Lemon, White Wine and Garlic Roasted Chicken Breasts

If I could cook with any Food Network Star, it would be Ina Garten hands down!  Not only do her recipes include ingredients that most of us have on hand at any given time, but they're approachable twists on classics that we make all the time.  Take chicken breasts, for example.  My usual routine is to take boneless, skinless chicken breasts, season them generously with herbs and spices, and bake them in the oven until they're golden brown.  I wanted to try something new, so I made her marinade for the Lemon Roasted Chicken Breasts, and man oh man did she knock this recipe out of the park.  Well, anything that includes lemon, white wine, thyme and garlic is a home run in my books!  I added my own twist on her recipe by using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts to give a fancy flair to a Saturday date night meal.  Add my Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes for the side, and you'll have one of the best dinners you've ever made!

Father's Day Weekend

For some reason, it seems like dads are the hardest people to pick out gifts for!  I solved this issue early by figuring out what I was going to do for Father's Day a couple of months ago when my dad was raving about a chimichurri sauce served with dinner at an Argentinian client's home.  I wanted to make a big batch of it myself to give him!  In case you don't know, chimichurri is a very salty green sauce made with fresh oregano, parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes.  It's not used as a marinade, but as a dipping sauce for grilled meat, especially steak and pork; it went perfectly with the grilled pork tenderloin we made for dinner that night.  For dessert, I made a chocolate raspberry trifle filled with moist brownies, chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries.  Summer cooking can't get much better!

Mediterranean Night!

I'll have to admit, sometimes I might have a minor tendency to stick too close to my comfort zone with cooking.  This comfort zone includes but is not limited to: chicken, potatoes, rice, squash, peppers, garlic, oregano and basil.  I can't help it if I know what I like!  I decided it was about time I break my usual routine and try to make something I've never attempted before...Mediterranean.  After scouring the internet researching traditional Greek and Mediterranean spices, I dove right in and came up with my own chicken souvlaki recipe with couscous, toasted pita bread and spinach salad.  After seeing how good it tasted (on the first try nonetheless), I'm definitely stepping out of my comfort zone more often!