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      Colorful Eats: Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs

      Colorful Eats: Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs - JulRe Designs LLC

      In our current times, I hope that we all can recognize when we need to step away from it all to rejuvenate and refresh. I'm sensing that it's almost that time again for me. It's critical at any time to be able to take a few steps back from it all but especially now when the world is getting better but is still a bit chaotic and frenzied. So my wish for you everyday is peace and harmony - may you find you find your way to your own Shangri-la. And good food.

      Before I make any moves, I just had to share the Home Chef Extraordinaire's latest flavorful take on chicken. This time, he's using thighs but your favorite part of the chicken will do) and he's concocted a dish that's great for lunch or dinner and perfect for kid's meals. The taste key is the use of fresh rosemary. It adds a depth of flavor to the dish and with the spicy brown mustard, provides an aromatic tanginess that is oh-so palate appealing. As is always his custom, to keep the dish healthy and juicy, the preparation is done in an Air Fryer but this main dish can be prepared in the oven as well. While the dish itself is not extremely colorful, you must admit that the addition of steamed brussel sprouts and carrots all on my beautiful serving platter makes it all photo fabulous! You can find the fast, super simple recipe below:

      Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs

      I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

       

      Noritake Co., Inc.

       

       

      Mustard Roasted Chicken Thighs

      (serves 4)

      PREP TIME: 3 MINUTES

      COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

       

      Ingredients

      2 tbsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard

      1 tbsp maple syrup

      1 tbsp fresh rosemary

      ½ tsp onion powder

      ½ tsp garlic powder

      ¼ tsp paprika

      ¼ tsp salt

      ¼ tsp black pepper

      4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on

       

      Directions 

      1.  MIX together the mustard, maple syrup, rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.

      2.  COAT the chicken thighs in the mustard glaze and set aside.

      3.  SELECT Preheat on the Air Fryer, adjust to 380°F, and press Start/Pause.

      4.  PLACE the chicken thighs in the preheated air fryer and top with any left over glaze.

      5.  SELECT Chicken, adjust time to 20 minutes, and press Start/Pause.

       

      Until next time, live a color-filled life!

      Love, Juliet

       

       

       

        Noritake Co., Inc.

         

         

         

        Colorful Eats: Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Potatoes

        Colorful Eats: Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Potatoes

        My family would not consider themselves as strictly vegan, vegetarian or pescetarian. We are truly omnivores because variety is the spice of life, right?

        We try to eat healthy foods every day but we are not regimented nor do we have any allergies that would keep us from any food group. However, eating beef is really a once-in-awhile thing.

        It's usually the occasional hamburger or a juicy steak for the Home Chef Extraordinaire. As we've matured, we have found that certain foods are more difficult to digest and beef has become challenging at times.

        But my Wine-Braised Short Ribs With Potatoes are a Fall favorite meal that we all look forward to for special occasions.

         

        Instant Pot

         

        I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links and I participate in the Amazon Associate program, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

         

         

        As with many of our Colorful Eats recipes, this dish is made in an Instant Pot which means it's simple, quick and incredibly flavorful. It's just right for those cozy Winter evenings when you just want a meal that's warm and savory. 

         

        Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Potatoes - Ingredients

        Wine-Braised Short Ribs 

        I adapted this recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Mediterranean Instant Pot Cookbook . You may already have most of the ingredients for this rich, delicious dish. NOTE: You can use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce if you prefer a thicker sauce. Parsley can be used as a garnish but since the Home Chef Extraordinaire doesn't like the taste of the herb, I left it out. And while I used dealcoholized red wine in my recipe, feel free to use your favorite Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon instead.

         

        Juliet's Wine-Braised Short Ribs with Potatoes

        serves 4

        total time:  2 hours 15 minutes

        INGREDIENTS

        • 2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed
        • ¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
        • ¼ teaspoon pepper
        • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
        • 1 onion, chopped fine
        • 6 garlic cloves, minced
        • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
        • 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
        • 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with ¼ cup juice reserved, chopped coarse
        • ½ cup dry red wine
        • 1 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled, leave whole or halved
        • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional)

        INSTRUCTIONS

        1.  Dry short ribs dry by patting them with paper towels. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Using highest sauté function, heat oil in Instant Pot for 5 minutes (or until just smoking). Brown short ribs on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to plate.

        2.  Add onion and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt to fat left in pot and cook, using highest sauté function, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato sauce and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and reserved juice and wine, scraping up any browned bits. Place short ribs meat side down into pot and add any accumulated juices. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 60 minutes.

        3.  Turn off Instant Pot and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Transfer short ribs to serving dish, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while preparing potatoes.

        4.  Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator; transfer solids to now-empty pot. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then pour 1½ cups defatted liquid and any accumulated juices into pot with solids; discard remaining liquid. Add potatoes. Lock lid in place and close pressure release valve. Select high pressure cook function and cook for 4 minutes. Turn off Instant Pot and quick-release pressure. Carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

        5.  Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to serving dish (this one is my all time fave!). Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over short ribs and potatoes and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve.

         

         Per serving: Cal 340; Total Fat 13g; Sat Fat 4.5g; Chol 55mg; Sodium 700mg; Total Carbs 29g, Fiber 3g, Total Sugar 7g; Added Sugar 0g; Protein 21g

         

        I hope you try this recipe and if you do, let me know how it turns out in the comments below!

        Love, Juliet

         

         

         

         

        Wine.com

        Colorful Eats: How to Master the Charcuterie Board

        Colorful Eats: How to Master the Charcuterie Board - JulRe Designs LLC

        This post is not about a particularly healthy meal. I know I try to highlight foods in this Colorful Eats series that represent our good-for-you way of eating. But in these challenging and uncertain times, occasionally a little decadence is called for. Sometimes demanded.

        So when the Home Chef Extraordinaire was trying to come up with his next creation, he went blank. As he struggled with concepts he thought you would enjoy, his writing pad remaining empty for hours, I tried to make some admittedly lame suggestions and after he returned a long blank stare, I offhandedly quipped "Why not NOT cook at all?".

        It turned out to be the lightbulb in the refrigerator moment he needed. He tossed around a few fantastic ideas with me, some of which will make the blog at later dates.

        Since it's almost football season and we are big fans (Kansas City CHIEFS, y'all), we're always in search of the best game time snacks. And what could be more perfect than a beautifully carved wood board rendered invisible by hoards of artisanal meats and cheeses!

        I hope you love the products I recommend! This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

         Charcuterie Board

        We were new to the world of Charcuterie when we started this project, having only experienced these tantalizing spreads at parties. We've admired the creativity involved in the placement of each food element and wondered if we could create our own delicious, colorful (of course) and aesthetically pleasing version for next Sunday's game.

        We set out for our local Whole Foods Market to see what ingredients we could discover. We had no real strategy and no list. And it turns out that's the best way to design your own board. No need to overthink it. Just go with what looks good, tastes divine and appeals to your eye.

        Just remember - if you choose to go meatless, don't call it Charcuterie. There are rules - meat MUST be involved, so sayeth the cured meat gods. It becomes a snack board without them but those are wonderful too! Here's how our Charcuterie experience took shape:

         

         

        Noritake Co., Inc.

         

         

         

        Charcuterie Meats | The Color Lab Blog

         

        1.  We found the right board to build our platter. Large cutting boards, marble slabs, slate boards or ceramic platters are great options.

        2.  We selected a variety of meats. Traditional Charcuterie is all about cured meats but since we wanted to stay nitrate-free, we chose Colameco's prosciutto, sopressata, chorizo and salami. This brand also uses no antibiotics and their meats are minimally processed.

        3.  Cheese? Please! There was an overwhelming array of hard and soft cheeses to choose from. You can't go wrong with your selection. Stay true to your taste buds. We went with cheddars, brie, gouda and gorgonzola.

        4.  Pitted greek and black olives were a must plus some brilliant red Peppadew sweet piquante peppers, roasted garlic cloves, cornichons for good measure.

        Charcuterie Board | The Color Lab Blog

        5.  A sliced french baguette and lightly salted crackers were important for creating bite-sized stacks. With all of the savory-spiciness, we balanced the board with a delectable Blood Orange MarmaladeHot Pepper JellyFig and Ginger Jam and a variety of mustards from Stonewall Kitchen.

        6.  For fresh fruit, we went with grapes because we already had them but berries and dried fruits are good too.

        7.  You can certainly use a variety of nuts but we decided on carmelized walnuts because once we tasted them, nothing else mattered.

        8.  To up the fancy factor, add some fresh rosemary or mint sprigs.

        9.  Serve with your favorite wine or beer. More important than anything else, have fun arranging and eating your Charcuterie board!

        Charcuterie Board | The Color Lab Blog


        Love, Juliet



         

         

        Wine.com

        Color Collective: 10 Links to News & Hues, Vol. 5

        Color Collective: 10 Links to News & Hues, Vol. 5

         Your colorful links for this week are below:

          • I was asked a couple of times about the colorful serving platter shown in last week's spicy recipe that I shared. Here it is. (Amazon)
          • My home color consulting clients are overwhelmingly loving this soothing color for their renovations. (Benjamin Moore)
          • As if the color selection for these bed sheets wasn't enough, they are the softest I've ever owned that don't squeeze the life out of your wallet. (Amazon)
          • What the legendary actress, Cicely Tyson (who passed away last month) had to say in this Master Class back in 2014 about ending racism is poignant. (Oprah.com)
          • Here's some funny with James Corden (host of The Late, Late Show on CBS) and singer The Weeknd from the Super Bowl. (YouTube)

         

        Wishing you and yours a Happy Valentine's Day! Until next time, live life in love and color!

         

        Love, Juliet

         

        CLICK HERE to read the entire Color Collective series!

         

         

        I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

         

         

         

         

        The MET

        Color Collective: 10 Links to News & Hues, Vol. 4

        Color Collective: 10 Links to News & Hues, Vol. 4

         

        The newest of new links are here just in time for your weekend. Enjoy!

        • This artist's mastery of the art of quilting and the messages his work embodies left me speechless. (Craft In America)
        • We've been reminiscing about the days when travelling was simpler, pre-pandemic but we've been eating vicariously by keeping the Home Chef Extraordinaire's tasty version of this spicy, Caribbean favorite on repeat. (The Color Lab Blog)
        • I "read" more books last year then I thought I ever could by "listening" to them on Audible. I'm currently enjoying a re-read of Walter Mosley's colorful masterpieces from the Easy Rawlins mystery series but this one is a standout for me, narrated by actor Michael Boatman. 
        • If you're a true foodie, you may balk at what's being done today in the name of pizza by an enterprising entrepreneur. Nevertheless, the story is....intoxicating. (Grub Street)
        • I recently celebrated my 61st birthday and if there is anything I've learned over the years is that fashion should NEVER cause you pain, in your wallet or any place else. It's why for the sake of comfort and sanity, I live in these. (The Color Lab Blog)
        • You may get a surprising health benefit from performing the simple act of stretching. (MindBodyGreen)
        • Did I mention I recently turned 61? And I think my skin has never looked better. I know I'm extremely biased in this opinion but I've been using this product for many years and it's a main reason why. (Gem Luxe Beauty)

         

        {image credits} Craft in America, Airbnb, Adobe Stock/shurkin_son

         

         

        Love, Juliet

         

         

        CLICK HERE to read the entire Color Collective series!

         

         

        I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!