We’ve had three big snowstorms in as many weeks here — and yesterday there was over two feet to dig out. I haven’t seen snow like this in years. It reminds me of a massive storm when I was in elementary school that knocked out power for days and closed schools for a week or so. There’s just so much snow — we’re out of places to shovel it to.

Yesterday morning, before I had my morning coffee or ate a stitch of breakfast, I went outside in the heavy snow to shovel for my dogs. My back door — the one the dogs use — wouldn’t open with the heavy snow outside and even if it did, they couldn’t walk in snow over their head. So I had to trek in waist-high snow (we still have lots of snow from the last two storms) to the back to shovel the stairs, porch and a little area for the dogs to walk in.

The tail-end of the storm -- the photo is fuzzy because it was still snowing really hard.

Walking through (in?) snow that deep was amazing. As adults, we don’t often get that feeling of snow creeping up so high that walking becomes a herculean effort. And in some ways, it was overwhelming too — especially when I paused to consider that I couldn’t even see our road for much of the day.

There’s some ironic contrast here that I intended to write about Pineapple Chicken yesterday – a bright, sunny, vibrant dish – on a day that was darkened by lingering clouds and mounds of snow so high that I can barely see over them. Of course, after shoveling the roughly 29-inches of freshly fallen snow, I was too tired to do anything. Thank goodness for good neighbors and a Good Samaritan who all pitched in to get my driveway — and my neighbor’s — cleared. I really don’t know what would have happened if I had to actually shovel our entire long, wide driveway by myself.

Switching gears, let’s talk chicken. Pineapple Chicken. I had some chicken in the fridge begging to be used the other day. I’d taken it out by mistake and needed to use it or face wasting it. And I really didn’t want to waste it. So, while picking up a few things at the grocery store, the idea for this recipe started to form — chicken, pineapple, a little teriyaki… all served over fluffy rice. I love sweet flavors mingling with savory, and especially fruits like pineapple paired with chicken. Read the rest of this entry…

Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken, Take Two

If you are a longtime reader of Sarah’s Cucina Bella, you might remember my recipes for Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts. It was a long post with adorable pictures of the kids, and a bad picture of the chicken. On Tuesday, I had the chance to reshoot this recipe with the help of professionals to figure out how to take something basic like this and make it look fabulous. The photo above is the result.

When I created my (ridiculously easy) recipe for Salt and Pepper Chicken, I was clueless how to make it look tasty in a photograph. I ended up tossing one piece on a white plate and snapping a picture.

The original photo ... Would you crave that?

And did it look irresistible? Like that special, easy recipe that everyone should have in their back pocket to make when you have no time to cook dinner or when you need a lightly seasoned chicken breast for topping a salad or drizzling with an extra special sauce? Um. No. That’s the original photo at the right … See how it looked more like a bland piece of chicken? The darkness and poor lighting didn’t help anything at all. I doubt anyone gave it a second look.

As a food writer who has had to learn to shoot photographs of the dishes and recipes I create, it’s been an uphill battle. This photograph frustrated me, but I just wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Yea.

So, when my buddies (and coworkers!) at Tablespoon asked me to choose a couple potential recipes for my photography lesson with General Mills pros on my recent trip, this one topped the list. Fortunately, they agreed. Read the rest of this entry…

Things change so quickly. When I was a young child, we had a television. It was a really big deal when my grandmother and I went shopping for a VCR for my grandfather … and that wasn’t a small, inexpensive present. Back then, there was no on-demand, no home computer, no iPods. Then, all of a sudden, all those things were. Likewise, when I started blogging, something that I wasn’t entirely comfortable with at the time, the food blogosphere was a relatively small place with a Cheers-like feeling. It really seemed like everyone knew each other.

But things changed. Many new voices added their photos and words to the food blogging community. Soon, there were whole conferences related to food blogging. There are so many food bloggers today that I feel like I can’t even keep up with the ones I love, let alone get entranced by the many new bloggers. Still, I try to read a few new blogs each week.

Another big change? When I started this blog, Will was an infant – a tiny, quiet, hungry infant. His diet was limited to milk and he hadn’t yet had his first bite of so-called solid food. Today, that tiny infant is graduating from preschool. Where did the time go?

This summer, we will practice his reading skills, writing skills and those dreaded scissor skills. We’ll read letters off of billboards as we hit the road for a few fun excursions and sound out the words on menus and boxes. We’ll go hiking and camping and dig for clams at the seashore.

But today? Today is about Will’s accomplishment. He headed to preschool two years ago, so excited and full of anticipation. He liked it so much that day that he didn’t want to leave. Since then, he’s learned to write his name, draw people and color like nobody’s business. He’s made friends and shared laughs. He’s been inviting to new classmates who joined the class midyear and hasn’t forgotten the ones who no longer are in the same class. My baby has become a wonderful little boy.

We’re heading out soon to Will’s graduation (actually, they call it a moving up ceremony, but whatev. It’s graduation). His clothes are laid out and ready to go, and all we need to do is eat and get going.

If you will excuse me, rather than make some attempt at a creative transition, I am going to launch into the recipe now.

I used to think that marinating was something that you needed to plan ahead for and start early in the day. But I have learned more recently that some marinades need only a half-hour or an hour to do their magic. This is one of those.

All in all, this can be made in as little as an hour – marinade to table. The chicken is left with good flavor with notes of garlic and basil.

I served it over rice with caramelized onions and mushrooms. But you could serve it with roasted potatoes and a big salad for a tasty dinner too. Read the rest of this entry…

It’s Tuesday afternoon and I am sitting in my home office, with The Beach Boys’ Sounds Of Summer playing in the background. Outside my open windows is brilliant blue sky, bright sunlight and the sound of laughing children. It’s enough to make you throw open your arms and yell Welcome, springtime. This is weather that just begs for being outside in the fresh newness.

And what comes with warm temperatures? The strong allure of grilling, of course!

We actually started grilling about a month ago, but now that the temperatures seem more firmly planted in the warm category, we’ll be doing it a whole lot more often. Who wants to heat up a kitchen when it’s so beautiful outside, anyway? Not me!

When I was planning our meals for this week, I spotted this recipe for Grilled Island Chicken in Aviva Goldfarb‘s new cookbook, SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families. Grilled pineapple? Marinated Chicken? Sounded perfect. And the fact that the marinade is whipped up in minutes and the whole thing can be cooked in about 10 minutes makes it just perfect for busy nights (and Monday is a notoriously busy night in my house).

So, how was it? Awesome. Will is a really good eater, but typically he stops at one serving (nothing wrong with that!). Last night? He had seconds. So did Shawn and I (and I never ever have seconds of anything!). The flavorful, rich grilled chicken tasted fantastic with the smoky-sweet grilled pineapple … and it all went so well with the rice and salad I served.

Loved it. We’ll be having this again soon. Very soon.

P.S. Looking for some easy chicken dinners? Check out my latest post on Tablespoon for inspiration!

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Comfort food. It’s something that wraps its arms around you after a long, hard day, grounding you. It’s what we eat when we are uncertain or lost. It’s what we need when the chill in the air gets to be a little too much. It’s familiar.

This chicken dish is all that. And with the crazy spring weather we’ve been having — sunny and hot one day, cold and windy the next — it’s perfect for this time of year. I love that it’s basically a one-pot dish too (well, if you don’t count the pasta that it’s served over).

The combination of buttery chicken, spinach, tangy tomatoes and a hint of the brined feta is just so good.  This dish used to be a staple in our home, though I haven’t made it in awhile. It’s so easy, fast and comforting that it hit our table often when we were first married. It’s also one of the very first recipes that I blogged about here.

When I served it last week, it was like a homecoming. Shawn, who didn’t remember it at first, did when he took a bite. Will loved it. Paige really loved the chicken.

This version is updated from the original with a little less of the fatty ingredients, frozen spinach instead of canned and other little changes. It’s still very, very good.

Do you have a comfort food that’s special to your family? Share!

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When the temperatures turned warm last week, we couldn’t wait to break out the grill. There is a fantastic flavor that food gets when its cooked over a flame in the wide open air. Mmm. Yes, it’s still March but grilling season has started for us.

Still, when I was developing this recipe, I didn’t intend it to be a grilled dish. On the stovetop, it’s good … it’s easy … it’s fast. But that grilled flavor? Oh, it makes it so much more wonderful.

The flavor of this? Decidedly rosemary. The notes of lemon and garlic play quiet supporting roles to the strong, vibrant main attraction — and that’s a wonderful thing if you love rosemary like we do. We ate this with some lightly flavored pasta and roasted broccoli. In a word: fabulous.

Tomorrow, the leftovers will top our homemade pizza for dinner. Can’t wait.

Are you ready to grill yet?
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Some issues of magazines are just blow-you-over good. The 2008 Cookies issue of Fine Cooking is like that. Another 2008 goodie? The November 2008 issue of Everyday Food. I can’t tell you how many great recipes I have made from that issue.

These enchiladas are among my favorites — flavorful, creamy, cheesy and spicy (want to make them spicier? Double the amount of chipotles in the recipe). Honestly, my kids are not a fan of these because of the heat they pack … but that’s okay. Sometimes just parents can enjoy right?I serve these with avocado, sour cream, rice and a big salad. That way everyone has something to enjoy with them … even if the enchiladas are too spicy.

Do you make any dishes that your kids aren’t a fan of? Read the rest of this entry…

For being such a big fan of using roasted chickens, I don’t roast my own often. The ones from the grocery store are so darn convenient, you know? However, there are so many really great reasons to buck up and do it yourself. For instance, you can control the quality of chicken used, the seasonings, the spices, the size … Need I go on?

Yes, I really do like being in control – especially when it comes to food.

So, lately, I have been roasting chickens. A few months back, I tried Chicken with 40 Cloves for the first time and I was smitten. I think we had it three or four times within a couple of weeks. But as much as I loved the results, the results of my first one were better than any of the subsequent ones. I have no idea why. And the mass of garlic? I loved it for the flavor and hated the idea that I might actually eat all 40 cloves over a day or two …

So, when I went to roast a chicken yesterday, I first looked for recipes that were easy and simple. When I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, I improvised using several tips from Fine Cooking to roast. I choose olive oil instead of butter (FC’s preferred fat for browning) because it was more accessible and didn’t require me to soften any butter.

Per Fine Cooking’s tips, I didn’t truss the chicken (frankly, I hate trussing anyway!). This allowed the chicken to cook evenly and I got a crisp, delicious skin all over it. Oh, the skin … it was fab. Also, I loved the flavoring that the lemon and rosemary sprigs in the cavity imparted on the meat. So delicious.

We’ll be having this again soon.

Do you roast your own chickens? What are your favorite seasonings for it? Read the rest of this entry…

Confession time: When I listed out my favorites of 2009, one of the lists included a Chicken Souvlaki Salad from a local pizza place. Honestly, I thought it was their own creation … not something I could easily recreate at home. Then, right after I interviewed Aviva Goldfarb, I received the first weekly menu from my trial of Six O’Clock Scramble and the first recipe on it? Chicken or Pork Souvlaki. I was floored.

Turns out that this delicious marinated chicken is a Greek specialty that is typically served on a skewer, kabob style. Better yet, it can be made at home. It takes just minutes to pull together the marinade and get it started. Once it’s really soaked in the delicious combination of lemon, oregano and other flavors, it’s ready to cook.

I’ve taken some serious liberties with this recipe. It’s traditionally served with tzatziki (a sauce made of yogurt and cucumber), onions and usually tomatoes. You could certainly add all that to this sandwich, but I didn’t. I also opted to use thin chicken breasts instead of pork or chicken thighs. Using thin breasts, this cooks up in about 10-15 minutes on the stove top. Easy peasy.

Don’t want to spend the money on thin-cut breasts? If you cannot find them on sale, then purchase regular ol’boneless skinless chicken breasts and either pound them down to about 1/4 inch thickness or carefully cut each breast into two slices. I used to be a huge advocate of the slice method, but I think pounding really makes them more tender. What do you think?

Instead of making the salad that we’re used to, I decided to use this delicious marinated chicken on a sandwich. Layered with goat cheese and mesclun salad greens, this was absolutely delicious. My husband couldn’t get over how similar the taste of the chicken was to our local restaurant’s salad chicken, which is positively craveworthy.

If you aren’t a fan of goat cheese, I suggest trading it for a slice of feta cut from a block. Use about one ounce per sandwich. In a pinch, fresh mozzarella could be used too — though I think that goat cheese just works better with this marinade. Read the rest of this entry…

There is something amazing about biting into the crispy coating of fried chicken. It crunches between your teeth, revealing layers of flavors. It’s salty and wonderful … Before you know it, you’re biting into juicy chicken, just below the skin. Well, at least I hope it’s juicy. I’ve had a lot of flavorless meat on fried chicken in my day. Haven’t you?

This chicken is the total package: crispy and packed with flavor inside and out.

In 2010, I am focusing a lot on healthy, budget-friendly dishes. Chicken drumsticks are definitely budget friendly, and since these are baked, this is lightened up. (Don’t worry … only a portion of the 2 tbsp of butter actually makes it onto the chicken). Perfect for a night when you are craving comfort food … but not willing to break your healthy resolutions.

Psst … are you participating in the Ten in 2010 challenge? It’s a community effort to support each other to a healthier, happier 2010. Don’t worry — you don’t even need a blog to join. Click here to learn more.

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