ROTD: Chef Franco's Arroz Con Pollo

It isn’t often that you meet someone and know right off the bat your going to be good friends for years to come. While going to Le Cordon Bleu many years back, I was fortunate enough to bump into Chef Marques Franco, a gentle giant of sorts who has unbelievable skills in the kitchen as well as on the football field. We made sure that neither of us ever gave up or missed a day of school and with that, we both graduated with honors.

Chef Franco has gone on to open his own catering company that operates out of Los Angeles that makes some of the most delicious pies, cobblers & cakes as well as a full scale catering menu with everything from gourmet / fine dining faire to backyard BBQ. 

One of the dishes we fell in love with of Chef Franco’s was his exquisite, Arroz con Pollo. Graciously giving us his recipe, Chef Franco wants everyone to understand that cooking isn’t the hardest thing you will ever do in your life, but it can be one of the most rewarding if you have patience and the desire to literally feed others something good for their soul.

Thanks for the recipe Chef Franco.

(click Read More for the Entire Recipe)

Recipe Of The Day: Seafood Paella

Springtime in our test kitchen calls for plenty of seafood. Lately we have been fielding lots of recipe requests from our readers (please keep em coming!!!) for various light meals that can be prepared during the week. As well as those great requests for meals to surprise a loved one with a gourmet dinner that will really knock their socks off (or at least help you get closer to knockin’ their boots out of shape.) Today we wanted to reach back and showcase one of our insanely deep flavored but incredibly easy to pull off dishes, Seafood Paella. Most all of these ingredients can be found at your local market so don’t worry about having to make twenty different stops before you can even get to work.

Enjoy!!!  

(click read more for the Entire Recipe)

Recipe Of The Day: Slow Cooked Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs w/ Jamaican Rice & Peas

We have been getting some emails from people who love our Recipe Of The Day ideas, but after a long 10 hr day at work, they just don't have it in them to stand on their feet any longer to make dinner.  The sad fact is, in this economy no one has the time to stand in the kitchen and cook all day.
When money is as to hard to come by as it is lately, people are being forced to eat meals that cost less and do not pack nearly enough of the daily nutrients we all desperately need to survive.
Just because the economy is forcing us to work ten times harder, doesn't mean that we have to work that hard in the kitchen to get a great meal that is full of flavor and is easy to clean up after creating.

I took a few moments and put together a slow cooker recipe that should bring back some good home cooking memories for some. For others this recipe should help you begin to understand that great food can come out of a crock pot, its just about what you put in it and more importantly, when you put it in.
I hope you enjoy the Recipe Of The Day: Slow Cooked Chipotle-Lime Chicken Thighs w/ Jamaican Rice & Peas.