Author Archives: cookingwithcandi

Bone in Chicken Thighs work beautifully here as they cook up rather quickly and are very tasty . I browned them first and gave them a nice crust and then they get braised in a beautiful tomato sauce with coconut milk and amazing spices. It’s stew like in consistency and I served over rice. Any rice will do . I added some red peppers and it was enough of a meal on it’s own with the rice. Bread would be lovely if you’d like to soak up the remaining sauce . A nice green salad would work well here as well.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 lbs. bone-in , skin-on chicken thighs, at room temperature

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons grapeseed or Canola Oil — I used Grapeseed

1 medium red onion thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves minced

1 2 “piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Curry Powder — I use Spicy Curry Powder use whatever you like

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes– I left them whole

1 Red Bell Pepper– cut into thin strips

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with their juices

1/2 (13 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk — save the rest of can if you feel the sauce needs more– I didn’t use it

1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

*handful of roughly chopped fresh cilantro — totally optional

Directions:

Pat chicken thighs dry and I placed on a baking sheet and sprinkled kosher salt and coarse black pepper all over

In a deep 12 inch pot or pan — I used my cast iron Le Creuset –perfect. add the 2 Tablespoons Grapeseed Oil till oil gets hot enough to add chicken ( medium-high heat) I use tongs and place the chicken skin side down, let them brown up nicely without disturbing them for about 5 minutes using the tongs you can look at them and make sure they’re lightly golden not burning. Flip and brown the other side for about 5 more minutes . If too hot you can lower the heat. When finished transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Turn heat to medium-low add the onion and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, cumin, cinnamon and red pepper flakes, cook for a minute or so then add in the red pepper strips and cook down for a few minutes till peppers are softened.

Add the can of tomatoes with their juices , the tomato paste, fresh tomatoes ( I left them whole), and the coconut milk , stir until combined and scrape up all the brown bits that may have formed on bottom of the pan. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet ( do not submerge the chicken) Simmer uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has had a chance to thicken slightly ( if too thick add a little more coconut milk) Taste the sauce for Salt and Pepper. Cook anywhere from 30 – 40 minutes more. If you have a meat thermometer you can test for chicken doneness (165 degrees) I probably cooked for 40 minutes. Then if not crispy enough put whole pot under broiler in the oven for a few minutes but be careful not to burn the chicken.

I divided rice into bowls and plated chicken and sauce on top , Sprinkled a little cilantro and we thoroughly enjoyed this very flavorful dish.

• 

• 

• 

Making pizza at home with store bought dough is one of my favorite things to do. It’s easy once you get the hang of the dough and I found a few tricks along the way which help make it easier. The real trick to the dough is letting it rise and come to room temperature. If you try to work with cold dough out of the fridge it won’t work . You will need a rimmed sheet pan as well. I keep some dough in the freezer and take it out the night before and let it defrost in the fridge and the next day about 4 hours before I am using I place it on the counter ( in the sun even better) and let it rise and come to room temperature. There are many places to buy dough and you’ll have to find the best one by your home. I buy in Whole Foods when I am in Colorado and in NY Trader Joes , Whole Foods and your local pizza place or bakery will probably be happy to sell you a ball of dough. .Dough will need at least 3 – 4 hours to rise outside of the fridge. Nothing will happen to it so just set it out on the counter — I open the bag and let it rise away. My ingredients are simple and if you follow instructions you should be fine. Don’t be discouraged if the first few times it doesn’t come out perfectly — it took me a few times with the dough to really get the hang of it. Give it a try!

This is what I do and these are my instructions:

Ingredients:

1 bag Pizza Dough — for 4 people I make for 2 and we always have extra slices

16 oz. Pizza Sauce — if I have homemade I use that if not I always have a jar of Raos Arrabiata or Marinara on hand

Italian Seasonings — dry app. 2 tsp. you’ll have to eyeball it

flour for stretching dough — this is a must

Olive Oil Spray for spraying baking sheet — I like this better than using olive oil — either one will work on baking sheet

Parmesan Cheese

Shredded Mozzarella — app. 8 oz. more or less

Directions:

Let dough rise. Read notes above. Keeping the store bought dough on a counter for at least 3 hours or more. It will keep rising in the bag so I usually open the bag to give it room to rise. If you’re defrosting it do so overnight in fridge and then take it out the next day. You’ll notice it rising in fridge ( at least it should)

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees — very important to get oven hot so make sure you’re oven is pre-heated

Spray baking sheet with Olive Oil Cooking Spray or using a brush lightly coat bottom of baking sheet with Olive Oil . I use a 12x 17 rimmed baking sheet . You don’t need a pizza stone.

Stretch the dough. On a clean surface ( counter top ) I put down a light amount of flour (enough for both sides) and you can always add more , the flour will help to expand the dough. Place raw dough on top of flour, coating each side. Begin stretching the dough by pinching the outside in a circular motion to spread it out. I put my fists under the dough to stretch ( you don’t need a rolling pin) You can alternate between pinching the dough with your finger, pressing it out on your work surface, and using your knuckles to pull the dough from underneath in circular motions. Usually a few motions will get the dough stretching. When it’s large enough gently transfer to the prepared sheet pan. I spread it out thin in center and more dough around perimeter ( crust) if there are holes in your dough pinch together dough or fold over the dough in that spot and get rid of them . I spread it out all the way to cover entire baking sheet . Don’t worry about your dough being a perfect shape. All pizza is delicious and beautiful.

Bake the naked pizza dough in the oven at 450 degrees for 7 minutes. During this time prep your toppings. I am sort of a purist so it’s sauce, cheese , and seasoning. Never add the toppings to raw pizza dough.

After par-baking the pizza dough, remove from oven and raise temperature of oven to 500 degrees. ( make sure it gets to 500) I add my sauce — spreading it out on dough, I leave a little room around perimeter ( see photo) , dried Italian seasoning ( if you’re using) parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese . Obviously if you have other toppings you want to use this is the time to add.

Bake the pizza at 500 for another 10 minutes — all ovens vary so check on it after 7 minutes.

I like my cheese fully melted and a little brown in spots. Let it cool off for a few minutes before slicing .

I use a pizza cutter and get 8 slices .

Let me know how this comes out — tag me on Instagram story — I would love that.

these are some photos from current pizzas and past pizzas–sometimes they come out better looking than other times but they always taste incredible! No such thing as an ugly pizza in my book.

While I really love stuffed shells ( see recipe ) sometimes I just don’t feel like futzing with stuffing those big shells. This was delicious and had all the flavor of the stuffed shells I usually make without all the work. This is a great family meal and made as is should serve 6-8 depending on your eaters and what else you serve with it. No hassle and delicious and of course you can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken , I like ground beef and use the 85/15 version because I like a little fat in the sauce but lean ground beef is fine. Turkey can be very dry so try and get dark meat or at least 85/15 .

Prep Time was about 1/2 hour all in and cooking time another 45 minutes app. Serve with a nice green salad and you’re good to go.

You can prepare the dish, according to the directions, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake the following day according to the directions. I don’t add mozzarella on top till I am baking.

Leftovers can be left up to 3 days in the refrigerator and I promise they’ll be gone by then.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 small yellow onion — diced small

1 pound ground beef — use whatever you’d like see note above

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce — or homemade sauce if you have it on hand I personally love Raos Arrabiata which has a slight kick or you can use just plain Marinara — whatever brand you like and whatever type you like

16 oz. shell pasta , uncooked usually 1 bag or 1 box

1 8 oz. block cream cheese, room temperature and that’s important because you’ll need to mix with other ingredients — leave it our for a few hours

1 cup Ricotta — I use part skim just not fat free

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1 egg, whisked

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

app.1- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt — for meat sauce and for cheese — divided I added about 1/2 teaspoon to sauce and 1/2 teaspoon to cheese — you can taste both for salt and pepper and add or decrease to your own taste

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper — a little for sauce and a little for cheese mixture

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

app. 2 cups grated low moisture mozzarella cheese — part skim is fine just not fat free

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees if you’re baking now. Spray 9×13 Baking Dish with non stick spray. Set aside

Meat Sauce Assembly:

Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes till soft and translucent. Add in the meat and cook till no longer pink, I sprinkled some kosher salt and black pepper here as well. Just a little because you’ll add more to the cheese. Taste sauce for Salt and Pepper when finished. Add in the minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Drain any excess fat or liquid from the pan and place back onto the heat. Add in the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer while you do the next steps.

Pasta:

Prepare Pasta al dente according to the package directions and allow to drain thoroughly

Cheese Mixture:

In a large bowl stir together the cream cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, egg, Italian Seasoning, salt , black pepper and crushed red pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and taste for salt here as well. Next add the cooked cooled drained pasta to the bowl and stir until evenly combined. If pasta is too hot when you add it the cheese will start to melt so let pasta just be cooled down enough.

Assembly:

Spread half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with pasta mixture and then spread on the remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the top of the dish and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes till cheese is slightly browned and casserole is bubbling .

*if not browning quickly you can place under broiler for a quick few minutes but be careful –you wouldn’t want to burn it so keep an eye on it

Enjoy!

I was bringing this casserole to someone so made it in an aluminum tin usually a large pyrex is perfect .

• 

• 

• 

• 

I have been experimenting with a lot of Indian style food recently . You’ve all seen some of my favorites so far. This one was so delicious and I just love the curry flavor. Obviously not everyone is into the curry flavor but if you are and are looking for something new and fairly easy to make — this one’s for you.

I did it over rice and you can use any type of rice you like or any grain would also be pretty delicious. I also use Spicy Curry which isn’t so spicy but I like it a lot. You can use any curry powder you’d like. The chick peas added a delicious layer of flavor and we love cilantro but feel free to omit if you don’t like.

This would be most perfect served with some warm Naan Bread as well but we didn’t have any in the house so we passed on that. This recipe is for 4 people and honestly the prep was quick and cooking time was about 1/2 hour all in. I cut whole recipe in 1/2 for the two of us and had a little salmon left over which I ate cold for lunch the next day and it was outstanding.

Enjoy! and please let me know how this comes out if you try it and like it. By the way Joel ate his whole bowl and didn’t even pick out the chickpeas which sort of amazed me.

Ingredients:

Salmon Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. Salmon — I had a little leftover and ate it for lunch the next day so add a little extra salmon

2 Tbsp. Curry Powder — I used Spicy Curry Powder but any Curry Powder will do

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Sauce and Rice Bowls:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 yellow onion thinly sliced

1 bell pepper ( I used red but any color will do)

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons freshly chopped ginger

Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons Curry Powder

1 14oz. can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 14 oz. can full fat coconut milk

1 lime, juiced

1 handful chopped fresh cilantro if you like

Steamed White Rice or Brown Rice or Jasmine or any grain you’d prefer

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or just spray with cooking spray.

Place one of the oven racks as close to the top as possible – about 6 ” from the heat source

Place the salmon skin side down on the baking sheet. Combine the curry powder and olive oil to make a paste. Rub the paste liberally over the top part of the salmon. Bake for about 10 minutes depending on the thickness of your salmon ( maybe a little more or less). When cooked remove from the oven and set aside. ( salmon will continue to cook a bit so don’t over cook)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it’s hot add in the sliced onions and chopped bell pepper and cook until softened — about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and ginger and season with some kosher salt and coarse black pepper. Add in the Curry Powder as well ( 2 Tablespoons) Cook for a few minutes. Stir in the drained , rinsed chickpeas and the coconut milk and lime juice. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh cilantro if you’re using.

I flaked pieces of the salmon and put over the rice and spooned the curry sauce over it — so delicious.

• 

• 

• 

This recipe has hit the internet and gone viral to the point that you can’t find a block of feta in the market. The reaction has been crazy. There are many versions of this recipe and I chose to go with Melissa Clark’s version because I think she’s just one of the best chefs out there and hers was the one pot version which is always a win win in my book. It couldn’t possibly be easier to make and ingredients are usually readily available, I had to hit 3 stores to find the feta ! Assuming you can get the feta this is a wonderful recipe and Joel gave it a 10. Perfectly vegetarian and perfectly yummy.

It is probably one of the richest pastas ever but the flavors were amazing. You will be using the pasta dry so no need to cook that separately .

Enjoy and Thanks to Melissa Clark @nytimescooking

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. block of feta cheese

2 pints cherry tomatoes (leave whole)

5 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole — use 5 nice size cloves or a few more if small

Fresh Rosemary and Thyme– I used a few sprigs of thyme and a few sprigs of Rosemary — the Rosemary I removed from the stem the thyme I used sprigs. These are pretty strong herbs so you don’t want to use too much. Just enough to give it that wonderful flavor ( see photos) 12 ounces dried pasta–I used Orecchiette but any type of pasta will do — Farfalle pasta would also be perfect

Olive Oil– see Directions

3 cups boiling water

Kosher Salt — app. 1 teaspoon

*Crushed Red Pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees

I sprayed a large baking dish with cooking spray first, then place feta, tomatoes, garlic and herbs in baking dish and I drizzled olive oil over cheese and tomatoes — just enough to lightly glaze the tomatoes and a little on the feta itself ( see photo)

Bake for 40 minutes till tomatoes and feta break down.

After 40 minutes, I removed from the oven and very carefully added the box of pasta , boiling water, teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper* which of course is optional. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and return to oven for 18 minutes.

Remove from oven after 18 minutes, stir, then cover again and let sit for at least 10 minutes. I probably let it sit for 20 minutes because some of my pasta was still very hard. By the end of the 20 minutes it was perfect al dente and I mean perfect. It could be that I am at altitude so after 10 minutes check for the doneness of the pasta it should be al dente ( have some bite ) Also be careful of eating the whole garlic cloves unless you want to .

Served with a green salad and it got a 10 from Joel.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

For something a little different I put together this recipe. It wasn’t difficult at all and looked rather lovely on the plate when finished. You really don’t need much accompaniment to these lovely peppers as there is rice in them and the pepper is your veggie. We had a green salad on the side which rounded out this meal perfectly.

I just love this recipe which was so delicious and nutritious loaded with seasoned ground beef, rice and tomatoes. I finished them off with mozzarella cheese and baked until perfectly tender.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup white rice — yes you can use brown I just used white

Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Black Pepper

6 Bell Peppers , use any color you like –use medium to large sized and check that they will be able to sit up straight in pan

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 lb. ground beef — use lean or 80/20 and an option here is to used ground turkey ( 85-90% lean) ground chicken will probably be too dry. I myself like the ground beef flavor but that being said I am sure turkey would be just fine , just don’t use the lean kind and if you can get ground dark meat that is most preferable

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped app. 1 cup

3 garlic cloves minced, app. 1 Tbsp.

1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

app. 1 cup shredded Mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions

Trim about 1/4 inch from tops of bell peppers and then remove stems, ribs and seeds. Fill a baking dish large enought to fit peppers with about 1/2 ” of water

Place Peppers upside down in water, cover with foil and bake for about 20 mins.

In a large skillet ( if not non-stick spray with cooking spray) over medium high heat. Add onion and saute till translucent and very soft app 4-5 minutes. Move onions to one side of the skillet and add beef season with some Salt and Pepper and let it sear until browned and then start to move it around so it cooks on both sides — app. 4-5 mins. Breaking up the beef and stir the onions in and continue to cook for a few mins. ,add the garlic and continue to cook until beef is cooked through , about another few minutes. Remove from heat and if there is any fat you can drain at this point.

Stir in the tomatoes ( drained), half of the can of tomato sauce ( 1/2 cup) app. cooked rice, Italian Seasoning, and season to taste with Salt and Pepper

Remove peppers from the oven and turn oven down to 350 degrees. Turn peppers upright, sprinkle inside lightly with some salt and fill with beef filling. Pour a little tomato sauce over the top of peppers. Cover with foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven after 20 minutes, sprinkle with some shredded mozzarella, return to oven and bake uncovered until cheese is melted and peppers will have reached the desired tenderness, about 10 – 20 more minutes. Serve warm