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!

Dr. Oz Belly Fat Blaster - hmmmmmm......

I, like many women out there, suffer from "Mummy Tummy". You know, that jiggly, unsightly blubber that remains after having kids (especially by c-section). If you are like me, you also gain weight right in your middle. I have been trying to loose weight for a while now, but always find myself feeling unsatisfied, see no results and always hungry.

While shopping last week I picked up a copy of Women's World magazine. This is a paper I never buy, but there was Dr.Oz on the front with his happy go lucky grin. So I looked. In this issue there is an article on Dr. Oz's "Belly fat-blasting smoothie". Naturally I got all of the ingredients and started the 'diet' the very next day. Since I have been doing this, I feel fantastic. I have lost 3 lbs so far in almost a week. Of course I drink the smoothie every morning and eat all of the suggested menu items listed in the article. I have energy, don't feel hungry and find I crave sugar less!

I went to  his website today, to see if there was more information on a meal plan that I can follow. I discovered that the recipes on his site and in the magazine vary in a few ingredients. I am not sure if his is better or not, but I will give it a go next week.

So if you are interested here is the recipe that I found in Women's World magazine.

In blender whip:
1 cup of juice (any variety) (I prefer orange juice)
1/2 banana or 3/4 berries (I used blueberries only - bananas bind me)
2 tbs whey powder
2 tbs ground flaxseed
1 tbs ground psyllium husk
1 tbs chia seeds (I use ground)
1 tbs wheat germ
600 mg fish oil (from supplement caspules, break open and add oil only or just take the pill while drinking smoothie)
3 ice cubes*This is very tasty and filling!
**Expect wonderful BM's!
***I also drink 2 cups of green tea a day (my own little addition to this meal plan)

Now on Dr. Oz's website his recipe is as follows:

Ingredients
1/2 large ripe banana, broken into chunks (or other fruit of your choice)
1 scoop (1/3 cup) Soy Protein (like Nature’s Plus Spiru-Tein)
1/2 tablespoon flaxseed oil
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 tablespoon apple juice concentrate or honey
1 teaspoon psyllium seed husks
8 ounces water

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Optional: Add a few cubes of ice, as well as powdered vitamins. Cover; blend until fairly smooth.

Now I am a realist. I know that the troublesome blubber won't just 'drop' off without effort on my part. Dr. Oz suggest's that walking everyday for about 30 minutes (brisk pace) will help you to drop the weight. So will some simple ab exercises. I will be honest, I'm lazy....I went on the tread mill once for 30, the next day I took a stroll with the kids, the day after I cleaned the house. That has been the extent of my exercise! Perhaps if I did I would see better results!

Time to get my fat ass away from this computer and walk across the street to get my son from his bus! Hah! There, I just exercised!

Italian Wedding Soup (as made by a mangia cake)

I do not recall the first time I tried this soup, and I can honestly say I have never had it at a wedding. But this is one of my favorite soups to make because it is packed full of tasty and healthy ingredients. I have seen a few variations on this recipe, but I prefer to keep it simple. If you want to add extra ooomph to the soup, chop up some sausage, or add some diced cooked chicken. For the meatballs I usually like to use a combination of ground beef and pork. Sometimes when I feel extra 'fancy' or adventurous I use ground lamb. 

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (if I prepare this just for my crew I up the garlic to 2 tsp)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (just enough to help bind the meat)
  
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 8 ounces ground pork
• Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

• 8-10 cups low-sodium chicken broth, water, veggie broth (whatever you have)
  
• 1 pound spinach- chopped (I usually use the frozen chopped stuff - I'm lazy)
  
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1-2 roma tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 dry pasta such as tubetti, macaroni, shells (they should be small and this is optional)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

To make the meatballs: Doesn't take a rocket scientist. Really just chop, mince or grate all to the first 5 ingredients. Toss them into the meat mixture and stir it around. Combine it nicely. You will know when the consistency is right. I like to add more cheese if the mixture is too liquid, and sometimes more bread crumbs. . Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Don't take my word as scripture though, you can make the balls however big you like. Set those bad boys aside to await their eventual bath with the broth.

To make the soup: First saute the onions for about a 1-2 minutes (you want to smell it). Then toss in the carrots, celery and tomatoes. Pour the broth over top of the veggies and heat until a gently boil.  Add the meatballs and cook for around about 5 minutes.

  

Then add your spinach and pasta. Cook for another 4 or 5 minutes (until the balls are cooked through and the greens are tender). Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired. Or make it better and drizzle olive oil over top. Serve it with nice crusty bread that has been lightly toasted and drizzled with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a big pinch of oregano (what we call Nonno bread). Oh, and don't forget the wine!

What Husbands Do When Home Alone

I often wonder what my husband does when he is home alone. I am certain of what he is NOT doing (laundry, preparing a meal, changing the cat litter). But what does a 40 year old man who  has the whole 2300 square foot house to himself do. Perhaps he will watch a hockey game, have a pal over for a  beer. Maybe he will visit those "adult" websites "just to see" what is new in the world of carnal pleasure.

Or maybe, just maybe he is watching infomercials all day! I have to admit, I have been caught in the infomercial trap myself, but never have gave in to the impulse to buy the products, hence my surprise when the Slap Chop arrived at my door yesterday.

You know the product, that ShamWow guy is now pitching the Slap Chop.

 

At first I thought the box was addressed incorrectly. But surely my husband's name was all over the box. Then I noticed on the bill that it read Slap Chop. I open the box up and there before my eyes are 2 Slap Chop's and 2 Gratey's. WTF am I going to do with all of this stuff? I am perfectly capable of slicing and dicing my food the old fashioned way, with a knife!

Anyway, my son was so excited to see this item in the house that he is demanding to have everything chopped up in it. And sadly, I must say it is good for some things like chopping onions and garlic. I have not used it for other things yet, but plan to this weekend. I am sure of one thing though, my husband will NEVER use the thing! Why? He RARELY cooks a meal. Cooking to Corrado involves retrieving some crusty bread and some mortadella!

My Favorite Food Blogs and Websites

I LOVE FOOD! I don't eat just to live. I eat because it makes me feel like living! Sadly my love affair with food has contributed to my ass needing its own postal code. But still I spend my mornings sipping coffee while at the computer (neglecting my family) searching for recipes that I can prepare. Over the years I have discovered many websites and blogs with food being the star. Many of them I return to faithfully for great recipes and appetizing photos!

Here is MY list of the best food/recipe site out there today!

1. Cooks.com

2. Broke Ass Gourmet

3. Foodgawker

4. Smitten Kitchen

5. The Pioneer Woman Cooks

6. Joy The Baker

7. David Rocco

8. Foodbuzz

9. Epicurious

10.Forking Delicious!

I know there are many more, but I just shared a few with you. So now you know where to get some good recipes online.....get cookin'! Seriously, get off your but, get into the kitchen and unleash your inner chef!

For the Love of Food

 When I was growing up I had the great misfortune to be served a severely bland diet. My mother, bless her, she is great, is not much of a cook. Like most people she cooks some things well, but always under seasoned and lacking in flavour. Nor is my mother adventurous when it comes to trying new foods. Needless to say I did not know better, until I was in high school and my best friend invited me over to his house for dinner! A whole new world of food opened up to me. My friend, Jim, is Portuguese. His mother made the tastiest food I had ever eaten. She served an incredible soup made of Kale, beans and sausage. Then she served up some octopus and hard crusty bread. Wow, what an explosion of flavours. I savoured every morsel. As I grew older and was able (and allowed) to cook for myself I would try making foods that were different than my mother’s usual meat and potato based meals. The culinary world did really hit me until I went off to college. There I took every opportunity to eat different foods from as many cultures as possible. When I met my husband, my true adventures in food began. I consider myself blessed not only to have a great man, but that he is Italian to boot!  He is also a foodie, so we explored foods together. His lovely mother has been an inspiration to me when it comes to cooking. She taught me how to make good Marinara sauce, Ragu, Pasta Fagioli and an endless array of delectable goods. I now consider myself a foodie. I love food and everything about it. I love shopping for ingredients, chopping and prepping food for a big cook off. I love the smell of garlic when it fries in olive oil. I love to taste rich flavours, see steaming hot bowls of soup, pasta boiling away in a pot....and of course, I enjoy sipping on wine as I cook.

I plan on sharing with you some of my favourite recipes. Ones that make me feel good inside, some of my fave comfort foods. So stay tuned and enjoy.