Salt and Vinegar Chicken Karaage with Umeboshi Mayo

Salt and Vinegar Chicken Karaage with Umeboshi Mayo
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Chip varieties constantly inspire me. Yes, I know how funny that sentence sounds. I guess chips have this pull on me because they are the flavours I most closely associate with my childhood. I particularly tie chips to summer vacation. We ate pretty healthy most of the time when I was growing up, but when we headed to the cottage, all bets were off: Potato chips, marshmallows, hot dogs, the whole nine yards. It’s hard not to have blissful nostalgia for that time. Childhood summer vacations were a cut above. No obligations, just endless acres of free time. It just doesn’t happen in adult life. So, for me, I associate flavours like sour cream and onion, and salt and vinegar with that very unique brand of freedom. And that’s the vibe of this Salt and Vinegar Chicken Karaage with Umeboshi Mayo.

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Chicken Marbella Orzo Skillet

Chicken Marbella Orzo Skillet
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Today’s Chicken Marbella Orzo Skillet features juicy chicken thighs marinated in red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and oregano. The chicken is cooked snuggled up with olives, prunes, and capers cooked on a bed of tender orzo. This recipe borrows heavily from the original Chicken Marbella from the book The Silver Palate. The Silver Palate is a 1980s cookbook that broke records by selling 250,000 copies in its first year. The book is by Sheila Lukens and Julee Rosso. At the time of Lukens’s death in 2009, The Silver Palate remained in the top 10 best-selling cookbooks of all time – selling more than 2.5 million copies. 

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Citrus Roasted Cornish Hens

Citrus Roasted Cornish Hens
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Every year, I try to come up with celebratory meal ideas for my small immediate family. And in turn I share with you, just incase you need a small but elegant menu. This might not sound like a rebellious exercise but it is. Everything surrounding the holidays tends to be a go-big-or-go-home situation. Whole baked hams? Plentiful. Multi-rib roasts? Ubiquitous. A nice reasonably sized and priced piece of meat that still feels splashy and lavish? Not so much. That’s why I’m trying to be the change. You don’t need to have in-laws to impress or multiple mouths to feed to make a special meal. And these Citrus Roasted Cornish Hens are proof of that. They look and taste special. But they won’t leave you stranded in the kitchen for a day and a half and they won’t saddle you with leftovers for the rest of your natural life.

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Crispy Roast Chicken with Spicy Plum Sauce

Crispy Roast Chicken with Spicy Plum Sauce
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I know we’re not quite in Sunday roast territory yet. It’s currently 30° C here and I’m happy to bask in it. I am by no means trying to show summer the door. But I am starting to feel the tug of the comfort foods I left back in April. You know, plates of pasta, rich aromatic soups, a simple roast with lots of mashed potatoes? So, I decided to brave the hot oven and make this Crispy Roast Chicken with Spicy Plum Sauce. See? I at least stayed seasonal with the plums. And if you’re not ready to roast a chicken yet, I get it. Go throw another burger on the barbie and live your summer fantasy. But trust me, fall is coming and when it gets here, you’ll be happy this chicken is waiting for you. 

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