You can have forking juicy crispy chicken easily if you just brine it over night and then just forking rinse off, blot dry and toss in a 450 degree oven.

Brining is forking easy to do these days because your local grocery store might sell a 12 ingredient brine mixture so you don’t have to spend a forking fortune just finding all those spices. However you do need to add salt and sugar to use to use the brining spice. You can also add an ingredient or two to make it more your own. You just forking cook the brine spices to make the flavors come out and then add your water, salt and sugar and cook till dissolved. You let the brine cool and then pour on to your chicken and let sit overnight and simply roast it the next day. That’s forking easy isn’t it?

Ingredients for around 8 servings

Chicken (I used 4 leg quarters that weighed a total of 4 lbs. 9 0z.)

1 cup pickling spice (12 ingredients, coriander, cinnamon, mustard, ginger, fenugreek, bay, dill, red pepper, cloves, fennel, black pepper, allspice)

1 star anise

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 orange (I just used the juice I squeezed from it)

12 garlic cloves smashed

3 cups water

nonstick spray two light sprays for the baking sheets

Directions (set oven to 450 degree roast)

Cook all the dry spices (except for salt and sugar) in a sauce pot a minute or two till you can smell them.

Then add your water, orange juice salt and sugar till it boils. Let the liquid cool. Put your chicken in a zip lock bag and when the brine mixture is cool then pour it into the bag with the chicken while trying to squeeze out all the air in the bag you can and seal. Then let the chicken sit over night in your refrigerator.

Rinse off the chicken and blot dry.

Line your baking sheets with foil logs so your chicken can have drainage and doesn’t steam as much. Apply and very light coating of nonstick spray to the pan.

If you have a similar oven with similar size chicken to what was done here your chicken will be done in 30-35 minutes.

Here’s the 14 year old right by the oven waiting for chicken.

30 and 35 minutes later here is the chicken.

The chicken comes out delicious and perfect with a tasty crispy skin too.

It’s very juicy too with lots of flavors.

Part of the fan club is waiting for chicken.

And That was Forking EZ Brined Chicken roasted a High Heat.

It’s Forking Good and that’s The Forking Truth!

Moroccan Inspired Carrots

Over the past year I ate Moroccan Carrots from several restaurants including a Moroccan one. I thought they were all the most delicious carrots and I can tell you two of them were the best carrots I ever tasted in my life.

I studied many different recipes for Moroccan Carrots and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients For about 12 servings

3 lbs. carrots

1/4 cup & 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (1/4 C EVOO for roasting the carrots & 2T EVOO to roast the shallots and scallions)

1/2 cup water for roasting the carrots

2 Tablespoons sugar

fresh ground sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 bunch parsley -I used a big bunch of curly and tried off stems – clean and rough chop

1 bunch cilantro – trimmed of the thicker ends of stems- clean and rough chop

1 bunch of scallions – clean and separate white ends and green tops – rough chop all but keep separate

4 garlic cloves – fine chop

1 jalapeno – fine chop

2 meyer lemons – fresh squeezed (you are only using the juice)

2 Tablespoons orange zest

1 shallot – chopped up

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch cloves

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (for the herb sauce)

1/2 cup water (for blending herb sauce)

1/2 cup of Turkish Apricots chopped

1/2 cup roasted almonds chopped

1/4 cup of honey or date syrup for drizzling

Directions

Set your oven to 375 degrees. First step is to roast the carrots. Clean the carrots and place them on baking sheets with a drizzle of olive oil and a a couple tablespoons of water. Sprinkle the carrots lightly with sugar and cover with foil. Roast the carrots on your middle rack. Roast till fork tender. (about an hour) After fork tender remove the foil cover and bring the carrots up to the top rack and let roast till they look browned and caramelized. (15-20 minutes). Apply fresh ground salt and pepper to the carrots and keep warm.

Roast up your shallots and chopped whites of scallions. Set them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil. Set on top rack of your oven till browned. (about 20-25 minutes). Set aside.

Blend up all the remaining ingredients  (except the carrot toppings of apricots, almonds and honey/date syrup) with your just roasted shallots and roasted green onions.

Pour the herb sauce over the carrots and top with the apricots, almonds and honey (or date syrup)

Moroccan Inspired Carrots

It’s Forking Good and that’s The Forking Truth!

I got these beautiful brandy wine tomatoes from Tolmachoff Farms in Glendale. They are the FORKING BEST tasting tomatoes I ever tried but they always are so ripe you forking have to use them that day or the next. I was out of fresh basil but had fresh cilantro so I forking made salsa.

Ingredients makes about 7 cups so that might be 14 servings plus

2 lbs 10 oz. Tomatoes (cut out cores and chop up tomatoes)

5 oz. Scallions chopped up

1 Red Bell Pepper core and seeds removed and chopped up (or a green if you have a green bell)

4 Jalapeños stems removed and chopped fine (you might need more or less depending on how hot the peppers are, size and your tolerance for heat)

6 Garlic cloves minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine ingredients and blend about halfway so it’s still chunky but is also smooth.

Fresh heirloom brandy-wine tomato salsa.

It’s Forking Good and that’s The Forking Truth!

I got these beautiful sweet yellow tomatoes from the farmers market so I wanted to make gazpacho with them. I dropped the tomatoes in boiling water for a few minutes so I could peal them and discovered how sweet and fruity they taste. If I closed my eyes and ate them I would never guess they were tomatoes and got inspired to add orange to the bring out the fruit notes.

Ingredients Makes about 6 cups – about 6 servings

2 lbs. 6 oz. yellow tomatoes

1/2 cup of cucumber (chopped small)

1 large orange (segments with membrane skin and seeds removed and then chopped) and use about-

2 tablespoons of orange  zest.

1/2 red bell pepper – stem and seeds removed and fine chopped

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1 jalapeno chopped fine (you may need slightly more or less depending on the heat, size of your pepper and your taste)

3 garlic cloves minced

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

1/4 teaspoon aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt – 1 teaspoon kosher salt + 1 teaspoon kosher salt to add to a pot of water

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons fresh basil

Directions

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil and add a little salt. Cut light x cuts on bottom of tomatoes and drop in boiling water.

Remove tomatoes after a minute or two. Let tomatoes cool and peal them and remove the tomatoes button where it was once attracted to a stem.

Lightly chop the tomatoes and blend them. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve Chilled.

It’s Forking Good and that’s The Forking Truth!