Chicken with balsamic BBQ sauce

It's officially spring! That means the weather's warmer, the birds are chirpier, and the barbecue's are a-blazing....if you have a barbecue that is. Sigh. For those less fortunate like myself, here's a recipe that's easy, delicious, and still gives your chicken that barbecue feel.

The recipe: Giada's Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce (leave it to Giada to make something this great, the woman is seriously perfection).

Things you'll need

For the balsamic bbq sauce:

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Fo the chicken or steak:

• 4 pieces chicken, any combination of breast/leg/thigh, or 4 pieces NY strip or Club steak  (I used 7 pieces of chicken thighs, since they were all fairly small)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth

1 cup Balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup Ketchup

1 clove minced garlic (maybe I added 2 or 3...)

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup brown sugar

Add Worcestershire sauce and salt.

2. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Bake chicken at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes in a lightly oiled pan.

I used chicken thighs, but you can use breast, leg, or steak pieces.
If your pieces have skin, place them in the baking pan skin side up.

4. Remove baking dish from the oven and spoon BBQ sauce over the top of the chicken.

5. Return the baking pan to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, then remove and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

The juiciest chicken ever!

This was probably one of the best chicken dishes I've made in a while. I don't like store bought BBQ sauce because I find it has a salty/metallic taste, but this was so refreshing and light! This recipe makes a fair amount, so I'm keeping the extra in the fridge to use on a chicken sandwich tomorrow.

Good job Giada, good job.

Also, apologies for the poor quality photos - I left my camera battery charger in Toronto so I've been using my Blackberry...not for long though!

Happy Thursday!

A.C

Easiest rack of lamb recipe you ever did see

So I had a rack of lamb thawing out in the fridge, and wanted to try this semi-extravagent recipe (thanks to my mama) with a whole mishmash of spices. I heeaded home from the library, planning to stop at the grocery store near my apartment to gather all my ingredients and what do you know -CLOSED. Blast. Stupid Sunday's and everything in Guelph closing at 7 pm..... Instead, I opted for a much simpler recipe, but one that still tasted pretty amazing. My new cooking rule: When you don't have spices, sauces, or decent ingredients to make a fancy marinade - use mustard. 

1. In a small bowl, mix dijon mustard and honey dijon mustard (the grainy kind)
with salt, pepper, and a spice blend (I used Mrs. Dash Original Blend)

2. Rub the spread over the lamb, making sure to get the sides and in the
creases. 

(Rack of lamb, evenly coated with the mustard rub)

4. Put a tbsp of oil in a pan, and sear the lamb over high heat. This only needs 

max 1 minute on each side!

5. Transfer the lamb to a lightly oiled roasting dish and place in the oven,
at 435 degrees. Cook for 15 minutes, until insides are just pink.

6. Pair with vegetables and a side salad. 

Voila!

Rack of lamb in a mustard rub, with roasted red peppers/onions and a salad. Not too shabby for someone with an almost empty fridge. Sometimes simple is the way to go.

Happy Monday!
A.C

Tea time

Pandora's box of tea

I've been extremely busy with school/work/random other time-consuming events, and haven't been cooking or visiting any trés cool places as of late. However, I thought the least I could do is post on something that has been keeping me sane over the past crazy week - tea! For those that know me, I am tea obsessed. I love tea, all kinds of tea, from all kinds of places. My favourite is loose leaf, and I used to have a small teapot that would make a good 2-3 mugs of tea at a time (really need to get on replacing that..) but for now I settle on an amazing individual infuser from David's tea, given as a gift by my good friend Kristina .

1. "Baby Me" tea - a loose leaf tea I purchased at St. Anne's Spa last year. Probably my favourite tea of all time.
2. "Warming Joy" Collection by Tea Forté - Not only do these tea bags come in the prettiest little pyramid satchels, but the assortment of flavours is incredible - my favourite is Harvest Apple Spice. This box was a Christmas gift (part of the Holiday Collection) but I will definitely purchase more from this company in the future - Found here.
3. Celestial Seasonings "True Blueberry" herbal tea - I'm a big fan of berry flavours, and this 100% all natural tea with hibiscus, orange peel, and blackberry leaves is also high in antioxidants. Too hot for tea in the summer? Make a pitcher and add ice - Found here.
4. FORLIFE Asian Style Tea Cup by David's Tea - Seriously the best mug/infuser combo I have seen in a long time. The infuser is large enough to let the leaves breathe, but the holes are small enough that you don't get any falling through into your mug. AND the rubber handle means you can pick it up as soon as you've filled it with boiling water. Bye bye burns.  - Found here.
5. The lid of the mug doubles as a coaster for the infuser when you're finished steeping.
6. "Organic Gold Rush"by David's Tea - Made with golden mulberries, with creamy coconut slices and white tea, this tea is sweet with a hint of caramel. Note: the amount of tea in the infuser was just for photo purposes, you really only need about one berry and a few coconut pieces for sufficient flavour. - Found here.

Spring is approaching, the weather's getting warmer, and I am desperately wishing I had a barbecue. *Sigh..

Happy Thursday!

A.C.

Savoureux, delicieux

I was in Montreal this past weekend and thought I'd share some of my favourite foodie photos! It was really nice to be somewhere with a legitimate winter season for a change (aka THERE WAS SNOW).

          Van Houtte vanilla cappuccino with cinnamon

     What I thought was a french beer, but is apparently Belgian

Thanks to an excellant recommendation by my good friend and native Montreal-er Kayla, we headed to Bottega Pizzeria on our first night. Such a great place!! And what a jumble of ethnicities - an Italian restaurant,  in the heart of Montreal, with English speaking customers.....it's a good thing there isn't much of a language barrier when it comes to food. Bottega had a great atmosphere, which to me is almost as important as the food itself. It was busy, but not overpacked, and I really wish I had thought to ask about their playlist because the music was awesome. The giant wood burning oven in the back made it hard to concentrate on anything else but the pizza you could smell them cooking to perfection. To top to all off, our server was a gem..even after the bottle of wine was gone. 

Charcuterie board to start (obviously)

La Quattro Formaggi - Gorgonzola, taleggio, provolone, ricotta

Il Diavola - San Marzano tomatoes, fresh Fior di Latte mozzarella,
basil, salami, fresh chilli peppers in the top right corner (I didn't touch those)

Post dinner espresso

Saturday morning/afternoon we headed out to to Orange Pressé for un petit déjeuner (for those not as culturally diverse as I, that means breakfast).  What a great little brunch spot, serving all the classics along with freshly squeezed O.J. The owners were true Monteralians - he said his family has had seasons tickets for the Montreal Canadiens since 1948! So many cups seen since that time....*sigh..

Mushroom, Onion, Red pepper omelette, home fries, toast, side of fruit

Just the Grand Slam Sh'bam not so petit dejeuner - 2 eggs sunny side up,
home fries, ham, 2 pieces of toast, and a side of fruit

Just a really nicely displayed hot table in one of the shops downtown

Je t'aime Montreal.

Happy Thursday!

A.C