Cooking Method: Baking

Lemon Chicken

My brother-in-law Russell was visiting his friend Julia in Ann Arbor Michigan and she made Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken. Ina's recipe uses chicken breasts, but thighs work equally as well. Julia says that the important details of the recipe are the bed of aromatics on which chicken roasts, the herb and salt infused oil, and the high heat. I just wish I was there to partake!

By Leslie Blythe

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash with Sausage, Peas & Onions is one of our favorite family recipes. This is a slight variation. Since Autumn has arrived, I made this Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash. It's a nod to Fall, which is rather illusive in Los Angeles.

By Leslie Blythe

Red Bean Mooncake

I think you can learn so much about other cultures through food. My husband and I were invited to learn how to make Chinese Mooncakes, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon’s roundness symbolizes harmony and prosperity, and the festival celebrates the harvest, often bringing together family members from near and far.

Our Chinese hosts prepared the dough and the filling for the Red Bean Mooncakes in advance and helped us roll out the dough, wrap it around the filling and press it into special molds before brushing with beaten egg and baking. We also made SuZhou-Style (salty, pork filled) Mooncakes.

At first, making these pastries seemed daunting but by the end we actually got the hang of it and our hosts called us experts, which was very generous of them!

By Leslie Blythe

Lemon Dainty

Lemon Dainty is a cross between pudding and cake. They are light and refreshingly tangy. My husband thought it was total nirvana. I think I might be able to use this at some point to my advantage! I served it warm out of the oven, though I think it's better refrigerated. If you don’t have ramekins, you can bake it in an 8-inch or 2-quart baking dish for 45 to 50 minutes.

By Leslie Blythe

Pasta with Broccoli Sauce

My daughter Grace makes incredible homemade pasta. I had a bunch of broccoli on hand and she made this Pasta with Broccoli Sauce. You don't necessarily have to make homemade, but if you have the time, it's worth the effort. The Broccoli sauce is sublime.

By Leslie Blythe

Potatoes au Gratin from Todd Coleman

The thing about Potatoes au Gratin is that it takes forever to make and you have to do it at the last minute. This recipe is totally make ahead-friendly. You can even prepare it the night before, which I will find very helpful for the upcoming holidays.

By Leslie Blythe

Sicilian Meat Roll

My mother gave me a handwritten recipe book in 1981 with family favorites. I opened it the other day and saw this recipe for Sicilian Meat Roll. It's basically Italian meatloaf. Personally, I am not a fan of meatloaf, but I made it for my father. It turned out really delicious. It definitely needs to be served with some marinara sauce. It's ground beef rolled up with ham, though I used prosciutto, and mozzarella.

By Leslie Blythe

Zucchini Bread Muffins

I happen to have way too many zucchini, so I decided to make these Zucchini Bread Muffins. Instead of making a loaf of bread, I like to make muffins so I can freeze them. Zucchini muffins freeze perfectly, if you wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a ziplock bag. They will last about 8 weeks in the freezer! To thaw, microwave on HIGH about 30 seconds for each muffin.

By Leslie Blythe

Caprese Pesto Pasta Bake

Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Like pizza Margherita, it features the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red. This Caprese Pesto Pasta Bake is taking all those ingredients with some pesto and mixing it with pasta. You can make it ahead and bake it later in the day.

By Leslie Blythe

Buttermilk Pie

Buttermilk Pie is a staple of Southern Cooking and is known as a “desperation pie” (i.e. when you only have staple ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs and flour on hand). That said, these few simple ingredients are greater than the sum of its parts and make for a seriously rich and satisfying dessert. Our friend Kathy who runs a large cattle ranch/horse farm in Texas recently whipped up one of these and was kind enough to share the recipe.

By Leslie Blythe