IVY LANE DESIGNS

April 2, 2012

Meatless Monday: Roasted Vegetable Pizza Birthday Celebration

Today we celebrated my dear friend Susan's birthday with lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Susan and I worked together four million years ago and have been close friends ever since. She is über-smart, a gifted writer, lover of animals, my creative sounding board, as well as devil's advocate, and the most loyal of friends. She and I adore our husbands (She, hers. Me, mine. Just for clarification <winkie face>).

During my last visit to The Cheesecake Factory, I ordered their roasted vegetable pizza with goat cheese. It was so deelish that I couldn't wait to have it again. This time also, it didn't disappoint. It's a Mediterranean-style pizza, topped with roasted eggplant, red and yellow peppers, grilled onion, artichokes, Kalamata olives, tomato, mozzarella and goat cheese. Heaven!

Susan enjoyed nachos (also meatless), which I tried (natch!). Melted cheese has to be my favorite guilty-pleasure food. Yum.

What's a meal at The Cheesecake Factory without cheesecake? We shared a piece of Dutch apple caramel streusel. Mmm...

Happy birthday, sweet Susan! I love you! ♥

Click HERE to check out my yummy Meatless Monday recipes.

~Merrill ♥

March 31, 2012

Roasted Chicken: The Secret to Moist Breasts Every Time

There is nothing quite like the aroma of a chicken roasting in the oven. It's a weekend treat in our house. The secret to having the breasts turn out moist each and every time is to roast the chicken upside down. It's as easy as that. Gravity works its magic, allowing the natural juices to travel down to the breasts, keeping them moist during the cooking process. Remember this when it's time to roast your Thanksgiving turkey. Thanks, Andrew (and your sister-in-law), for the tip!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove giblets. Rinse bird with cold water and pat dry using paper towels. Place UPSIDE DOWN in roasting pan (TIP: line pan with aluminum foil and spray rack with nonstick cooking spray for easier cleanup). Use your fingers to coat chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with a combination of your favorite seasonings. This is not an exact science. Just use what you like and have handy. Today I tried a combination of sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, rosemary, thyme, parsley, celery seed, chili pepper and turmeric. I first combined the seasonings in a bowl, then sprinkled generously atop chicken. Roast for 15 minutes for each pound, plus an extra 15 minutes just for the heck of it (internal temperature needs to be 180 degrees). Cover with foil and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. This step is important in order to prevent the juices from running out when you cut it.

Carve and enjoy! If you try this and you like it, please let me know!

~Merrill ♥

March 29, 2012

My Favorite Things: Kaffir Lime Tree

I was first introduced to kaffir lime leaves during a Thai cooking class where we used them to prepare Tom Kha Gai, my favorite soup EVER! I returned home and quickly set out to replicate the recipe. I was able to locate all of the ingredients on my list, with the exception of kaffir lime leaves. These particular leaves are a key ingredient in Thai cooking, particularly Tom Kha Gai, so I couldn't leave them out.

Martha Stewart purchased her Meyer lemon trees from a local grower (local to her), and that was good enough for me. I gave Martha+Meyer lemon trees a google and came up with Logee's in Danielson, CT. Logee's conveniently carries kaffir lime trees, so I placed an order (HERE) and in a little over a week my miniature tree arrived. Now, Tom Kha Gai soup is mine with very little notice.

I also use kaffir lime leaves in my over the top scrumptious Thai Green Curry Chicken (recipe found HERE), and my Panang Curry (recipe found HERE).

If your tree doesn't seem to grow, be patient. It took over a year for mine to show movement.

HERE are helpful pointers from Apartment Therapy's blog on growing citrus trees indoors. I am going to try a few.

Happy growing (and cooking)!