Sheet pan dinner with fresh feta and veggies @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I saw this recipe some months ago in the New York Times but have been waiting to make this meal until we returned to Connecticut. One of the booths at our local farmers market has the most delicious, mild and fresh feta cheese. I find other brands of feta cheese can be overly salty and strong flavored.

The sheet pan ingredients can be put together in 15 or 20 minutes, but the end result has a pop of flavor. (I left out the salt because the cheese takes that role.) BTW, this cheese is also delicious grated over a salad.

Ingredients

One bunch broccolini or broccoli

2 cups small tomatoes such as grape

One red onion

One lemon

Fresh black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

18 ounce block, feta cheese

Basil or cilantro leaves for garnish.

Orzo for serving

Prepare the vegetables by rinsing the broccolini or broccoli, cutting off the ends, and then cutting them lengthwise into long, thin pieces. Peel the onion and cut it into quarters.

Slice half of the lemon, reserving the other half for squeezing. Slice the feta into rectangular pieces.

Heat the oven to 400. Cover a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper. And the broccolini, the onion, the tomatoes, and the lemon slices and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin and pepper, adding red pepper flakes if you’d like a little zip. Spread the vegetables out, leaving openings to nestle in the feta cheese.

Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to char at the edges. Serve over orzo. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. Next time I would add some garbanzo beans before roasting!

THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS will be published on July 4! Cue the fireworks!

About THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS:

Is there a recipe for the perfect life?

Thirty-two-year-old ‘happiness guru’ Dr. Cooper Hunziker has it all—a dream job as assistant psychology professor at Yale University, a soon-to-be published self-help book, The Happiness Connection, and the perfect guy. But there’s a problem. Cooper isn’t happy.

Of course, it doesn’t help that she’s facing cut-throat competition for her tenure at Yale, an accusation of plagiarism that could cost her everything, or that her new book has irritated the department chairman, who assigns her to co-lead a happiness group at the New Haven library.

As her friendship with the other ladies in the group flourishes, Cooper finds herself questioning her choices. Forced to face a life-changing betrayal, a gargoyle’s wisdom, and her own traumatic past, can she navigate her own path to happiness?

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Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Sheet Pan Dinner #Recipe @PegCochran

 

This recipe is quick, easy and very flavorful.  The most time-consuming part is measuring out all the spices.  And it cooks all on one sheet pan and is ready in about half an hour!  This recipe from The Modern Proper serves eight but as much as I like leftovers, I cut it down for the two of us.  I also used bone-in chicken thighs because that's what I had on hand.  It was still delicious.

 

 

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (approx. 2 lbs.) or bone-in chicken thighs

2 lbs. cauliflower, separated into florets

¼ cup olive oil

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp ginger, grated or minced (or from a jar)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup minced cilantro, plus more for serving

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 (14 oz) can garbanzos beans, drained rinsed 

Red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

 

 

Combine olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro and salt in a bowl. Mix well and coat chicken and cauliflower entirely in yogurt mixture.

 

 

 

 

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or line with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.  Arrange chicken and cauliflower on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the garbanzo beans and optional red onion slices over the chicken and cauliflower.

 

 

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until internal temp of the chicken reads 165°F.  

 

 

 

Serve the chicken with fresh cilantro, basmati rice and raita if desired.

 

Writer-in-residence Penelope Parish will need to use every trick in her quaint British bookshop to unravel a murderous plot that threatens to ruin a ducal wedding.

The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Upper Chumley-on Stoke has all the makings of a fairy tale, complete with a glowing bride and horse-drawn carriage. But it wouldn't be much of a story without a villain, and as American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish is coming to learn, happy-ever-afters are as fraught in this charming British town as they are in her books.

When the Duke's former girlfriend is found murdered at the reception it's up to Penelope and her newfound family at the Open Book bookshop to catch the killer before they strike again.

 

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Murder in the Margins has everything: England * Charming town * Book shop * Writer-in-residence * Royalty * Cute detective * Murder!

 

 

The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel's worth of killer characters.

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EASY YET EXOTIC SHEET PAN CHICKEN DINNER #easy recipe

FROM MARY JANE MAFFINI

This recipe is inspired by one from The New York Times. I felt bored to tears with the same old same old and some quite different ideas showed up at just the right moment.  The sheet pan plan promised to be so easy and the idea of grapes and shallots seemed unusual, yet perfect. Naturally, we lacked some key ingredients and had to change it up a bit. Among other things we didn’t have za’atar and our pot of fresh thyme hadn’t survived the Ontario winter. The rosemary was still kicking though and got pressed into service. I changed a few other things in the procedures too.  Za’atar is now on my shopping list. Report to follow.

Ingredients:

2 ½ to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry with a paper towel

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp dried (if you’re lucky you have fresh!) thyme

2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped plus 4 or 5 sprigs to decorate

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

6 medium shallots, peeled and quartered

8 ounces seedless red or green grapes, or a combination, broken into small clusters but still on the vine

A sprinkle of sea salt for serving.

    DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the chicken with 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, dried thyme and rosemary, salt and pepper. 

Peel shallots and quarter them. 

Place the shallots and the grapes in a bowl and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sea salt. Spread on sheet-pan.

Place the chicken skin-side up in between the shallots and grapes pop the rosemary sprigs on top of the chicken. 

Roast 30 - 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. 

 Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite sheet-pan dinner?   Drop in and tell about it. I’d love to find out!

 

Mary Jane Maffini  

MJ is the award-winning author of three and a half mystery series: the Camilla Maffini mysteries, the Fiona Silk capers and the Charlotte Adams mysteries – number six coming soon!  The Charlotte Adams books have recently been optioned for television films. Details to come when they can be made public. MJ's short stories have won Crime Writers of Canada awards and also scored an Agatha. With her daughter Victoria Maffini, MJ collaborated on The Book Collector Mysteries as Victoria Abbott. Victoria Abbott spent several happy years on Mystery Lovers Kitchen. MJ  is very glad to be back and Victoria is waving at you all!

Don't forget to check out MJ's Canadian books:  Camilla MacPhee features a fortyish widowed lawyer who runs an advocacy agency for victims of violent crime, in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. Life would be easier if she didn't have the world's worst office assistant, the world's bossiest sisters and, arguably, the world's greatest stubborn streak. If you like your mysteries a bit edgy with a side order of humor, these could be for you.  

Keep up on the news!  You can sign up for updates about MJ and Victoria plus fun and prizes through our newsletter HERE 

 

Colorful Roasted One Pan Chicken and Vegetable Supper #recipe @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I love the Wednesday food section in the New York Times. Often there’s a recipe I’d like to try, but I also find plot ideas and of course, ideas about where to eat and visit in New York. But in addition to all that, the writing is excellent. So I’ve found quite a few of the quotes that lead off each chapter in the Times food section. Here are a few that I'll be using either in Death on the Menu or untitled book #9:

"What you have with a restaurant that you visit once or twice is a transaction. What you have with a restaurant that you visit over and over is a relationship."
—Frank Bruni, “Familiarity Breeds Content,” The New York Times, September 18, 2013

"Another week, another chef down." Pete Wells, “Harassment Issues Need an Answer”, The New York Times, January 3, 2018

Today's recipe I borrowed from Melissa Clark, and I made tweaks to suit our tastes. You may look at this recipe as I did and think it calls for a lot of onions. True, but half of the onion is roasted to a state of caramelized mildness, and the other half softeners in the vinegar/honey mixture. This makes enough for three people, or two with big appetites. It’s got beautiful colors so you know it’s good for you, but it’s also not very difficult and very delicious.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
One medium to large red onion, sliced
One or two cloves garlic, chopped
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh rosemary
Four skinless chicken thighs
One large sweet potato, peeled and chopped 
5 or 6 small red or yellow peppers, seeded and quartered
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper to taste
6 oz fresh spinach

Preheat the oven to 415. Place half of the sliced onion in a bowl with the honey and vinegar. Stir this from time to time while you prepare the rest of the dish.


In another bowl, place the chicken with the rosemary and garlic, and possibly a sprinkle of salt.


In a third bowl, mix the remainder of the onion, the peppers, and the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cayenne pepper and paprika. 

On a large sheet plant pan, place a sheet of parchment paper. This will save you a lot of cleanup trouble later. Arrange the vegetables in oil around the outside of the pan, leaving enough room in the center for the chicken. Splash a little more oil in the center, and place the chicken thighs there.


Roast for 15 minutes, then remove the pan and baste the chicken with the vinegar mixture. Return the pan to the oven and roast another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown and the chicken is also browning.


On individual plates plates, arrange the washed fresh spinach leaves. Arrange the chicken and roasted vegetables over the top of the spinach, and top this with the marinated red onions and a little extra vinegar honey sauce. Enjoy!

Lucy Burdette writes foodie mysteries set in Key West.



DEATH ON THE MENU, the 8th Key West food critic mystery will be out on August 7. Here's a pre-order the book link from Amazon--and here's a link to preorder a hard copy from RJ Julia in CT, where you'll be able to get a signed copy. Or you can order it from Books and Books in Key West, or call Suzanne Orchard at Key West Island Bookstore ((305) 294-2904)--she'll be delighted to order you a copy! Or really, wherever books are sold...

Honey Garlic Chicken and Veggies in One Pan #Recipe @PegCochran

The latest “craze” seems to be one pan dinners—the pan in this case being sheet pans (aka cookie sheets.)  And what’s not to love?  One pan to clean and a whole dinner pulled from the oven and ready to serve.

I tried this recipe from Damn Delicious although I changed it up a bit since I didn’t have broccoli but I did have a zucchini that needed to be used.  And that’s the beauty of this type of meal—use what you have!  My only recommendation would be to think about timing.  In this case, zucchini is going to cook faster in the oven than the potatoes or chicken so I gave those a head start and added the zucchini later in the baking process.  Still—only one pan and a whole dinner!

I made enough for several meals so I have another dinner in the freezer that only needs to be thawed and heated up!

3 T olive oil, divided

2 T butter, melted
2 T honey
2 T brown sugar
1 T Dijon mustard
3 minced cloves garlic
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb baby red potatoes, halved (or larger ones quartered) or potato of your choice like fingerlings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
24 oz. broccoli florets (or veggie of your choice)
Chopped parsley (optional)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Prepare sheet pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together 2 T olive oil, butter, honey, brown sugar, mustard, herbs and salt and pepper.

Arrange potatoes in a single layer on pan, drizzle with 1 T olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Add chicken in a single layer and brush with honey /butter mixture.

Bake until chicken reaches 165 degrees—approximately 25 to 30 minutes.  Add vegetable during last 10 minutes (or adjust according to your vegetable.)  If desired, run under the broiler for a few minutes until caramelized. 

GIVEAWAY

Have you read Berried Secrets, book #1 in my Cranberry Cove series?  I am giving away one copy to celebrate the release of the third book in the series, Dead and Berried.  Leave a comment below to be entered! Number four will be coming winter 2018.

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