If you are looking for a dish to surprise your guests, you have found the right one. I can bet that most of them have never tried chicken that was roasted in milk. But believe me they will love it! This chicken is incredibly juicy and tender, and the meat is falling off the bones. Serve it with potatoes roasted with herb butter to develop a complex main course.
The recipe was adapted from Jamie Oliver

Chicken Cooked in Milk

By voloshyna, September 29, 2014

• Total Time: 01h 45min
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 01h 30min

Ingredients:

• whole chicken - 3-4 lb.
• kosher salt - 1 tablespoon
• freshly ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
• butter - 1 tablespoon
• olive oil - 1 tablespoons
• cinnamon stick - 1/2
• fresh sage leaves - 10
• garlic cloves - 8, skin left
• lemon zest - 2 tablespoons
• milk - 2 1/4 cups

Instructions:

Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper. Melt the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed pan and brown the chicken on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Place the browned chicken into an oven proof pot, breast side up. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover and roast for 1 1/2 hours, removing the lid for the last half an hour if you like to brown the top a bit more. To serve, pull the meat off the bones and drizzle with sauce.

Look at this perfectly roasted bird, isn’t it look delicious? The recipe is straight and easy, but the result is fantastic. Juicy chicken with beautiful crispy skin, and the smell is divine!

Roasted Lemon Chicken

By voloshyna, July 17, 2014

Ingredients:

• whole chicken - 4 lb
• red onion - 1
• medium carrots - 2
• garlic - 1 bulb
• medium lemon - 1, unwaxed
• kosher salt - 1 tablespoon
• freshly ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
• fresh thyme - 1 small bunch

Instructions:

Rub the chicken inside and out with a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave for about 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 400 F. There's no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a good wash and roughly chop them. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled. Put all the vegetables and garlic into the roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil too. Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife or a fork. Put the lemon inside the chicken's cavity, with the bunch of thyme. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven. Roast the chicken for about 70-80 minutes. Remove the chic hen from the oven, cover it with a foil and let to rest for 7-10 minutes before serving.

Scallops are one of the my favorite sea creatures, mainly because they are crazy delicious and so easy to cook. I love them for delicate taste and incredible tenderness, and they are always look elegant on the plate.

I could not miss the opportunity to cook them with my favorite black truffles. Fresh black truffle is not a frequent guest on my kitchen, I mainly use oil, salt and butter infused with this wonderful mushroom. But my beloved husband knows how much I love truffles, so he took me to Napa Valley on Truffle Festival where we bought hole bunch of stuff infused with truffles and of course amazingly fragrant fresh black truffle. I barely could wait till the next day to cook something with it, so I used a chance to combine two of my favorite ingredients in one plain, but elegant, dish that I really loved.

Seared Scallops with Truffles over Creamy Leek

By voloshyna, February 20, 2014

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• sea scallops - 8
• butter - 3 tablespoons
• kosher salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• leek - 2 cups, thinly sliced
• dry white wine - 1/4 cup
• frozen peas - 1/4 cup, defrosted
• heavy cream - 1/3 cup
• black truffles - thinly shaved

Instructions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet on medium high heat. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and black pepper. Sear the scallops on the first side until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. Turn on the other side and cook for 1-2 minutes. Until nice and brown. Be careful and not overcook them. When scallops are seared, transfer them to a plate and keep warm. Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, add leek and sauté for a couple minutes. Pour in white wine and cook until leek is tender. Add peas and heavy cream, bring to a boil. Season to taste and remove from the heat. Transfer leek garnish to a platter and top with scallops and shaved truffles.

The most romantic holiday in the year is just around the corner, and that means you got to think about an amazing dinner you will cook for your sweetheart. Personally I’m still deciding what dish to make, to impress my (a little spoiled) husband. But I already have some very nice ideas that I want to share with you. As for the start I want to offer an incredibly delicious and refined salad with grilled lobster tail and roasted beets, which I adopted from Laurent Touronder cookbook “Go Fish”. I’ve cooked it recently, I it was a truly remarkable experience. First of all that was a first time I cooked lobster and it was fun and challenging at the same time. Second of all I very much enjoyed a delicate, well balanced taste of the dish. Hands down, the secret is in the incredible sauce: homemade mayo with bunch of fresh herbs, truly makes the difference. No doubt, this sophisticated dish can amaze anyone.

The most important thing I want to tell you, is don’t be afraid to cook something you think too complicated for you. Because cooking is definitely not a rocket since, and if I can cook, you can cook as well, maybe even better! You just have to give it a shot. I wish you courage and inspiration to climb new culinary heights!

Grilled Lobster Tails with Roasted Beets Salad

By voloshyna, February 10, 2014

• Total Time: 01h 20min
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the Lobster Salad: -
• green beans - 2 oz
• yellow and red beets - 2
• extra virgin olive oil - 4 tablespoons +1/2 tablespoon
• lobster tails - 1
• cayenne powder - to taste (optional)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste -
• red wine vinegar - 1/2 teaspoon
• garlic - 1/2 clove
• For the Dressing: -
• soft-boiled egg - 1
• Dijon mustard - 1 tablespoon
• red wine vinegar - 1 tablespoon
• grapeseed or vegetable oil - 3/4 cup
• kosher salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• chopped fresh dill - 1 tablespoon
• chopped fresh tarragon leaves - 1 tablespoon
• chopped chives - 1 tablespoon
• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
• kosher salt - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Rub the beats with olive oil. Wrap the beets loosely in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water. Add the beats to the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water to cool them. Drain and place on a paper towel sheets.  Preheat the grill or the broiler. Cut lobster tails in half by splitting them down the middle. Loosen meat from tail, keeping it in the shell.  Coat the tails with an olive oil, season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Grill the lobster over indirect heat or broil them, until firm and opaque. To make the sauce put the egg, mustard and 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar in the bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade. With the motor running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream to make an emulsified sauce. Add all the herbs, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. When the beats are done, remove them from the oven and let to cool. Then remove the skins and cut them into quarters. Pot beats in a bowl, add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil,  1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar and garlic. Toss gently to combine. To serve: Spoon some mayonnaise over the center of the plates. Arrange 4 beet quarters and beens over the mayo on each plate. Top with the lobster tails. Taste best with chilled Veuve  Clicquot Champagne.

I wanted to post this recipe before Christmas, but had some other nice dishes that I really wanted to share with you guys and just completely forgot about this amazing almond cookies. But I will fix my mistake.

I’ve baked a dozens of those for my friends, packed them in a cute small boxes and gave as a little New Year presents. Everybody loved them sooo much! With this recipe the holiday cookie season is officially over for me, I have a whole year to come up with new, even better cookie ideas!

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

By voloshyna, January 16, 2014

• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the dough: -
• unsalted butter - 2 sticks, room temperature
• confectioners sugar - 3/4 cup
• egg yolks - 2
• almond extract - 1 teaspoon
• all-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cup
• almond meal - 1/2 cup
• kosher salt - 1/2 teaspoon
• For decoration: -
• skinless almonds - 1/2 cup, optional
• jam - 1/4 cup, optional

Instructions:

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the yolks and almond extract, until smooth. In a medium bowl mix all-purpose flour, almond meal and salt, combine with the butter mixture, mix well. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in a plastic and transfer into refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lay cookie sheet with a parchment paper. Form 1 tablespoon of dough into a small balls; place on a cookie sheet. Chill 10-15 minutes. Press in the skinless almonds into the center of the cookies, or use your thumb to create an imprint, you could fill them with your favorite jam later. Bake the cookies at 350 F for 17-20 minutes. Cool cookies on racks, dust with a confectioners sugar (optional), then fill with jam.

What’s not to love about empanadas? That’s exactly that type of food I can eat in all day long. Mexican empanadas are a little bit remind me Ukrainian pierogies (not Polish). In Ukraine we make them with hundreds of stuffings, with cabbage, meat, potato, cottage cheese, apples, cherries and so on.

Most of the times we fry our “empanadas” on a skillet with enormous amount of sunflower oil, but this time I’ve decided to make a healthy twist and bake them in the oven. Plus usually we make a yeast dough for pierogies, but in this recipe I used a store bought pie crust. I’m not in Ukraine anymore, so can let myself to break the cooking tradition once in a while!

Liver and mushroom empanadas

By voloshyna, November 4, 2013

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• chicken liver - 1/2 pounds
• portobello mushrooms - 2 1/2 cups, chopped
• medium yellow onion - 1, finely chopped
• port wine - 1/4 cup
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• ground cumin - 1 teaspoon
• kosher salt - to taste
• extra virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons
• refrigerated pie crusts - 1 (15-ounce) package
• egg - 1, lightly beaten
• For the yogurt dip: -
• low-fat Greek Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• mayonnaise - 3 tablespoons
• finely chopped parsley - 1/4 cup
• smoked paprika - 1/2 teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium-sized skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the chicken liver, mushrooms and onion. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly so that the ingredients are well blended. Pour in port; season with salt, pepper and cumin, if desired, and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside and let the filling cool. Process the liver mixture in a food processor until almost uniform. Roll out the pie crust dough and cut out rounds using a 3-inch cutter or a cup. Put 1 tablespoon of filling on half of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and liver mixture. Arrange empanadas on the baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Brush the top of each empanada with the egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Transfer the empanadas to a serving platter and serve with a yogurt dip.

One more nice autumn recipe for Chinet Baking Series. This Mushroom Lasagna is a perfect example of my favorite comfort food for a cold weather – hot, creamy and incredibly delicious. The perfect dish to celebrate autumn and a Veggie lifestyle.

Super Creamy Mushroom Lasagna

By voloshyna, October 23, 2013

• Total Time: 01h 25min
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• For the filling: -
• portobello mushrooms - 1 lb, sliced crosswise ¼-inch thick
• fresh mushroom mix (like Mysopia - 1/2 lb, sliced
• medium red onion - 1, finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil - 4 tablespoons, divided
• cream cheese - 1/2 cup
• kosher salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• dry Italian herbs - 2 teaspoons, divided
• For Béchamel sauce: -
• butter - 3 tablespoon
• all-purpose flour - 2 tablespoons
• milk - 2 cups
• salt - 1 teaspoon, or to taste
• freshly ground nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
• For the layers: -
• lasagna noodles - 12
• shredded mozzarella - 1 1/2 cup
• grated Parmesan - 3/4 cup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly browned 10-15 min. Season to taste with salt, peppers and Italian herbs. Stir in cream chees. Cook until cheese is completely melted, remove from the heat. Now it's time for a Béchamel sauce. In a medium, heavy bottom sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a slightly golden color, about 7-8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Slowly add milk to a butter mixture, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and ground nutmeg. Set aside. Cook the lasagna noodles in a salt boiling water, as described on the box. Drain and place in a single layer on dry paper towel sheets. Toss together the shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a small bowl. Cover the bottom of 7x11x2 Chinet baking pan with a 1/2 cup of Béchamel sauce. Arrange 4 noodles in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly over the noodles, then sprinkle with a half of the mushroom mixture and ¾ cup of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layering of noodles, sauce, mushroom mixture, and cheese one more times. For the final layer, arrange the remaining 4 noodles on top and cover completely with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs. Drizzle with an olive oil. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Hi guys! Finally I’m back from my vacation to Ukraine and ready to surprise you with new and creative recipes! For today I prepared for you an incredibly easy Hummus from scratch. If you only tried a store bought one, today is a day to break a habit. You will be amazed how tasty your homemade hummus can be.

Oh, one more thing if you didn’t like the idea of adding pesto to your humus just don’t do this. In this case you will get a smooth and rich classic hummus!

Perfectly Smooth Humus with Hint of Basil Pesto

By voloshyna, September 3, 2013

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - 15 oz
• fresh lemon juice - 1/4 cup
• tahini - 1/4 cup
• Pesto sauce (optional) - 2 teaspoon, plus more for serving
• garlic - 1clove, medium or small
• good quality olive oil - 2 tablespoon, more for serving
• kosher salt - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon, or to taste
• ground cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
• water - 2-3 tablespoon

Instructions:

If you want your hummus really smooth, spend a few minutes and remove the skin of each chickpea. In my opinion this is absolutely necessary for an extra smooth hummus. So open can of chickpeas, drain liquid and remove the skins from every chickpea. Then rinse well with water. In a food processor combine tahini and lemon juice; process for a 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl then turn on and process for 30 seconds. Thanks to this procedure you humus will be as creamy as possible. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and the salt to whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape sides and bottom of bowl then process another 30 seconds. Add half of the chickpeas and pesto, process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, add remaining chickpeas and process for 1 to 2 minutes or until thick and smooth. The hummus will be probably too thick, so you'll need to add a little bit of water. With the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until the consistency is perfect. Voila! Hummus is ready. Transfer the hummus into a serving bowl, top with a 1-2 tablespoons of pesto sauce and drizzle with an olive oil.

For this recipe I was inspired by the wonderful book “Secrets of the best chefs” writed by Adam Robert’s, absolutely love this book and recommend it to all foodies! I used a few ingredients that are different from the original recipe, but this is my dish and I can do whatever I want =)

You know, I love the way to cook gnocchi on a frying pan with a splash of a quality extra virgin olive oil. Because they are beautifully golden outside and still incredibly tender inside. Then finish cooking them in the sauce, where they can soak all the flavour from my favourite ingredients. When I eat this dish, I can feel the taste of spring just from my plate! What else could I wish for a perfect dinner?!

You can use store bought, homemade or even frozen gnocchi and still get a perfect dish!

Gnocchi with zucchini, basil and tomatoes

By voloshyna, February 26, 2013

Ingredients:

• small zucchinis - 2, cut into rounds
• extra virgin olive oil -
• kosher salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• unsalted butter - 3 tbsp
• ripe heirloom tomatoes - 2 , cored and cut into large dice
• store bought gnocchi - 1 lb
• Fresno chili - 1, minced
• chopped garlic - 1 clove
• fresh basil - 1 cup, packed (reserve some for garnish)
• freshly grated Parmesan - 1/4 cup

Instructions:

In a saute pan heat a splash of olive oil. Add the zucchinis and don't move them around. Season with salt and pepper. After few more minutes, when zucchinis are slightly golden brown, shake the pan. Cook the few more minutes, until they are golden brown on all sides; add 1 tablespoon of butter, chopped chilli and garlic. Saute the zucchinis for 30 seconds, then add all the tomatoes with the juice and chopped basil. Season with more salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss. While your sauce is simmering, start the gnocchi. In another sauce pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the gnocchi and put shake the pan to make one even layer. Season with salt and pepper and let them cook until caramelized. Toss them until golden brown on all sides. To finish add the gnocchi to the pan with the sauce, add 1-2 tablespoons of water. Carefully toss on medium heat and then pour onto a large platter. Garnish with grated Parmesan and small basil leaves.

This is perfect autumn potato salad. I’m a fan of simple dishes, the less time I need to spend in the kitchen to cook delicious dinner – the better! It is really easy to cook, only 25-30 min. You can add a little bit of bacon or just keep it vegetarian. (Inspired by Better Homes and Gardens)

Warm potato salad with mustard dressing

By voloshyna, November 13, 2012

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• small red new potatoes - 1 pound, halved
• small yellow new potatoes - 1 pound, halved
• cider vinegar - 3 tbsp
• kosher salt - 1 tbsp
• fried bacon, chopped - 1/2 cup (optional)
• For the dressing: -
• Dijon mustard - 4 tbsp
• honey - 2 tbsp
• cider vinegar - 2 tbsp
• vegetable oil - 4 tbsp
• extra virgin olive oil - 2 tbsp
• finely chopped cilantro - 1/2 cup
• finely chopped green onion - 2-3 tbsp
• salt - to taste
• freshly ground black pepper - 1/2 ts

Instructions:

In a 3- to 4-quart saucepan combine potatoes, 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar, and 1 Tbsp. kosher salt. Add water (about 4 cups) to cover potatoes. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, just until potatoes are tender when gently pierced with a fork. Drain well. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before adding dressing. In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients for the salad, except the herbs. Transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl. Add mustard dressing all at once. Mix gently to avoid breaking potatoes. Then add herbs and bacon (optional) and serve warm.  

This is my favourite vegetable soup. It’s light, healthy and very simply to cook – perfect autumn dinner. So delicious!

Super healthy Minestrone soup

By voloshyna, October 12, 2012

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• extra virgin olive oil - 2 tbsp
• chopped small yellow onion - 1
• cubed small zucchini - 1
• chopped carrot - 1
• 1/4 cup fresh French or Italian green beans -
• chopped bell peppers, red and orange - 2
• diced tomatoes - 1/2 can (8 oz)
• red kidney beans - 1/2 can (8 oz)
• dry Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, basil) - 1 1/2 tsp
• kosher salt - 1 tsp
• Tabasco - 4-5 drops
• freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• low-sodium vegetable broth - 4 cups
• hot water - 1 1/2 - 2 cups
• elbows macaroni - 3/4 cup
• finely chopped chives, for serving - 2-3 tbs

Instructions:

Heat an olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saute chopped onion, carrot, green beans, bell pepper and zucchini in the oil for 10 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add vegetable broth and water to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Then add elbows, and cook for 7 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked. If the soup is too thick for you after cooking the pasta, thin it with a little more broth or water. Serve hot with a chopped chives on top.

While the weather is so perfect, you can organize a barbecue for your friends. For this dish, you will need to marinade the fish in advance and make a simple salad. Then grill it for about 15-20 min, so easy and delicious.

Grilled mahi mahi (dorado)

By voloshyna, July 31, 2012

Ingredients:

• mahi mahi (dorado) - 1
• parsley - small bunch
• For the marinade: -
• extra virgin olive oil - 3 tbs.
• lemon juice - 2-3 tbs.
• finely chopped dill - 3 tbs.
• kosher salt - 1/2 tsp.
• freshly ground black pepper -

Instructions:

Clean the fish from the scales and entrails, rinse well. For the marinade, mix an olive oil with a dill, chopped garlic, salt, pepper and juice of half a lemon. Leave dorado to marinate for an hour. Before you start cooking, put bunch of parsley incise a fish. Fry dorado on the grill until golden brown.