Posts from — June 2020

In early 2010 I posted the recipe for Limoncello. It actually consisted of three posts because the process to make the sweet Italian liqueur takes nearly 3 months.

After using bits of it here and there in dessert recipes and occasionally enjoying it as an after-dinner delight, the last of that batch was consumed in late 2019. That’s correct, it took nearly 10 years to get to the last drop. Limoncello is stored in the freezer, so no worries about it going bad, even 10 years later.

I doubled down with this year’s citrus crop and not only made a new batch of Limoncello but a batch of Arancello as well, which is the orange counterpart to the lemons used in Limoncello. (arancia is Italian for orange)

This go-round, I funneled both batches into smaller bottles that I can give away. As much as I love it, I do not need to have a supply of Arancello and Limoncello circa 2020 in my freezer when we ring in the year 2040!

Another difference between 2010 and 2020 is that I did not throw out the citrus peels after the final bottling stage, I candied them. Another fabulous byproduct is the sweet orange and lemon syrups left from the candying process.

To make the Arancello, follow the three-step directions of this recipe for Limoncello.

As has been our tradition for over 20 years, Peggy, Anne, and I get together for our birthdays. Peggy’s is in the winter, mine is in the fall and Anne’s is in the summer. Most often we go to a restaurant but with social distancing still of large concern, gathering at my house, in the pool to be exact, seemed like the best option. Yay for sun and chlorine!

Peggy was in charge of dessert along with our joint gift and card. I was in charge of dinner. It’s summer and it’s hot, so something cool and refreshing, that we could enjoy while wading in the pool, seemed like the way to go. PLUS, I’ve been dying to try out the new floating “Harmony Board” I purchased several months ago.

I used pre-cooked sticky rice from Costco. It comes in an 8-pack and can be found in the same aisle as the dry rice. It takes only 90 seconds to heat in the microwave. I used 2 packages for this meal.

In September 2009 I posted a fabulous recipe for Chef Robert McGrath’s Green Chile Mac & Cheese. It is still one of my favorite recipes on this site. Last Sunday night I was craving it but was so wiped out from the heat that I didn’t have the strength to make it. It’s not that it is difficult to make, I simply didn’t feel up to roasting peppers, doing a bunch of dicing, or spending more than a few minutes in the kitchen. How to feed that craving without the effort … cheat and use boxed mac & cheese … I know, Sacré Bleu!

I often prefer cooking chicken thighs over chicken breasts. Thighs are juicy, more flavorful, and don’t dry out. I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs most often.

The thing I don’t like about using skin-on chicken pieces is all the extra skin that is left on when you bring them home from the store.

Use your kitchen shears to trim off all that extra skin and discard.

This dish comes together in a snap, it only takes about 15 minutes to prep and is in the oven for about 45 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dinner. I like to serve the thighs and their rich herb sauce over couscous.

When you use the side of your chef’s knife to lightly smash the garlic cloves, you are looking for each clove to break up slightly, making each clove come apart into 2 or 3 smaller pieces. You don’t want to obliterate them, use a light touch.

You can purchase the pancetta at Trader Joe’s. It comes in a convenient 4-ounce package and is already diced into the perfect size. Simply open the package and scatter over the chicken when called for.