My sister and 2 nieces have extended their stay in Texas by a week since the farm where they live in Scotland is snowed in and a few of the pipes in their house have burst so they have no water or heating. Hopefully my brother-in-law who left to go back to Scotland yesterday will get the house warm for them when they return next week.

I now feel a little guilty about complaining that it was freezing in Vegas on Friday because it was in the 50s and grey outside. Although it did give me an excuse to wear my Longhorn snuggie all day and lounge on the couch. I think our matching snuggies just might have been the best present we got for Christmas–thanks Mum!

Anyway, freezing days (whether they are real or imagined as in my case) require something slow cooked on the oven as a way to warm the soul, both literally and metaphorically. This Italian Pot Roast recipe cooks for a few hours, but is perfect dinner to make on a cold day. This recipe makes enough for 8 dinners at $2.34 per serving.

Italian Pot Roast, adapted from Simply Recipes
3 1/2 to 4 pound rump or chuck beef roast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 cups red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
3 cups medium-bodied Italian red wine
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, put through a food mill to remove the seeds

Trim any extra fat from the roast and pat it dry with paper towels so you can nicely brown the meat, and then generously season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over a medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, add the roast and brown it on all sides. Once it is nicely browned, transfer the meat to a platter.

Reduce the heat to medium and then add the carrots, celery, and onions. Cook the vegetables while stirring occasionally until they are golden brown and begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, around 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, and sage, and cook them for about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan by adding 1 cup of the wine and stirring until most of the wine evaporates and coats the veggies. Return the meat to the pan and baste it with the veggie sauce.

Increase the heat to high and add the remaining wine, bay leaf, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let the roast simmer, turning and basting the meat every half hour, until the meat is very tender, around 3 to 4 hours. Once the meat is cooked, turn off the heat and let the roast sit in its juices for an hour.

If you don’t want to cook the meat on the stove, you can also cook it in the oven at 300¬?F while turning and basting the roast every hour. I’m sure you could also put the roast in a slow cooker too after browning the meat and sauteing the veggies.

Remove the meat from the pot and cover it loosely with some foil. If the sauce is too think, quickly bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer to thicken it up. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the meat into thick slices and serve covered in the sauce. We ate our pot roast with some potato puree and brussels sprouts, which were the perfect accompaniments.

Keeping this in mind, we have come up with a few turkey recipes that use up all of those leftovers. And believe me, we cooked a 13 pound turkey for two people so we had TONS of leftover meat.

First up is a recipe for Turkey Stock, which is a great way to use the carcass of the bird instead of just throwing it into the rubbish bin. Plus homemade turkey stock is so much better than any canned or cube stock that you buy at the grocery store. We made a huge vat of stock and then divided it among smaller containers which we froze so we can use them later as a chicken stock substitute. This recipe makes enough for 10 cups of stock at 24 cents per cup.

Turkey Stock, adapted from Gourmet, November 2004
1 turkey carcass
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 medium yellow onions, left unpeeled, then trimmed and halved
3 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 carrots, quartered
6 fresh parsley stems, without leaves
1 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns
5 quarts cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Take the turkey carcass and break it down into thighs, drumsticks, wings, and the back bone. Halve the turkey wings at the joints, and then crack the wing bones in several places with the knife. Don’t worry about picking the carcass clean of every last piece of meat since this is what helps make a flavourful stock.

Heat up 1/4 cup of oil in a heavy stock pot over a medium heat and then throw in the turkey bones and let them brown. Once they are browned, remove the bones from the pot and set them aside for a few minutes.

Add the onions to the stock pot, cut side down, and cook them until they are golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pot and let them rest with the bones. Then cook the celery and carrots until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the turkey bones, onions, and remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat and let the stock gently simmer, partially covered, for 3 hours. Be sure to skim the top of the stock to remove any foam that may build up during this cooking process.

Once the stock is cooked, remove the pot from the heat and let the stock cool uncovered until it is room temperature. Pour the cool stock through a large fine-mesh sieve and throw away the solids.

Now measure the stock. If there is more than 10 cups, boil the stock until it is reduced, or if there is less than 10 cups, add a bit more water to make up the difference.

Let the stock stand for a few minutes until the fat rises to the top and then skim that off and throw it away. You can either use the stock right away, or freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

I had found some really great beef stew meat on sale at Whole Foods last week, so I spent all week trying to figure out what to make with it. I eventually decided on Jaime Oliver’s Beef, Guinness, and Cheese Pie because we have been largely eating vegetarian and healthy lately, so I was really craving something meaty, cheesy, and topped in puff pastry!

I had quickly glanced over the recipe in the morning to see how long it would take and whether I needed to start stewing the beef before I went on a job interview in the afternoon. I decided that this wasn’t necessary and that I had more than enough time when I got home to make the pie.

Fast forward to 6 pm when I start making the pie and notice that it takes 2 1/2 hours to braise the meat and then an additional 45 minutes after that to cook the pie. D’oh! Thankfully Carlo brought home a baguette and some cheese so we could have a snack while we waited for the pie to cook. Even though we ended up eating around 10 pm, the pie was excellent with a light crispy topping and a thick stewy filling. In fact, it even tasted good reheated last night and played its role as comfort food superbly after I learned that I didn’t get the job after all.

I highly recommend this pie as a tasty fall treat, but do yourself a favour and stew the meat during the afternoon before you make the pie, or even make the filling the night before. This Beef, Guinness, and Cheese Pie makes enough for 6 large dinners at $3.17 per serving.

Beef, Guinness, and Cheese Pie, adapted from Jaime Oliver
olive oil
3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 ounce butter
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
8 mushrooms, peeled and sliced
2 1/4 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can of Guinness
2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
6 ounces freshly grated aged Cheddar cheese
1 pound frozen puff pastry, defrosted (you could halve this if you want to lighten the dish a little)
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375¬?F. In a large Dutch oven, heat up some olive oil over a low heat. Add the chopped onions and gently fry them for about 10 minutes without adding too much colour. Turn up the heat to medium, and add the garlic, butter, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Mix everything together before stirring in the beef, rosemary,¬† salt, and pepper.

Let everything cook for a few minutes and pour in the Guinness. Stir in the flour and add just enough water to the pot so that all of the meat is covered. Bring the dish to a simmer, then put the cover on the pan and place it in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. After this initial cooking period, take out the pan and stir the stew. Then put the dish back in the oven for 1 additional hour, or until the meat is very tender.

If when you take the stew out of the oven after 2 1/2 hours of cooking the stew is quite liquid-y, place the pot on the stove and let the sauce reduce. Once the stew is at a nice thickness, stir in half of the grated cheese and season to taste.

Take both sheets of the defrosted puff pastry and roll them out together with a floured rolling pin on a dusted surface to form a sheet of pastry that will cover the top of your dish. Pour the stew into a large baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Roll the sheet of puff pastry over the top of the dish and fold the overhanging pastry around the dish to make a nice lid. Lightly criss-cross the pastry with a sharp knife and then brush the top with a beaten egg glaze.

Bake the pie on the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked, and all puffy and golden.

I got such an urge last week and found this wonderfully adult tasting meatloaf recipe. Instead of squirting tons of ketchup into the meat mixture, this recipe has the surprise ingredient of chopped prunes instead. Sounds disgusting is what I bet you are thinking, right? If so, you are wrong. The prunes add a nice sweetness to the meatloaf that tastes so much better than cloying effect of the normally used ketchup. In fact, while we were eating dinner, I had Carlo guess what the mystery ingredient was and after a few mouthfuls, he still had no idea. He named pretty much all of the other ingredients in the dish, but was stumped at what was the pi?®ce de r?©sistance of the dish.

Anyway see for yourself just how good prunes could taste (seriously, who knew?), and stump your loved ones by making this meatloaf and have them guess the mystery ingredient. This recipe for meatloaf makes enough for 8 large slices of meatloaf at $1.60 per serving.

Meatloaf, adapted from Gourmet, February 2008
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (from 2 slices firm white sandwich bread)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium celery rib, finely chopped
2 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 pound bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Before you start preparing the mixture for the meatloaf, preheat your oven to 350¬?F with the rack placed in middle.

Start the meatloaf by soaking the bread crumbs in milk in a large bowl.

Then cook the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots in the butter in a large heavy saucepan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes and stir occasionally. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low, then cook everything until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, allspice, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper. Add this veggie mix to the soaked bread-crumb mixture.

Finely chop the bacon and prunes in a food processor, then add to the vegetable mixture along with the beef, pork, eggs, and parsley. Mix everything together with your hands.

Coat a 9- by 5-inch oval loaf pan with a light spray of olive oil and pack the meatloaf mixture into it. Once you have shaped the meatloaf, turn the loaf pan upside down in the middle of a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish or pan and remove the loaf pan. The meatloaf should retain the shape of the loaf pan, but will be able to cook in the pan so the three exposed sides get a bit crispy while it all cooks.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatloaf registers at 155¬?F, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Once the meatloaf reaches the ideal temperature, remove it from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

After cooking the meatloaf, a lot of drippings remained in the baking dish, so I asked Carlo to make a gravy from them to top the meatloaf. He drained the drippings into a small saucepan and whisked them with a little bit of flour to create a roux. Then he added some water until he had the right gravy consistency and kept on whisking over a low heat.

The meatloaf tastes great smothered with gravy and a side of creamy mashed potatoes. It also tastes pretty amazing the next day on a sandwich too.

Cheddar BLT Burgers with Tarragon Russian Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons sweet relish, or more to taste
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces thickly sliced bacon
1 1/3 pounds ground beef chuck
1 1/3 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 6 slices
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted, or you can use any other type of bread like we did with brioche
6 iceberg lettuce leaves
6 slices of tomato
6 slices of red onion

In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the ketchup, red wine vinegar, onion, parsley, tarragon, sweet relish, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover it and place it in the fridge while you prep the burgers.

In a large skillet, salt and pepper the bacon and then cook it a moderately high heat, turning the pieces over once until the bacon is crispy, around 6 minutes or so. Drain the bacon on paper towels to get rid of any excess grease.

Light the bbq grill and let it heat up. While it is heating up, place the butter on the grill in a small metal dish to let it melt.

Gently mix the ground chuck with the ground sirloin (or plain ground beef if that is all you have), and thoroughly salt and pepper the meat. Divide the meat into six equal portions and form the patties in your hand, each one around 1 1/4 inches thick.

Place the burgers on the grill and brush them with some of the melted butter. Grill them over a high heat for 9 minutes to achieve a nice medium-rare burger. Turn them once during the grilling and brush the other side with a bit more butter. Place the cheese on top of the burgers right before they are fully cooked and let the cheese melt.

You can also put the buns or bread on the grill too and brush with a little butter to add a nice crunch to your burger as well.

To serve the burgers, spread the Russian dressing on the bottom of the buns and top with lettuce and tomatoes. Set the burger over this and top with the onion and slices of bacon to enjoy a really good and juicy burger.

When we went to LA a few weeks ago, we both wanted to try their Korean-inspired bbq, but with a long list of other restaurants to try, we didn’t get a chance. So when I saw a recipe for Korean style tacos with Kogi bbq sauce on Steamy Kitchen, I knew I had to finally try what lots of people are talking about.

The recipe calls for some leftover chicken, pork, or beef. If you don’t have any leftovers on hand, shredding up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store would work well too. We had some leftovers from the Chicken Under A Brick, so I used that meat as the base for our Kogi BBQ Tacos.

The tacos were incredible with a whole lot of spice cut by the sweetness of the sugar and rice wine vinegar. They were a bit juicy from the sauce and the kimchi, but well worth the mess! This recipe feeds 4 people at 57 cents per serving.

Kogi BBQ Tacos
1 pound leftover chicken, pork, or beef, shredded
2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
12 corn tortillas
kimchi

Combine all of the wet ingredients and add the sugar. Mix everything together well until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.

Add the shredded meat to the sauce and let it sit to marinate for a few minutes.

Place the shredded meat in a warmed up corn tortilla and top with some kimchi for some finger licking tacos.

You butterfly the chicken by removing the backbone so it will lie flat, then you set the brick on top of it to press the skin down on to the pan, which makes it nice and crispy. Starting on the stove then finishing in the oven adds nice, juicy meat to the crispy skin, which is what I like in a roast chicken. The lemon and rosemary flavors and scents were pretty strong, making a nice addition. The end result was great, and to be honest, turned out a lot better than many of the plain roast chickens I’ve cooked! This Chicken Under a Brick recipe feeds 4 hungry people at $1.19 per serving.

Chicken al Mattone
1 4-pound chicken, backbone cut away and discarded, rinsed and patted dry
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, pressed
coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
chopped fresh Italian parsley

Butterfly your whole chicken. This video best demonstrates how to easily butterfly your chicken. Or you could ask your butcher to butterfly the chicken for you.

Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary, and the minced garlic in a small bowl. Rub the marinade all over both sides of the chicken. Put the chicken in a large Ziploc bag and let it chill overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and find a brick from your garage or garden and wrap it in aluminum foil.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over a medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin side down in the skillet and cook it until the skin turns golden brown, around 7 minutes.

Do not turn over the chicken, but place the foil-wrapped brick crosswise on top of the chicken. Roast the chicken in the oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take the skillet out of the oven and remove the brick. Turn the chicken over in the pan and replace the brick on top again. Place the skillet back in the oven and continue roasting the chicken until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced, around 15 minutes longer.

Take the chicken out of the oven and remove the brick. Transfer the chicken to a platter and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Sprinkle the chicken with crushed red pepper and fresh Italian parsley.

To prepare for my debut, Carlo explained how to turn on the grill and work all the knobs. After seeing my sister lose far too many eyelashes and arm hairs in her grilling experiences in high school, I’m a total wuss when it comes to flames. He also found some helpful chicken grilling tips in the Steve Raichlen book, How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques. If you are a grilling newbie or just want to improve your ‘que, I would definitely recommend this book. Not only does it go over the basics, Raichlen proves his bbq guru-ness with tons of recipes that he has found by traveling the world in the pursuit of the grill.

Since I’m an amibitious cook (not always a good thing), I decided to jump right into grilling and cook everything on my dinner menu on the grill. Carlo wanted me to make this delicious looking Publican Chicken that was published in the New York Times food section last week, and I added the sides of Grilled Bread Salad and Grilled Corn.

I had everything prepared in the kitchen, the grill heating outside, and was only waiting on Carlo’s phone call to tell me that he was on his way home from school for me to put all of the food on the grill. I had even memorized Raichlen’s tips on how to grill chicken quarters properly. I first started by putting the bread on to grill for the Grilled Bread Salad, and all was going well until I flipped the slices over and the other side would just not toast.

Turns out the grill had run out of gas, or at least that is what I thought, even though in the back of my mind, I wondered if I had somehow broken the grill. I turned it off and waited for Carlo to get home where he confirmed that the grill was indeed out of gas (man, was I relieved that I was not a grilling idiot!). He got a new tank and eventually took over on the grill while I observed and helped out a bit. So my grilling debut turned out to be a bit more collaborative than I had intended, but I’m ready to face the grill solo soon!

We used chicken legs for the Publican Chicken recipe to make 3 servings at $1.37 each. The Grilled Bread Salad made 4 servings at $2.12 each, and the Grilled Corn cost 50 cents per serving for a total dinner cost of $3.99.

To make the marinade for the Publican Chicken, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, brown sugar, hot paprika, oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. The marinade is a nice combination of sweet and savory, which works great with the dark meat of the chicken legs.

Our favourite way to marinate meat is to put it in a large ziploc bag and then pour in the marinade. Close the bag and shake the bag to get the marinade all over the chicken. By putting it in a bag, you are able to really massage the marinade into every nook and cranny of the meat without getting your hands dirty and making a mess. I highly recommend that you marinate the chicken for a few hours in the fridge to fully allow the marinade to flavor the meat.

After a few hours in the fridge, the chicken is ready for the grill, where you should place it skin side down first over medium to high heat. Grill the legs for a few minutes until the skin is beginning to brown and then move the leg to a cooler section of the grill and cook until the skin is fully browned. Repeat the process on the other side for perfectly cooked chicken quarters.

To make the Grilled Bread Salad, start with some really great tomatoes. I got some more from the Farmers Market since they were so good in the Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette. They were supplemented by one for our own garden, the bigger red one in the middle–sadly, my tomato bushes right now only seem to be ripening one tomato per day which isn’t ideal for using them in recipes!

Another key ingredient is good bread. I used some leftover ciabatta that I got from the Farmers Market as well. Ciabetta is a good choice for the bread salad because it toasts well and the airy slices help soak up the juices of the tomatoes better. Cut the bread into thickish slices and then put them on the grill and toast them on both sides until the bread browns and chars slightly.

As for the tomatoes, I cut the cherry tomatoes in half and then put them in a large bowl and mixed them with olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, and finely grated garlic. Be sure to taste the mixture and adjust to your liking. This tomato mixture forms the basis for the salad, so you need to make sure it is seasoned well and tasty.

After the grilled bread cools, cut into up into large chunks and add them to the tomatoes along with a handful of cut parsley and basil. Mix everything together so all of the flavors meld together. I prefer a crunchier bread salad, so I serve mine fairly quickly after I add the bread cubes. Incredible!

BTW: If you love bread salad and ever find yourself in Marfa, Texas, check out the Pizza Foundation. Not only are their pizzas to die for, but they have an incredible Tomato Bread Salad on the menu too.

My preferred way to eat summer corn is grilled with a smidgen of butter and a sprinkle of salt. Grilling corn is really easy: just shuck the corn and put it on the grill over medium heat. Keep an eye on the cobs so they don’t burn, but just have some nice charred parts on them.

I remember seeing a photo of Beef Rib and Sausage Ragu with Whole Grain Spaghetti on the front cover of the May 2009 issue of Bon Appetit, and thinking, yes, I need to make this. I kind of forgot about it for a couple of months until I found the issue in a pile of magazines next to my bed. Since I’m now in charge of weeknight dinners due to Carlo’s summer school schedule, I thought I would try it out because I don’t really mind a hot kitchen as long as it is full of good cooking music and a little bit of wine.

I’ve posted about my standard spaghetti recipe before, Jamie Oliver’s Spaghetti Bolognaise, but I have to say without a doubt that this is my new favourite meat sauce. It is decadently rich and meaty, but because you don’t need too much of the sauce, it somehow works, even on a hot summer’s night.

Be forewarned: the recipe takes a few hours to make between prep work, browning, and then of course, the magical braising process, but it is WELL worth the effort. I made the full amount which serves 12 people, even though I was only cooking for the two of us. We ate the ragu for dinner and then had some leftovers the next day. I put the rest into smaller containers and placed them in the freezer, so I can whip one out for a lunch or dinner on the fly, or use it as a pizza topping. Obviously, I’m a firm believer that you should only braise if you make enough food to enjoy on multiple occasions. If you make the ragu on a Sunday afternoon, you will not only have dinner for that night, but should be able to have a couple of other meals set for the week.

This recipe for Beef Rib and Sausage Ragu with Whole Grain Spaghetti makes 12 decadent servings at $1.93 each.

The ragu recipe calls for beef shanks, but Whole Foods was sold out of beef shanks, which they normally sell for $2.99 a pound. The butcher suggested that I use short ribs, but those were $6.59 a pound, so I decided to find a cheaper solution. I ended up buying some great looking beef ribs at Von’s for $1.99 a pound. The lady at the checkout raved about how good they were, and how she stocked up on them throughout the year when they went on sale, so she could have a freezer full ready for her summer bbqs. This lady looked like she would make great ribs, so I knew we had found a winning substitution.

Brown the sausage meat in a large pan and break up the sausage with the back of your cooking spoon. Remove and place the beef ribs in the pan and brown on all sides. Once they are done, place them with the cooked sausage, and saute the diced onions in the sausage and beef fat. I also threw in a couple of diced carrots and celery stalks to up the veggie quotient in the recipe.

Return the meat to the pan and add a bottle of red wine, 2 large cans of diced tomatoes, garlic, and spices and bring to a simmer. Here is what the ragu looks like after it has simmered for a few minutes and is ready for the oven:

Cover the ragu and place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. Braise the sauce until the beef ribs are tender, around 2 1/2 hours. After the braising magic:

Remove the beef ribs from the ragu and take all of the meat off the bone. After braising for so long in the tomatoes and wine, this is a pretty easy task because the meat just falls off the bone. Shred the meat and return to the stove top and reduce the sauce for around 10 minutes or so until the ragu is nice and thick like this:

Boil some whole wheat spaghetti and top with the ragu and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and then get transported to braising heaven!

The recipe says that you can use either Meyer lemons or regular lemons. The Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, so it is sweeter and more fragrant than a regular lemon, plus it has much thinner skinner too. If you don’t have a Meyer lemon hook up like we do or a tree growing in your yard, you can use regular lemons but I would suggest cutting them up into thinner slices than the recipe calls for so they can caramelize a bit easier while cooking. The recipe reviews also suggest different ways to make the dish with regular lemons too.

Once again we used Mary’s Free Range leg quarters from Whole Foods to make the dish, and they tasted great. They hold up really well while braising or grilling because they are air chilled and aren’t injected with lots of water that makes them shrink when they cook. I highly recommend checking out the Whole Foods meat department and picking up a few packages, even though when we went to Whole Foods over the weekend, they were out.

The Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon turned out great and was really easy to make. All of the sweet spices in the sauce paired nicely with the tartness of the lemon and the briny olives. The Meyer lemons totally cooked down and you could eat them whole with pieces of chicken. We just ate the dish on its own with a green salad, but next time, I will cook up some couscous to soak up that good sauce.