Smoked Paprika Grilled Chicken 
Serves 4

As much as we want to add so many herbs and spices to our grilled meats, as far as we're concerned, there's only one that needs to be in your pantry: Smoked Paprika, or pimentón.  There are several different types of Spanish paprika, made from different kinds of peppers.

• Pimentón Dulce or Sweet Paprika: Round red peppers make this mild, light orange paprika.
• Pimentón Agridulce or Medium Hot Paprika: Longer, dark red peppers make a medium-hot paprika.
• Pimentón Picante or Hot Paprika: Made from any of several different types of long red peppers.  This paprika really can pack quite a punch!  

Mix pimentón with a pinch of cumin and sea salt for a multi-purpose Spanish salt, delicious on hard-boiled eggs, sautėed shrimp, in rice dishes and, of course,  grilled chicken.   

Look to buy smoked Spanish paprika in little tins at specialty shops or home stores!  

The key to this type of chicken is paying attention.  Sure, there are many ‘set it and forget it’ meals that we love, but this one is for when you want nothing more than to become one with your grill or fire, baby that chicken to achieve the most glorious char-grilled crispy skin and take it off as soon as the pieces are done.  Cook this over an open fire, seated on a camping chair or on your back deck with a cold one!  

1 large whole chicken, flattened, or cut into bone-in, skin-on pieces
1 heaping tbsp. Kosher salt
2 tsp. Pimentón of your choice, or a blend
2 tbsp. Oil 

1. Prepare coals, grill or pellet-grill.  Ideally not too hot, about 375℉, keeping in mind you’ll be moving the chicken around to avoid any flare-ups. 
2. Place chicken in a bowl or on a sheet pan and thoroughly rub in the salt, pimentón and oil.  Feel free to do this several hours ahead of time, or even the day before.   
3. Get grilling!   Start skin-side up for the first 10-15 minutes, then turn onto skin to begin to crisp, moving the chicken away from flaring hot spots as you need to.   Once desired colour is achieved on skin side, turn back over onto the bones to continue to cook through.  
4. You’ll know your chicken is cooked through when the legs start to naturally break free.   Total time is about 1 hour.   
5. Rest & carve.   We like to cut the legs in 2, the breast in 3 pieces using a bit of force and a sharp knife.   
6. A simple garlic mayo would be delicious with this on the side!

Bacon & Wild Mushroom Crostini 
Serves 4

Want to get your kids to eat mushrooms?   Or anyone for that matter?  This is the recipe to use!   The revolutionary cooking method uses WATER for the most crispy and caramelized of mushrooms.   If you thought garlic mushrooms involved frying garlic in butter and adding in mushrooms, think again.  This method reverses those flavours to get the most out of the mushrooms first, then shines them up at the end with butter, garlic, shallots & herbs.   And of course we prime the pan at the beginning with some bacon!  

This pan of bacon-y goodness can be served on crostini (which we lightly toast in bacon fat) or is perfect tossed with pasta and a bit of cream, or on top of a steak.  One of our kids just likes to eat a bowlful of this mixture.   

This is your opportunity to try different types of mushrooms, available at specialty stores or your local farmer's market.  Oyster mushrooms come in clumps that you simple tear into manageable sized pieces.  Shiitake mushrooms add a lot of texture with their natural density.  If you can get your hands on lions mane mushrooms, they are a real treat (and check out all the health benefits!)   And of course your portabella (do not skip the technique below!) and cremini are readily available and necessary to carry all the flavours.   

Rhubarb Fool

Makes 4-5 cups or about 6 servings 

No my friends, Jody is no fool, not when you can purchase rhubarb this large!  Buying rhubarb a little later in the Spring at your local farmer's market or roadside stand is not a bad idea--the rhubarb is large, tangy and inexpensive.   

We like to buy it, chop it up and either use it right away in a pie or crumble, but we always save 3 or 4 chopped cups in a zip-top bag for the freezer.   No joke, it might sit there for 5 or 6 months, but we you need a quick and easy dessert in the winter, this can be done in a snap and is a welcome fruity burst of Spring.  

So what is a Rhubarb Fool?  A fool is a dessert whose name comes from the French word fouler, which means “to crush”. Crushed fruit and whipped cream are folded together and chilled, producing a light and mousse-like dish.  It can't be simpler.   We like to serve it with triangles of baked puff pastry, either homemade  (which also stores nicely in the freezer) or store bought.  You can also just serve it out of a dessert cup or martini or coupe glass with a couple of cookies or biscotti on the side.  

Recipe: 

4 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen) 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (more or less to taste) 
1 cup 35% cream
1/4 cup white or powdered sugar 
1 tsp. vanilla 
Baked triangles of puff pastry (optional) 

1. Place rhubarb and brown sugar in a sauce pot with 1/2 cup of water. 
2. Bring just up to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until fruit is tender and saucy. 
3. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature or chill completely in a bowl. 
4. Meanwhile, whip the cream in a chilled bowl with either a whisk or your electric mixer, sprinkling in the white sugar as you go.  Whip until just past soft peaks.   Stir in vanilla. 
5. When rhubarb is cooled fold about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the rhubarb first to lighten the texture.   Then fold in remaining whipped cream.  
6. Serve chilled as discusses above.  

Buttermilk Chive Dressing
Makes about 2 cups

Always in our fridge, this quick, easy & versatile dressing is light & creamy dressing, but without any preservatives, thickeners, gums, or things you don't necessary need or want when dressing fresh, local produce.   

Be sure to source out high-fat, good quality buttermilk.   Harmony Organic brand is our go-to, but if you can't find a higher fat buttermilk, here's a couple of options:  replace 1/2 cup of the buttermilk with sour cream, OR increase the amount of mayonnaise to 4 tablespoons.   

Fresh garden chives were an easy grab for this, but dill, parsley or even a bit of spring onion would work well.   The key is fresh lemon juice and a really good amount of sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.   

This dressing is ideal on buttery lettuces or spinach, but add in some blue cheese or cheddar cheese and dress that broccoli-bacon salad, or a wedge salad with steak!   

1 clove of garlic, cut in half for easy blending
Juice of 1 lemon 
1 tsp. good quality sea salt
5-6 turns of freshly ground black pepper 
1 tsp. Dijon mustard 
2 tbsp. mayonnaise 
a good handful of snipped chives 
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk 

1. Place garlic, lemon, salt, pepper, Dijon, mayonnaise and chives in your blender.   Blend until smooth, 30-45 seconds.  Add just a little of the buttermilk if you need to accomplish this. 
2. Just stir in buttermilk (or blend for 2 seconds).  
3. Pour into a jar and enjoy! 
4. Will keep for a week or more in the refrigerator. 

Easy Mexican Chicken Pozole 
Part soup, part chili, this is great way to introduce Mexican dried chiles into your pantry.  This recipe uses leftover cooked chicken and requires very little chopping. Adjust the spice level by adding more stock if you like. It's about a 3-4 out of 10.  Garnishes are only limited to your imagination...however, the shredded lettuce was the surprise hit!   Serves 6.  

5 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed & seeded 
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed & seeded  
2 cups canned whole tomatoes and their juices 
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 of a white or yellow onion 
½ tsp. each dried cumin & oregano 
3 tbsp. oil (any kind, or chicken or bacon fat!) 
4 cups chicken stock or water 
1 large can of hominy, drained and rinsed 
2-3 cups of leftover shredded chicken 
Salt, to taste 

Garnishes (no rules, use as little or many as you like): 
Sour Cream or Crema 
Queso Fresco or Shredded Cheese 
Chopped Cilantro 
Chopped White or Red Onion 
Thinly sliced Radishes 
Finely shaved iceberg Lettuce or Green Cabbage
Diced Avocado 
Hot Sauce 

1. Toast chilies in a frying pan over medium heat, moving frequently until blistered but not burnt
2. Place in a heatproof bowl, cover with very hot tap water boiling water and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. 
3. Add to a blender along with tomatoes, garlic, onion, spices and a good pinch of salt. 
4. Blend until smooth (this can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance).  
5. Warm oil or fat up in a pot large pot, then pour in salsa.  Rinse out the blender with about 1 cup of water to your blender to clean, and add that to the pot as well.  
6. Let simmer over medium-low heat until colour deepens and sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.   
7. Stir in chicken stock or water and hominy.  Bring to a high simmer for 5 minutes then reduce to low before adding chicken.  
8. Stir in cooked chicken only about 10 minutes before serving. 
9. Ladle into bowls and garnish as you like!   

Sesame Tuna Lettuce Wraps
We always need a new, quick, make-ahead and impressive appetizer to start off a dinner get-together, or offer to bring to a party.  This recipe could also be doubled or tripled if you hosting a large gathering!   We found small, but really tightly packed leaf lettuce heads at T&T Supermarkets.  Iceberg lettuce would also work! 

Makes about 12 

1 8-9oz thick piece of best quality Tuna 
1 tbsp. miso paste 
2 tbsp. soy sauce 
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 tbsp. mixed black & white sesame seeds

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 
1 tbsp. sugar 
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced 
1 carrot, thin julienne (use a peeler or mandolin) 

2 green onions, very thinly sliced 
2 radishes, very thinly sliced 

About 12 small lettuce leaves (see note above)

Oil, as needed 
Flaky sea salt, as needed 
Sriracha (optional)

1. In a small bowl whisk together miso paste, soy sauce & sesame oil. 
2. Place tuna in this mixture, and flip over from time to time to get marinade in on two sides.  The tuna will absorb it over time, about 30 minutes total.  
3. Place sesame seeds on a plate and set aside.  
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together rice wine vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add cucumbers and carrots.  Let macerate 30 minutes, or up to a day ahead of time.  
5. Add thinly sliced green onion and radishes to a small bowl with cold water.  This will help the onions curl and the radishes crisp.  This can also be done 30 minutes or up to a day ahead of time. 
6. Cook tuna:  preheat a small frying pan (cast-iron is great) over medium-high heat.  While it is preheating, remove tuna from marinade (doing your best to swoop up as much marinade as possible) and firmly dip two sides into the sesame seeds.  
7. Add a little oil to the pan followed by tuna.  
8. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side.  Remove to a cutting board.  Let cool while you assemble your platter. 
9. Arrange lettuce leaves on a platter, drain and top with a few cucumber slices and carrots on each leaf.  
10. Slice tuna into 1/4 inch slices.  Remember, there is no grain to worry about on tuna, so slice it for how it makes sense to present it.  
11. Add 1-2 slices to each lettuce leaf.  Top with green onion spirals and 1-2 radish slices.  Add a few flakes of sea salt on each piece of tuna.  If you like some spice, add a couple dots of sriracha.  
12. Can be made up fully about 1 hour ahead of time.  Enjoy!!