PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

**Update: Made this last night – skipped the gravy – and put some quartered onions and yukon gold potatoes in the roasting pan at the start and it was all amazing! BTW – I do love my digital thermometer – takes out all the guesswork.

Though I am hesitant to feature yet another chicken recipe (I will mix it up I promise), this roast chicken is too fabulous to put on hold, and it’s fresh on the mind for two reasons. First, I made it last week and it was SO good and devoured by all. AND you may have heard about a small wedding in Windsor over the weekend, well he supposedly popped the question over this dish. Full disclosure, the 1 to 1 1/2 hour cook time may take this off the table as a weeknight option – it was 1 hour for me – if you front load the emails, the put aways, and tomorrow’s to-do’s during the cooking time, it really was a breeze. I didn’t have the Thyme or red onions on hand so proceeded without, and I screwed up the gravy. And absolutely buy kitchen string next time you are at the store – you’ll have it forever, and feel like a rockstar every time you use it. I served it with steamed broccoli (the tea kettle hack for hot steam water is genius BTW) and my favorite risotto ever, it’s printed on the back of this jar.

LOVED by ALL, and not one plate to scrape: Barefoot Contessa’s Perfect Roast Chicken.

xo CH

Cowboy Caviar

Recipe thanks to KI via LC!

“I know there are lots of versions of this, but I made this last week and it was excellent!”

Dressing:
1/3 c EVOO
1/3 c lime juice
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp kosher salt

Salad:
1c black beans
1c black eyed peas
1 sm red onion, finely chopped
1c corn (i used fresh)
1c cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 orange bell peppers, chopped small
1 avocado, chopped small
Tortilla chips for serving (optional)

Drain and rinse black beans and black eyed peas.
Combine all salad ingredients.
Combine dressing ingredients and stir or shake thoroughly.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

Perfect Corn on the Cob

Recipe thanks to JT!

Whether farm fresh or store bought – this recipe is always a home run:

Shuck corn.
Place on stovetop in large pot of salted, room temp water.
Turn on high and bring to boiling.
Once boiling, remove corn from the heat and set aside for 6 minutes.
Drain, and enjoy!

PS: Season to your liking! Our go-to? Dip a clean paper towel in some earth balance spread (fyi, we can’t use butter) coat each ear of corn the sprinkle with sea salt. YUM!
xo CH

GRILLED BRIE

Recipe thanks to Mary Waserstein and her gem of a cookbook, All Things Yum.

Grilled Brie

Ingredients:
1 small wheel Brie
1 jar Hot pepper Jelly
1 load Crusty Bread

Directions:
Heat grill to medium. When hot, place brie directly on the grates and cook for 5 minutes per side. Be careful when flipping to not pierce the skin of the Brie.

Place on a large platter and spoon hot pepper jelly evenly over the top. Serve with grapes and crusty bread.

Red Rocks Sandwich

Recipe thanks to LT!

Full disclosure: it could have been the surrounding natural amphitheatre, the fantastic company of friends old and new, or the anticipation of a favorite band about to begin – but I fell in love with this sandwich at first bite. In a moment of summer retrospection, as this season comes to a close, this sandwich (and the evening itself) was a season highlight for certain.
P.S: Can be eaten anywhere, but preferably off a tailgate!
P.P.S: Ingenious tip from LT – if traveling with this little bit of heaven, assemble at home and then put the entire loaf back in the original bread bag. Once at your tailgate, beach, picnic, or hopefully concert at Red Rocks (Blues Traveler’s annual 4th of July show highly recommended!), unpack the full loaf, slice on a cutting board, and serve.

Behold, the RED ROCKS SANDWICH:
– Fresh loaf of bread either country Italian, Ciabatta, or baguette
– Cut lengthwise in half, layer with fresh mozzarella, Genoa hard salami, sandwich turkey, prosciutto
– Mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil and add either good seasons packet seasoning or garlic salt and pepper
(I eyeball it but it’s more thicker than an Italian salad dressing so more olive oil…so maybe close to 1 1/2 vinegar to 1 part olive oil) slather mixture on the remaining bread slice and place on top.
– Slice loaf into thin strips and serve on cutting board