Do you have any recipes from your childhood that you still enjoy just as much now that you are an adult? I do. Macaroni and tomatoes happens to be one of them. It’s simple. It’s quick. It showcases the wonderful sweetness of tomatoes. One small problem: Ryan does not like it. Like at all. This, along with tuna casserole topped with potato chips, are meals that I  reserve for myself when Ryan isn’t going to be home for dinner. However, I was bound and determined to get him to love this dish so I decided to use the vine ripened tomatoes that I bought to make Macaroni with Fresh Tomatoes. I threw in a little basil for good measure and voila! He ate 2 bowls.

I have always wanted to make tomato sauce from scratch but it always seemed too complicated. Boiling the tomatoes, tossing them in an ice bath and then peeling them just seemed too much. But like I said, I was determined to get Ryan to like this dish so I bit the bullet and tried it. And guess what? It is really super easy. It only took about 10 minutes from the time I put the water on the stove to boil. And the results left me wondering why I waited so long.

Now, any suggestions on how can I get him to go for the tuna casserole?

Serves 4

You will need:

• Ice
• 2 pounds vine ripened tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 pound dried elbow macaroni
• 5 basil leaves

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Fill a large bowl with cold water and some ice cubes to make an ice bath.
3. Using a paring knife, make an “X” on the bottom of the tomatoes. Do not cut too deep, just through the skin.
4. Once the water starts boiling add the tomatoes and cook for 30 – 60 seconds or until the skin starts to fall off of the tomatoes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatoes to the ice bath.
5. Once tomatoes are cool enough to handle remove skin. Slice tomatoes in half and remove the seeds inside. Reserve 1/2 cup of tomato seeds and juices. Dice tomatoes
6. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant. Stir in diced tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, begin cooking your pasta according to package directions. At this time you can also chose to leave the sauce as is for a chunky version or use an immersion blender to make it a little more sauce like. It’s up to you.
8. Transfer cooked pasta to the tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to serving dish.
9. Roll basil leaves together and chop. Sprinkle over the pasta and serve.

Enjoy!

When you read this recipe title you may have thought to yourself “Des another chicken wing recipe?” or maybe you thought to yourself “Des! Another chicken wing recipe!”or maybe you didn’t think anything at all because you don’t have any feelings about chicken wings whatsoever to which I say I hope this recipe changes your mind because frankly these things are delicious.

I chose the word delicious deliberately. I chose it because I like to describe food as delicious from time to time. That’s just what I do. Ask my friends and family. When I try something that I absolutely love, like the Maple Bacon Doughnut, yes bacon ON a doughnut, the first thing out of my mouth is “this is DELICIOUS”. I think it conveys very nicely what I’m trying to say. Although it is not very descriptive, when you hear the word delicious you know that its going to taste good and chances are you are going to like it.

Why am I bringing all of this up? Well this past weekend I got to attend the International Food Blogger’s Conference here in Seattle. It was a weekend full of food, drinks, friends and information. Lots and lots of information. There were sessions on writing where we were told that some people think the word “delicious” is a four letter word in the food writing world. There were sessions where we got up close and personal with a lemon and others where we learned that sometimes the awards that restaurants receive can be a reflection of cold hard cash rather than anything noteworthy. There were sessions about how to pitch your book and how to get your blog to the top of Google searches by using SEO tactics. Like I said lots of information. And while I am still trying to digest it all, as well as the lunch from the food truck crawl on Sunday, a few things hit me immediately.  One, yes I am one of those food bloggers that uses the word “delicious”  and that is okay because it’s who I am. Two, I also learned that I absolutely love the food blogging community.  They are some of the nicest, sweetest, most creative and talented people I have ever met.  It is an honor to be a part of such wonderful group of people and I cannot wait for next year’s conference when I get the chance to meet them all again.

Now, onto the recipe for these delicious spicy, sweet and crispy chicken wings.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1.5 pounds party wings
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken wings.
3. In a bowl whisk remaining ingredients together. Place chicken wings in a bowl and pour jalapeno mixture over the top. Seal bag and shake to coat.
4. Place chicken wings in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Turn over and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
5. Serve.

Enjoy!

Do you love cherry tomatoes as much as me? I love biting into them and getting a sweet burst of tomato goodness that just screams summer time. And as good as they are raw they are even better when they are slow roasted with some garlic. And as if garlic and tomatoes wasn’t enough, how about adding some chicken and wine to the mix? The result is a simple, rustic dish that reminds me of a few I had while I was in Tuscany.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again because I think it’s really important. One of the things I really loved about Tuscan cooking was the simplicity of it all. Each and every meal we had while we were exploring Fiesole, Siena and Florence was simple but oh so flavorful. There were very few ingredients and they were seasoned so delicately that the true flavor of the ingredients really shined through. I have tried to bring that philosophy into my cooking at home and every once in a while I will get a true gem like this dish that transports me back to that little restaurant in Fiesole overlooking the city of Florence. Ahhh Italy. One day we’ll get back, probably a year when we don’t buy a house.

Serves 4 – 6

• 1 1/2 pounds  combo of chicken drumsticks and thighs
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken.
3. Place chicken in a baking dish. Place tomatoes around chicken. Sprinkle with chopped garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and white wine. Cook for 45 – 60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. If it starts to brown too much place foil on top to prevent burning.
4. Serve.

Enjoy!

This month has been busy. I’m talking crazy busy. I’m talking barely have enough time to sleep, eat or watch Real Housewives busy. But we take it all in stride. After all this is all part of the joy of owning a home. So when Ryan tells me that we have about 1 hour to make, take pictures of and eat dinner before we head over to the house to do some more work, I smile, take a deep breath and turn to fresh tortellini, sausage, tomatoes and spinach for a quick and satisfying dinner. After all of the work we’ve been doing, dinners like this are a blessing.

Things with the house are shaping up rather nicely. The hardwood floors have been refinished. The living room, dining room and bedrooms have been painted. The furniture ordered and scheduled for delivery. Now the only thing left that is taunting me like you wouldn’t believe is the lovely (insert sarcasm font) wallpaper that someone thought would be a good idea to put in the bathroom. Let me stress this very important point. If you ever intend to move from your home and you don’t want to make the new owners curse you for hours and hours and hours on end remember this very important thing: Wallpaper is never a good idea. And as I prepare for yet another fun filled evening scraping, pulling and wiping away wallpaper I’ll be wishing that I made more of this pasta to help get me through it.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 1 pound fresh cheese tortellini
• 5 turkey Italian sausage links
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ red onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 3 – 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. Bring the water to a boil. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain.
2. While you are waiting for your water to boil and your pasta to cook, cook sausage until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting surface, slice and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook just until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in sliced sausage, cooked pasta, cherry tomatoes, spinach leaves, kosher salt and black pepper.  Cook just until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with chopped basil and serve.

Enjoy!

Yum. Yum and Yum..and yum and yum and yum and yuuummm. Really that is all that came to mind when I was trying to figure out how to describe the dinner that I just had. Yes, that is right, I am writing this literally minutes after I finished eating it. It is so good that I couldn’t wait to share it with you all. The steak is so tender. The seasoning just right. And the avocado sauce? Well that is absolutely to die for.

After I prepare dinner and plate it for pictures, Ryan’s job begins. He painstakingly makes sure that each and every picture captures the essence of the meal well. He makes sure that the food looks just right and the lighting is perfect. When he was taking pictures of this recipe however, he seemed to have a little bit of trouble. He said he couldn’t get it just right and that was the reason that half of the steak was gone before we sat down to dinner. As much as I love him, I’m pretty sure that was a ruse so that he could eat a bit more . But oh well, what’s a girl to do?

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 1/2 pounds flat iron steak
• 1 avocado, skin and pit removed, diced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• juice from 1 lime

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Rub all over the steak.
2. Preheat grill to medium heat.
3. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Cook steak about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Slice steak and spoon avocado sauce over the top. Serve.

Enjoy!

Before the blog my chicken wing world was dark. Well bright red is more like it. I thought the only kind of chicken wings were those slathered in a neon red spicy butter sauce and dunked in ranch (never blue cheese for me). But since I began blogging and experimenting with various recipes, my chicken wing world has brightened. So far I have tried Sweet Thai Chili Wings, Cajun Chicken Wings, Garlic Pepper Chicken Wings and now these Spiced Chicken Wings with Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce. With all this experimenting I think I might change my name from Des to “Chicken wing Queen.” Whaddya think?

Like a couple of my other chicken wing recipes, these wings are baked. The difference this time is that I decided to use a combination of plain dry and panko bread crumbs for a coating. The mixture made for a crispy wing without having to fry them, which make these quite a bit healthier than your regular fried butter sauce slathered chicken wing. Not that those aren’t good of course ;-)

Along with my chicken wing world expansion, my chicken wing dip world has also grown. While ranch might be good with these, I wanted to add a little kick so I made a quick chipotle dipping sauce. It was so good I may have dunked my finger in it a couple of times once I ran out of wings.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1 1/2 pound chicken wings, cut at the joint and tips trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken wings.
2. In a bowl combine garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and olive oil in a bowl. Sprinkle over the chicken wings and toss to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. After the wings have marinated, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Mix panko and plain dry bread crumbs in a bowl. Press marinated wings into the bread crumbs to coat completely.
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Turn and bake for 20 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bread crumbs are golden brown. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
6. While chicken wings are baking, combine mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, lime juice, vinegar and kosher salt in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Serve.

Enjoy!

I have mentioned before that I plan out my menus so that way I know what I’m going to make during the week. Its great. It takes a lot of the guess work out of making dinner. That is until I decide that I don’t want to make what I had planned. That is what happened to me yesterday, I originally planned to make some kind of turkey burgers but they just didn’t sound good yesterday. I was in more of a meatball kind of mood. A spicy meatball mood to be more exact.

Ever go to a Thai restaurant and have the server ask you how spicy you want your Pad Thai on a scale of 1 – 4? Well is it just me or are these rarely accurate? If you give me a scale of 1 – 4  and I order 4 I am thinking 4 is “I can’t feel my face hot” not “oooh this has a nice kick to it hot” which is what I tend to get. Then again I like spicy. With that in mind, on my scale of 1 – 4 I give these a 3 as in “my tongue is a little tingly and my throat is a little hot but I can’t stop eating”. If that sounds too hot for you cut back the sriracha to a tablespoon.

Makes about 20 meatballs

You will need:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/3 cup dry plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients except peanut oil in a bowl. Mix well to combine. Roll into 20 meatballs.
3. Heat peanut oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook meatballs until browned. Transfer to a baking dish.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 more minutes or until cooked through.
5. Transfer to a serving platter sprinkle with more sesame seeds and chopped green onions if desired.
6. Serve

Enjoy!

Ryan and I are still pretty busy with our house which means that I haven’t been cooking much lately. It’s really kinda sad, but then again, I’ll have my new kitchens (yep that is plural I now have 2!) to cook in soon enough. I do have a few recipes saved up for times like this when I just can’t get into the kitchen and this recipe for Asian Grilled Chicken just happens to be one of them. And guess what? It also happens to be perfect for summer. To be honest,  I am not quite sure why it took me so long to share this.  It really made some of the best, juciest grilled chicken I’ve had in a while and the Asian-inspired twist is a nice change from traditional BBQ sauce.

Someone once told me that she refused to eat the dark meat of chicken. She says “Ohh its not good for you, the chicken breast is so much better”. My response to her “Blah blah blah. Everything is fine in moderation. Especially juicy, succulent, fall of the bone, melt in your mouth chicken legs.” Too this day I stand by that comment, but alas, if you prefer chicken breast go ahead and substitute a couple of bone-in skin on breasts for the chicken legs. Note that the cooking time will be a tad bit longer.

You will need:

• 6 chicken legs
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon chili oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place in a bowl.
2. Whisk soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chili, sesame oil and rice vinegar together in a bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill to medium- high heat.
4. Cook chicken on the grill for 25 – 30 minutes depending on the size of the chicken legs. Chicken is done when it is punctured and juices run clear.
5. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Exciting times in our house I tell ya’, emphasis on the word house. That’s right, Ryan and I just bought our first home! It’s cute, it’s the perfect starter and it needs some work which is why I have been MIA for the past couple of days. It is also why I decided to make these curried chicken salad sandwiches with curry, cranberries and almonds. They are easy, super flavorful and most important to us new homeowners who don’t yet live in our new home because we are fixing it up, they are also very portable.

I am a giant fan of curried chicken. Well I’m not a giant in the literal sense, although that would be pretty cool, I just really like chicken curry. Generally when I have it the chicken is simmered in a spicy curry sauce and spooned over jasmine rice like this, but that’s not feasible right now, plus its going to be like a bajillion degrees here this week. FYI in Seattle terms 95 degrees =  a bajillion degrees and I just don’t like cooking when it is that hot. That is why these sandwiches are perfect, they use already prepared chicken so I don’t have to spend much time on dinner and can concentrate on more important things like what color to paint the dining room.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 2 cups diced cooked diced chicken breast
• salt to taste
• 4 slices sourdough bread

1. Whisk first six ingredients together in a bowl. Stir in cranberries, almonds and diced chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Season to taste with salt.
2. Toast sourdough bread if desired. Spoon mixture onto bread.
3. Serve.

Enjoy!

So far this year my new year’s resolution to get more fish into my diet seems to be right on track. The fact that it is currently salmon season is helping a lot. I simply can’t resist the beautiful pink lusciousness that is wild salmon. Now the task is to continue to think of new ways to serve it. This salmon is baked with garlic and tomatoes and then topped with a refreshing basil mayonnaise. I understand that basil mayonnaise on salmon sounds a bit odd, but trust me on this one. I wouldn’t steer you wrong.

If you go looking in the condiment aisle at your local grocery store chances are that you will not find basil mayonnaise. Well at least I know that I can’t. But here’s the cool part, making it is incredibly easy. All you need is your favorite mayonnaise, some fresh basil leaves, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Not only is it good atop this salmon but I’m sure it would be equally delicious on the sandwiches and burgers that are sure to grace your table in the next few months.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 2 salmon fillets, pin bones removed if present
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tomato slices
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 10 basil leaves, chopped small
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.
2. Place salmon fillets on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced garlic. Lay 2 slices on top of each salmon fillet, drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over each fillet. Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
3. While the salmon is cooking combine mayonnaise, chopped basil, lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt in a bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Remove salmon from oven. Tent with aluminum foil and sit for 10 minutes. It will continue cooking during this time.
5. Use a thin spatula to separate the skin from the salmon fillets. Carefully transfer the fillets to a serving platter. Place two dollops of basil mayonnaise on top of the tomatoes.
6. Serve.

Enjoy!