Get your nom on with this lemon garlic chicken!

Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am fanatical about my love for all things lemon. I love the vibrant yellow colour, the crisp clean scent, the tangy sour deliciousness that they yield. Recently I also discovered a love for Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food thanks to a great restaraunt in Toronto, Ontario called Byblos. It was in that fine establishment that I developed a serious taste for the fresh, vibrant flavours of Egyptian and Lebanese cruise.

That single dining experience resulted in countless hours of scouring the Internet in search of as many recipes as I could find. One such recipe I came across for Lebanese Lemon Garlic Chicken. When I read the ingredient list I thought it would be a great recipe to have under my belt as most of the time I had the ingredients in the house.

So I whipped it up, quite easily I might add, and BAM! Instant hit. The dish is pungent with garlic, this is not date night food, so if you want to get lucky I suggest you hold off on this dish. The tang of the lemon brightened the dish and the addition of a middle eastern 7 spice mix topped it all off to perfection.

An easy to make one dish meal that is sure to please most guests, except for your vampire friends.

Lebanese Baked Garlic Chicken with Potatoes Recipe: Baked Garlic Chicken and Potatoes – Djej w Batata Bil Sayniyyeh Summary: A traditional garlic chicken dish from Lebanon. Baked Garlic Chicken Ingredients (4 servings) INGREDIENTS 4 lbs of chicken legs/quarters/breasts (I prefer thighs) 5 medium potatoes 20 cloves of garlic (or 1.5 heads) (this is the amount the original recipe calls for. Too much for me so I use half the garlic...purely up to you) 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 table spoons of olive oil salt to taste 2 tsp Lebanese 7-spices INSTRUCTIONS 1. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. 2. Make cuts in chicken in order to allow for the spices and garlic sauce to seep deep inside. 3. Rub chicken with a table spoon or two of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and 1 tsp Lebanese 7-spices. Quickly sear the chicken to add colour and flavour. About 5 minutes, then transfer to baking dish. 4. Peel potatoes then cut them in disks of about 1/2 inch, salt lightly. 5. Place chicken on bottom of baking tray (preferably metal), place potatoes on top, sprinkle with remaining spice blend and bake at 400F (medium heat) for about 30 minutes. 6. Meanwhile place the garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2-3 table spoons of olive oil in a blender/food processor and spin for 4-5 minutes, add the lemon juice and spin for another 4-5 minutes until you have a nice lemony-garlicky sauce. 7. Once the chicken has baked 30 minutes, take the tray out of the oven and very carefully drain any excess liquids/fat/water that you see on the bottom. 8. Pour the garlic sauce all over it while mixing it well with the potatoes, put back in the oven and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes until the potatoes turn start to brown. 9. Serve warm. 10. Note: You may need to consume an unusually large quantity of toothpaste afterwards.

Cibo: Featured Recipe ~ Mamma Agata's Dolce al Limone

Look at me blogging twice in one day!

I wanted to share with you a recipe that I discovered just a few days ago. I have this lemony cake two years ago while visiting Ravello, Italy. I fell in love. I love all of the desserts using lemon that the fine folk of the Amalfi Coast make.

Check out this recipe and enjoy!


Cibo: Featured Recipe ~ Mamma Agata's Dolce al Limone

Lazy Mom's Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

As a SAHM of 2 and a doting wife to the Italian Stallion, I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen. I am always cooking up some sauce to accompany the evenings pasta. I am not content 'most of the time' with a hum drum meal of just meat and potatoes as I grew up on. I always feel the need to out-do the last menu.
However, I am not much of a baker. Try as I may, I often fail in this area. I suppose that I am too impatient for many of the sweets to come to fruition. Maybe I just plain suck at baking. Either way I still feel the need to provide my family with fresh home baked treats (every so often....I'm not a glutton for punishment).

One of the 'cheater' recipes that I have tried over the years are Kraft's Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies. I have to say that following their recipe to the "T" has always made me a happy camper but at the same time the inner gourmet in me cries for more. Over the years I have changed the white sugar the recipe calls for to brown sugar. I always add chocolate chips to my dough. But today I tried something a bit different. I added NUTELLA. (this is the point that the angels sing about the glories of this chocolate spread). I will be the first to admit...they rocked! Second to admit is my 6 yr old son who has never liked peanut butter cookies of any sort. These  he loved.

Here is the recipe switch up! Just know that when I did this it was by 'eye', quanto basta....you know when enough is enough.

SCANT 1 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp NUTELLA (add to PB to make a full cup...you judge based on your taste)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chocolate chips (choose what you like...I prefer dark chocolate)
1 egg
1 tbsp flour
pinch salt

Mix all ingredients together well. Preheat oven to 325 and bake for 15-16 minutes or until very lightly browned. Let cookies stand on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Now ladies...tell me how frigging easy is that and I can assure you these are very tasty cookies! Give it a try because on those week nights when you barely have energy to cook let alone serve dessert these little morsels will come in handy!

Penne alla Puttanesca

Life has been pretty hum drum lately. Nothing much has been happening, the hubby and kids are well. I am well, although a bit frustrated and tired of dieting.

Last weekend I grew so tired of depriving myself of good pasta and wine, I cracked and prepared an awesome Sunday night meal for the family. The recipe I used came courtesy of my new favorite cooking website called Italian Food Net. This is a great site I recently discovered and have since cooked three of their recipes. I love this site for a few reasons: 1) I love Italian Food! 2) I am trying to learn to speak Italian and this is a great website to learn to talk about food. Last but not least 3) What woman can resist cute Italian guys cooking great food...seriously! The recipes on this site are super easy to follow and very, very tasty.

I chose to cook up a great dish called Penne alla Puttanesca (penne with whore's sauce - roughly translated). When I took my first bite of this dish I did feel a bit like a dirty whore, cheating on my bathroom scale and healthy smoothies. But I can assure you, this is still a healthy recipe!

Penne alla Puttanesca

INGREDIENTS: (4 servings)
320 Gr.(11.28 Oz.) Ridged Penne pasta
500 Gr. (17.64 Oz.) Peeled tomatoes
100 Gr. (3.53 Oz.) Black pitted olives
3 Anchovy fillets
3 Garlic cloves without core, crushed
1 Fresh hot pepper
Some minced capers
Fresh chopped parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup white wine
Salt

Place a large pot of water over high heat
When the water begins to boil add salt and pour in the pasta
In a frying pan over medium heat pour in the olive oil and add garlic
when it begins to brown add fresh hot pepper, the anchovies fillets and cook until they dissolve into a paste
When the anchovies has melted, remove the garlic, add minced caper, pitted olives and a pinch of salt
At this point add ½ cup dry white wine and let it reduce
Once the wine has evaporated add peeled tomatoes hand squeezed
Let it cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes adding a little salt
Drain the pasta put into the pan, saute, transfer it to a serving plate,
garnish with chopped parsley, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

I suggest you give this recipe a try you will love it! I also suggest you check out the video recipe as well...strictly for viewing pleasure ;) Penna alla Puttanesca Video Recipe

Enjoy!