Ducking Out

Duck was a common thread throughout my childhood. It was the go-to dish in my father's restaurant repertoire, whether it was orangey Siam duck at our favorite Asian restaurant (the miniscule thai, vietnamese, cambodian hybrid Gourmet House in Providence), the rich duck leg with port sauce at Chardonnays (my favorite restaurant of all time), in tiny drumstick form at that abhorrently expensive fancy-pants terrace in Nova Scotia or any other fine establishment where it popped up on the menu. I guess some kids must think of duck as something you feed at the park and chase around, but I knew better. That was one tasty bird! So while my friends did (and often still do) squirm and squeal at the thought, I relish my duck to myself. Unfortunately I've still managed to convert some along the way, which just means less duck for me.

My husband is a prime example of this. He'd never even considered trying duck until I convinced him to take a bite of the aforementioned Siam version. Now he orders it as often as my father did. I cooked my first duck at home for my first dinner party, and it became one of my first recipes on this site. It was nerve-racking and time-consuming and I've since learned to be smarter about cooking for a crowd, but it was delicious. It didn't deter me from trying again, and subsequent projects have led to successes that include the rich duck broth that graced my soup dumplings.

When honeymooning at Lone Mountain Ranch (which I HIGHLY recommend in every facet - but especially for the food), duck came up on the menu a couple of times. Our first night we lingered for 3 hours over the best meal of my life so far which of course included a seared duck breast and leg of duck confit with a cherry demi-glace. (Of course they outdid themselves with my new best meal ever on our last night with prosciutto wrapped quail over herbed spätzle - but that's a story for another time). Later meals also included duck confit crepes and a huckleberried version.

So as you can see, duck and I go way back. In all truth, our relationship is better when we just meet for dinner with little foreplay. But I've found a way around it. You get succulent, flavorful duck with crispy skin and tender flesh in relatively little time with almost no work. This is the way to do duck at home - on the grill with a sticky sweet glaze! Give it a try - or on second thought, maybe you shouldn't! More for me that way! :)

Grilled Duck with Gingered Sticky Glaze


Spice Rub
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp 5 spice powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Glaze
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
1/4 cup somewhat bitter marmalade
1/4 cup cream sherry
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 Tbsp finely minced garlic
an orange - zest removed with a veggie peeler and juice squeezed and reserved
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

Combine honey, marmalade, orange juice and sherry in a small saucepan over medium heat until they start to melt and blend together. Add ginger, garlic, orange zest, cinnamon stick and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Reduce until very thick (easily coats a spoon without running off.) Let cool.

And now...the duck itself!
1 4-5 lb. duck
1 orange, quartered
1 sweet onion, peeled and quartered

Preheat the grill (gas or charcoal) to a low indirect heat of about 300 to 325 F. If you are using charcoal, gather the coals to both sides and put a drip pan under the middle to cook the duck over. If you are using gas, use only the outer burners and place a drip pan directly under the grate.

Remove any visible fat or pin feathers from your duck, give it a good rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Prick the skin all over with a sharp knife, taking care to just go through the skin and not into the meat. Rub the skin and the inside of the cavity with the spice rub. Stuff the cavity with alternating pieces of orange and onion.

Place the duck over the drip pan on the unheated side of the grill. Close the lid and cook for one hour, rotating halfway. Check to make sure the duck is cooking evenly and the drip pan is not overflowing. Cook for another half hour, rotating after 15 minutes or until sin is starting to get crispy. Brush with glaze, rotate and cook for 10 minutes at a time, repeating until the temperature of the thigh meat reaches 155 F. At that point, remove from the heat, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Buffalo Blues

Orzo has to be one of my favorite pasta shapes. Like grains of rice, they can be toasted and turned into creamy sides reminiscent of risotto. Or a quick boil, drain and toss of vinaigrette with some seasonal veggies and you've got yourself a great pasta salad. But the best of all is an uber creamy better-than-mac-and-cheese studded with bits of sausage or meatballs. This version draws its charms from the classic buffalo wing and blue cheese combo. Perfect for a football game or a cozy winter night (and I actually made this around superbowl time).

Buffalo Blue Creamed Orzo with Turkey Meatballs


1 lb. orzo pasta

1 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped crimini mushrooms
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken or turkey broth or stock, preferably low sodium or homemade
1 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
2/3 cup mild blue cheese crumbles
1 bag triple washed baby spinach (about 5 cups)
1 1/2 cups chopped ripe plum tomato
1/2 recipe turkey meatballs (recipe below)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt heavily. Cook pasta according to package directions, undercooking by one minute so it's still a little chewy and drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large deep saucepan. Saute onions and mushrooms until slightly golden. Add broth and 1/2 cup milk and bring to a low simmer. In a small lidded container, shake together flour and remaining milk until flour is no longer clumping to make a slurry. Add to the sauce along with hot sauce, spinach and blue cheese. Let simmer until thick and cheese has melted. Toss in orzo, tomatoes and meatballs and serve immediately.


Turkey Meatballs


1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmeggiano reggiano
3 Tbsp chopped parsley

Mix together with your hands to combine. Form into small meatballs, about an inch in diameter. If freezing, do that now on a sheet pan lined with plastic wrap, then transfer to a plastic bag after frozen solid.

To cook, brown all sides in a pan with olive oil over medium heat.

Apologies...

I am a bad bad blogger and I repent for my sins...

It's not that I haven't been cooking, I've hosted big dinner parties and simmered slow braises and uncovered the grill on nicer days...

It's not that it hasn't been post worthy, with fabulous roast beef in a port wine dijon reduction, white pizza with sausage, fried eggs and truffle oil, aged gouda mac and cheese, classic fish and chips. With so much good food coming out of my kitchen I have no excuse.

I guess the truth is that blogging was just too daunting for someone inundated with coursework, grading, entertaining, mentoring, wedding planning and renovating.

And I stand by my earlier statement (see last year) that March is evil.

So I'm begging you not to give up on me, not to write me off as dead, at least to the blogging world. I promise I'll be back, and probably posting almost every day again next summer. And for now, to stave off metaphorical hunger, here's the recipe for what L calls "the absolute best chicken soup I've ever tasted". It's light, with a good amount of bright acid, plenty of heat from peppers (feel free to reduce to your taste), the richness of the tender chicken and creamy contrast of fresh avocado.

Mexican Chicken Soup


1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, minced
1/2 cup light colored beer
3 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 Tbsp adobo seasoning
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 cup basmati rice
13.5 oz. canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup banana pepper rings and about 1/8 cup of the vinegar they come in
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cups torn leftover roasted chicken (rotisserie chicken is good for this)
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 large avocado, chopped

Saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and chipotles and saute another minute. Deglaze with beer. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, seasonings and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked. Add black beans, peppers and their juice, chicken, lime juice and corn and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add cilantro, tomatoes and avocado right before serving.

Enchilada Night!

There's nothing like a good mexican dish. I'm not talking a greasy, only slightly spiced flour tortilla wrapped monstrosity drowning in too much cheese, but the real, homestyle mexican rich with lean meats, intense flavors, healthy veggies and redolent of cilantro. One of L's favorites has always been my shredded chicken enchiladas. Here's an even healthier, even more flavorful twist.

Smokey Shredded Chicken, Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas



1 tsp olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3 - 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 minced chipotle chiles in adobo
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp chile powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp red annatto powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
3 chicken breasts

15.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of all liquid
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup minced onion

16 small corn tortillas
8 oz. 2% shredded mexican cheese (1 bag)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add garlic and tomato paste, let cook until slightly caramelized. Add tomatoes, chipotles, chicken broth and seasonings. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Use a stick blender to puree most of the sauce, leaving a few chunks of tomato and onion. Continue to simmer over low heat, adding the chicken to cook in the sauce.

While the chicken is cooking, combine black beans, spinach, cheese, cilantro and onion in a large bowl and mix well.

When chicken is just cooked through, remove it to a cutting board. Go at it with a couple of forks until it's well shredded. Add to filling mixture along with a couple ladle-fulls of sauce and mix well.

Fill each tortilla as much as possible, wrap it around and place it seam side down in a large baking dish. Repeat for 16 enchiladas. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream and cilantro.

Chicken Soup for the Thai Soul

Although most of the wedding details still need to be worked out, the honeymoon is booked - which we all know is the most important thing! We will be spending what promises to be an amazing week on the edge of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. We have a little cabin by a stream reserved on a nearby all-inclusive ranch, with a week full of horseback riding, hiking, fly fishing, canoeing, whitewater rafting and spa treatments. I absolutely cannot wait! This is the trip I've been wishing for my whole life!

Back here in Baltimore, summer seems ages away. This chicken soup will warm your soul and cut through any stuffy nose. I make some version of this soup every couple of weeks, often for a quick lunch. Sometimes I make it with shrimp instead of chicken, or noodles instead of rice. You can add greens or other veggies, or even some tofu, or substitute vegetable broth as you like. It is quick, simple and incredibly delicious each time.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup


1 quart chicken stock
2 cups beef stock (you can use all chicken, but I like the depth of flavor this adds)
1 6-inch piece of thick lemongrass, cut into 4 pieces
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp seracha
1 Tbsp tom yum paste (optional, but strengthens the flavor)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2/3 cup rice
1 chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
1 Tbsp pre-made basil pesto, preferably without the oil
1 large Hass avocado , diced
2 large or 4 small scallions, sliced on the bias

Combine stocks, lemongrass, lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, seracha, tom yum paste, sugar and seasoning in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add rice and simmer until rice is cooked to al dente. Add chicken and simmer until it's cooked through and rice is tender. Remove from heat, remove lemongrass and lime leaves. Add coconut milk, pesto, avocado and scallions. Best when served immediately, although the lime juice in the soup does prevent the avocado from browning quickly.

Saying Goodbye

About a year ago, L found out his uncle had leukemia. He felt badly because this was a man he hadn't taken the time to get to know, one he hadn't seen since he was a child. So the very next weekend, the car was packed for a day at his uncle's house in New Jersey. And then I got sick. Uncle H was just about to start chemo, and the last thing he needed was a compromised immune system. So I stayed home. I've regretted it ever since.

In the past year, L got to know his uncle better than ever before, and we were all touched by how he stressed the importance of family, even to those who had blown him off for so long, saying it was too far, would take too much time to visit. His emails and phone calls were daily for some time, and we all felt that we were in this fight together.

In April, H took a turn for the worse, right before his scheduled Independence Day bone marrow transplant. The NJ hospital refused to treat him until he was fully recovered. Fearing that would never happen, H and his wife packed up and stumbled down to a hospital in Texas known for their success rates. This is about when that ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach started. L had told his uncle all about me and his uncle had said "I can't wait to meet her." Although we'd spoken on the phone, I'd begun to feel that might never happen.

In May, L's mother was declared a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant. This was more than we'd been hoping for, and everyone, Uncle H included, was walking on air. August came and the transplant was made. Problem was, it wasn't taking. In order to transfer bone marrow, they must first kill off all of the patient's own. The hope is that the transplanted marrow will start growing and take over blood cell production for the body. This was slow going. The autoimmunity designed to protect our bodies from invaders worked against him, rejecting the new cells. H was getting worse and the medication was putting him through so much pain. He kept asking for them to stop and let him go home. Because of this he had to be sedated.

Yesterday his suffering came to an end. L received an email at 11am from H. One line: slow going but still fighting. At 4pm his mind lost the battle against his body. And I sit here watching my blinking cursor without the words to describe what the world has lost. We're glad there's no more pain, but we wish we could have fought harder.

So H - here's to you. A bright and cheery recipe for the person who was always smiling and joking, even in the midst of the fight of your life. I'm sorry we never did meet, but you've touched my life more than you know.


Southwestern Chicken Pizza


1 recipe of your favorite pizza dough, prepared through the first rise
chile sauce, recipe follows
sliced chipotle chicken, recipe follows
2 cups shredded Colby Jack

salsa fresca, recipe follows
creamy lime sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone on the middle rack. Roll or stretch dough out to a 16 inch oval (or the size of your pizza stone).

Remove the preheated pizza stone from the oven and place on the stove's surface. Transfer pizza dough to it. Let the bottom cook about 3 minutes or until slightly crisp, then use tongs to flip the crust over (this seals the dough so it doesn't get soggy).

Spread on chile sauce. Top with chicken, then cover with cheese. Bake 7-10 minutes, or just until cheese melts and crust is cooked through.

Top pizza with salsa fresca and drizzle with lime sauce. Cut and serve. If you're afraid of the messiness, eat with a fork. I'm daring, messes don't scare me!



Recipe components are listed in the order they should be prepared.


Chipotle Chicken
2 chicken breasts
2 chipotle in adobo, finely minced
1 Tbsp adobo sauce
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp worchestershire sauce

Put chicken breasts in a bag. Add all other ingredients and squish to mix and coat chicken. Marinate in the fridge 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat a grill on high. Grill chicken over high heat until cooked through and well charred. Let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.


Salsa Fresca
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 cup ripe tomato, diced
2/3 cup roasted corn
1/3 cup black beans
3 pickled serrano (green) chiles, finely minced
3 Tbsp finely minced cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Let sit so flavors can develop, at least one hour.


Creamy Lime Sauce
zest of one lime
juice of half a lime
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
1/2 cup ranch dressing

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.


Chile Sauce
2 chipotles in adobo, finely minced
2 tsp adobo sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

"Hot Dogs" with a Thai Twist

I've been really awful. You see, Sweet Paul gave me my first blog awards about a month ago and I have yet to announce it or pass them on! It just keeps slipping my mind! Plus, I knew it needed a great recipe to do it justice! So, Paul, I do apologize and they do mean so much to me! I am passing each on to a blog that is well-deserving of the honor!

The I love your blog award goes to Gwendolyn of Patent and the Pantry! I love your beautiful food photos and retro style!


The Brilliante Weblog 2008 gets passed to Gattina of Kitchen Unplugged! This international woman of mystery is truely brilliant, and her vibrant colors and great compositions never fail to inspire!


I love both of these blogs, so do check them out! And now for the recipe...

Hot dogs are great off the grill, snug in a soft bun with a little coleslaw or sauerkraut. But they're just not that special. This takes your normal dog to another level. It starts with a fragrant Thai Sub Roll, topped with a layer of warm, spicy, sweet and nutty slaw and topped off with charred gourmet Thai chicken sausages. Serve alongside grilled zucchini and summer squash that's been marinated in Thai dressing and you've got all new inspiration for your Sunday cookout!

Thai Sausage Rolls Dressed with Warm Peanut Slaw


1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sriracha
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 large head Napa cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

4 Thai chicken sausages
4 Thai Sub Rolls

Combine vinegar, peanut butter, sesame oil, lime juice, soy sauce, sriracha and sugar in a large nonstick skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat until peanut butter has "melted" into sauce. Add cabbage and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes, or until cabbage has softened. Toss with peanuts before serving.

Grill chicken sausages over high heat until well charred. Slice buns down the middle. Pile in the Kraut (slaw?) and top with a sausage. Serve immediately.

Thai Sub Rolls


3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 packet instant yeast (also labeled Rapid Rise)
1 cup thai stock (Wegmans makes a great one - alternatively blend 1 cup chicken stock with 1 tsp Tom Yum paste)
1 Tbsp grated lemongrass
2 tsp sriracha

1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp black sesame seeds


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, blend together dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, slowly add in stock, sriracha and lemongrass. Kneed the dough for 5 minutes on low speed. The dough should be soft and smooth. Form into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl. Wrap loosely with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise one hour.

Separate into 4 to 6 pieces, depending on the size you like your rolls. I like to match their length to the length of the sausages I'm using. Sprinkle part of your counter (or parchment paper if you prefer) with cornmeal. Form the dough into an oblong roll and transfer to prepared surface. Let rise another hour. With 1/2 an hour to go, preheat oven to 450 F with a pizza stone in the middle.

Brush the rolls with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds and place on the preheated pizza stone. Mist the oven walls with water. Bake for 5 minutes, reduce heat to 400, and mist again. Let bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Americana

There are few things as American as Thanksgiving. In fact, I think it speaks more to what it means to be an American than the fourth of July. Gathering with family, partaking in a feast with so many ingredients that were here hundreds of years ago, such as turkey, corn, cranberries, taking some time to realize how lucky we are. The fact is, we have a lot to be thankful for, and I don't think one day is really enough time to devote to gratitude for the privileges we have in this country. What's more - traditional foods served at Thanksgiving are just too good to deprive yourself of the rest of the year. So I try to make one Thanksgivingish weekend dinner every couple of months, and it helps me put things in perspective when times are tough, as they have been for much of the past year.

With the mild weather we've been having and the return to school, I've been longing for my favorite season: autumn. While I love the scarlet tomatoes and sweet corn and will be sad to see them go, I'm dreaming of roasts and braises, hearty soups and root vegetables. In this meal I found some of those fall flavors, without departing completely from the lightheartedness of summer.

Maple Herbed Roast Turkey Thighs with Roasted Vegetables


1 1/2 cups baby carrots
1 cup baby patty pan squash
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1 cup new potatoes, cut into the same size pieces as the squash
1 Tbsp olive oil

2 turkey thighs
1 tsp chopped sage
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp chopped thyme
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 Tbsp softened butter

2 slices of thick-cut bacon
2/3 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 425. In a 9 x 13 pyrex dish, toss veggies with olive oil.

Stick a finger in between the skin and turkey meat at one edge of the thigh. Separate skin from thigh, creating a large pocket, while leaving the edges connected. Combine herbs, garlic and butter in a bowl and squish together with your fingers to form a paste. Rub paste into pocket between meat and skin. Place turkey thighs on top of veggies.

Place bacon on any seams in the turkey thighs were meat is not covered by skin. Alternatively, wrap around outside edges. Brush with some maple syrup (you won't use all of it yet). Sprinkle turkey and veggies with salt.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven, brushing with maple syrup every 15 minutes, until turkey reads 155 degrees F on an instant read thermometer and skin is lacquered, crispy and caramelized. Remove turkey to a plate to rest.


Preheat broiler. Strain vegetables of turkey drippings (reserve). Broil veggies until they're caramelized. In the meantime, mix the drippings with a slurry of marsala wine and cornstarch in a small saucepan to make a gravy. Bring to a simmer (should thicken).

Serve turkey with roasted veggies, gravy, cornbread stuffing and cranberry orange relish.



Cranberry Studded Cornbread Stuffing with Bacon and Leeks


6 large (storebought-size) or 12 small (homemade size) corn muffins- dry corn muffins work best for this, especially low-fat or fat free. If the flavor is pure corn, and it's really too dry to be a pleasant muffin, it will be perfect - day old muffins also work well.

6 slices thick center cut bacon
1 1/2 cups sliced cleaned leeks
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cream sherry
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp chopped sage
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
coarse salt, pepper and coarse sugar

Crumble muffins onto a sheet pan. you should have some larger chunks and lots of crumbs. Let sit for 2 hours to dry out. Alternatively, toast in a 350 degree oven until golden and dried out. Place dried out muffins in a large bowl.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat, until it has rendered it's fat and it's crispy. Remove bacon. Add leeks and cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients, including 1 1/2 cups stock (except salt, pepper and sugar) and bring to a simmer. Pour over muffin pieces and mix with a wooden spoon. If it's not moist enough, add additional stock. Transfer to an oven safe dish and sprinkle with coarse salt, sugar and ground pepper. Bake in the oven with the turkey for 20 minutes, or until golden on top.



Cranberry Orange Relish


This is my mother's recipe. It's simple, but such a bright, textural contrast to turkey, it's so much more interesting than a traditional cranberry sauce. This is a classic on my Thanksgiving table, and if you freeze a few bags of cranberries in the fall, you can have it year round. I make it with less sugar, since I like it a little more bitter than most people. This quantity of sugar seems to please most palates.

1 bag whole fresh (or thawed frozen) cranberries
1 fresh mandarin orange (also works well with clementines - but use 2)
3/4 cup sugar

Combine cranberries and zest of the orange in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.


Seed and segment the orange and add orange flesh and sugar to the bowl. Pulse until it comes together in a fine relish. Transfer to a plastic container and let sit at least 2 hours (the sugar is grainy at first - this time lets the sugar dissolve and flavors meld).

For The Love of Lime...

Back to school tomorrow, although I won't be seeing any of those pesky teenagers ;) until next week. Another year with its own challenges, its own rewards and a whole new hundred and fifty smiling (or not so much) faces to keep track of. I love teaching, but I'm not really a fan of the beginning of the year. I never was good at introductions. Things go slowly at the beginning, before my students know what I want and how they need to do it, when they're testing me with their every move to see what they can and can't get away with. It's an uncertain time because they don't know what to expect from me and I'm not sure what I'll get from them. You develop such a relationship with kids over the course of the year, so you really know them, well enough to predict their next move. By the end of the year, I feel like my classes can almost teach themselves. Everything works together like one big machine (or at least most of the time).

Working with ingredients is much the same. New ingredients are intimidating, unpredictable. You brave it, trying a bit of the new stuff with tried and true flavors, feeling it out until you know its flavor, how it behaves, if it plays well with others. And over time, you develop your favorites, ones that you turn to time after time (OK - so I try not to do this with kids, but I'm definitely biased with flavors). My teacher's pet is lime (Ok - and vanilla and basil - why else would I have named my blog this way?). Lime lends a fresh finish to sweet and savory concoctions. It gets along best with mexican and thai flavors, tropical tastes like coconut, mango and macademia, pumps up berries' sweetness, and lends bright character to baked goods, such as these cardamom lime sweet rolls.


So on the eve of uncertainty, of course I turned to my favorite team player. Since I firmly believe in dessert first, and this is in fact the order in which I cooked, photographed and ate my lovely limey creations, I will start you off with a delicate lime cookie. If you stick around for dinner you'll get a yummy grilled garlic lime chicken, with coconut lime rice and corn on the cob. This food deserves the limelight!


This type of cookie has many aliases, russian tea cakes or mexican wedding cakes, meltaways or liar's cookies (because your shirt will give you away!). When I was growing up my mom made a gluten free version that always came out looking rather grey, so we called them moldy mice, a name that I've now realized is not all that appetizing to people outside our family. I think I like Dorie Greenspan's name the best, so these will be called powder puffs. These are traditionally made with pecans and can be made with or without citrus zest. L happens to love lime as much as I do, and it paired perfectly with buttery rich macademias, and earned the title of his favorite cookie!

Key Lime & Macademia Powder Puffs


1 cup macademia nuts, toasted until golden
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of ground green cardamom
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter at room temperature
zest of 5 key limes (or one regular lime)
2 Tbsp key lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup confectioners sugar

Grind nuts with 1 Tbsp of sugar with short pulses of a food processor, until they form a chunky paste. Add flour, salt and cardamom and pulse until well combined. Transfer to a small mixing bowl.

In the bowl of the food processor, combine butter and sugar. Pulse until creamy and pale. Add lime zest and juice. Pulse to combine. Add dry ingredients back in and use short pulses to mix until just combined (scraping the bowl as needed). Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a large cookie sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Ball up dough into small, bite sized spheres and place on cookie sheet (don't worry about spacing them too much, they don't spread a lot).

Bake 13-16 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. When just slightly warm, roll in confectioners sugar.




Garlic Lime Chicken with Grilled Red Onions


4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp orange muscat vinegar (or other fruity vinegar)
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 packet Baja Citrus marinade seasoning (McCormick makes this)
2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (you can use boneless but cook them for less time)

Combine marinade ingredients. Marinate at least 3 hours in the fridge.

Preheat grill on high. Start chicken on hottest part of the grill (if it flares up you may have to move it or turn down the heat). Cook over direct heat 5 minutes / side. Move to indirect heat, and continue to cook with grill lid down until the internal temperature reads 165 F on an instant-read thermometer (carryover will take it up almost another 10 degrees), about 30 minutes. Baste chicken periodically with marinade during cooking. Grill a halved lime alongside chicken (only about 1 minute on either side).


Grill onions in an oiled grill pan until charred, but still crunchy in parts. Transfer to a plate, top with chicken pieces and a squeeze of grilled lime.

Grilled Corn on the Cob


1 ear corn / person

Peel back husks and remove silks from corn. Replace husks back around the corn, removing the tougher ones on the outside.
Preheat grill to high and brush with oil. Place corn in husks on grill and cook, turning regularly, until husks begin to burn. take off grill and let cool.


Remove husks and knobby end part. Brush with some of the chicken marinade and return to grill over direct heat until lightly charred.



Coconut Lime Rice


1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (not light)
2 cups chicken broth
zest of one lime
2 kieffer lime leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chile powder
1 3/4 cups basmati or jasmine rice

Mix together all ingredients except rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Add rice and return to a simmer. Turn heat down to low and pop a lid on it. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add chopped scallions or cilantro if desired (I didn't have any).



To serve:


Make a bed of rice on the bottom of a plate. Pile on grilled onions and chicken, place grilled corn alongside. Squeeze a grilled lime half down over the whole dish. Finish with a dash of salt.

What happens when a chicken falls into a tar pit?

They say that some of the closest living relatives to dinosaurs are birds. This is not surprising to anyone who's ever kept chickens. They're not exactly the brightest of the bunch, and sometimes you wonder how they escaped extinction. Maybe it was because they were too darn tasty. The powers that be wouldn't allow nature to do away with such a succulent morsel. So yes, this is another chicken post - even though I rarely eat two chicken meals in a week. I guess I'm just a little bird-brained lately.

These wings are everything chicken wings should be, juicy, sticky and messy. You'll need a lot of napkins as you quickly realize why these are called tar pit wings. Inspired by a recipe in the Gourmet cookbook, these are classic Day-After-Thanksgiving finger food in my family, when I have to feed a lot of people but don't want to blow my budget or take a ton of time to do it. These should be served with other finger foods (tonight it's sweet potato fries and corn on the cob) and are perfect for Superbowl parties or other sports-based get-togethers. Plus, unlike buffalo wings - these require no extra fat!

Tar Pit Wings


4 lbs. chicken wings

1/2 cup naturally brewed soy sauce
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup good quality teriyaki sauce - I love SoyVay!
2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1 1/2 Tbsp siracha
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. To prepare chicken wings, snip off tip of wing (part with no meat) at the knuckle. Find the knuckle between the 2 boned part and the drumstick shaped part. Insert a knife into the groove between the bones, and carefully slice through (you shouldn't have to cut any bones - they should be popped apart by the knife.

Arrange wings in a large roasting pan so that they do not overlap. Pour liquids down over them, then sprinkle with sugar and seasonings. Bake for 45 minutes, then turn and bake another 60 minutes, or until wings are cooked well and sauce is sticky. Be careful not to burn the sauce - the last 15 min. check them frequently.


TIP: I can never use up the whole knob of ginger before it goes bad. Luckily, ginger freezes well and you can grate frozen ginger into dishes. Wrap well in plastic, then put in a freezer proof ziploc bag with the air squeezed out.