One with the chicken

I did it! YES, i'm pretty excited... i broke down a whole chicken all by myself! First, I had to watch the video a few times to get a really good idea on how to do it. Then, I felt pretty confident on the steps and I just went for it! William does make it look pretty easy—not that it's complicated but it is kinda hard to cut/break the bones and make it look as clean as he did. But i'm sure with some practice i'll get better.

After I cut up the chicken, I divided the pieces in half and marinated them 2 ways. The fist marinade is what I use most of the time when I make chicken, it's super simple and fresh. The second marinade it's more like a rub and it's all about whatever hot spices you have. Then it was off to the grill and also make my sides: corn ragout and a super simple lettuce/tomato salad.

MARINADE 1 (taken from here but changed up a bit)

_ 4 garlic cloves

_ about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley

_ juice of 1/2 lemon

_ red chili flakes

_ salt & pepper to taste

_ olive oil

_I usually just cut everything up pretty small and add the oil, but this time I used my mortar (inspired  by josh & William's video). Either way it comes out super good. 

MARINADE 2 

_ cover your chicken pieces with lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper, then add any hot spices you have. I used: chili powder, paprika, cumin and garlic powder.

We've never made wings or drums on the grill before and i have to say they came out amazing—crunchy and crusty on the outside and super juice on the inside. Lucky for my husband I only like the chicken breast, so he loved eating all the dark meat all by himself. 

My only advice: make sure you don't overcook the chicken!

how2heroes Anniversary Party!

Last week I went to Boston to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of how2heroes.com. As you've noticed in previous postings I LOVE this website, not only have I contributed to a few videos myself but I also work for them so I had to be there and celebrate this amazing achievement with the crew.

The cooking began the day before when Lynne and I —after carefully strategizing— decided what to cook: beef empanaditas (latin style filling), mini arepitas (filled with beans and cheese), Quinoa salad (with beets, asparagus & shrimp), whole wheat Brownies, mini potatoes with avocado mousseline, sprinkled with bacon and beef sliders (with spicy ketchup). We literally cooked and cooked non-stop until 3pm when it was time to shower and get ready for the party. 

We arrived at the Bulthaup Kitchen Showroom with only 1 hour to prep, but the whole h2h crew was there with crazy amounts of food in hand so it went smoothly. The party started at 6pm and everybody was hungry! the food table was constantly surrounded by people and the choices where endless. 

Now lets talk about the drinks! We where lucky to have 2 amazing guys bartend the party: Augusto Lino (from Upstairs on the Square, who has done more than 10 videos for the site) and AJ Rathbun (cocktail author & enthusiast). AJ created a drink just for the party, the "how2heroes sparker" with St. Germain and kiwi. Lino was shaking a Jean-Cauving Highball that had gingerbeer and whiskey. Both where amazing.

But there is more. The party also had "heroes" demos throughout the evening. It started with Bea & Anne (Lynnes mom & auntie) and continued with some of the best chefs in Boston. It was wonderful to see these great chefs share their recipes, tricks, techniques and most importantly, their passion for food. Here's the rundown:

__Jose Duarte (Taranta) made a Peruvian Crab Meat Causa with some great latin flavors

__Marjorie Druker (New England Soup Factory) made the most creative, refreshing and unique Gazpacho I've ever had. She is SO wonderful and has so much charisma. Loved her!

__Jason Bond (Beacon Hill Bistro) made Cavatelli Pasta that totally made me want to make it at home

__Eunice Feller (Bread & Chocolate) made mini whoppie pies and brought about 200 to share with everyone!

__William Kovel & Joshua Smith (Aujourd'hui) made a Garden Herb Marinated Chicken with Corn Ragu. This one made my mouth water, it just looked so delicious and easy to make, I promise to make it soon and post pics.

__Peter Ungár (the Dining Alternative) made White Miso Cured Cod. You HAVE to watch all his videos on the site, not only do they look delicious but they are absolutely beautiful!

The party was a big success and we all had a great time. It was exhausting but absolutely wonderful! 

I want congratulate my friend, boss and favorite foodie, Lynne Viera, for this amazing accomplishment. Thanks to you we all feel like heroes every time we cook! 

Carrot Cupcakes

There's no secret that I like sweets. So when picking what to bring to a Easter Brunch the decision was easy: Cupcakes! 

I wanted to try something new but I wasn't sure what. So i went to how2heroes to get inspired and there it was. This Carrot Cake looked SO amazing i just had to try it myself. I followed this recipe pretty closely, just mixed my flours (half whole wheat, half white) and replaced raisins for walnuts. I loved the extra crunch in there. These came out super moist and delicious, not super sweet and of course the frosting was the perfect compliment!

Go fish

My hubby and I love fish, but with salmon and tuna being so pricey lately (specially at our local New Season's Market) we've been having mostly Tilapia. We usually prepare it the same way every time because it's SO good and it always comes out delicious. I really recommend buying it fresh and preparing it the same day, it really makes a difference in flavor. This time I served it with grilled zucchini and onions, super healthy!

INGREDIENTS::

_ 1 lemon

_ 2 tilapia filets

_ spices: Chili powder, Cayenne pepper, ground garlic, salt & pepper 

  (you can also use your favorite spicy/bbq mix even if it's for meat)

_ 2 zucchinis, sliced longwise

_ 1/2 onion, sliced

DIRECTIONS::

_FISH:  

_Squeeze half the lemon all over the fish (both sides) and sprinkle with all your spices. I usually add a lot more on my hubbys than mine because he likes it really spicy.

_Heat up just enough olive oil to cover a non stick pan (medium heat) and add your fish. Cook for about 3 minutes, flip and cook for another 3 minutes (or until nice and brown). Then, I like to squeeze the other half of the lemon in the pan and cover it for another minute or to until its done. How do you know it's done? it should be easy to cut with a fork and should be nice and white on the inside. Be delicate when taking it out of the pan!

_VEGGIES:

_Just sprayed them with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Grilled them on our indoor flat grill.

I bet you'll love this and it'll become a staple at your house!

Shower time!

Last Saturday Bianca, Petra and I had the pleasure of throwing our friend Mariah's baby shower. It took a lot of planing, research and time, but it was a lot of fun! B and I made the beautiful "Diaper Cake" you see here. It's a "cake" made out of rolled up diapers, decorated with pretty ribbons and cute baby things.

We all made different simple & delicious dishes: a veggie plate with my a super yummy cream cheese dip, cheese and crackers, mini quiches, Petras' meatballs and my mini biscuits. I decided to make mini biscuits because it's one of Mariah's favorites. I made 1" round biscuits (use your favorite recipe or a box mix) and added some fresh rosemary for extra flavor.  After I baked them, I cut them in half and brushed them with melted butter. I filled each one with a tiny piece of bacon and cheddar cheese. Then I warmed them up a bit so the cheese would melt. I thought they came out super cute and delicious.

We also made some really yummy cupcakes. Petra made the vanilla ones (her favorite glutten-free recipe) and I made the chocolate ones and decorated them with this super decadent white chocolate frosting. 

The afternoon was a lot of fun and I think Mariah enjoyed herself. I also have to say that B and I had a great time making the diaper cake and would love to make more, so please send the word out!

Photos taken by my super talented friend Amy Hall of Amy Hall Photography. Thanks girl... if only you could take all the pictures for my blog!