Writing a blog takes more time than I thought, how do full-time food bloggers do it? Do they have “people?” I’ve changed up my system so instead of posting an image on Instagram, I hold off until I have a link to both the recipe and its review. Let me know what you think…do you care to comment?
 
One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore is from The New York Times and was developed by Cybelle Tondu. For the recipe you’ll need bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, kosher salt, olive oil, waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or fingerling), a sprig of fresh rosemary, anchovy fillets, fresh garlic, capers, dry white wine, white or red wine vinegar and fresh parsley.
 
I’ll start by saying my husband loved the potatoes in this dish and requested they be made on their own. However, they are cooked with the chicken which lends the rich flavor to the potatoes. The potatoes were cut into chunks and seasoned with rosemary, anchovy, garlic, capers, olive oil and salt. ​

​My son-in-law enjoys sending me IG videos and recently he sent one of chef Christian Petroni preparing lemon pasta. In watching the video you’ll see him cook spaghetti in salted water. Next, he fills a large sauté pan with a ladle of pasta water followed by par cooked spaghetti. To the pan, he squeezes the juice of two lemon then adds them to the pan. A good amount of cheese (Parmesan?) followed by a knob of butter. Toss, toss, done! I couldn’t be that adventurous so I found a similar recipe, Pasta al Limone, on the website “Serious Eats” by Daniel Gritzer.
 
For his recipe you’ll need unsalted butter, finely grated zest of a lemon plus its juice, minced garlic, kosher salt, spaghetti, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and freshly grated black pepper.
 
Mr. Gritzer recommends cooking the pasta in less water so it becomes starchier and he recommends fresh pasta with this lemon sauce. I dove with both into this recipe by whipping up fresh spaghetti.

​I can’t believe that April is just about over and the start of the summer season at the Jersey shore is in the not-too-distant future. My daughter and her family have had a busy spring, what about yours? Between softball practice and games, soccer and birthday parties how do young families deal with their kid’s busy schedule. My daughter tries to cook ahead for the week, but if you can’t I found some easy to do weeknight meals. I’m also sharing a recipe I found in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine that I made for Easter dessert.
 
There’s nothing like a one pot meal such as Lidey Heuck’s Chicken Potpie with Cornbread biscuits. Eric Joon’s Pepper Steak is a two-pot supper, one for the stir fry and another if you want to serve it with rice. Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin “Filets” from Southern Living Magazine was a delicious meal that took about 35 minutes to prepare. 

I’ve discovered my love for all things cacio e pepe, from pizza to pasta and recently with gnocchi. During a mindless search on the internet for recipes, I came upon “Food & Wine’s” webpage for Cacio e Pepe Gnocchi. It’s a thirty-minute meal and you use shelf stable gnocchi. Though the recipe serves four, I made half the recipe for my husband and I.
 
For the recipe you’ll need olive oil, refrigerated gnocchi (I used Wegmans shelf stable gnocchi), black pepper, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, pecorino Romano Cheese and fresh flat leafed parsley for garnish. Using an oven-safe skillet, the gnocchi is sautéed in olive oil until a golden brown. The gnocchi is removed and set aside.  In a clean dry skillet, olive oil is added to the pan along with black pepper. The pepper is toasted which will intensify the flavor making it more fragrant and complex. Next, the cream is added and brought to a simmer.  Off heat the cheeses are added and stirred with the cream until melted and silky. Add the gnocchi and stirred until covered with the sauce. Transfer to a preheated oven and broil until the top of the gnocchi is browned in spots and the sauce is thickened. 

Some recipes are easier than others when scaling down for two people. Other times, I’m asking Siri for conversions or using my calculator to get the measurements just right. A sheet pan recipe by Ali Slagle of The New York Times made it easy for me with her recipe for Sheet-Pan Chicken with Artichokes and Herbs.
 
For this recipe you’ll need fennel bulbs, a can of artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, minced garlic, ground fennel, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on), pitted green olives, fresh lemon juice and red pepper flakes.
 
The fennel is cut into wedges and placed on a rimmed baking sheet along with the artichokes, tomatoes and dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper. In a small bowl garlic, ground fennel, rosemary, salt and olive oil are whisked together. The chicken is seasoned with salt and pepper and rubbed with the spice mixture. The chicken goes on top of the vegetables skin-side up. ​

While most people associate lemons with summer, citrus fruits are winter fruits. Citrus season runs November to April and with this in mind, preparing Dan Pelosi’s One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Caramelized Lemon seemed appropriate. For the recipe you’ll need bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, salt, black pepper, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, lemons, Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, garlic, shallot or onion, long-grain white rice, chicken broth and fresh parsley.
 
The recipe begins by seasoning the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Using my LeCreuset braiser, I placed the pan over medium-high heat and cooked the chicken until it released freely from the pan; it was then set aside.
In the same pan, I cooked 1/4-inch-thick lemon slices until they were golden and softened; they too were removed from the pan. ​

My husband and I have greatly reduced our red meat consumption. With groceries being so expensive, stretching the food dollar is something everyone can relate to. Ground beef is a versatile form of protein and prices can vary widely depending where you shop and the quality you select. For hamburgers I prefer Pat LaFrieda Original Blend Chopped Beef made with chuck, brisket and short rib cuts at $7.99/lb. I recently purchased 80/20 ground beef at Wegmans for $5.79/lb. for recipes where beef is a vehicle for the ingredients.
 
Another alternative to ground beef is ground turkey. At Wegmans I can purchase a three-pound package for $11.99 ($3.83 lb.) Whereas a three-pound package of Shady Brook Farms at ShopRite will cost you $19.99 or $7.99/lb. for a one-pound package. Again, depending on brands, prices can be as low as $4.49/lb. or as high as $8.99/lb. ​

​I’ve been temporarily sidelined with my recovery. My husband takes me to physical therapy three times a week, food shopping at Wegmans and Costco and occasionally dining out. Being in the house is starting to drive me crazy, thank goodness I’m getting more mobile.
 
I am able to stand longer and have begun seeking out new recipes. I recently had a craving for risotto. While I thought I would make Risotto alla Milanese, I found a recipe in Marcella Hazan’s book “The Classic Italian Cook Book” for Risotto with Parmesan Cheese. I found Ms. Hazan’s recipe to be interesting as the broth could be homemade meat broth or chicken broth mixed with water. Forgive me Ms. Hazan, but I had a box of Wegman’s beef broth that I wanted to use. Although the recipe calls for 5 cups, the box was 32 ounces (4 cups), hopefully enough. For the recipe you also need shallots or onions, butter, vegetable oil, Italian Arborio rice and Parmesan cheese.

Back in 1961, there were 17 straight days of temperatures below freezing. This week, weather forecasters are calling for sub-freezing temperatures Sunday through the remainder of the week. Hopefully your pantry is stocked with things that help you prepare easy to make dinners that are hearty and healthy.
 
I recently prepared a delicious recipe from the public broadcasting show, “Cook’s Country”, Stovetop Chicken with Lemon-Cornichon Sauce. Melissa Clark of The New York Times had a recipe for shelf-stable potato gnocchi, Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Sausage and Peppers. A hearty and heartwarming recipe by chef Clare DeBoer appeared in The New York Times for One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles. I also found a new turkey meatloaf recipe from Lidia Bastianich.

Another year has come and gone; you’ve made it! The new year is off to a fresh start and I’m having hip replacement surgery in a few weeks, woohoo! In the meantime, I’ll be cooking, stocking up and blogging on new recipes that I think you’ll find delicious enough to try yourself.
 
A few weeks ago, I found on Lidia Bastianich’s website a recipe for Balsamic Chicken Stir Fry. This recipe takes just 30 minutes to prepare and it has a nice Italian twist to a standard stir fry recipe. What you’ll need is chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, honey, cornstarch, kosher salt, extra-virgin olive oil, boneless and skinless chicken breasts, broccoli florets, broccoli stems trimmed and peeled cut into matchsticks, white or cremini mushrooms, red bell pepper, scallions, peperoncino flakes and white rice if desired.