Around Anna's Table

‘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 )

‘Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies’

April 17, 2026 No comments

I thought I had already discovered my husband’s favorite cookie recipe (a sweet and salty peanut-toffee chip variety), but Good Housekeeping‘s recipe for ‘Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies’ might be a close second. With their meringue-like texture and rich chocolate flavor, these gluten-free cookies are, simply put, a chocoholic’s dream.

Made simply with confectioner’s sugar, chocolate chips, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, toasted walnuts, pure vanilla extract and eggs, they bake until cracked on top, a bit crunchy on the outside, but chewy and chocolatey on the inside. The key to their texture is to let them rest before trying to remove from the pan so that they properly set-up; a difficult task to accomplish with the confections’ warm, chocolatey smell in the air!

Zucchini & Mushroom Pizza with Olives & Fresh Basil

April 16, 2026 No comments

This pizza pie is, well, a slice of heaven. (pun intended) Technically a white pizza because of its lack of tomato sauce, I started with my favorite store-bought pizza dough, then topped it with olive oil, sliced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, fresh mozzarella cheese and then some yummy sliced veggies. Zucchini and cremini mushrooms to be exact, as well as some briny black and green olives and some sweet fresh basil leaves.

The beauty of homemade pizza has to do with its endless possibilities—have extra marinara sauce on hand? Slather it on! Have leftover roasted broccoli or asparagus? There are your veggie toppers! And a variety of cheese work well, too; not just fresh mozzarella, but ricotta, goat or even feta. In other words….get creative! Your taste buds and family with thank you.

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

‘Seared Scallops with Celery & Golden Raisins’

April 15, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of www.MarthaStewart.com

When cooking something extremely simple like seared scallops, the best accompaniments to the scallops need not be complicated. Take this easy and fresh recipe from MarthaStewart.com for example: seared jumbo sea scallops served over a crunchy and flavor-filled salad of raw celery, fresh herbs, golden raisins and a light lemon-Dijon vinaigrette. The decadent, tender texture of the scallops pairs wonderfully with a crisp, raw salad like this one. A nice addition to the salad could also be diced, sweet apples and even a few walnuts or pine nuts.

Carrot & Orange Soup

April 14, 2026 No comments

I always have a big bag of carrots in the fridge; whether to eat with a bit of hummus as a snack, to chop and add into a salad for lunch, or include in a nice soup like this one. Carrots are so good for us, have a great sweet flavor, and really add a nice brightness to whatever you are making.

With a bottle of carrot juice leftover from a previous carrot dish I made, I decided to make a lovely carrot soup flavored with a bit of orange zest and orange juice for a ‘pop’ of flavor, as well as a bit of ricotta cheese for creaminess. (It’s not necessary to buy a bottle of carrot juice just for the soup, but it really does add a nice richness and intense carrot flavor to the soup itself!) I like to top this soup with fresh dill because in general, dill and carrots are a match made in culinary heaven.

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

‘Seared Salmon with Israeli Cous Cous’

April 13, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Real Simple Magazine

A gorgeous plate of simple seared salmon and a fresh arugula salad is welcomed at our dinner table any night of the week! What gives this specific dish its charm is the addition of fresh apples, cooked pearled or Israeli cous cous, and a bright lemon-mustard vinaigrette. I love the addition of nuts to the salad for crunch as well, and the peppery taste of the raw red onion slices is also a delightful addition. Feel free to season the salmon with an herbed salt if you wish or even a touch of fennel pollen, but simply seasoning it with salt and pepper is tasty enough.

‘Mississippi Mud Pie’

April 12, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

Calling all chocolate lovers! This Southern-inspired chocolate cream pie is made that much more decadent with the inclusion of ground pecans in the chocolate cookie crust, as well as toasted pecans on top of the pie itself. The filling is a rich homemade chocolate pudding and the topping? Lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream. The key to this pie is to leave it in the fridge overnight, so that the filling sets nicely and makes the pie easy to cut into slices.

‘Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cookies’

April 11, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of www.TheSpruceEats.com

I dare you to try and eat just one of these chocolate chip cookies! No joke, they are addictive. With their cakey texture and buttery flavor, not to include the decadent mix of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips, these Italian-inspired chocolate chip cookies deliver it all.

Made simply with butter, sugar, egg, baking powder and soda, a pinch of salt, vanilla and flour, the ingredients aren’t much different than a traditional chocolate chip cookie—until you add in the creamy ricotta cheese. That secret ingredient makes for a pillowy, cakey crumb that is melt-in-your-mouth fantastico. I can’ t think of a better way to use the rest of that ricotta cheese container in the fridge!

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: https://www.thespruceeats.com/ricotta-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe-3053299 )

‘Tarragon Chicken’

April 10, 2026 No comments

Recipe Courtesy of EatingWell.com

One of my favorite ways to use fresh tarragon is in a creamy sauce like this one. This type of sauce is made in a traditional way by first deglazing the pan you use to sear the chicken itself. You deglaze in stock and wine to scrape up any of the yummy brown bits from the pan, then add in chopped shallots, and finally, you enrich the sauce with mustard, fresh tarragon and a bit of low-fat sour cream. Lovely over these seared chicken breasts, but I imagine this sauce would be very tasty over seared scallops as well.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252589/tarragon-chicken/)