Chicken Marbella-a real CROWd pleaser

This dish yields a fair amount of servings, and makes for great leftovers, however, it can be easily adapted to better suite a smaller crowd.

Chicken Marbella:

4 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley of fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

1.  In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper
and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, marinate, refrigerated,
overnight.

2.  Preheat oven to 350F.

3.  Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow
baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly.  Sprinkle chicken
pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4.  Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan
juices.  Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at
their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

5.  With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers
to a serving platter.  Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and
sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro.  Pass remaining pan
juices in a sauceboat.

6.  To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in
cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter.  If chicken
has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room
temperature before serving.  Spoon some of the reserved juice over
chicken.
  

 (16 pieces, 10 or more portions)
  * The overnight marination is essential to the moistness of the
finished product: the chicken keeps and even improves over several
days of refrigeration; it travels well and makes excellent picnic
fare.
    It's good hot or at room temperature.  When prepared with small
drumsticks and wings, it makes a delicious hors d'oeuvre.
   Since Chicken Marbella is such a spectacular party dish, we give
quantities to serve 10 to 12, but, as mentioned before, the recipe can successfully be
divided to make a smaller amount if you wish.

Two Soups (and a beverage!)

One vegetarian, the other not so much.

Quick and Chunky Noodle Soup

Soups with broths scare me off because of the time constraints. HOWEVER, I figured out a way to make a tasty chicken noodle soup in less than an hour and a half, though it of course tastes better the next day.

1 whole chicken
bunch of celery
4 carrots
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 medium turnips (or parsnips! or both!)
cilantro! forget that nerdy parsley.
package of egg noodles
and salt and pepper, our good friends

Chop up the chicken as best you can, about five or six pieces, leave the fat on, and boil it for about a half hour, till it gets to falling apart. While that is going on, chop all your veggies up. When the chicken is done, drain most of the water, but save about three cups of the oily goodness. Add three cups of fresh water to the pot, salt the shit out of it, and then add your veggies all at once. While you have them cooking, pick apart your chicken and throw the meat in before the veggies are done. When things have about five minutes (you can tell by the turnips) add the egg noodles and cilantro. And when the noodles are done, that's it! Pepper to taste.

Even-Quicker, Extra Smoove Roast Tomato Soup
courtesy of my man crow.

tomatoes
garlic
cup of fresh basil (from our garden! yeah!)
salt salt salt pepper pepper pepper
olive oil
and half
*makes about four portions

Slice thin enough tomatoes to fill three cookie sheets, that have been doused in olive oil. Lay 'em out and thin slice a clove of garlic per sheet, setting those slices on top of the lucky tomatoes. Broil the sheets one at a time for about five-six minutes, until some of the tomatoes start to burn. Drop them in the food processor/blender, making sure to drain the leftover olive oil in. Then the basil, blending, and add the cream as you see fit.

My next recipe is going to be for the watermelon, tequila, lime and cayenne pepper cocktail I've been perfecting. Summer is ending, so it's time I solidify the recipe to my tribute drink. Or maybe now that you know the ingredients, you can mess around with them yourselves!