Not your same old bird.

The Diva understands that chicken is for many the go-to weeknight meal: its cheap, cooks fast and tastes like, well…chicken. But it can get boring very fast. The routine is the same: thaw out a breast or thigh, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake or grill until cooked. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, maybe a side of broccoli or Minute rice.

Don’t deny it, we’ve all been there. Snore.

Well boys and girls, it’s time for a variation on a theme…and you can still go wild with the side of broccoli.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts


















2 chicken breasts (or cutlets)
4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
1 small onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
butcher’s twine or toothpicks

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saute pan, heat butter and 1 tablespoon of oil over low heat until melted. Add onion, salt and pepper and, stirring occasionally, cook on low until onions turn translucent and begin to caramelize. This can take anywhere from 10-15 minutes depending on the heat of your stove. Remove from heat.

If using chicken breasts, place each between layers of plastic wrap and pound them out (using a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, whatever) to approximately 1/4 inch thick (If using cutlets, just make sure they are even in thickness!).

In a small bowl, combine onions, parsley and goat cheese and mix well. Be sure to taste this mixture and add additional salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, divide the onion mixture between each chicken breast and spread it out evenly. Slowly roll up the chicken breast and fasten with toothpicks or butcher’s twine. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In the same saute pan you used for the onions, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Sear the chicken on each side. Don’t rush this step! The chicken will let you know when it’s time to flip, and release easily from the pan. If it’s giving you trouble, just relax and give it another minute before trying again.

If you’re using a stainless steel or oven safe pan, transfer the pan to the oven and let the chicken cook through. Cooking time will depend on the size of your breasts (insert snickering giggles here…you know you want to). Ahem, er…if you have a meat thermometer, feel free to use it.

When the chicken is cooked through, slice and enjoy!

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Like clockwork, the changing fall leaves bring about this annual craving for butternut squash. Whether it’s mashed with brown sugar and butter or in these raviolis, I’ll take it any way I can get it. My recipe for butternut squash ravioli is stripped down, simple and no fuss. I cheat and use small wonton wrappers, but they are just as good – if not better – than using homemade pasta dough to make them. Also, by using store-bought wontons, it makes this recipe possible to throw together on a weeknight.

Butternut Squash Ravioli














For the Ravioli
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into half-inch cubes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh sage, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 package wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

For the Sauce
4 tbsp butter (can be either salted or unsalted)
fresh sage leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine squash, oil, sage, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss well to combine and spread in one even layer on the baking sheet. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 30-40 minutes. Remove any large pieces of sage and, using a potato masher or food processor, mash mixture until no large pieces of squash remain. Cool completely.

At a clean workspace, combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. To make the ravioli, place a rounded teaspoon of the squash mixture in the middle of a single wonton wrapper. Using a small pastry brush (or your finger), moisten two edges of the wrapper with the cornstarch mixture.
Gently fold the wrapper into a triangle, joining opposite corners and taking care to remove any air bubbles and not push the squash mixture out of the edges. Using a sharp knife, trim the edges of the wonton, if necessary.

If not cooking immediately, place the completed ravioli on a parchment lined baking sheet or cutting board.

Freeze completed raviolis on a baking sheet for approximately 30 minutes or until firm and then transfer to a ziplock freezer bag.

To cook, bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add a small handful of salt and return to a boil. In a small skillet melt butter over medium heat and add sage, salt and pepper and cook until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes. In the meantime, add ravioli to the saucepan, one at a time, so that none overlap. When ravioli begin to float and turn translucent, remove from water using a slotted spoon. Transfer ravioli to the skillet and toss in butter sauce to coat. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes
Because these raviolis are a two-step process (roasting the squash and then assembling), it’s a good recipe to split up. I always end up roasting the squash and then tossing it in the fridge for a day or two before tackling the ravioli.

Since the squash is roasted and not boiled, it doesn’t get mushy or watery if refrigerated. That doesn’t mean you can’t make this with frozen squash or homemade mashed squash (or using some other type of squash) - I’d just recommend giving it some time to drain off or using cheesecloth to wring out some of the liquid. Trust me, you’ll be less likely to have ravs that fall apart when boiling.

I always end up with triangular ravs when I use wonton wrappers. You can use two wrappers to make a square ravioli, but I find the squares quite large and hard to handle when making and cooking. Personal preference.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

A chill in the air makes for good soup in the pot

The weather’s getting a little chilly up here in New England, so it’s time to break out a few of my favorite soup recipes by Giada de Laurentis. I don’t typically make a lot of Giada’s recipes, but there are some that, with a few of my own tweaks, have grown to be staples in my kitchen.

Giada’s Italian Wedding Soup is a recipe that serves as a solid starting point for my own. It’s relatively simple and doesn’t require you to bake the meatballs before adding them to the soup. One less pan to clean, yea!

In my version, I swapped beef for turkey, add parsley for additional flavor and breadcrumbs to help keep the meatballs together while poaching. I also prefer escarole in my soups, but any greenery will do.

Italian Wedding Soup
Adapted from Giada de Laurentis

For the Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 onion minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Soup
10 cups low sodium chicken broth (or stock)
1 head of escarole, roughly chopped and rinsed well
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the meatballs. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix ingredients until well-combined. Using teaspoons or gloved hands, make small, rounded meatballs about an inch in diameter, and set aside on a tray or cutting board.

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a simmer and add escarole. Return to a simmer and drop meatballs in one at a time, pushing gently to submerge. Simmer until meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes. When meat is cooked, season as needed with salt and pepper. Stir soup in a circular motion and slowly stream in beaten eggs. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes
I used my trusty cookie scoop to make the meatballs uniform in size. I finished them by rolling them between gloved hands and dropping them right into the simmering pot. Be gentle with the soup right after adding the meat or you’ll end up with lots of meatball pieces instead of little spheres. Not so pretty, but still yummy.

When it comes to streaming beaten egg into soup, I’m miserable (and its part of the reason why I haven’t included any pictures of the plated soup…it’s just ugly!). Ideally, you’re supposed to get the boiling broth moving in a circular motion and then add the egg in a thin stream so it cooks up all stringy (like the egg drop soup you get at the local Chinese joint). Mine just looked like obliterated egg particles floating in the soup. Hey, as long as it tastes good, right? Hopefully you’ll fare better.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

The Diva bakes a cake…from scratch.

Inspired by Deb’s Project Wedding Cake undertaking over at Smitten Kitchen, I decided to try my hand at baking a cake from scratch for my mom’s birthday. Prior to this, I was Duncan Hines’ best friend and had never had even eaten good old baked-at-home scratch cake, let alone made one. Undeterred, I decided on vanilla cake with layers of dark chocolate ganache and raspberry curd and frosted with Swiss buttercream icing.

Go big or go home, I say.


A 45-minute car ride up to the family beach house in 90 degree heat made this first attempt at scratch cake even more exciting. Okay…maybe it’s only a 3-layer birthday cake and not a 3-tier wedding cake, but hey, I still stressed.


I used Deb’s vanilla buttermilk cake recipe, largely because her recipe notes are so detailed that it seemed practically foolproof (or perhaps I’m just foolish!). Unlike your favorite Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cake mixes, scratch cakes typically require you to make two mixtures which are then combined. In this case, I made the flour mixture and the egg mixture, and then practiced my mad folding skills. Despite splatters of batter all over my kitchen, the cakes turned out beautifully.


Cooled cakes mean time to talk fillings and frosting. I decided to cheat on the chocolate ganache and used a jar of Shootflying Hill Sauce Co’s Dark Chocolate Lover’s Dessert Sauce, since it’s amazing and probably better tasting than anything I could have thrown together in short notice. But more on Shootflying Hill later. For the curd, I knew I wanted something that was creamy and thick, but not full of seeds or reliant on whipped cream (no refrigerator space for the finished cake). In a nutshell, it meant a cooked sauce with lots of butter and egg yolks. Yum, but definitely not diet…


For the frosting, I was hell-bent on trying Swiss buttercream. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s an overly sweet icing, so this seemed like a nice change of palette. From my obsessive frosting research, I learned that it can be a finicky icing that takes a while to come together, but well worth the effort. With that in mind, I was determined not to give up if my Swiss buttercream turned to a curdily mess, setting the bowl in a large tray of ice in order to help it come together. Success!

Overall, the cake came out great, and there are already plans to bake another. Next time I’ll likely double the icing recipe, since the one I used yielded just enough to cover the cake, but not as much as I would have liked. I’m also going to try freezing the layers right after baking in order to preserve the moisture, since I noticed that it dried out significantly from when it was baked and trimmed to when it was eaten (despite no complaints from the fam).

Dust off your cake pans and give it a try. The taste is well worth the effort.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake
From Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Yields one three-layer 9-inch round cake

3 3/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup buttermilk
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

Combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend for 30 seconds. Add the butter and 1 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Mix on low speed briefly to blend; then raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining 1/3 cup buttermilk until well blended. Pour one-third of the egg mixture into the cake batter at a time, folding it in completely after each addition. There will be 9 cups of batter; our 3 cups batter into each pan.

Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Turn the layers out onto wire racks by placing a rack on top of a pan, inverting it, and lifting off the pan. Peel off the paper liners and let cool completely.

Raspberry Curd

Yields about 2 cups

3 half-pint baskets raspberries
1/2 C. sugar
4 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 t. fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 eggs
2 egg yolks

Puree the raspberries and put them through a fine strainer to remove the seeds. Measure 1 1/2 c. puree, heat it in a non-corroding saucepan, and stir in the sugar and butter. Taste and add the lemon juice to taste, or more sugar if needed. Whisk the eggs and egg yolks just enough to mix them, then stir in some of the hot puree to warm them. Return to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is thick and reaches a temperature of 170 degrees to ensure that the eggs are cooked. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.

Swiss Buttercream Icing

Yields about 3 cups

1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
26 tablespoons butter, softened (3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk egg whites and sugar in a large metal bowl over simmering water until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and use an electric mixer to whip egg mixture until it turns white and doubles in size. Add vanilla (or any flavoring you’d like to use) and begin adding butter a stick at a time. Whip until mixture forms a fluffy, smooth icing. Swiss buttercream can be refrigerated in an airtight container until needed. The icing may need to sit out to soften and may require additional whipping in order to spread.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

Quick & Easy Panzanella

One of my favorite summer dishes is Panzanella, an Italian tomato salad that includes bread, fresh mozzarella cheese and really any variety of summer veggies you want. This is my summer staple for hot summer nights.

This week, I couldn’t resist a pint of multi-colored cherry tomatoes that were at the Belmont Farmers’ Market. They were so sweet, I’m actually kind of surprised there were any left for the salad by the time dinner came around. Good thing Picky Eater doesn’t like fresh tomatoes (practically a sin!) more for me. I also managed to snag the last ball of fresh mozzarella from the cheese vendor getting ready to pack up his bay for the day…and the last baguette from the baker. Talk about timing. Panzanella was in the stars.


Panzanella is great because it’s so versatile. It’s been called “leftover salad” and for good measure. Got a piece of red onion in the fridge? Chop it up and throw it in the bowl. Cucumber? Sure, why not. Celery, bell peppers, boiled eggs, garlic, onion, tuna, chicken, lettuce and carrots are just a few on a long list of summer favorites that can find themselves tossed in Panzanella.


This time around, I wasn’t in the mood for anything crazy. No bite of vinegar, no garlic or onion breath either. Just a simple salad infused with the flavors of basil and olive oil.

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 small baguette, cubed
5-10 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium size bowl, combine all ingredients and toss until coated with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, toss salad and add additional oil or salt and pepper to taste, if desired.


Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

Easy Weeknight Thai Lettuce Wraps

I’m frequently coming across recipes for Thai lettuce wraps (ala P.F. Chang’s) but always find myself disappointed when the ingredient list is a mile long and so involved that there’s just no way I’m going to tackle them for a weeknight meal. When Cooking Light printed a ridiculously easy and fast version in the current issue (August 2008) I simply had to share it, with some of my own little tweaks (see my recipe notes).

I took another cue from Cooking Light and made some sticky sushi rice to go along with these; in fact, the rice is actually good inside the wraps and topped with the chicken. It also makes the meal a little more substantial.


Thai Lettuce Wraps (Adapted from Cooking Light)

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 lb. ground chicken breast
3 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped fine
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped fine
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
4 tsp. Thai fish sauce
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
16 lettuce leaves
Lime wedges for serving

Wash lettuce leaves thoroughly and lay on paper towels or clean dish towel to dry.

Heat a 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add water, onion and chicken. Cook until chicken is cooked through, breaking up the cooked pieces with a spoon. Drain, if needed, and remove from heat. Stir in mint, cilantro, lime juice, fish sauce and pepper. Stir well.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of chicken into each lettuce leaf. Service with lime wedges, if desired.

Serves 4

Recipe Notes

Cooking Light’s “Thai Chicken in Cabbage Leaves” recipe called for using napa (or Chinese) cabbage, not lettuce. I opted for lettuce, mostly because the napa cabbage at my farm stand was enormous and the Picky Eater at home won’t touch cabbage with a 10 foot pole. As an alternative, a small head of Boston lettuce works, since it’s kind of cup-shaped to begin with, or the larger outer leaves of endive make for a crunchy boat that holds its shape well (just save the smaller inner leaves in the fridge for your next batch of salad).

Lets talk about Thai fish sauce for a minute. Its a fabulously stinky brown liquid made from the juice of fish (typically anchovies) that have been salted and fermented over a period of time. Scared yet? Well, if you’ve ever had Thai food, Cambodian food, or Vietnamese food, chances are you’ve tasted Thai fish sauce. If it’s not in your fridge, you can usually find it in the international aisle of your local grocery store for about $4. Don’t worry thought, if you’re throwing these together and don’t want to drop the dough, soy sauce is a perfectly acceptable substitute (because its so salty, start off with about 2 tablespoons and gradually add a little more according to your taste preferences).

If you hate cilantro, leave it out. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I hate it in my guac, but happen to love it in these wraps.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

New Look and Giveaway Winner!

Bear with me, folks, I’m attempting a little redesign! So, you may see some new functions and looks over the next few weeks as I bumble along and dust off my ancient graphic design and HTML skills. As always, suggestions and recommendations welcome.

Farmers’ Market Finds: White Peach Pie

I recently stopped into the weekly Farmers’ Market in Belmont and came across these beautiful little white peaches courtesy of Kimball Fruit Farm:

They weren’t quite ready for eating, but would soften up nicely in a pie. A mini-pie that is, using my vintage Pyrex 6 inch pie plate…a perfect pie for two! I’ve scaled up my recipe for a full-sized pie.

For the crust
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes (2 sticks)
6 tbsp. ice water

For the filling
5 cups sliced peaches
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal and butter pieces are no larger than small peas. Add the water, and mix with a fork until the dough pulls together. Transfer dough to a work surface and shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill while preparing filling.

In a large bowl, combine peaches, sugar, flour and cinnamon and stir to combine. Let sit while rolling dough. On a floured surface, divide dough in half and roll out top and bottom crusts. Lay one crust in pie plate and leave dough hanging over edges. Pour peach mixture into crust, making sure that filling is evenly distributed. Add bits of butter to top of filling and cover with other dough round. Seal and flute edges and slit top of pie for venting.

Bake for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an addtiional 30 to 35 minutes until the crust is browned and the juice bubbles through the vents. If the edges start to brown, cover with strips of aluminum foil (or a pie shield) to protect from burning. Cool slightly before serving.

Don’t forget this week’s giveaway! I’m giving away a gorgeous apron and glove set courtesy of Carolyn’s Kitchen. Comment here to be eligible to win!

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

Sweet Balsamic Corn Salad

When it’s hot and I don’t feel like cooking and certainly don’t feel like eating yet another green salad, I throw together a quick and easy corn salad that makes for a welcome change. The great thing about this salad is that its versatile. Most of the ingredients are readily available in the fridge during the summer months and you can make it with either fresh or leftover cooked corn, depending on what you have on hand (or what you prefer). Just make sure if you use cooked corn that it’s chilled or at least room temperature. Also, you can serve it alone, or mixed with baby arugula or mesclun, depending on your mood.


Balsamic Corn Salad

3 ears of corn (raw or cooked)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Using a sharp knife, remove corn kernels from the cob. Transfer to a large bowl and use fingers to break up any large pieces. Combine corn with red onion, parsley, oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Serves 4


Recipe Notes:

Depending on the size of the ears and your personal tastes, you may need to adjust the amounts of the ingredients. When I make it, it’s more of a “toss a little of this, a little of that” type of measurement, so the amounts listed above are something of an approximation.

The salad should be coated but not drowning in oil and vinegar, so err on the side of caution when adding liquid. Also, the longer the salad sits before serving, the more natural juices seep from the corn.

I like this salad much better chilled, rather than room temperature.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.

A blast from the past: Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins

Before we get to the good stuff, a brief history lesson.

Jordan Marsh was a Boston-based department store founded in 1841 by Eben Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh. With the rise of retail conglomerates, Jordan Marsh became part of Allied Stores (1931) and then Federated Department Stores (1988), a move that renamed all stores, including the flagship store in Boston’s Downtown Crossing shopping district (pictured at left), Macy’s.

The Jordan Marsh flagship store was home to the legendary Enchanted Village, an elaborate holiday display which, at times, spanned entire floor of the store in addition to its windows.

Perhaps even more legendary was Jordan Marsh’s bakeries. Infamous, however, were the blueberry muffins.

A December 2004 Boston Globe article put it best: “For decades, any decent downtown shopping trip ended at Jordan Marsh, where the promise of a sugar-crusted blueberry muffin could make annoying children angelic.”

Manning the ovens was John Pupek, who made the muffins by hand, one batch at a time. In the 1990’s, when Jordan Marsh was no more, Pupek opened the Jordan Marsh Muffin Company in Brockton to fulfill the cravings of blueberry-muffin hungry Bostonians. He did so until closing up shop on Christmas Eve 2004.

Pupek may not be baking Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins any longer, but the recipe lives on.

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins


1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and cups sugar until light and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Crush 1/2 cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter. Gently fold in the remaining whole berries.

Grease 12 large muffin cups, including the surface of the tin (alternative: grease surface of tin and line tin with paper liners). Fill generously with batter. Sprinkle sugar over the tops of the muffins, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool 30 minutes before removing. Store, uncovered, because the muffins are so moist.

Yield: 12 muffins.

Recipe Notes:

I’ve seen versions of this recipe that call for different baking methods: 375 for 30 minutes, 450 for 5 minutes and then an additional 30 to 35 minutes at 375, etc. These variations have yet to be tested in my kitchen (give me time, I’ve got plenty of blueberries left).

Depending on how sweet your blueberries are, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the batter to one cup. When it comes to sprinkling sugar on top of the muffins, be creative! I used vanilla sugar and raw sugar on mine, but good old granulated sugar works just fine.

If your berries are particularly large, consider mashing up more than 1/2 cup. I’ll likely do this the next time, since the whole berries can take over the batter and cause the muffins to fall after baking.

I came across a recipe that includes 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla, something that deviates from the original. Go for it, if it strikes your fancy. I prefer sans-vanilla.

For extra large muffins, chill the batter in the fridge for about 15 minutes before scooping into large muffin tins.

Fabulous Feasting,
The Diva.