Quick & Easy Apple Crisp

These past few days had been so hot and humid, you can probably die getting fried under the sun. Yes, it's summer, but it's freakin' hot.

I have a cake in mind that I want to try, but the summer heat is just so unbearable in the kitchen even in the mornings. Here's to hoping that I get to go home early this Friday so that I can do my baking experiment at dawn when there's no sun. That's something you can look forward to this weekend.

But then again, dessert is dessert. The quicker it can be done, the better. And I will literally do anything (yes, that includes waking up earlier than the usual) to make one just enough to satisfy the sweet cravings. Although the easiest way is to buy myself something from the nearby stores, I still prefer something home-baked (and use up our hoarded blood oranges), just like a good serving of apple crisp I've been craving since the birthday weekend that goes well with the Arce Dairy's Caramel ice cream I bought in the grocery.

The apple filling was still warm, thus instantly melting the caramel ice-cream seconds before I snapped a photo.

Chicken Marbella

Before anything else, I want to share that my post for the Grilled Cajun Chicken Pasta weeks ago was selected as one of the top 5 blogs for the McCormick Grill Nation Blog Contest. Thank you, Nuffnang and McCormick! I get 5 free passes to the McCormick Grill Nation Event today at 4PM which will be held in Bonifacio High Street and earn the chance to win a charcoal grill on the event itself. I didn't really expect to win for the mere reason that this blog just came about two months ago and I was thinking that being a newbie, there are better bloggers than me out there. I guess this blog is turning out better than what I had originally thought it would be.

I really didn't get to plan my day right today as I only received the email from Nuffnang late Wednesday. As most of you know, today is my birthday. Traditionally, a weekend birthday always comes with a lunch or dinner here at home and the whole day is spent with the family. Since I have to leave in the afternoon (and 5 tickets are not enough to bring the whole family with me), I just have to postpone the actual celebration at a later date. Honestly, it's no big deal. My celebration with my dear friends won't be until May 5th just to make way for the tight schedules of those who are tied up with the audit deadline on April 15th, and since we are postponing it anyway, we coincided it on a weekend when our bride-to-be friend from London will be in town. So, yeah, my birthday celebration this year won't definitely be just a one-day event.

For those who know me that well, I will not settle to let the day pass without preparing anything at all. I made the Chicken Marbella recipe I found in one of the blogs I regularly check. Turns out that this dish was known back in the days by the former specialty food shop The Silver Palate in NYC that later on launched its cookbook in the early 80s and known as a classic chicken recipe for parties and entertaining.

The ingredients can be commonly found in the supermarket. I have most of the ingredients the recipe requires in our pantry and fridge, but I have to make a quick trip for the prunes and fresh chicken thighs. The dish essentially has to be marinated overnight anyway so preparing it a night before gives you more time to prepare something else in the morning (or sleep longer in my case), and all that needs to be done the next day is to heat the oven, add the sugar and wine, wait for the food to bake and serve with parsley just in time for lunch. It's a dish that is sweet, salty and tangy altogether. Don't get intimidated by the unique combination of prunes, olives and capers. The dish turned out really well - it's really easy to prepare and it has a classy vibe in it.

Salad On the Go with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

It's business day 3 and it's usually my busiest day at work. There's not much restaurant around our area that is convenient enough to get salad on the go that I would happily eat at my desk. Although there's Pancake House and Tully's downstairs that have salads on their menu, I still prefer bringing my own salad fix from home - it's way much cheaper and I can be creative.

My salad preference is simple: there should be nice greens, fruits, nuts, cheese and a bit of meat or fish. And of course the dressing should be appetizing enough to complement these.

Today, my salad box includes leafy green lettuce, blood oranges, dried tomatoes from Cambodia, Sahale Snack Valdosta Pecans, prosciutto ham and blue cheese crumble. I made raspberry balsamic vinaigrette to go along with these.

Since I'm on-the-go, I have to settle with the photo taken by my trusty iPhone. Not bad.

Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and ground pepper

Put in all the ingredients in a sealable container then just shake it until combined. Store this in the fridge if you won't be using it yet. Shake well before pouring it into your salad.

Easy peasy! I just finished eating my salad and now I'm going back to work (off to a meeting actually).