Cook and Bake With Amra

I used 2 8oz chicken breasts and it turned out amazing. You can use what you have on hand. The honey does not overpower this recipe. It gives it a great complimentary flavor to the lemon. I used brown rice as a side dish, you can enjoy this with veggies, salad, potatoes, rice, etc.,  INGREDIENTS: 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped 2 tsp honey 2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp freshly ground pepper  2 sprig thyme, leaves only zest of 1 lemon 1/2 c. olive oil  juice of 1 lemon 6 (6oz) Chicken breast  DIRECTIONS: Make the marinade in a small bowl. Whisk all ingredients together.  Place the chicken breasts in a large ziploc and pour marinade over. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours but up 12-24 hours for best results. Grill and enjoy.

 Ingredients: 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 2 – 4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 1 small yellow onion, finely diced 6 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed 2 (28-ounce) c. whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano 1/2 c. packed fresh basil leaves, torn or roughly-chopped 1 tsp. fine sea salt 1/2 tsp. freshly-cracked black pepper     Directions: 1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until melted. Add crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add in the tomatoes and stir to combine. 2.  Continue cooking the sauce, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as you go, until the sauce reaches a low simmer. Reduce heat to medium to maintain a steady simmer. Then let the sauce continue to cook uncovered for about 25-30 min...

 Ingredients: 2 3/4 c. all purpose flour 3 eggs pinch of salt 1 c. cooked spinach - pureed   Directions:  Place flour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Create a well. Add eggs, salt. Using paddle attachment, mix together until well combined. Add spinach. Continue mixing until a ball forms. Scrape sides as necessary. Adjust if necessary. Add more flour if dough is too wet. Switch to dough hook and knead dough for approximately 5-6 minutes. Cover mixing bowl with kitchen towel and allow dough to rest for at least 30 minutes. Attach roller attachment to mixer. Cut dough ball into 4 equal portions. Take 1 portion and flatten it with your hand. Run through roller attachment until it reaches a level 4 thinness. Attach Fettuccine attachment to mixer. Feed dough through. Lay fettuccine on a lightly floured work surface. Continue same process with 3 remaining dough portions.

Ingredients:  1 whole chicken, approx 4-5 pounds 3 lemons, sliced 2 garlic bulbs, cut in half horizontally 2 tablespoons olive oil sea salt and pepper Any other spices you'd like. I usually do thyme, smoked paprika, poultry seasoning, parsley   Directions:  Preheat your oven to 425   Spatchcock the chicken and then flip over and push down on the breast bone to flatten.   Add the lemon slices and halved garlic bulbs to a large cast iron pan. Then place the chicken in the pan on top of the lemon and garlic.     Drizzle the olive oil all over the chicken, making sure it's fully coated.    Season the chicken with sea salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you'd like.   Place the chicken in the oven and roast the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and has perfectly golden skin.             

 Ingredients: 1½ pounds small yellow fingerling potatoes 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, separated 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed 8-10 sprigs thyme, fresh 2-3 tablespoons chives, fresh chopped freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste   Directions:  Preheat the oven to 450°F Rinse and scrub the potatoes under running water. Leave the skin on. Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until a sharp knife can easily pierce through them. Total time will depend on size. Drain and place the potatoes back in the hot pot (off the stove) for a few minutes in order for them to dry out. Add  3-4 cloves of smashed garlic along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently swirl them around until the potatoes are well coated. Allow to cool down, in the pot, for about 10 minutes. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a large rimmed sheet pan. Transfer potatoes, garlic and oil from the pot to t...

                                         Football themed dessert and snack I made:     

 These are a little tricky to get the handle of cutting on the skewer, but once you do one, the rest will be easy. I will post a video at the bottom that I watched for the technique. Ingredients: 6 yellow potatoes, washed 3 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 2 tbsp breadcrumbs 2 tsp paprika EVOO ( Extra virgin olive oil) Pink Himalayan salt, or any you have on hand parsley, finely chopped 6 skewers   Directions:   In a bowl combine Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, paprika and black pepper. Set aside. Insert a skewer into one potato and push the skewer all the way through it. Place the potato on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, start cutting angled the potato: cut in the opposite direction you are turning the skewered potato and cut all the potato into thin spiral slices.  Gently separate the potato slices which form the spiral. Brush all over the potato with extra virgin olive oil Place the skewed oiled potato over the parmesan mix bowl and spread the mixture wi...

 Ingredients:    1 1/2 c. warm water 2 tbsp light brown sugar 1 package active dry yeast - 2 1/4 tsp. 3 oz unsalted butter, melted 2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 4 1/2 to 5 c. all-purpose flour Vegetable oil  3 qts water 1/3 c. baking soda for boiling the pretzels 1 whole egg beaten with 1 tbsp cold water Coarse sea salt   Directions:   1. Combine the 1 ½ cups water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes.  If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.  2. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil.  3. Cover wit...

 This is my tiramisu recipe updated with using espresso mascarpone cheese. I also dusted cocoa powder on top of the first layer of cheese mixture.   Ingredients:   500gr Espresso Mascarpone cheese (approx. 1 lb.) 6 pasteurized eggs 2 packages lady fingers 3 Tablespoons sugar 2 oz vanilla extract 6 cups coffee, espresso sized cups (about 8 oz) 4 Tablespoons powdered unsweetened cocoa. Directions: 1. Bring all ingredients to room temperature.  2. Make the espresso and poor it into shallow flat-bottomed bowl.  3. Add vanilla extract, one teaspoon cocoa, and allow to cool to room temperature. 4. Separate egg yolks and whites.  5. In the first mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until creamy white. Add mascarpone and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix until blended. Leave this mixture in the bowl. 6. In the second mixing bowl, beat eggs whites until fluffy. If you use pasteurized eggs, this may take a while. Fold beaten egg whites into mascarpone mi...