Lovely Rustic Chicken Thighs with potatoes.

Something homey for a gray rainy spring day. Serve it with a simple pile of dressed spring greens.

• 6 Red potatoes, scrubbed
• 4 bone in chicken thighs, skin on
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Jar roasted red peppers or one large roasted red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 2 Cloves garlic roughly chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Red wine vinegar

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut your potatoes up into rough quarters and halves. Throw them in a pot of salted water and boil until cooked.

In a bowl toss about your chicken thighs in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat a large frying pan until screamin' hot, and put the chicken into the pan, skin side down. Fry for 10 minutes or so, until almost cooked, and golden brown on all sides, then remove to an oven proof dish. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of your pan and reserve the drippings.

Roughly chop up the red pepper and throw it in with the chicken. Check the potatoes for doneness. Use a good set of kitchen tongs to pull them out of the water and lightly crush them by giving them a good squeeze before dropping them into the dish with the chicken.

Toss the cilantro garlic and salt and pepper over the top of everything. Pour the reserved chicken dripping and a generous glug of vinegar in as well. Toss it all up gently and spread it all out in a single layer. Bake for 35 minutes until golden.

Sour Strawberry Cream Muffins

Sour Strawberry Cream Muffins

So I love strawberries, but the good ones are in season for such a short time that I don’t feel I get to use them often enough. This winter morning I tried something that might make use of those out of season berries, or make a really bad for you substitute divine. Ultimately I hope this strawberry shortcut brings on spring.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp oil

Brown sugar for sprinkling

Strawberry syrup (Make your own or the Hershey’s type)

In a large mixing bowl or mixer, mix all ingredients until well blended. Split the batter between the 12 spaces of a foil cup lined muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with brown sugar and dribble with the strawberry syrup. Use a knife to fold the syrup into the batter a bit. It should look pretty rustic, so no need to be a perfectionist here. The goal is to leave swirls of the syrup in the batter. Pop them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Somethings very good and comforting about quick bread, and its really the only type of baking I tend to enjoy. Getting a quick bread to be right it like trying to re create your mothers lasagna, it will just never be as good...

But this time I came close.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 mashed ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat your oven to 325ºF. Spray 5 smooth, dark coated mini bundt pans with nonstick cooking spray for baking. Alternately you can go old school with grease and flour. You can also do this in loaf pans, or as a full sized bundt just be sure its got a dark coating.

In a Kitchen Aid mixer or large bowl mash the bananas (use the paddle attachment). Mix the sugars and butter in until the mix is smooth but some chunky banana is OK. Next add eggs, oil and water beat that about for 30 seconds. Add in remaining ingredients mixing until just until moistened. You you like them throw in a handful of nuts right at the end.

Pour the batter into your pans. Fill them about half way this bread has a nice loft to it. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Thats about 30 minutes for mini bundts or mini loaves and 50 minutes for a full sized bundt. Loaf pans will be about 40.

Let the bread sit in the pan for 5 minutes before you use a knife to loosen sides of loaf from pan, invert it onto rack or a cake plate. Everyone else would say and allow to cool completely before slicing. Don't do it! Get the peanut butter out of the cupboard and eat that baby while its still warm. Just be sure to save some for tomorrow, its even taster once the flavors spend some good quality time together.

Jo etvagyat!

Tortellini Bella

My twist on Mushroom Ravioli, Twilight inspired.

4 Tablespoons Butter

4 Tablespoons Flour

3 Cups Milk

1 Clove of garlic chopped or minced

1/4 Cup Romano

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Two pounds of Tortellini or Ravioli

1 1/2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Portabella Mushrooms

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.

Rinse your mushrooms and spoon out the gills. In a saute pan melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. slice your mushrooms thin and the chop into two inch long pieces. put them in the pans with the butter over medium low heat. Give them a shake and let them sit still while you make your sauce.

Basically your going to make a bechamel. Melt the butter in a saucepan add the garlic. Wait thirty seconds or so and then add the flour. Whisk it around a minute or two add your Milk and whisk smooth over medium low heat. Don't boil.!! Mix until your sauces starts to get thicken.

At this point shake your mushrooms they should be lightly caramelized. Lightly salt them. Drop your Tortellini in the water.

Pull your sauce off the heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain your torillini after it has floated for 3 to 5 minutes. Toss the sauce with the tortillini and add your sauted mushrooms.

Plate and garnish with cheese and a sprinkle of parsley if you've got it.

Mmm.

Pancakes!

Amazing! Pancakes from scratch my way. Who knew they are as easy to make as just add water.

1 Cup Flour

3/4 Cup Milk

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Oil

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Mix it up with a whisk. In a skillet melt a tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Pour a ladle of pancake batter in and flip that flapjack when you see bubbles. It will puff up, tap it in the middle its done when it springs back from your tap. Plate and top with butter, Maple Syrup or Peanut butter.