Roasted green beans with marcona almonds

This recipe was never supposed to be made. I ripped this particular page out of Bon Appetit for a different recipe that was on the front of the page. One day I was going through my recipe clippings, and the page was turned over so that the picture of these roasted green beans was facing up. I decided to give it a try, and I've made it a few times since then.

This is another really simple recipe that produces unique results. Green beans and onions are roasted at high heat and seasoned with lemon and herbs. Chopped marcona almonds finish the dish.

The first time I made the recipe, I tossed the raw green beans onto the pan and threw them in the oven. It tasted great, but the green beans turned an unattractive shade of drab green. I figured out that blanching the green beans before roasting allows them to keep their vibrant green color.

Chocolate almond spice cookies

One day I felt like baking, but didn't want to run to the store to buy any ingredients. I found this recipe for chocolate spice cookies, and I had just enough chocolate in the house to make a half batch.

The great thing about this recipe is that it's made entirely in the food processor, which means less dishes to wash. The dough is flavored with ground almonds, cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate and allspice.

This is a slice and bake cookie, so the rolls of dough need to chill for a while before they're ready to bake. I added a sliced almond to the top of each cookie to make them more attractive.

I really liked the cookies - the cocoa and chocolate contribute a rich, complex flavor, and the allspice makes these unique. I put half of the dough in the freezer for another day, so I'll be baking these the next time I need another chocolate fix.

Apple cider brined chicken

I had a chicken in the freezer and was looking for something interesting to do with it. I know that it's not exactly the season to be cooking with apple cider, but trust me here. This apple cider brined chicken is great any time of the year.

The brine ensures a moist end product, and the cider adds just a touch of spice and sweetness. The recipe called for removing the skin partway through cooking time, but that sounded like a lot of mess and hassle, so I left the skin on. The sugar in the cider made for very crisp and browned skin, so I'm glad I didn't remove it.

I think this would also be great on the grill, I would suggest cooking it over indirect heat to prevent burning.