Brazillian Garlic Marinade

Chicken legs on a hot grill with Brazillian Garlic Marinade

Just Grillin’
I grill a lot of chicken. Rain or shine—but mostly shine. Though this past week I’ve been dodging raindrops. It would be easy to say that I grill chicken at least once a week. Sometimes more. Of course, that could mean many things.

Chances are I’m grilling chicken breasts for tacos https://piedmontgrocery.com/citrus-marinated-chicken-tacos/. It would be an even better bet that I am grilling Teriyaki Chicken Thighs for a rice bowl. Or, I’ve been craving these lately, a Bahn Mi. That type of grilling is for use as an ingredient.

If I am grilling chicken to eat on its own, I always go with chicken legs. And, I’ve got a wide range of marinades to match my moods.

It would be hard to pick my favorite grilled chicken recipe. But, I can tell you this, if I am straight-up grilling chicken for dinner, you better believe that the marinade is going to have a lot of garlic, lemon, and white wine. I don’t know why I gravitate towards this particular combination. But, I do. And, I know that it is cuisine-adaptable in that when you add more to it, you get a wide variety of global flavors. For example, if you add fresh oregano, thyme, and rosemary to it, the result is a very Greek or Mediterranean flavor profile. Add Dijon mustard and thyme and you are speaking French. Go with some hot smoked pimenton, and you find yourself in Spain…

My most recent favorite is this one which has Brazilian roots. There’s something about this Brazillian Garlic Marinade that just screams warm weather grilling. (Assuming we ever get warm weather.) This recipe swaps the lemon for lime, adds some vinegar for zing, and brings the heat with some Malagueta pepper hot sauce. The hot sauce can be a challenge to find so feel free to swap it out for Piri-Piri, Tobasco, or whatever your favorite hot sauce might be. Read more…

Ratatouille

A wooden bowl of RatatouilleRecreational Ratatouille
The recent warm weather has me thinking about summer. This has me thinking about my garden—the garden that I am not planting this year. I am not planting a garden this year because, for the first time in I don’t know how long, there will be no tournaments. This summer will be youth-sports-free which is both fantastic and kinda sad, but mostly fantastic. It also means we are able to do what we want on the weekends.

Our summer will be filled with camping trips and college campus tours as well as family junkets to new and amazing cities. There will be baseball games (played by professionals) and beach days and music concerts. I can’t wait. But, because life can be awesome this way, there will still be fresh home-grown vegetables.

How is this possible without planting a garden you may ask? Because my mother-in-law, who swore she would not be planting a garden this year either, caved and planted everything under the sun. Therefore, I know without question that I will be reaping the benefits of her summer bounty when her produce cup runneth over and she has had it up to here with zucchini.

It’s the best of both worlds. Livin’ my best life while enjoying good food and helping to relieve the burden of overabundance. What can I say? I’m a giver…

Ratatouille
Adapted from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food and Food 52
Yields 6 to 8 servings

This classic recipe is surprisingly easy to prepare and results in a delicious showcase of summer vegetables and flavors. Read more…

Classic Vinaigrette

A jar of Classic Vinaigrette on a countertop. A Lesson In Dressing
I have been learning to cook for a very long time. And, I am still learning to cook—even though I have taken countless classes and read thousands of recipes. You never really stop learning new things in the kitchen. And, of course, it all started with my grandmother, Gam, showing me the basics in her kitchen.

I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say that I have made tens of thousands of recipes over the years. Seriously. And I am not a professional chef. Imagine how many recipes that person would produce!

Out of all those recipes I can point to exactly one that is the most important. That would be a classic French vinaigrette. And, here’s why…

The first time I made a classic vinaigrette, I was taking a six-week cooking course in San Francisco. It was a class that covered the basics of cooking, many of which I had already learned. But, it did it in a way that mirrored what you would learn if you attended culinary school. In other words, this was less Gam’s kitchen and more Cordon Bleu.

The vinaigrette we made that night totally changed my outlook on cooking. It taught me that ratios are important. It taught me that sometimes less is more. But more than anything it taught me that just because something is easier, that doesn’t make it better.

Taking five minutes to make a salad dressing from scratch versus twisting the top off of a bottle is not only healthier, but it will increase your appreciation for what food should actually taste like. And, at least for me, improve your mental well-being in much the same way that finding the perfectly ripe avocado or melon can do. But, I’m weird that way.

Classic Vinaigrette Recipe with Variations
Yields 3/4 cup

Homemade vinaigrette keeps for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, so it’s worth the 5 minutes it takes to mix it up. Then you can keep it on hand for all of your salad needs. Read more…

Tarte Tatin

Photo of a Tarte Tatin on a tableUpside Down You’re Turning Me
Let’s be real, France has created and produced some of the best sweet stuff on this earth. From flakey pastries to smooth chocolate, you can find something crazy-delicious to soothe your current craving. If I had to choose one dessert that screams France though, it would be the Tarte Tatin.

Tarte Tatin is the O.G. of upside-down desserts. Apples and caramel are combined with puff pastry in a trifecta of perfectly matched classic flavors. Flip it over onto a platter, add a little vanilla ice cream on top and it becomes mind-blowing. Mastering the caramel can be tricky but once you have it down the results are the greatest reward for your hard work. Of course, even the “bad batches” are pretty good too…

Tarte Tatin Recipe
Yields 5 servings Read more…