As summer rolls around, we all look for ways to escape the steamy city fug.  Sometimes that means jetting off to one of our 7,000 (plus, plus) islands to lie on white beaches Tape replacement, sip chilled fruit drinks, and marvel at glorious sunsets.  Other times it means packing a whole host of toys and snacks into our car and driving to the suburbs – to one of our friends who are lucky enough to have both a garden and a pool – for a much needed break from the heat that our concrete jungle so skillfully traps within its walls.

The other week, with city-escape in mind, we were at friends’ house for swimming and barbecue.  They have a wonderful home with spacious garden where the kids can run around, a pool where everyone can cool off, and a grill that looks like a little space pod.  They also have a mango tree that produces the best Indian mangoes that are absolute magic with bagoong (shrimp paste).  It is usually while lazing on a lounge chair under that tree, eating those mangoes with the aforementioned shrimp paste, listening to the birds we do not hear in our city flat, that C and I dream and wonder, for one glorious minute (or two), about packing it all in and moving to the suburbs.

Anyway.  It was during that barbecue that I met this lovely girl.  We sat beside each other for lunch and chatted away about food and kids and dancing and the possibilities of a zumba class in my future.  We talked about feeding our kids healthy stuff, and homemade food that was quick and easy Jewelry hong kong.  With a friend, she had written a cookbook about that very subject!  And shyly offered me a copy…would I like one?  Um, yes please and thank you :)

Here’s one of the recipes…

Orange Ginger Chicken
(adapted from Healthy Cooking for Happy Kids by Katrina Ripoll and Lara Saunders)

    6 pieces chicken thighs
    1/2 cup orange marmalade
    3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
    1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    1 tablespoon water
    2 garlic cloves, very finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
    A dash of sesame oil
    Optional: a dash of chili oil


- In a bowl, mix together the marmalade, soy sauce, ginger, water, garlic, sesame oil, and chili oil if using.
- Pat your chicken pieces with a paper towel until very dry.  Place in one layer in a baking tray or pyrex dish.  Pour about 2/3 of the marmalade mixture on top and save the rest for basting.  Rub the marmalade mixture all over the chicken.
- Place the chicken in a pre-heated 350F oven for about 45 minutes – 1 hour or until chicken is done (when there’s no pink in the juices when pierced), basting with the reserved sauce and pan juices about 2-3 times throughout.
- When the chicken is done, transfer pieces to a platter.  Transfer all the juices and sauce from the baking dish into a pan, together with any remaining sauce that you used for basting.  Simmer rapidly for a couple of minutes or until slightly reduced.  Serve alongside the chicken.

The original recipe uses chicken breast fillets and pan fries them, and then adds the sauce to the pan, letting it bubble away for a bit.  I didn’t have any breast fillets nu skin hk, but I always have chicken thighs hanging around so I used those.  And because I prefer cooking in the oven rather than on the hob (because ultimately I am lazy) I decided to bake them.  I’ll give myself plus points though because I used homemade marmalade (here’s the recipe).

I loved how this turned out.  Firstly, let me just say I could drink this sauce.  Just from the first lick I knew I would like the finished product.  It’s sweet, savory, sticky, and if you use the chili oil, can also have a bit of a kick.  Basically all that I gravitate towards in a sauce.  So, at that point, I was already sold.  Added to that, it’s a breeze to make and quite thrifty too if you consider chicken being one of the most affordable meats here.  This is definitely going to be made again…along with other variations: maybe with prawns next time (not so thrifty but we all deserve a splurge sometimes right??).

There are more dishes I’ve bookmarked to try, like the World Cup Chilean Chicken and the Sunny Mango Sponge cake.  What I like about this cookbook is its relaxed and approachable vibe.  It focuses on the basic concepts of healthy eating without being too stringent about it, especially important and appealing I think for moms who, between work and family, have hardly a moment to cook.  I also secretly like that it’s written by two Filipino moms – I love seeing more Filipinos out there, being published and sharing their great ideas with the world!


Maybe I’ll be making one of these recipes for our next suburban potluck…let’s see!  Until then, we are getting our sunnies on, whipping out the flip flops, and trying to stay cool!  Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!

 
Ingredients

    3 1/2 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes
    6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
    1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
    Whole milk
    2 teaspoons black truffle sauce or truffle oil .

Preparation

Cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, and peel potatoes. Return warm potatoes to same pot. Add butter and mascarpone cheese; mash until smooth. Mix in enough milk to thin to desired consistency. Mix in truffle sauce; season with salt and pepper Small Business Cloud. Transfer to bowl.

Ingredient tips: Mascarpone cheese is sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets. Black truffle sauce is available at specialty foods stores and from cubemarketplace company registration hong kong.

         yield                          active time                  total time  

Makes 6 servings           30 minutes          1 hour 15 minutes

Lay the puff pastry over the skillet for a pretty look. Use any brand; the weight may vary, but either way you'll have enough to work with headphone stand.
Ingredients

    1/4 cup olive oil
    1 cup frozen white pearl onions, thawed
    4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
    1 small bunch kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves chopped
    Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
    1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
    1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat torn into bite-size pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
    1 sheet frozen puff pastry (such as Dufour or Pepperidge Farm), thawed
    1 large egg

Preparation

Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Heat oil in an 8" cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat gear motor. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic and sage to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Add kale and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing often, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes.

Stir in broth, 1/2-cupful at a time, then add squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is just softened and broth is thickened, 8-10 minutes. Add chicken to skillet, stir, and season with salt and pepper.

Unfold pastry and smooth any creases; place over skillet, allowing corners to hang over sides. Whisk egg and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush pastry with egg wash; cut four 1" slits in top to vent.

Bake pot pie until pastry is beginning to brown, 15-20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake until pastry is deep golden brown and crisp nu skin, 15-20 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

To be honest, I haven't been feeling very inspired in the kitchen lately. I've been busy with lots of things including travel, and when I'm home I've been trying to eat the food in the freezer since it is on the verge of overflowing. But yesterday I was at the store and I found local king salmon on sale and some beautiful white corn. I thought about the mango I had and just like that, a plan came together.

Sometimes ingredients speak to you and the lightbulb goes off. I diced the mango to serve with dessert a few nights before but it was firm and a little too sour. That's not good for dessert but it's excellent for salsa. The salsa can be used with chips, with roast chicken or scallops. It's actually pretty good without the tomatoes too. I was a little undecided as to which way I preferred it, so try it both ways and you tell me which you like better!

This recipe has a lot of parts, but you can make the salsa and the sauce for drizzling ahead of time. You can even use already cooked salmon if that's what you have on hand. Even though it's cooked on the stove and not on the grill, it really tastes like summer--the fresh corn, tomatoes and salmon look like summer too. Here's to a little summery inspiration!

The Lucky Pig

I am somewhat obsessed with a dish called the Lucky Pig, it’s served at Solbar in Calistoga and I order it almost every time I dine there. It’s basically tender roast pork served with a lot of other goodies—sesame pancakes, peanuts Tape replacement, jalapeños, herbs and lettuce, sauces, and even a little noodle salad.

SolBar is a Michelin star restaurant at the Solage resort, but it’s got an approachable menu that has both healthy light options as well as more indulgent food and the staff couldn’t be nicer or more accommodating. Speaking of accommodating, to order the Lucky Pig I have to cajole other diners at my table to share it with me. The size of the roast pork shoulder varies, but it’s quite a lot of food. I also have to convince someone to go to Calistoga with me and since it’s about an hour and half drive, !’ve been working on my own version of it to enjoy at home.

I’ve simplified the recipe quite a bit. In my opinion there are only a few elements that are really crucial, specifically the roast pork, sesame pancakes, pineapple pickles and lime wedges. You can see the original recipe from Chef Brandon Sharp as well as a scaled back version from The Mad Priest, I referred to both in creating my own recipe. It would be great for a dinner party, just be sure to start the day before. And by all means do try the original version next time you're in Calistoga. Note: The dish is on the lounge menu, but the restaurant happily serves it in the main dining room to anyone who requests it.

The Lucky Pig
Serves about 4- 6

Roast pork
Sesame pancakes
Pineapple pickles
Roasted salted (or unsalted) peanuts
Sliced scallions

Butter lettuce leaves
Lime wedges
Jalapeño slices
Fresh basil, cilantro, and mint leaves
Peanut sauce
Sriracha sauce, optional

Serve the roast pork hot reenex facial, and the rest of the ingredients cool or at room temperature. Allow each guest to "roll their own" little pork stuffed pancakes with as many of the garnishes as they like.

Roast pork
4 lbs (more or less) boneless pork shoulder
Kosher salt
10 cloves unpeeled garlic

Cut the pork into 2 pieces, pat dry, score the fat and and salt liberally on all sides. Place on a plate and let refrigerate uncovered, for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat a Dutch oven and sear the pork on all sides until brown. This will take about 15 minutes. Place the garlic cloves in the Dutch oven with the pork, cover and roast for about 3 hours or until very tender. I start checking it after 2 hours.

Sesame pancakes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
5 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds

Blend all the ingredients except the sesame seeds, until smooth. Add the sesame seeds and transfer the mixture to the refrigerator to rest for up to 8 hours. Heat an 8 inch non-stick pan and make the crepes using about 2 Tablespoons of batter, be sure to stir the batter so each crepe has plenty of sesame seeds.

Pineapple pickles
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
20 ounce can pineapple, drained

Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and sriracha sauce in a bowl. Add the pineapple and let marinate in a covered container in the refrigerator for 8 hours.