Once I established the “hybrid season” rule to justify fall baking, I have been thinking about what other dishes could be considered hybrids.   (For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about – I have created a new culinary term: “hybrid season dish” to define something you can make in that awkward time that straddles two seasons.  For example, here in New England, the weather is sunny and 75, but the leaves are starting to turn.  It seems silly for watermelon and BBQ  in September, but on the other hand, 70 degree weather doesn’t really say soups and stews. )  So I have been thinking about those few unique dishes that work with multiple seasons and their flavors.  Maple Cheddar Chicken is one of those dishes.   While still cooking outdoors on your grill, this dish invokes the flavors of fall (maple, sage & apple) without weighing the dish down like more traditional fall dishes. (more…)

Chicken Pomodoro Paninis

Ravioli with Chicken and Basil

Santa Fe Chicken Pizza

Chicken Salad with Grapes & Almonds

So we’ve talked about how to roast a chicken, now, what to do with all those leftovers?  Cooking for two, I find myself with almost a full chicken left after our first meal.  So as not to be wasteful (with food or money) I make sure I use up all the chicken meat before it goes bad, even if it means having chicken for dinner for the rest of the week.  With a little creativity you can create 4 meals (give yourself a break and cook a steak on Wednesday) with the same cooked chicken and never get bored.  Each of these recipes offer a different flavor profile, and are quick, easy recipes that are very manageable for weeknight meals. (more…)

Read Part 1: Mission Impossible: Jami’s Dinner

The age old question of how to roast a chicken…  After I decided that roasted chicken would be the perfect solution to Jami’s Mission Impossible Dinner, I thought I would look into how everyone else thinks a chicken should be roasted.  A classic dish, almost every chef and home cook has his or her own method for the “perfect” chicken.  From differences in flavorings, temperature, basting, racks…it can be a very confusing field to navigate.  With the way everyone talks about roasting chickens, you really do come to believe it is rocket science. (more…)

My good friend Jami has been very supportive of my new blog endeavor.  A frequent visitor, Jami was quick to offer suggestions for future posts – the most challenging of which was this:  Plan a dinner I can make and eat on Sunday that will provide lunches for the rest of the week (and it can’t take too long, and it can’t be too difficult, and it can’t require many ingredients, and oh right, I have very few pots and pans).

Only because I love you Jami….

So this was my task for the last couple of weeks, lying in bed at night, on my drive to work, I have been running over recipes in my head trying to be as creative as I could with the little I had to work with (no offense James).  And what crazily creative concoctions did I come up with?  Roasted Chicken!  Sometimes the simplest things are the answers to difficult problems.  Roasting a chicken is not difficult, you just have to be patient with the longer cooking time.  However, if you put in the time on a Sunday afternoon, not only can you create a wonderful, warm, healthy dinner for that night, but the left-over chicken can be used in a variety of quick and easy recipes for later in the week.  Hence, dinner for Sunday, lunches for the rest of the week. (more…)