors, you'll love this dinner. I made a few alterations from the original recipe and did a lot of the spices by taste, which worked out well. It's simple enough that you can adjust it for your own personal preferences.

Ingredients:
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup salsa
1-2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt

1-2 tsp chili powder (optional)
12 ounces prepared polenta, in a roll
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or an 11-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Empty the pinto beans into a large bowl, and mash with a potato masher or fork. Add whole black beans, corn, salsa, cumin, oregano and salt. Mix thoroughly, and set aside.
Slice the polenta roll into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (about the thickness of sausage patties). Arrange the rounds in the skillet, slightly overlapping. Spoon the bean mixture over the polenta, and sprinkle on the cilantro and cheese.
Cover and bake for 15 minutes, and then uncover and bake for15 minutes more, until the beans are bubbling and hot. For a crisp topping, place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Moosewood recommends serving this with chips, guacamole and a garden salad.

TWD: I am the MANGO...

I am THE MANGO!

This week's TWD recipe was chosen by Kelly, of Baking with the Boys. It was a great choice, after a really chocolate-intense month filled with cakes, tarts, puddings, creams, etc. However, as soon as I saw that it was Mango bread, Chris Kattan immediately came to mind. I just loved his character of Mango, the exotic dancer on SNL. Anyways...I digress...

I recently finished up my part-time job, so I found myself with my Monday evenings wide open once again. I missed that me-time and I'm so glad to have it back! In celebration on my first free Monday, I went to the gym, went food shopping, came back and cleaned the kitchen, whipped up a delicious dinner of Tamale Pie and Zero Point Vegetable Soup and then...Mango Bread! I was so proud.

And the bread was so yummy. The batter just kept getting into my mouth. Honestly, I have no idea how that happened. I added in some small pieces of candied ginger for a spicy kick and left out the lime zest. The mango, cinnamon and brown sugar are a great combination and made the house smell amazing.

This recipe was a perfect way to celebrate spring with a fresh and spicy sweet treat! And maybe some cross-dressing exotic dancing. But ya know..whatever you're into.

Bubbie Ruth's Spinach Lasagna

Ever come back from vacation and feel like you need another vacation to catch up on everything? That's how I felt last night. I had a suitcase full of sand covered clothes, 140+ work emails, a few angry voice mails (don't people understand the meaning of "I'm out of the office..."?) and a totally empty fridge. I managed to scrounge up enough scraps for lunch, but I knew that I would have to hit up the Giant for the rest of the meals this week.

I was also thinking about my original plan for when I started this blog. I wanted to post family recipes, and in the course of doing WW, I got a little off track from that. Totally understandable, as many of the family recipes call for Crisco or schmaltz (rendered chicken fat)! But there are a bunch of recipes that I can tweak to be a little healthier and some that are just good clean healthy meals. This lasagna is one of them! And it's so easy, I can't believe I didn't post it sooner.

It's a good foundation lasagna, so you can add anything you want to it. I like it pretty basic, but I think I'll double the spinach next time. I'm sure you non-Kosher folks could add meat to it, but I don't know how or where.

Ingredients:

1 lb part skim ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzerella, divided

1 egg

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained well

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp Italian seasoning (or 2 tsp oregano)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 jar pasta sauce (30 oz)

9 lasagna noodles UNCOOKED

1/2 cup water (the water will steam the noodles while it cooks)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, spinach, egg, seasonings and 1 cup of the mozzerella. I use eggbeaters so that I can taste it for proper seasoning. In a 9x13 baking dish, layer 1 cup of sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, and 1/2 the cheese mixture. Repeat. End with the remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzerella cheese on top. Pour the water around the edges of the pan, cover TIGHTLY with foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.

I'm Back!

Did you miss me? I had a wonderful vacation with Alex and his family, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We stayed in the adorable town of Duck and spent as much time as possible on the beach. I didn't grow up on the water, but being from Boston, it was easy enough to take summer trips to the Cape. Now as an adult, I need at least one yearly trip to the ocean in order to feel whole. It just seems to center me. The sound of the waves, the tangy smell of salt air, the hot and crunchy sand...I love it.

The wedding itself was beautiful. Very intimate and family oriented, which was so special. The groom is Alex's cousin and he and his wife are just wonderful and caring people. We had such a blast. Well, except for a 12-hour deep sea fishing trip that consisted of constant sea-sickness, but Alex won't want to revisit that memory anytime soon. But hey - they caught 44 lbs of delicious mahi-mahi! There is nothing like fresh fish. Amazing! It was just as good a few days later when we made fish tacos, too.

Here are some pics of our vacation. Now that I've experienced the OBX, I'm addicted. I want to go back!

The glorious beach! Oh how I miss it...

Alex making fish tacos for everyone

The cake from the rehersal dinner - so cool! I had a bite of it, so technically, this is the first "crab cake" I've ever eaten.

One of the houses that the family rented for the week