January '09 Gourmet Stars

The January '09 issue of Gourmet is devoted to all things Italiano, and I have to admit to coming very, very close to licking a few of the pages. These two dishes are just two of the many stand outs in this star-studded cast. The first is a Shaved-Fennel Salad with Orange and Pecorino, topped with a Pomegranate Vinaigrette. The second is Polenta-Crusted Chicken with a Balsamic Caper Pan Sauce. Links to both below:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shaved-Fennel-Salad-with-Oranges-and-Pecorino-351149

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Polenta-Crusted-Chicken-with-Balsamic-Caper-Pan-Sauce-351130

Herb Roast Chicken

Herby. Roasty. Nummy.

Pure Holiday Magic

T and I had a lovely holiday in Florida, at my mom's yearly Xmas extravaganza. You'll notice the dessert photos come first. During these breaks I prefer to get my workout climbing that Xmas cookie tower several times a day. I especially love in the first photo how it looks like one of the three wise men brought the cassata to the party- like "ta heck with the myrrh, I'm brangin' choc'lit cake!"

I also hung out around that antipasto plate a lot. A lot.

Oh, and Happy New Year from NumNumNum! We're officially in our third nummy year!

Chicken Romano

This chilly weather has got me thinking in layers- sweater, scarf, coat, chicken, cheese, sauce. This is a take on pretty straight forward chicken parmesan, except I used romano cheese and layered in a few sauteed veggies. All we had in the kitchen for breading were whole-wheat panko flakes and which had more of a consistency like Grape Nuts. So I pounded them down a bit and added dried herbs- basil, oregano, parsley. We had homemade marinara still frozen from last summer, and which had roasted-red peppers blended in. I smothered the top of the breaded chicken breasts with sauteed onions and swiss chard, and then covered the whole lot with more sauce, mozzarella, and romano.

Arugula, Cuc, Radish and Tomato Salad

Hey it's 13° outside today! Let's celebrate with a summery salad! We found these cute little blushy radishes at the winter farmer's market, along with some hothouse tomatoes and arugula. I topped it off with shavings of parmesan and for the dressing I used e.v.o.o., fig-infused balsamic, lemon juice, salt and fresh ground pepper. We had this with pasta and the last of the lamb meatballs and marinara we froze last month. Oh, and did I mention that its 13° outside today?

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

We saw this recipe on Ina's show, but when I googled it there were several variations online. For a creepy and cozy Halloween dinner, what could be more perfect? The garlic gets sweet and deep, the longer it cooks. The cous-cous was tossed with lemon zest, currants, and cashews and was a great sauce-soaker to the chicken. Lovely table decorations by Beth!

Seitan Scramble

Quick weekend breakfast scramble with seitan, onion, garlic, tomato, spinach, and egg.