When I’m in the mood for comfort food (which I am now), I feel the need to have something creamy, which is often followed by the desire to have roast chicken. Except, of course, when I must have mac and cheese, but we will save that for a future post. This is one of my favorite ‘go to’ comfort food supers, and fits the comfort food bill to a T. The chicken is briefly browned in a skillet, and then laid down on a bed of braised leeks. And now I have a confession to make: I usually don’t buy prepared foods at the supermarket, just because I am a food geek and prefer to make my own. Most of the time, I think homemade always tastes better than store bought. Also, I’m a cheap skate and can usually make things myself for less money. In this recipe I make an exception by using jarred Garlic Alfredo Sauce to pour over the chicken. The reason is simply because I cannot for the life of me make an Alfredo Sauce that will not break or separate during the roasting process – no how, no way. This stuff is both delicious and miraculous, and I can understand every ingredient on the label except one, which works for me. I buy Bertolli’s, but use whatever favorite you might have. After a healthy pouring over of Alfredo Sauce, mushroom are sautéed and added right before roasting, along with a nice handful of fresh thyme. The end result is hearty, creamy, and lick the plate delicious. Sound interesting, keep reading to see the recipe!
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It is often said that ingredients from the same region naturally go well together. Such is definitely the case with salmon and blackberries. In this recipe, we season fresh salmon filets with salt and white pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and either grill or oven roast. When ready to serve, we drizzle with a rich and savory blackberry sauce that has been infused with fresh lime and ginger, and add a nice scoop of Garlic Dill Compound Butter….just think about that melting all over the salmon OH MY! Grab a napkin!!
FINALLY!!! Our tomato harvest is in full swing, bushes are loaded, and they are demanding attention. If you are in the same boat as I am, here is an answer to your dilemma. I have canned tomatoes for nearly forty years, and was desperate to find an easier, less messy and time consuming way to deal with them. Enter our two ingredient, slow cooker tomato sauce – truly the easiest and most delicious tomato sauce I’ve ever eaten. Throw it into a crockpot, and after it’s cooked down by half, blend the living daylights out of it, and freeze. No seeding, no peeling – just pure tomato.
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Quiche is kind of a lost recipe, and I’m not sure exactly why that is. For sure, it’s a rich indulgence you probably won’t want to eat every day, but there are times when it’s a perfect remedy to right what is wrong in our worlds. Here’s my attempt to make it summery, and to lighten it up quite a bit. You will notice the standard piecrust that is traditional in these matters is missing – its just not my thing and makes me feel like too big of a food sinner if I eat it. In its place is a fairly thin, savory bottom crust made of grated Parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. The inside is creamy with farm fresh eggs, half&half, and more herbs than you can shake a stick at. There is also a treasure trove of roasted zucchini and sautéed peppers and green onions. I’ve thrown in enough Jarlsberg and Mozzarella cheese to add that gooey element that is necessary in these matters. Finally, there’s an herb garden pesto you can drizzle on right before you dive in that give just the right amount of fresh, lemony kick to make every element sing at the top of its lungs together. I’m diggin’ it. 
As I sit writing this, I cannot believe that I haven’t shared this recipe with you before. It’s my absolute favorite marinade for grilling chicken, and I usually triple the recipe and freeze for whenever the mood strikes. When my niece Ari was little, this was just about the only chicken she would eat (except for chicken strips from what she called ‘Burr-Burr Ville). We made it for her every year during our annual sister’s beach getaway, and it still brings smiles to everyone who tries it. She named it ‘
Dick was down with a bad cold, and that usually means homemade soup in our household. Translation: he needs me to get out of his ‘territory’ so he can rest, so I end up puttering away in the kitchen, which to me is a win-win. On that particular day, the soup depended on what was available in the pantry and fridge, and this soup is the result. It’s hearty….super hearty, and one of those you can pack in a thermos for a special treat after a day of digging in a soon-to-be garden, an early spring hike, or any other activity that requires you to warm up from being out in the elements. Big hunks of colorful vegetables are the base, and then we load on a lot of healthful cannellini beans, a fair amount of carbs with big elbow macaroni, and enough crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to round everything out. We won’t forget to add big dollops of pesto to the top of our bowls for freshness, and let’s not skimp on the butter on those crackers – we earned it.
Here’s an easy side dish I developed pretty much by accident due to the fact that I stepped away from the stovetop while attempting an orzo risotto recipe. Orzo is a little pasta shape that looks a lot like big grains of rice. When I returned to the stove, I saw that the orzo was super toasted, and there was no way that was going to cooperate into giving off its starch to becoming a creamy risotto. “Rats”, I thought, but then decided just to go with it and see what happened. The result was this happy surprise. Toasting the orzo until just a tad past golden brown gave it a nutty, more developed flavor, and didn’t make the pasta clump up – not one bit. The addition of some wine, then chicken broth, further popped up the flavor. But being one who can’t leave well enough alone, I grabbed a couple of handfuls of baby spinach and tossed them in until just softened, then finished the whole business with some crumbled feta cheese, toasted pine nuts, and roasted garlic. Yowza.
Are you as tired as I am of the current onslaught of advertising that encourages all of us to do one or more of the following: “Don’t Eat Sugar!! Don’t Eat Fat!! Don’t Eat Carbs!!” or my personal favorite “Drink this magic shake and lose about 20 pounds in two weeks!!” …all hogwash if you ask me, and designed for others to make money at your expense. There is only one way to eat a healthy diet and stick to it as far as I’m concerned, and it amounts to not dieting. Enjoy what you eat, eat in moderation, cook at home more, take some time to learn what’s good for you. Lean protein, lean dairy, healthy carbs and plenty of fruits and vegetables are the key. Allow yourself a splurge now and then, and stop staring at the scale. Get exercise – it will help your mind as well as your body, and above all – have fun every day. In the spirit of healthy eating without suffering, I give you my rendition of Chicken Marbella.