Oven Baked Beer Can Chicken

I have always had this class act over the grill so I was excited to try a oven roasted version. The result was similar, a super juicy and tender chicken with tons of flavor and crispy skin all the way around. Since I was roasting mine on a cookie sheet I decided to spread the veggies on the same pan to reduce the clean up and increase the ability for the veggies to get some residual flavor from the birds juices. Perfect!

1 Whole Chicken
1 can of beer
EVOO
Spice Rub:
1 tbs salt
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs paprika
1 tsp mustard
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Clean and dry the chicken. Rub the cavity of the bird with half the spice mix. Cover the bird with EVOO and use the remainder of the spice mix (minus 2 tbs) on the skin of the bird. Pour out ⅓ of the can of beer and punch several holes in the top with a pair of kitchen scissors, knife or can opener. Dump the remainder of the spice mix in the beer can to prevent it from bubbling over and to flavor the brew. Holding the chicken upright I slid it over the beer can until it is secure. Pull the legs forward and tuck the wings. Place the chicken on the cookie sheet and arrange veggies of choice around it. I usually toss my veggies in some EVOO and seasoning before cooking them. Place the entire tray on the bottom shelf in the oven and cook for about 1.5 hours or until the juices run clear. Pull the chicken out of the oven and allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes.

This is a fun, different way to make a traditional roast chicken and it actually ends up turning out closer to the taste of a traditional rotisserie chicken without having to purchase the equipment. It is more complicated than the traditional process but the result was so yummy that I definitely plan to give it a try again soon.

Volunteering - Ronald McDonald House

Welcome to the first installment of (703) Mommy and Me’s Volunteering expose’. Every few months we will be highlighting a different organization in the DC/Metro area that offers volunteering opportunities. Let us know if there is an organization that you would like us to highlight or always wanted to know more about. Our inaugural outing took place at the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) in DC. We feel very honored to have been able to cook for the families staying at the house. The whole experience was extremely moving and the appreciation from the families for the home cooked meal meant so much to me and Dori.

Background:
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. RMHC provides four programs in the DC Metro area:

~Ronald McDonald House®
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, D.C. supports two Ronald McDonald Houses. Each House serves as a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously ill children who travel to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to be treated for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. In our area there are two houses, one in DC and another in Fairfax, located on the grounds of the INOVA Fairfax. The house in DC can support up to 26 families, which includes 4 isolation suits for bone marrow transplants and provides support to several hospitals in the area, including, Children’s National Medical Center, Georgetown University Hospital, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The VA house can support up to 8 families. Families’ average stay is from 4-8 weeks long, but can go longer. One family even stayed 27 months.


~Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®
Each weekday morning the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile travels from Georgetown University Hospital to Washington, D.C.’s wards 5, 6, 7 and 8 where children grow up in underserved neighborhoods. This Clinic on Wheels offers a range of free services, including: well child visits, newborn exams, social service consults, immunizations and ophthalmologic exams. The underlying theme to the care given is not only about treatment but also health, wellness, education and relationship-building. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile treats the whole child
while offering people time, compassion, and respect.

~Ronald McDonald Family Room®
Open 24 hours a day for the last 15 years, Ronald McDonald Family Room, located in the Hematology/Oncology Department of Children’s National Medical Center, is a place of comfort and solitude for patients’ parents. Parents of children going through various forms of treatment use this space to check emails, make phone calls, or sit in peace for a moment of rest.

~Outreach Program
As part of the RMHC mission to improve the health and well-being of children in the community, RMHC supports other local nonprofits that also positively impact the lives of children in our area.

Our Experience:
The day started with running to various stores to pick up food for our dinner. We arrived at the
house at 4pm. The RMH asks that you have dinner ready for service by 6pm. After unloading the food we began the mise en place. Our menu for the night was a veggie baked pasta and a meat baked pasta with fresh tossed salad and cookies (purchased at Costo). As we chopped and simmered sauce, a few parents would sporadically wander in. The drained expression on their faces from pure exhaustion was heart breaking. Stories were exchanged between Parents of the just crippling strength that they had to face that day, or how long they have been at house and how long they expect to stay. Had they been here before? What was the diagnosis on their child? Sad stories of unexpected steps backward in progress and families being split up due to siblings being in school. It brought tears to your eyes. The strength for their children that they had to provide each day and the emotional battles that they faced day in and day out, some of them without their spouse or loved ones by their side, was heart breaking.

As the sauce released savory fragrances, one woman walked in and commented how entering the dining room reminded her of walking into her Grandmother’s house. We assembled the dishes on the counters and a few families arrived to scoop up the goods. When serving the meals you will actually only see a few of the families. Most are at the hospital by their loved one’s side. After about 45 minutes we began scooping some of the pasta into Tupperware so that families could grab the dinner at any point from the fridge to heat up. We cleaned the dishes, packed up and headed out. Our hearts felt heavy for what the families were facing each day, but grateful that we were able to provide them a hearty home-cooked meal. We had such a positive experience at the RMH that we hope to cook for them several times a year.

Volunteer Options:
Onsite:
~Prepare a meal for the families staying at the home
~Prepare “Grab and Go” meals for the families
~Help out with household chores – you can make it a group outing!

Offsite:
~Sew comfort quilts or blankets for the families
~Prepare activity bags for the children
~Host a drive to collect items in the house that are needed

If you are interested in volunteering or donating to the RMH
please contact them at:

RMH DC location:
Contact – Nicole Ritchie
Phone – (202) 529-8204
Email – rmhcdc@gmail.com
Website - http://rmhc.greaterdc.org/

RMH Northern VA location:
Contact – Barbara Clarke
Phone – (703)698-7080
Email – Barbara@rmhcdc.org
Website - http://rmhc.greaterdc.org/

Chicken with Green Olives, Orange and Sherry

I haven't made this dish in years and apparently it was memorable since my husband was practically drooling when he figured out what I was whipping up today. The meal takes about a hour to cook, approx 30-40 hands on time, but is really easy to make. Leave it to Bon Appetit and my favorite section Fast Easy Fresh. Also I was able to use my stash of the 703 Mommy and Me crock pot chicken stock. Yummy! I service the dish over brown whole grain rice.

2 tbs olive oil

1 whole chicken cut in parts

1 cup of sliced shallots

2 garlic cloves

1 cup of Sherry

1 cup of chicken broth (check out the 703 Mommy and Me crock pot stock)

1 orange, halved and each half cut into five slices

1/3 cup of brined-cured green olives

1 tbs of honey

Preheat oven to 425. Heat oil in large ovenproof pan over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and cook until skin is browned. Approx 6 minutes each side. Transfer chicken to plate. Reduce heat to medium high. Drain, leaving 2 tbs of drippings in pan. Add shallots and stir until soft and browning about 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add Sherry and boil until reduced by half, scrapping up bits. Approx 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken to broth, skin side up. Nestle the orange slices and olives between the chicken pieces. Transfer to oven for 20 minutes.

Transfer chicken to platter and bring sauce to a boil over high heat. Stir in honey and boil until thickened, approx 5 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken.

Tabouli Salad

My mom use to make us tabouli or (tabbouleh) salad all the time in the summer. The fresh vegetables and herbs make it completely mouthwatering while providing a high protein and low calorie meal. Tabouli is super easy and quick so it is a perfect side dish (or main meal) for a busy bee. I made this as an accompaniment to a leftover roast chicken Greek pita sandwich.
Pitas: Pita , chicken, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, hummus and a Greek yogurt sauce

1 C Bulgar (I purchase mine in the bulk food section at Whole Foods)
1 container of grape tomatoes, quartered
½ English cucumber, chopped
1 C Scallions, chopped
1 C Parsley, chopped
2 tbs Mint, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
3 tbs EVOO
S&P
* 1 C Feta, crumbled (optional)
* shredded romaine lettuce (optional)

Mix Bulgar with 2 C boiling water, cover tightly and let it sit for 30 minutes. While the Bulgar cooks you can cut your veggies and herbs. Strain the Bulgar using a mesh sieve making sure to get most of the moisture out of the grain. Mix the Bulgar, veggies, herbs in a bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together the lemon, EVOO, S&P. Incorporate it into the grain mixture and serve. You can also add the crumbled feta and lettuce to the mix or you can top a bed of lettuce with the grain and then cheese.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

MEM Pineapple Salsa Cups

I am getting pumped up for Cinco de Mayo... not only do I love Mexican food but I also happen to be hosting an extra special baby shower that day (more to come on that later.) So I have started testing out recipes for the big day and this one is definitely in the mix. This salsa is a tomato free version which crisp and refreshing for all day parties. The best part is this salsa is a copy-cat version of the pineapple salsa Mother Earth Meals served up to area bloggers at an event I went to at Alice & Louise Catering & Cooking School a few weeks ago and since MEM provide anti-cancer recipes you know you are eating something that is delicious and good for you!

Pineapple Mango Salsa

I love how vibrant the colors of this salsa are and of course just how yummy it tastes. The mint is an unusual addition but it really makes everything taste fresh and bonus, I happen to have a plethora of it in my garden right now!

2 ripe mangoes cubed
1/2 a ripe pineapple, cored and cubed
4 spring onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
2 tbs mint, chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Ropa Vieja

A couple of weeks ago I got this Ropa Vieja recipe from a friend of a friend (also known as facebook stalking) and I thought I had to give it a try. A. We love latin flavors. B. I never make steak in the crock pot and this was a vetted recipe. Even better... I had all the ingredients (except the steak) already so I was good to go.

Being me, I couldn’t leave the recipe alone. I decided to switch out the jalapeno for an chipotle pepper in adobo. I happen to love these peppers, I never use a full can at once so I individually wrap the rest in plastic wrap and freeze them for later use. I also only had red peppers in the house so I decided I would fudge the green ones by using diced tomatoes that already had green pepper mixed in. I also doubled the garlic, because lets face it, I'm a garlic addict. I also added a thinly sliced zucchini to the mix to increase the veggies and served the whole thing over a bed of spiced brown rice. I really enjoyed my slightly altered version and would totally recommend it to any of my crock pot loving friends. If your family is not big on spice you may want to either eliminate the chipotle pepper or the rotel tomatoes but even our little B seemed to enjoy my slightly spicy version of this dish.

2 lbs flank steak, halved and cut into 4 pieces (a total of 8 pieces)
Salt and Pepper
1 cans of diced tomatoes (I used one with green peppers and one can with mild chilis)
½ C Water
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 chipolte pepper in adobo,
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
½ C pitted green olives
2 tbs capers
fresh chopped cilantro (garnish)
Serve on a bed of rice or in tortillas

Spiced Rice
1 C brown rice
1.5 C Water
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
Cook in a rice cooker until done

Season steak with S&P. Combine tomatoes with juices, water, peppers, onion, garlic and spices in the crock pot. Add steak and cover, cooking on high for 5 hours until the meat is tender. Transfer meat to cutting board and let it rest to cool. Discard the bay leaf (if you can find it) and add capers and olives to the sauce. Shred the meat using two forks to pull it apart and then place it back in the sauce to warm. Spoon the meat, veggies and sauce over rice and top with cilantro. Delish!

Carter's Run for Dandy-Walker

Looking for something to do the morning of May 19th? How about supporting a great family trying to raise money for the Dandy-Walker Alliance? And really, who doesn't love a performance from The Great Zucchini!

Please join the Zimmerman Family for the 1st annual Carter's Run for Dandy-Walker on May 19th. Carter Zimmerman is a 4-year-old resident of Ashburn, VA who has Dandy-Walker Variant, a congenital brain malformation. Join his family and friends as they raise awareness of this little-known syndrome and donate all proceeds of the event to the non-profit Dandy-Walker Alliance, based in Kensington, MD, to fund a cure! In addition to the run/walk, there will be a performance by The Great Zucchini as well as lots of fun stuff for the whole family - face painting, glitter tattoos, balloon art, moonbounces, an appearance by the Chick-Fil-A cow, Screech from the Washington Nationals, a raffle and much more. The run/walk will start at 9:30 am on a certified course beginning and ending at Ashburn Elementary School, located at 44062 Fincastle Drive in Ashburn. Strollers are welcome!

Hurry up and register at http://www.cartersrun.org/. Registration ends on April 30th. This event is very family friendly and for a great cause.

Sausage and White Bean Casserole

Being a Dairy Free Diva I'm always jealous when I see a beautiful picture of a fresh out of the oven casserole. Quickly I skim the ingredients and cringe when I see the words "cream of....". Always a huge fan of most Real Simple magazine recipes, I was intrigued when I saw a whole magazine dedicated to easy meals. Much to my delight I stumbled on this dairy free recipe. It is easy and I love the fact that there are greens included. The whole family devoured casserole.

1 tbs + 1 tsp of olive oil

1 lb Italian sausage (I used sweet vs spicy)

2 carrots roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 bunches of Swiss chard, thick stems removed and cut into 2 inch strips

2 15.5oz cans of cannellini beans, rinsed

salt and pepper

2 tbs of bread crumbs (I used panko to keep it dairy free - always double check your ingredients on the box)

Heat oven to 400. Heat 1 tbs of oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on all sides, turning occasionally. Remove to a plate. Add carrots and garlic to skillet and cook. Stir frequently for approx 1 minute. Add the chard and cook until wilted. Add the beans, 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper, respectively, to the skillet. Place sausage on top. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl combine the remaining oil and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over sausage. Place skillet in oven and cook 25-30 minutes.

Crock Pot Bolognese Sauce

I have been super stressed with house stuff lately and there are two things that I like to do to relieve stress. Run and chop. Since I am still on my clean out the freezer kick I decided that the best way to go would be to make a post run hearty meat sauce. This sauce is a perfect freezer friendly comfort food. It is great on spaghetti, served with a crusty bread for an appetizer or even incorporated into your favorite Italian dishes.

There are several secrets to a good meat sauce and although my recipe often changes based on what I have around these are things I never compromise on.
1. The trinity- the base of a good sauce is always equal parts celery, carrots and onion
2. Meat- I like to use two types of meat. Usually I go with ground beef and a pork sausage
3. Sugar- I know this sounds strange but sugar really changes the sauce.

3 Celery stalks
3 Carrots
1 Onion
6 Garlic cloves
¼ C EVOO
1 lb of ground beef
½ lb of Italian pork sausage, casing removed
1 small tomato paste
2 Large cans of whole or chopped tomatoes (I use fire roasted)
2 C full bodied red wine
½ C balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 tbs of Italian seasoning
1/t tsp red pepper flakes
½ C grated parmesan cheese
¼ C sugar
Salt to taste

Puree celery, carrots, onions and garlic in a food processor. Heat oil in a pan and add vegetable puree and salt to taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently. Add the meat and brown for another 10-15 minutes.

Poor meat and veggie mix into the crock pot and add all the other ingredients. If you decided to use whole tomatoes break them apart with a spoon or fork. Allow the sauce to cook on low for 4 hours.  At the end of the cooking process I blend using my immersion blender to break up the meat. If you do not have an immersion blender you can pour small batches of the sauce back into your food processor or blender to complete this process. It is totally worth the extra step because the sauce ends up a wonderful consistency.

Pulled Chicken BBQ: Easy as 1, 2, 3!

I have an affinity for southern foods. BBQ is one of them but since restaurants tend to use fatty cuts of meat (because they taste the best) you can really pack on the lbs with it if you are not careful. This go-to recipe is as easy as 1-2-3 and comes out lip smacking delicious every time. All you need is a crock pot, boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) and a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. 

1. Cook chicken breasts and a bottle of BBQ Sauce in a crock pot for 4-5 hours
2. Pull breasts out of the pot, remove skin and bones
3. Return meat to the sauce in the crock pot and break up pieces until shredded

The meat is flavorful, tender and delicious and works easily hot, or cold in a variety of dishes so I always make extras. Today I served it as sandwiches for playgroup but I also love to use leftovers on salads, pizza, burritos or in a super yummy bbq chicken pasta salad which I will have to share in a following post.

Leftover Liquidation: Roast Chicken Mu Shu and Peanut Butter Noodles

Last week I was struggling to finish up the leftovers we brought home from our Passover and Easter dinners. When I re-purpose a protein I want to trick myself into believing that it is a totally new item so when I am using roast chicken I usually go for a dish inspired from another part of the world. This Roast Chicken Mu Shu was delicious, all three of us ate it for dinner and then had the leftovers for dinner the next day. The hubs even made a comment that the dish got better the next day which I think is hard to say. The Mu Shu portion of this dish is an adaptation from one I found in a huffington post article. While the original recipe called for tortillas I didn't have any on hand so I opted for one of B’s favorites, thai peanut noodles (or peanut butter noodles) which are so simple to make. I have actually made extra sauce and refrigerate it for later use as a dipping sauce for chicken tenders or a quick stir fry sauce.

Mu Shu
3 tbs vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbs fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 bag of coleslaw mix, (I actually used ½ a bag and saved the rest for coleslaw for the next night)
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 tbs water
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
3 tbs hoisin sauce (I dont have this so I made my own (recipe below)
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2-3 C chopped or pulled chicken

Heat 1 tbs of vegetable oil in a pan and scramble the egg in it. Transfer the egg to a bowl and set aside. Add remaining oil to to the pan and add ginger and garlic letting it cook for about a minute. Add veggies and 2 tbs of water, cover and allow to cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
Stir together remaining water, soy sauce, sesame oil and hoisin sauce in a bowl. Add it to the coleslaw mixture also adding chicken and eggs. Stir to incorporate the sauce while continuing the cooking process for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Peanut Butter Noodles
½ lb linguini noodles, I use whole wheat
1 c peanut butter
1 tbs water
1 lime, juiced
2 tbs soy sauce
½ tsp fish or oyster sauce (If you have it)
1 tsp sriracha
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp garlic powder

Blend the sauce together and mix as much or as little as you want into the noodles.

Quick Hoisin Sauce
Since I was already making the peanut sauce for my noodles I made my “hoisin” sauce out of the same mix. I used a couple of 4 tbs of the peanut butter sauce and added an additional 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs sesame oil and 2 tbs of white vinegar and 1 tbs of honey to it to loosen it. This is not an exact science but it gets you close enough to the flavor you want to make it work. Buying store bought sauce is a great option... Im just trying to limit my new condiments right now before our big move!

Grilled Mango

Mango Madness comes to an end with a spicy grilled mango. We have been experiencing some good grilling weather lately so I decided to fire it up again. I threw some sausages and veggies on there and figured that while I was at it we might as well try out a little extra sweet treat.

Spicy Grilled Mango and Veggies

The grilled mango was a perfect close to the meal, it got a slight crispy crust from the sugars and had a bit of a kick from the dash of cayenne pepper I added. I can imagine it would have been even better with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. I also think that it would be a super fun combo to add to veggie skewers in the future. I love the pop of color and the sweetness it would bring. Now I gotta get grilling again!

Peel the mango and slice the meat off the sead. Score the flesh and drizzle EVOO, balsamic vinegar and a dash of cayenne pepper on each slice. Grill until crispy around the edges and serve.

Spinach and Mango Salad

I love salad and totally feel that every good dinner should start with one... sometimes those dinners end with them as well. This hearty salad is packed with color and flavor and boasts a delicious homemade spicy vinaigrette  that packs just enough punch to clear your sinuses which I am totally needing this allergy season.

Dressing
⅓ C Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
1 tbs Red wine vinegar
2 tbs light oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
⅛ tsp Cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Salad
1 Package of baby spinach
3-4 Red radishes, thinly sliced
1 Mango, diced
1 Avocado, diced
1 Bell pepper, diced
1 C green beans
4 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon because I had it on hand)
2 C Chicken, cooked your favorite way (I used the leftover passover chicken)
¼ C parmesan cheese


I threw all the ingredients in a bowl and tossed with the dressing and then threw a couple pieces of that Trader Joe’s Panini bread in the toaster oven with EVOO and fresh garlic rubbed on it for a picture perfect and super easy meal!

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

Still on the quest to complete mango madness I decided to try a fun twist on one of my old favorites, the black bean and mango rice bowl. Since Quinoa has such a high nutritional value I thought it would be fun to switch the grains up. I did a quick internet search and found a delicious sounding recipe from Eating Well (which is a GREAT Magazine for healthy cooking.) My usual version hovers on the latin side so it was fun to put an asian twist to the dish. The result was a denser and more flavorful version of my original... one where the flavors felt like they incorporated into one another even better... so now I know. Quinoa is totally the way to go!


½ C Quinoa
1 C Water
¼ C Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
¼ C Chopped Cilantro
2 tbs Rice Vinegar
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fresh chopped ginger
Salt and Pepper
1 Mango, diced
1 Red Pepper, Diced
1 C Tomato, chopped
1 C Cucumber, chopped
1 Can black beans
2 Spring Onions, chopped

I cooked the quinoa in my rice maker which made that step super easy. Meanwhile, wisk the orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, oil, cumin, ginger, salt and pepper together. Add the other ingredients and toss in the dressing. When the quinoa is ready incorporate into the mixture and either serve or refrigerate.

The best part of this recipe is that you can add or remove any items you like or have in the house. I love recipes like this... they totally help me keep on top of cleaning out the fridge.

Crispy Passover Chicken and Matzo Ball Soup

Uncle David's Boiled and Broiled Chicken (cold)

Uncle David's Matzo Ball Soup

The year was 2005 and I was celebrating my second ever Passover. We headed over the river and through the woods over to Aunt Judy and Uncle David’s house. Little did I know that I would be dreaming of this meal for the next 7 years. Uncle David’s now famous chicken is perfectly tender with a crispy seasoned crust of a skin. Since he and Aunt Judy have since moved to FL leaving us to fend for ourselves I decided to give his cooking technique a try this year. The result was a deliciously flavorful chicken stock for the matzo ball soup as well as a decent replication of the original chicken dish. I have definitely not mastered his boil to broil method yet but hey, there's always next year. If you are a matzo ball soup lover or just a lover of crispy skin chicken you should give this recipe a try. It is time intensive (think sunday dinner or holiday meal) but the result really is worth the extra work.

Soup Base
3 Carrots, peeled and cut in big chunks
3 Stalks of celery, cut in big chunks
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut up in big chunks
1 Parsnip, cut up
1 whole chicken cut up
1 bunch of Fresh Parsley and Dill, reserve some for chopping
Matzo balls
1 box of matzo balls (use store bought mix)
4 Eggs
Vegetable Oil

Fill a large stock pot with water making sure it is enough water to cover chicken completely. Place chicken, and all other ingredients in water, bring to a boil and then lower the heat until the liquid is simmering. Allow the chicken to cook  for about two hours until chicken is tender and falling off bone. I was completely skeptical of this process and only cooked the chicken for an hour my first time... definitely needed at least an hour and a half but make sure you turn the heat down so you do not end up with boiled chicken.

Make matzo ball “dough”  following the directions on the box. Remove chicken from the soup and set on a broiler rack. Strain the soup stock into another pot, put carrots back in soup, add ¼ C of fresh parsley and fresh dill. Spoon matzo balls into the soup and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes.  

Place chicken on broiler tray, season with McCormicks Season All, broil until skin is crispy and brown. That process only took about 5 minutes in my broiler but I have a feeling every oven is different so just keep a good eye on it.

Mango and Goat Cheese Panini

We made it through the Passover/Easter craze of a weekend and are now back to business. We had a packed weekend with trips to both sets of grandparents houses so that we got a chance to celebrate with everyone. I even made matzo ball soup for the first time ever (post to come) it got rave reviews so hopefully I did it justice. For now, you will have to survive with another of my mango madness posts... but trust me, its a good one. I give you the Mango and Goat Cheese Panini!

Mango and Goat Cheese Panini

Seriously, where have these been all my life. In my neverending quest to complete my mango madness I stumbled upon this delicious and super easy sandwich.This is a combination I have had on a salad a billion times before so it bewilders me that I have never thought to heat it up until now. I love how the tangy rich goat cheese acts as the perfect complement to the super sweet mango and how it all melts in your mouth. Since I am a sucker for all things made in a panini press this is just up my alley.

Panini bread (Trader Joe's has great panini bread that I freeze and pull out as needed)
4 oz of goat cheese
thinly sliced mango
Salt and pepper
EVOO (better known as Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Brush two pieces of panini bread with EVOO. Evenly spread the goat cheese across the inside of both slices. Place sliced mango on top of one of the pieces of bread, lightly salt and pepper it and then close the sandwich. Wrap in aluminum foil and place on a hot grill or panini press.

Writing this post makes me want another one right now!

Toddler Egg Hunts: Ideas for Egg Fillers

Egg hunts rule! While I totally love to dye eggs I also think filling plastic eggs is a must for an egg hunt. In order to prep the kiddos for the main event we decided to do a little play group hunt at Bon Air park earlier in the week. At 20 months, Little B has really gotten the hang of collecting things so I wasn't at all surprised when he was a natural at the hunt... so natural that he may have stolen all his friends eggs and eaten all the prizes.

champion egg hunter

Since none of us are big on toddlers and candy we got a little creative with our egg fillers. We had such a great hunt that I hope some of our fun tips can help you all out this weekend as well.

Top 10 Easter Egg Fillers for Toddlers
1. Animal Crackers
2. Raisins
3. Mini Peanut Butter or Cheese Cracker Sandwiches (we get them from Trader Joe's)
4. Cereal (Cheerios or other favorite)
5. Freeze Dried Fruit- B loves the strawberries and bananas from Trader Joe's
6. Tattoos
7.  Mini bubbles
8. Socks- my mom always put fun socks in our basket when we were little. I'm carrying on that tradition
9. Small animal toys
10. Stickers

DIY Pottery Barn Easter Basket

inside of basket

under side of liner showing stitching

I covet the Pottery Barn Kids catalogue. I love the fun twist to the classic casual lifestyle. Since most of the time I can’t seem to stomach the prices, especially for holiday items that come and go so quickly, I decided I would give the old DIY thing a try. The whole process took less than an hour, under $10 and the result was this super cute, one of a kind basket for my little bunny boy.

Volia! My Pottery Barn knock off Easter Basket

I purchased an $10.99 white wicker basket for 40% off at Michaels, a yard of turquoise, green and  yellow searsucker fabric from JoAnne Fabric and then used some leftover turquoise satin ribbon from a Buy, Buy, Baby gift box and some white thread.

I drew an outline of the basket on the back side of the fabric with an ink pen and then cut the circle out for the bottom of the basket. Then I measured the depth of the basket with a ruler (It is 4 inches deep) I doubled the number and cut an 8 inch strip of the fabric where the lines were vertical for the fold over portion of the basket liner. I then faced the print side of the fabric strips (the side I wanted to show on the basket) to the print side of the fabric circle and pined the fabric strip with little folds along the circle to add some extra fullness to the liner. I used my sewing machine to sew the two pieces of fabric together making sure I was sewing the hem side on the side of the fabric that was not going to show on the inside of the basket. When I got all the way around the basket I sewed a 4 inch seam up the strip leaving the rest of the fabric open. I then took that open end of the fabric strip and folded it in half so that I could create a flap that folded over the edge of the basket. I pinned the fabric where the edge came up to the fold and sewed the two pieces together to create a tube to run the ribbon through. I found the halfway point point on the other side of the basket and made a cut in the tube on that side so that the liner could slide easily over the basket handle. I sewed up the edges so that the material would not frey and then ran a ribbon through the tubes making big bows on each side. While the instructions sound crazy hard it really was quite easy. I probably should have made a pattern for you but hopefully this is a good enough tutorial for a few of you to give it a try.

Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Tropical Salmon Salad

When I was in college I worked at a little cafe. We served lunch and dinner and did a lot of catering on the side. One of my favorite salads that we offered was a salmon and fruit salad which featured cold poached salmon on a bed of greens surrounded by fresh fruit and veggies. We always served it with a super sweet poppy seed dressing which I thought was a bit much for me but to each their own.

Since I had a couple of servings of salmon left, not to mention the 15 mangos, I decided to give my own salmon and fruit salad a try. It turned out yummy and was a great way to get me to eat leftover fish which for some reason I can never bring myself to do.




Leftover mango salmon
Greens of choice (I used romaine and arugula)
1 avocado chopped
Grape tomatoes (about a handful)
1 mango chopped
goat cheese crumbles
almond slices (handful)

I used the leftover mango vinaigrette from the night before as a dressing and it still tasted just as yummy. I added a little S&P to the top as well. Little B ate the same thing I did just without the lettuce and nuts which made it feel like we were still having a family style meal.

Spicy Mango and Coconut Salmon

Forget basketball, Mango Madness has begun! The Friday Find at WF last week was Champagne Mangos. A case of 18 were $12 which suddenly became a deal I just couldn't pass up. I may be having a bit of remorse about this decision now but I am determined to power through and use all 18 in a creative fashion.
My first mango madness meal is a spicy mango and coconut salmon which I served with a mango and arugula salad with mango vinaigrette. It was a lot of mango but all quite delicious so if you happen to enjoy this particular fruit give this sauce a try!

2 lbs Salmon
salt & pepper
dry unsweetened coconut
¼ c EVOO plus extra for fish
¼ c Cider vinegar

Mango sauce/dressing
2 ripe mangos
½ tsp Siracha
½ fresh lime, juiced
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger

Dressing
Add ¼ c EVOO and ¼ c cider vinegar to ½ c of the mango sauce and blend to make a dressing.

Preheat oven to 250. Blend sauce ingredients and set aside. Drizzle EVOO over the fish and season with salt and pepper. Cover with mango sauce and then a thick layer of coconut flakes. Save the remainder of the sauce for the dressing. Slow roast the salmon for 30 minutes. (You can easily grill, broil or pan cook the salmon to get a faster result, I just prefer slow roasted salmon.)

While the salmon is cooking peel and cut an additional mango and whatever salad veggies you like. I added cucumber, avocado, sweet peppers and tomatoes. Toss mango, veggies and arugula with the dressing.


A great bonus, I froze the extra sauce in ice cube trays so that I can have some ready for next time I need some mango in my life.

Tex-Mex Orzo Pasta Salad with Avocado Dressing

This pasta salad was the perfect complement to my spicy apricot chicken the other night. It was even better the next day for a perfect park lunch. I love how the avocado makes a rich creamy dressing without the use of dairy or mayo. The dash of cayenne pepper totally brings it up a notch so if you like things spicy don't be afraid to add a bit more but since this was a family friendly recipe I settled for just a pinch.

Tex Mex Orzo Pasta Salad

2 C Orzo pasta
1 C chopped tri colored peppers
3 scallions
1 C black beans
1 C frozen corn
1 C cucumber
½ C cilantro chopped

Dressing
1 Avocado
¼ C EVOO
¼ C cider vinegar
½ Lime, juiced
1 shallot chopped
dash of cayenne pepperS&P

Mix dressing ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender to emulsify and set aside. Boil water and cook pasta per instructions on the packaging. Mix pasta, vegetables and dressing together and serve or refrigerate.