Tonight for Dinner

Since the summer is here, Paul and I have been super busy. With him traveling more for work, my dinner routines have turned more to the cereal, stir-fry and occasional take out. With tonight (and I think the remainder of this week) we will both be home for dinner and I plan on making this Vietnamese Pork Chop that I spied in last months Bon Appetit. This just looks like the perfect summer food. Maybe we will even sneek up to the roof and dine alfresco. What are you making these days? Any summer recipes that are must tries?

Quick Dinner Suggestion

Image and Recipe from Stacey Snacks

Growing up in Northern New Jersey, we were exposed to some pretty amazing food. I had never even heard of Papa John's until I went to college, just assuming that every town had multiple pizzerias where you could stop in to grab a slice for $1.25 from Dinos...or Naunas..or Enzos. I could go on. But to me, a real New Jersey classic is Chicken Savoy from either Belmont Tavern or  Stretches, depending on your preference. They are both pretty epic.  This heavy handed vinegary chicken dish is not only comforting and delicious but also super simple, in fact, you probably have the ingredients on hand. When I told my sister Maya I was making it, she decided to make it too, its just that good.


Belmont Tavern Chicken Savoy: (adapted from Saveur)

1 3–4-lb. chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic
1⁄3 cup finely grated pecorino
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 500F˚. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In a small food processor, finely chop together garlic along with pecorino, 3 tbsp. of the olive oil, oregano, and thyme. Set herb paste aside.

Heat remaining 1 tbsp. of oil in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over with tongs.

Using a spoon, smear the chicken skin with the herb paste.

Transfer skillet to oven and cook until well browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from oven; pour out fat. Add vinegar while the pan is still hot; spoon vinegar sauce over chicken. Transfer chicken to a platter and pour vinegar sauce over it.

Enjoy!
 

Dinner Tonight

This is no April Fools. I am just ready to make dinner. And tonight we are having Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro (which in this dish I love), lime and peanuts. I have made this before and when I saw shrimp on sale yesterday, I immediately thought of this dish. Thank you Martha for the recipe! What's for dinner in your house tonight?

This week in meals

Since one of my New Years goals is to bring my lunch to work, I decided that this week I would focus on dinners that can be stretched into lunch without feeling like I was eating leftovers. I also am trying to make sure that these meals are basically healthy for us while still tasting great. Also, on Saturday night when we were out to dinner with friends I had a grilled kale salad and fell in love. I even recreated it for lunch yesterday but PB eat most of it. Its now getting rotated in our usual roasted veggies. PS. Tonight we are going out to on of favorite bars in the neighborhood to watch the B.C.S. National Championship Game and Wednesday we have plans as well so this week might seem a little light.

In clockwise order
1. Fennel Gratin from French Revolution I might try to lighten this one up (Greek yogurt, I am looking at you) but regardless, we love fennel and am excited to take it to a new place
2. Lasagne from Punchfork. A duh. So hearty, can make it healthier and something that I will look forward to eat for lunch.
3. Grilled Kale from Rachael Ray. Ok so the word grilled can be scary for those living in the city but I used a grilled pan for this yesterday and was pleasantly surprised with the results. With just a little olive oil and salt and pepper beforehand, once grilled, I bet you could really dress it however you want. I used mustard, lemon juice and a little more olive oil. Delish!
4. Chicken Chili from The Girl Who Ate Everything. This time of year screams chili to me. My mom makes a really yummy version of white chili and I can't want to replicate it.


What are you eating this week? Anything I should try?

Sunday Dinner

This week is a bit busy. We are what you called...booked. Dinner with my great aunt, Yom Kipper, babysitting, and a work dinner. So basically, our weekly dinner planning is taking a week off. Except for tonight, my favorite, Sunday dinner. With a little bit of a chill in the air, football on the tv, the Emmys on later tonight, its the perfect storm -- soups on. Its Kale Soup night with a side of garlic bread (Thanks Eric for the lesson in Cape Cod). I will probably pick up some cold cuts and other goodies to get through lunch. Not sure that we need dessert since this treat was inhaled at around 3 pm. What are you having for dinner this week?

We were for a Salted Carmel Smore. It was awesome.

'za

Seen Here

can you tell i love pizza? its in my east coast blood.  I could eat it morning-- cold please, noon and night. I was walking down court street and just the smell from a basic pizzeria made my mouth water.  For the first night of football, PB and I picked up some pies from the new Dellarocco's  that were truly delicious, we are now in week 2 of football and have been back twice. So when I came across this tumblr, The New York Pizza Project, I kinda had to think, why didn't I think of that. These dudes travel throughout the city, looking for the ultimate slice. I might have to follow their crumbs.

Seen Here

Meal Planning

One thing that has really changed since PB and I have moved in together is dinner. Since he came from suburban PA, one thing that he was accustom to was a once a week large grocery shop. And since I have always lived on the top floor of almost every apartment building, the idea of a large shop has always been somewhat daunting. But for the sake of our relationship (he did give up central air conditioning for me), we went to Fairway and loaded up. I will be honest, the first week it did not go so smoothly. I failed to see what a great opportunity it was and rolled my eyes as I rushed PB through the aisles. That behavior didn't last long. PB told me I was being a brat and to his credit, I was.

I quickly realized that there are some real benefits to these weekly shopping trips. PB is a grocery store kind of guy, literally he works in the business and knows stores inside out, along with where the deals are. There was also something comfortingly domestic about this that I think both of us found peace in. And on top of that, a light bulb went off, Maddy-- you love to cook, now all you have to do is plan. So now instead of scouring my Pinterest page at 5pm each night, I take care of that on Sunday before the shopping trip. Here is a look at some of sides and mains that we will be dining on this week.

Shrimp and Lamb Kebabs might be a little out of the norm,  and for the sauce, I was actually thinking of asking Pita Grill for a container of the Roasted Red Pepper dressing since it is basically heaven. 

Marinated and roasted balsamic onions found here

Garlic-Chili Roasted Broccoli

We taste testing this sauce at the Park Slope Farmers Market. WOW
Tonight, I am adding the sauce to chicken, green peppers and new potatoes.
You can order here

PB and I have developed a pretty good system around here. I cook, he does dishes (though he likes to soak and I like to scrub). PB takes a sandwich to work for lunch and I take the leftovers. And Pashy looks for treats here and there...

Very focused on PB eating Pirates Booty