Summer Fruit Reigns Supreme!

Several years ago, I hosted a Christmas dinner party for a group of 20 people. One of my dear gal pals has pestered me several times since I've been back in LA regarding one of the desserts I made that night. I've been scratching my head over this one for months, only remembering that it was a fruit crisp and that raspberries were part of the delectable equation.

Call it a sign of age, but about a month ago I was flipping through one of Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa" cookbooks and came across a peach and raspberry crisp recipe. Immediately, I remembered, that this was it, the one my gal pal was referring to - the great dessert mystery had been solved. Without a moment of hesitation, I texted my gal pal and told I thought I had solved the great mystery and offered to make it for you her birthday (which falls on the 4th of July).

This fruit crisp stars the ever-so-loved summer berries, raspberries and summer's favorite stone fruit, peaches. What's great about this recipe is that you can easily substitute the fruit depending on personal preference as well as "what's in season". Given the fact that the farmer's markets are overflowing with berries, I decided to add a pint of blueberries to the mix. The chewy, crispy topping is made of oatmeal, flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon (I also took some liberties and added some cloves and nutmeg). The birthday girl was definitely pleased and so was everyone else. For once, there were leftovers and I have to say, this crisp gets better with age.

Budget Bustin' Weeknight Meal.

Like the rest of the U.S. population, I too, am trying to be creative in my kitchen. Not only creative in a culinary sense, but also when it comes to my pocketbook. We all have our "go-to" recipes, a few winners that we know we could bust out at anytime. It's been quite some time since I've made this one myself, but it's one of my most favorite chicken dishes. It's great during the week or if you're planning on inviting a few friends over for a feast.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken is easily one of my kitchen hat tricks and tonight I busted it out. Chicken parts are marinated overnight in a sauce of ginger, garlic, honey and soy sauce. Could it get any simpler than that? You bake it for 30 minutes covered and then bake it for another 30 minutes uncovered. And you end up with super moist chicken. It's sweet, almost decadent and well, slightly addictive. The sauce alone is worth its weight in gold. I usually make rice to go with it since it soaks up all those yummy juices and extra sauce. And trust me there is plenty of sauce to drizzle around your plate. Bon appetit!