Home Made Corn Tortillas

This adventure came about completely by accident.  I had a meal planned that called for corn tortillas and I was planning to pick them up at the grocery store, but after trying two different stores, corn tortillas were nowhere to be found.  I did find instant masa though, and figured I could make my own tortillas.  

I ordered a tortilla press online and got to work!

Roasted Beet Salad with Blood Oranges & Beet Greens

My fantastic husband made this salad for me and it was delicious!  The recipe came from the always reliable Epicurious.

Here's what you need:

3 large beets with beet greens attached
2 large oranges
1 small onion
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/4 cup crumbled chevre (soft goat's cheese)

Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks

Barbecue chicken drumsticks are one of my favourite summer meals.  We actually grill them all year round.  Whenever drumsticks are on sale I buy a bunch, remove the skin, and freeze them in a marinade so they can thaw in the fridge while marinating and be ready for the grill any time.  

Let me show you a tip that changed my life.  I used to pay a premium for skinless chicken drumsticks because I found removing the skin myself to be frustrating and complicated. I was using a knife or just my fingers to cut and peel the skin off and it was a huge, slippery hassle. 

I found a tip online that is so simple it is hard to believe.  Use a paper towel to grip the skin and just peel it away.  This is a miracle and makes removing the skin so easy! (I also wear gloves but that's not necessary.) The skin is full of flavour but removing it lets the marinade penetrate the chicken more easily and drastically lowers the fat content.  

Toss the chicken drumsticks in a large freezer bag.

Then add your marinade.  My favourite marinade to use on these is a store-bought spicy Buffalo chicken wing sauce but you can marinate them any way you like. Olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic and white wine is nice.  

You can throw these in the freezer, which allows the marinade to penetrate the chicken while freezing and thawing, or leave them in the fridge overnight to marinate.

Heat your grill to medium hot.  It's a good idea to use a nonstick spray on the grill when grilling drumsticks without the skin.  

Drumsticks are much more forgiving than chicken breasts so you can err on the side of overcooking them without worrying about drying them out, according to my grill-expert husband.  Flip them when golden to cook the other side.  

When they're 5 minutes from being done, brush with spicy barbecue sauce.  My favourite is Diana's spicy barbecue sauce, which is impossible to find.  Any sauce you love will do!

Bring these in on a big platter to share.

I served them with steamed green beans and roasted cauliflower.  Delicious, summery treat that's great all year round.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - I love pasta water!

I've already posted about this amazing, fresh, delicious roasted vegetable pasta.

But I wanted to strongly encourage you again to try it.  We've been eating it weekly with a variety of garden and market vegetables and it is so tasty every time.

This time we used leftover barbecued chicken with zucchini, onions and multi-coloured cherry tomatoes.

We roasted the veggies while the pasta cooked.

I can't believe the simple secret ingredient in this dish is pasta water!  It makes the dish creamy and moist and it's a simple thing most people would just throw down the drain.

Mixed with hot pasta, vegetables and a bit of parmesan cheese, the pasta water creates a silky sauce that tastes incredible.  I wish I'd known this secret sooner so I'm sharing it in the hopes that everyone uses this magic ingredient to make healthy, delicious pasta!