Laetare Jerusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis: ut exsultetis, et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae.

Be joyful, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.

It is just past the mid-point of the fast, and Laetare Sunday is here! Milk joy Sunday is the Mother's Day of the Church, remembering the Church as our Mother and the Blessed Mother herself. This is a little bright spot in the work and discipline of Lent. We are enjoying some milk and cheese today.

Jerome's test with milk products seems to be going well. He is almost at the end of this trial and will begin with sesame in a couple weeks. We cannot wait for him to have most, if not all, of these restricted foods back. His skin is not improving as much as we would like, though. It's not getting worse, but it isn't really getting a lot better. He thinks he may need to take another try with eating entirely grain free for a while, but he is not looking forward to it. Please pray for him.

• Sunday - Laetare Sunday
  Breakfast: Croissants (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Brie and Jam, Bananas (Grapefruit for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Shrimp Lettuce Wraps, Wok Fried Greens, Jasmine Rice, Fruit Plate
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Roasted Red Peppers and Diced Tomatoes, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Popcorn Shrimp (Gluten-free for Jerome), Potato Wedges (Gluten-free), Cabbage Salad, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Zaalouk, Kesra, Chopped Salad, Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Citrus Shallot Seasoning and Sprouts, Home Canned Pears, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Kung Pao Cauliflower, Garlic Fried Rice, Oranges
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash Breakfast Burritos (Gluten-free tortillas for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tomato Basil Soup, Italian Bread (Gluten-free Bread for Jerome), Canned Peaches
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Honey, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Cuban Black Beans, Rice, Fruit
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Ful, Shatta, Kalamata Olives, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Chickpea Shawerma Bowls, Salad, Olives, Gluten-free Lenten Chocolate Orange Cake

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Laetare, Lent, Menu Plans, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen

Tahina Breakfast Bites

I found a recipe for tahina breakfast "cookies" online and tried them, and they were fine, but had we thought of them as cookies we would have been sorely disappointed. After modifying them a bit (date syrup with tahina seemed more appropriate than maple syrup, and was less expensive), and fiddling with the proportions and baking times, I think I have a great breakfast bite, that also makes a wonderful snack on the go. You can use a stand mixer to speed up your process, or just use a large bowl and wooden spoon.

1 1/2 cups tahina
1 cup date syrup (or honey, molasses, or maple syrup)
1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 chopped walnutes (or almonds)
3/4 cup dried cherries, golden raisins (sultanas), dried cranberries or a mix of them (I like the berry medley that Trader Joe's has - see the picture below)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350˚F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

Beat tahina, date syrup, and vanilla paste or extract together in a bowl until smooth. Add rolled oats and chopped walnuts and mix evenly. Stir in dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Mix until well blended.

Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, make balls of dough and place 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Flatten slightly with your scrupulously clean palms. Don't compress it into toughness, though.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes. You do not want to see browning on the edges, these will brown from the bottom. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Place breakfast bites on a rack to cool completely. Yields about six dozen bites.

Đuveč

This vegetable rice dish is common to all of the Balkan states. It is pronounced Dju'-vetch, and it is quick to put together and delicious. It is wonderful with meat, fish, or just on its own. We have tried to make it the way they do in Croatia, or at least as close as we can get here. Because of Jerome's dietary restrictions, we have been making it recently with green chickpeas, rather than garden peas, and it is quite tasty that way, as well. The peas, however, are more authentic. You can cut this recipe in half, if you like, but it is good the next day, so you may wish to make the full amount. This is enough for our family with one or two servings left over.

4 tablespoons sunflower oil (or other light oil)
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups uncooked rice (we use Egyptian or Turkish rice, arborio or carnaroli, or even sushi rice would work)
2 tomatoes, finely diced, or a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juices
4 cups water or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot, smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups peas (frozen or fresh)
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped

Heat a rice pot over medium-high heat. Add the sunflower oil, then the onion and cook until the onion turns transparent. Add the carrots and peppers, and cook to soften them and evaporate any liquid that precipitates. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute or two.

Pour the rice in and mix well with the vegetables, cooking until the rice is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, and cook until the liquid evaporates a little. Then add the water or vegetable broth, paprika, salt, hot paprika, and black pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered and undisturbed, for 15 minutes.

Remove cover and pour in peas. Replace cover and cook five minutes.

Remove pan from heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley and fluff with a fork. Taste to adjust seasoning. Serve.

Persian Love Cake

We first made this cake for Valentine's Day. Since the recipe gave an option for making it gluten-free, we took it a step further and made it without milk products. I will give you the recipe, with our modifications, and with options for making it gluten and milk free. It does include eggs, so it is not strictly Lenten, but we saved it to make for our Annunciation and birthday feast. This is a super easy and quick cake to make, and it is delicious. I used our stand mixer to make this go even more quickly, and it comes together in just a few minutes, and can be in the oven in that time. The syrup in made while the cake bakes, and you are set. We actually haven't tried it the regular way, so we may need to do that after Lent, when Jerome has all dairy back.

6 tablespoons ghee, butter (we substituted safflower oil)
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk yogurt (we used almond milk yogurt)
2 tablespoons rose water
2 tablespoons orange flower water
1 cup almond flour
3/4 cup pastry flour (we substituted a gluten-free all-purpose flour that was safe for Jerome)
1/2 cup semolina flour (we substituted more almond flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds for topping

syrup:
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup freshly squeezed and strained orange juice
2 tablespoons rose water
1/2 teaspoon saffron
2 tablespoons chopped pistachios (optional)

3 tablespoons food grade rose petals for garnish
1/4 cup chopped pistachios (optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan with coconut oil or avocado oil spray, line with parchment, and set aside.

In a stand mixer or bowl, whisk together butter, olive oil and sugar, until the mixture is very thick. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk in the yogurt, rose water, and orange flower water. Whip until very frothy and thick.

In another bowl, whisk together almond flour, pastry flour, semolina flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Add to the liquid mixture and mix in thoroughly.

Pour into prepared springform pan and sprinkle the top with the sliced almonds. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes, until the center springs back and a skewer inserted in the center comes back with a few crumbs.

While the cake bakes, prepare the syrup. Bring honey and orange juice to boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve and keep from overflowing or burning. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for five minutes. Stir in rose water and saffron. Remove from heat and stir in pistachios.

When cake is baked, remove from oven, and use a skewer to poke fine holes all over the cake. Pour the warm syrup over the warm cake and allow to sok several hours or overnight.

Decorate with the food grade rose petals, and the optional chopped pistachios. Slice and serve. Serves at least 16 people.

Advieh

This is a Persian spice mixture for which there are many variations. I understand that this particular variation is more often used for rice dishes, but we have used it in a paste with olive oil on chicken and found it quite delicious.

4 tablespoons food grade dried rose petals
2 tablespoons ground Ceylon cinnamon (you can substitute cassia easily, but I think the true cinnamon is better)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all ingredients and put in a labeled jar. That is it!

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen

We have another major feast day this week, the Annunciation, and we are grilling fish! I love that the Annunciation comes just a little less than a week after the feast of Saint Joseph, that the heads of the Holy Family are celebrated so closely together. It is Elijah's birthday, and we were always so glad to have everyone celebrating with him on his day. We have always thought about Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin taking special care of him.

The Persian love cake we made for Valentine's Day was so good that we are making it again for the feast this week. We made it gluten and dairy-free, and you never would have known, so I am going to share the recipe with you, along with our modifications. It is a super simple cake to make, and so delicious. You will definitely want to make it.

The re-introduction of milk is going well, which will mean that Jerome can enjoy so much more of our Paschal feast next month. He, wisely, chose to introduce sesame next, since we eat so much with tahina in it, which also opens up several dishes and sauces for him then. The only food that his doctor thought might be a true allergy was the banana, and as he doesn't love them, it wouldn't be a great loss. Please pray that the rest of the tests go well for him.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Tahina Breakfast Bites (Gluten-free Toast with Almond Butter and Date Syrup for Jerome), Bananas (Orange for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Hummus, Muhamarrah, Balela (without the cheese), Khoubz Araby (Gluten and Dairy-free Turkish Flatbreads for Jerome), Kalamata Olives, Lenten Chocolate Orange Cake (Frozen Fruit Pops for Jerome)
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Roasted Red Peppers, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Grapefruit Halves, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Black Bean Chili, Tortilla Strips, Avocados, Chopped Red Onions, Chopped Cilantro, Canned Peaches
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Broccoli and Almond Stir Fry, Garlic Fried Rice, Mandarin Oranges
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Citrus Shallot Seasoning and Sprouts, Home Canned Pears, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Shrimp and Vegetable Salad with Creamy Garlic Balsamic Dressing (Lenten), Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Craisins, and Dried Blueberries (Grain-free Granola with Dried Fruit and Coconut Milk for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad, Corn Chips, Pineapple (Mangoes for Jerome)
• Friday - Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Honey, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Grilled Tuna, Đuveč*, Marinated Cucumbers, Persian Love Cake*
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash Breakfast Burritos (Gluten-free tortillas for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Tomato and Eggplant Sauce, Salad, Fruit Plate

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Annunciation, Birthday, Blessed Virgin, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen, Theotokos

Jerome's mittens are finished! Well, the knitting is. I still have some ends to weave in, blocking and so on to do. I used a free pattern for most of it, and the chart for the stag, though I modified the chart and had to make some changes so the decreases would work (they were placed in the wrong place in the pattern and didn't work out at all with the stated numbers on the thumb). Imbat is actually, truly, nearly completed, also.

We finished Rilla of Ingleside last week. Our plan had been to start Cheaper by the Dozen next, but we didn't have it. We started reading The Story Girl instead. Rich and I have been reading Bearing God: The Life and Works of St. Ignatius of Antioch the God-Bearer together, and are really glad we are sharing it. There is so much in his life that we need to remember today.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Grandbaby, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

The end of this week is the feast of Saint Joseph, who is one of our favorite saints, and patron of our Elijah. Rich loves Saint Joseph, especially, and we have a special devotion to him and the Holy Family in our family. It is also finally starting to look like spring might appear, after all. We are hoping to see the weather clear up a bit. It actually snowed a little last week!

Along with that improvement in the weather, we are hoping to see some improvement in Jerome's skin. This week is when we try again with milk, and see how he will do. If the weather doesn't interfere, we think we can get a better evaluation of how he does with it.

We are excited to have a couple days with fish this week, too! It is a blessing to have a little break in the fast that we will receive gladly. It makes up for the diabolical (and pointless) daylight savings shift which robbed us of our hour today. Saints Patrick, Cyril, and Joseph, pray for us! (Perhaps pray that one day we can abolish this idiotic time change, too)!

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Ful, Shatta, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Radishes, Kalamata Olives, Bananas (Orange for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mediterranean Braised Vegetables, Rice, Fruit Plate
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Roasted Red Peppers, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Grapefruit Halves, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Besan Chila, Sah’awiq, Chopped Salad, Oranges
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Fried Cauliflower, Vegetarian Rouz Bukhari (made with sunflower oil), Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Breakfast Tacos with Salsa, Grapefruit Halves, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Thai Coconut Cashew Rice with Vegetables and Peanut Sauce, Oranges
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Patrick
  Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Citrus Shallot Seasoning and Sprouts, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Colcannon Fish Pie (Dairy-free), Steam Sautéed Carrots with Garlic and Dill (Dairy-free), Soda Bread (the recipe is formatted a little oddly, the raisins are optional, not the buttermilk - Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Fruit
• Friday - Feast of Saint Cyril
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Honey, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Potato and Poblano Stew (without the cheese), Fried Tortilla Strips, Fruit
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Joseph
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash Breakfast Burritos (Gluten-free tortillas for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Falafel, Taratoor, Harissa, Duqqus, Khoubz Araby (Gluten and Dairy-free Turkish Flatbreads for Jerome), Veggies, Kalamata Olives, Fruit Plate

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen

There are many beautiful icons of the Temptation of Jesus, but this painting by Duccio captures the essense of our Lenten journey with Christ in the desert. After being driven to the desert to fast for 40 days and be tested (not as a trick or pop quiz, but to model for us and to teach the way we make our spiritual battle), He commands Satan away, with the angels waiting to attend Him.

Overall, Lent is off to a good start. The kids have done so well, and it seems like this was the most profitable Ash Wednesday and beginning of Lent we have had as a family in a long while. The fast truly is a school of sanctity. We have had a couple rocky moments, but it has overwhelmingly been a time of prayer and holiness. Thank God for that!

Some of my favorite saints are represented this week, who also provide a vast depth of teaching to us. It is so good to get to know these brothers and sisters in the faith!

It is also the beginning of birthday season here. Amira turns 18 this week. She is the first baby I posted about on this blog. It is hard to believe I have four adult children.

Jerome gets coriander back this week, and we are pleased that the reintroduction has gone so well. He will begin trying out milk again, even though it is Lent. We have enough around for him to have his portion, and we are hoping that the weather won't interfere with our assessment of his reaction this time. Please pray. Please pray for peace, as well.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash and Salsa with Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Grapefruit Halves, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Tuna, Green Salad, Canned Peaches
• Monday - Feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicity
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Orange Flower Syrup (Gluten-free Granola and Coconut Milk for Jerome), Bananas (Canned Peaches for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Garden Vegetable Soup (using green chickpeas in place of the peas), Crackers (Gluten-free for Jerome), Pears
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Breakfast Tacos, Minneolas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Samosa Cups with Green Chickpeas, Rice, Cabbage Slaw with Cumin Dressing, Fruit Plate
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Gregory of Nyssa
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable Korma, Rice, Fruit
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Coconut Bread, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pan Fried Scallops, Vegan DanDan Noodles, Mandarin Oranges, Koulourakia
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Honey, Sliced Pears, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Eggplant and Chickpea Curry, Rice, Green Salad, Sliced Pears
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Gregory the Great
  Breakfast: Tahina Cookies (Gluten-free Granola and Coconut Milk for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cashews, Salad, Fruit Plate

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen

Chicken Fried Steak

This is so delicious, and you can use the excess coating mixture both to thicken and season your gravy, and the excess buttermilk mixture as part of your gravy for no waste. I like to serve biscuits and a vegetable and fruit with this to make a meal. In the summer, I serve sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, or fresh corn, whatever is fresh from the garden or farmers' market.

3 pounds cube steak
2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
8 cloves garlic

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion granules

oil, for frying

cream gravy to serve

Mix egg and buttermilk in a large, shallow pan to combine well. Whisk in crushed garlic. Soak meat in this mixture for at least an hour.

Combine the dry ingredients in another large, shallow pan for coating the steaks.

Prepare a baking sheet with a cooling rack over it to place the meat to drain while the other steaks are frying. If your oven has a warming setting, this is a perfect place to put the pan, so the steaks stay hot while you cook all of them.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat (or to 375˚F in an electric skillet). You will not be deep frying, but shallow frying - about 1/2 an inch or so.

As the oil heats, dip the steaks in the flour mixture, turning to coat well. When the oil is ready (a pinch of the flour mixture dropped in will sizzle immediately), carefully place the steaks, one at a time, into the oil. You don't want to overlap any meat, but you want to crowd them a little. This will keep them from burning, and will allow them to cook fully and brown well. Cook until golden brown on one side, then turn over and do the same for the other side. Work in batches, placing the meat on the rack on the prepared pan as it cooks.

When all the steaks are fried, use the pan you fried them in to make your gravy.

Cream Gravy

You can use the oil that remains from frying to make your gravy, simply remember to skim off any burnt bits that might be in it. If I have more than enough of the leftovers, I scale this recipe up and use it all, because it is good on toast or biscuits another day.

oil from frying plus butter (if necessary) to equal 1/3 cup
flour mixture remaining from steak coating plus enough pastry or all purpose flour to equal 1/3 cup
buttermilk and egg mixture plus milk to equal 6 cups
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon paprika
salt to taste

Heat oil over medium heat. Sprinkle flour mixture over oil, stir in and cook for a minute or two. Slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture, stirring well. Add pepper and paprika and cook, stirring frequently until gravy is thickened to your liking. Taste for salt and season if necessary.

Tender Crisp Chicken with Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil

Like many recipes, this started with one I found elsewhere. It has disappeared off the internet, but we still make it. It is delicious and so simple to make. People love it, and it only takes a few minutes of hands on work, which makes it great dinner party fare. This is what we served at Alexander and Autumn's wedding. You can use a couple whole cut up chickens, if you like, but the dark meat really is better. It has more flavor and is juicier. I prefer to make this with all chicken thighs, but if drumsticks are what we can get, I use those. The whole legs are perfect, though, because then everyone gets a drumstick and thigh, both. The original recipe leaves the garlic in the papers, so you can squeeze the soft garlic out onto bread, but this creates more of a mess than I love with kids, so I peel them completely, unless it is a small amount or for only adults.

8 whole chicken legs (drum and thigh together), or 16 drumsticks or thighs
kosher salt and pepper, to taste (I tend to use 1 teaspoon salt per pound of meat on this, because the tomatoes and garlic sweeten it so much, rather than about 3/4 teaspoon salt per pound of meat I normally use)
two big bunches of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (or use plum tomatoes quartered or a mixture of both - if I use grape tomatoes, I don't bother cutting them at all)
2 whole bulbs of garlic, broken up into cloves
2 fresh red chiles, finely chopped
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and place them in two large oven-proof pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil stalks as well as the tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chiles and drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath the chicken.

Place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone. Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the top with the chopped fresh basil leaves to serve.

We serve this with crusty Italian bread, to soak up all the juices, or lemon parsley rice, or pasta with garlic and parmesan.

Three Hearts Salad

We made this salad for the wedding, also, keeping the dressing separate until we were ready to serve. I often make this for our anniversary or Valentine's dinners when we eat at home. This makes enough for 12 people as a small side salad.

4 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
2 14-ounce cans hearts of palm, drained and sliced into rounds
4 hearts of Romaine
24 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Whisk together lemon juice, mustard and garlic in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add artichoke hearts and hearts of palm and allow to marinate at room temperature at least 20 minutes, up to four hours, giving them a stir every now and then.

At serving time, tear your lettuce into a large salad bowl and toss with the tomato halves. Spoon dressing mixture over the top and gently toss to dress the salad. Serve.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen