Chicken, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, bay leaves. Rice. A few years back I happened across an article and recipe, “Simple Chicken Adobo and Adobo-flavored Garlic Fried Rice”, from On My Plate. It became an instant keeper after the first try, and I usually make it once a month or thereabouts.

It is not to die for so much as kill for. ;)

I made it earlier tonight, and there’s nothing like that heavenly smell wafting through the kitchen, particularly (if you’ve had it before) as you anticipate the upcoming bliss.

It’s pretty simple to make, too. I grab a two-poundish bag of frozen, boneless Chicken Thighs from Trader Joe’s, and go with sticky rice made with chicken broth in my rice cooker. Simple as heck. Just be sure to allow for the 1-3 hours of marinating time. Overnight might be a bit much.

A commercial came on a few days ago that was very confusing.

You probably have heard of the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter butteresque products. Apparently they’re jumping on the Mediterranean Diet bandwagon with a new line:

Olive oil is a key part of the Mediterranean Diet. Now you can enjoy I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Mediterranean Blend, made with olive oil, for the same delicious butter taste you’ll feel great about eating. It’s an excellent source of Omega 3 ALA, is naturally cholesterol free, and contains 70% less saturated fat than butter.

They also have a “Light” version.

Now, I have no idea how particularly healthy these products are, but at what point do you think it’s a good idea to just, you know, use actual olive oil instead of fake butter?

On a related topic my new favorite way to have a baked potato is drizzling it with olive oil and red wine vinegar, then a dash or two of garlic and basil, salt and pepper. Some red pepper flakes for bite. Good Lord, that’s good stuff.

I volunteered to bring a dish to our family’s annual Easter dinner, and was asked to make a dessert. A couple of years ago I made three new (to me) dishes that came out okay — muffins, potatoes au gratin, and hot-cross buns.

Coincidentally, an article in the SF Chronicle, “Something sweet for Passover”, appeared in my RSS reader last night, talking about the traditional and popular macaroons.

Jews fleeing Egypt 3,000 years ago to escape slavery probably had to skip the macaroons — too much fuss when you’re on the run. Yet it’s one of the most popular Passover treats today.

According to the Old Testament, the Israelites left Egypt in such a rush they didn’t have time to let their bread rise. So they omitted the yeast from their dough and baked it on rocks to form flat crackers known as matzos. Now, the eight days of Passover — the first night starts Monday — is celebrated by eating only unleavened foods.

Macaroons — the flourless cookies made with either coconut or almonds — have become the hallmark of the seder table, a feast that commemorates the holiday, despite the fact that some macaroons take hours or even days to make.

Luckily, they provide a recipe (at the end) for an almond variety that looks relatively uncomplicated and not that time consuming.

I’m not entirely certain how many people will be there, although it’s likely to be seven at minimum. Also, I’d like a backup plan in case these aren’t as good as I think they’ll be.

A few years ago I made Alton Brown’s Chocolate Lava Muffins, and they were a big hit. Both recipes are easy enough that I think I’ll try to make both. Plus, as transcendently tasty as these are, they’ll fit in well with the spiritual theme of the holiday. :)

I’ll keep my eyes out for other ideas.

The WHFoods “World’s Healthiest Foods” website (run by the George Mateljan Foundation) has a really cool “Weekly Bulletin” mailing list with informative articles on various food topics. The latest has a brief article answering the question, “Can you tell me more about the Mediterranean Diet?”

The article has nothing really new if you are already familiar with the ideas surrounding the diet, though it serves as a good introduction if you aren’t.

Of more interest is the References list at the bottom, with a dozen scientific articles that folks interested in diving into the nitty gritty might like to track down if they have the access and means to do so.

Via Serious Eats, there’s a thread started over on Chowhound asking for ‘Local Food’ Restaurants in L.A.?.

So, I’m one of those post “The Omnivore’s Dillema” people who got all excited about eating local food and ethical meat and all that, but I haven’t been able to find a good resource to help find “local food” restaurants here locally in L.A. Anyone have any favorites?