Balsamic-Macerated Cherries with Sweetened Ricotta

April 27, 2026 No comments

When you see the word macerated in a recipe it simply means you are tossing an ingredient together with a liquid in order to slowly break the ingredient down, soften it, and ultimately bring out its natural sweetness. Macerating fruit in this way is a wonderful no-cook solution for a quick-and-easy dessert; macerating onions or shallots is also a lovely way to quick-pickle the alliums and impart them with a tangy flavor.  Acidic liquids like wine, citrus juice and vinegar are wonderful macerating liquids.

With sweet, dark red cherries on the brain for a dessert idea this week, I decided to macerate them for about 15 minutes in a mixture of cherry-flavored balsamic vinegar and a touch of brown sugar.  A decadent topping for vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, Greek yogurt and even a lightly sweetened base of ricotta cheese like I decided on.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Roast Chicken with Sweet & Tangy Radishes & Onions

April 26, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Edna Valley Vineyard

With countless options for roast chicken recipes floating around out there, it might be hard to choose which one will be just right for this Sunday night’s dinner table. Well search no more! Take my word for it, this recipe takes the cake.  An organic chicken is flavored simply with lemon juice, salt and pepper before roasting in a high heat oven surrounded by sweet onion wedges, halved radishes, and whole garlic cloves.

  A touch of stock in the pan is just one way to ensure the chicken and veggies are super moist and tender; the other way is coating the entire roasting pan’s components with a flavorful sauce made with sherry vinegar, brown sugar, butter and olive oil. The sauce adds a lovely agrodolce/sweet-sour flavor to everything, and that combined with the chicken fat and juices is remarkable.  The vegetables melt in your mouth…and so does the flavorful, moist chicken meat.  Serve this with a smooth glass of red wine, a simple salad, and your favorite cooked whole grains. Hands down, this roast chicken recipe just scooted its way to the top of my favorites list!

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Apricot & Almond Galette’

April 25, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine

One bite of this rustic stone fruit tart and you will automatically be transported to a quaint French pâtisserie.  Made with either halved apricots or sliced peaches, this tart starts with a simple, store-bought puff pastry sheet that is scored and then topped with a homemade almond cream.

The almond cream is made with ground, blanched almonds, sugar, egg, room temperature butter and the sweet flavorings of vanilla  and almond extract.  The cream is delicately spread over the rolled-out dough before being topped with the ripe stone fruit.  For added crunch and almond-flavor, I also topped the tart with sliced almonds before baking to browned and perfectly warm.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/apricot-and-almond-galette)

‘Seared Scallops with Chile-Garlic Spinach’

April 24, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

I loved the idea of this elegant weeknight meal—so much so that I brought out our nice china to serve it on! Inherently there is special message sent out with seared scallops served at home: a simple decadence if you will.

For this specific recipe, the perfectly seared beauties are served over a healthy serving of brown rice (I used freekeh instead) with a side of healthy sautéed spinach dotted with red onions and spicy slices of red chile peppers.  The heat from the chile peppers permeates the greens and adds a lovely kick,  and the overall presentation of all the dish’s elements is utterly gorgeous.  I served this dinner with a glass of crisp French Sancerre, but I can also see a a glass of dry Prosecco adding a celebratory finish to the colorful dish.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above* )

‘Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake’

April 23, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Eating Well Magazine

What makes this pound cake on the healthier side of traditional pound cakes is the use of whole wheat flour, a minimal amount of butter, and a ton of fresh blueberries. The cake itself is very moist, thanks to the use of part-skim ricotta cheese, and gets its added flavor from lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and a drizzle of a tart lemon glaze. I added some sliced almonds to the top of the cake for crunch and I can also see a few poppy seeds added into the batter itself being a nice addition to this luscious cake.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/251419/blueberry-lemon-ricotta-pound-cake/ )

‘Turmeric-Almond Dressing’

April 22, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of www.Epicurious.com

Voilà! My new favorite dressing is served. Obsessed lately with anything involving fresh turmeric, I searched online for a homemade salad dressing involving the gorgeous orange-hued root. This dressing appealed to me the most: roughly chopped pieces of peeled turmeric, peeled ginger and peeled garlic are blitzed in the blender of mini food processor along with lemon juice, a touch of honey, a smidge of salt, and some natural almond butter. (I actually had sunflower seed butter on hand, so that is what I used, but I think a natural peanut or cashew butter would be just as grand.)

With just a touch of water added into the dressing to achieve a smooth, yet slightly thick texture, the flavors of this healthy dressing are amazingly rich thanks to the natural nutty richness of the nut butter.  And its really cool to watch the dressing over time, it slowly starts to turn a gorgeous deep yellow color as you blend away.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/turmeric-almond-dressing-51264440 )

‘Pomegranate & Chicken Stew’

April 21, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Delicious Magazine

This Persian-inspired stew was simply marvelous. A quick sauté of shallots, garlic and carrots in a pat of butter, followed by chicken thighs that are then surrounded by a mixture of chicken stock, pomegranate juice and a touch of pomegranate molasses.  The stew itself does  not turn out sweet, but rich and flavorful.  The stew cooks for a bit until the chicken is cooked through and tender, then you finish the pot off with fresh parsley, cilantro and a sprinkling of tart pomegranate seeds.  Lovely when served over white rice or even a warm scoop of cous cous.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/pomegranate-and-chicken-stew/)

Balsamic-Roasted Broccolini with Coppa Ham

April 20, 2026 No comments

My favorite way to serve broccolini spears is roasted.  The stems stay crunchy, but the hot oven crisps up the floret section of the veggie and infuses the entire dish with the olive oil and seasonings added on.  Simply salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and olive oil are the additions to the broccolini pre-roasting,  a drizzle of balsamic vinegar once the broccolini come out of the oven, plus some tender capocollo ham wrapped around each bundle for a salty touch.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

‘Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken’

April 19, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of www.FoodNetwork.com

This very well could be the most flavorful roast chicken recipes I have ever tried. The origin of the recipe?  The incomparable Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) of the Food Network and cookbook fame, who if you follow her show, you know that she cooks a roast chicken for her husband, Jeffrey just about every Friday night.  Perhaps not the same version every Friday, but each version she suggests that I have tried has been equally easy and wonderful.

This ‘Friday Night chicken’ for example is first spatchcocked, which sounds strange, but simply put it means that the back bone of the chicken is removed and the chicken butterflied so that it lays flat.  This way, it cooks quicker in the oven seeing that it has more surface area in the pan. Next, you make a rub for the chicken made with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and fragrant fennel seeds. The flavored chicken is then laid in an oven-proof skillet over sliced onions, garlic and lemon slices.  Everything is roasted for a bit, then some white wine is added to the pan for added moisture and flavor.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, you squeeze it with lemon juice and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes.  The chicken itself is so moist and tender, and the sauce underneath…incredible. The lemons become so caramelized and juicy that you can eat them just as they are.  Such a lovely lemony chicken that I look forward to making again and again.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/skillet-roasted-lemon-chicken-3517965 )

‘Iceberg Salad with Italian Dressing’

April 18, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine

Iceberg lettuce doesn’t have the best of reputations.  Most people associate its crunchy texture and cheaper price with bad salad bar experiences and bland school lunches.  But I guarantee that a traditional wedge salad, a tasty chopped salad, or a crisp Italian salad like this one will forever change your mind about iceberg.

Here, crunchy shreds of iceberg lettuce are served with sliced red onion, mozzarella and provolone cheeses and pickled pepperoncini.  I added some ripe wedges of tomato to the salad as well, which goes perfectly with the easy homemade Italian dressing. The dressing gets its tang from white wine vinegar and a touch of sugar, along with oregano and a creamy touch of mayonnaise.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/iceberg-salad-with-italian-dressing )

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