It's that time of year again. Highlights (and lowlights) of the past year are flooding my newsfeed. New diets and detox regimens for a "new you." New Year Resolutions. For me, I like to review some of my best meals and with that, moments in the past year. Drum roll please...

#10: Matzo Ball Soup - this was my second time ever making matzo ball soup. I made them with schmaltz (melted chicken fat). No matzo ball mix here. The result? Crazy good.

#9: DIY Rice Bowls with Fried Egg - Such a humble dish but all-around family favorite. Rice topped with some stir-fry veggies and a fried egg. One dish you won't need a recipe for.

#8: Scallion Pancakes - These golden beauties from Joanne Chang's Flour, Too cookbook are now a must-have during Chinese New Year celebrations.

#7: Roasted Pumpkin Soup at Henrietta's Table - I had the good fortune of getting a cooking demonstration by Chef Peter Davis for making this luscious soup. It's a bowl full of Autumn.

#6: Asian-Style BBQ Chicken - from one of my 2014 favorite cookbooks, Dinner: The Playbook, this BBQ chicken dish is packed with flavor. Plus my kids love it and it's so easy to make. Yep, it's a keeper.

#5: Warm Couscous Salad with Roasted Autumn Vegetables and Ginger-Scallion Dressing - from my other favorite 2014 cookbook, Flour, Too, this dish is hearty but so good for you, you can't help but love it.

#4: The Countdown - this was my favorite cocktail at one of my new favorite restaurants this year - Alden & Harlow. I can't recall what's in this drink (their drink menu changes regularly). What I can remember was this was a perfect drink for raising a glass to turning the big 4-0.

#3: Momofuku Noodle Bar's Shiitake Bun - this was a bittersweet meal. My long-awaited first visit to Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC only happened because we were in the city for my grandmother's funeral. It was sad having to say goodbye, but so lovely being with family over some of the best food I've ever had.

#2: Sharing platter - there was nothing extraordinary about this charcuterie and cheese board. What makes it one of my favorite meals is the fact that this was our last picnic dinner on one of our favorite beaches on Cape Cod. Sigh.

#1: Mother's Day Breakfast - Oh my God, was this good. Umdaddy surprised me with the best breakfast a mom could ask for: Fried egg over baby arugula, skillet fried fingerling potatoes and monkey bread french toast. Not only was this out-of-this-world-good, but I got to share it with my family. I am so very lucky.

Here's to even more delicious meals with those you love in 2015!

Is there anything better than BBQ chicken on the grill in the summer? The more napkins the better, right? Gotta love leftover cold chicken for a picnic the next day (or breakfast in some cases - ahem). There's usually a bottle of store-bought BBQ sauce in our house for emergencies. But I recently decided to test two very different BBQ chicken recipes from two of my favorite chefs: David Chang and Martha Stewart.

So join me in my fantasy "East meets West" BBQ Chicken Throwdown between David Chang of Momofuku fame and Martha Stewart, domestic goddess. Who will prevail? Read on to find out.




Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken
Adapted from David Chang, Men's Health

INGREDIENTS:
8 skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, plus more for cooking
1/2 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Japanese shiro (white) miso
1 tsp minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped scallions

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. In a medium bowl, mix together the sriracha, oil, apple juice, honey, miso, ginger, garlic, and salt. Add 1 cup of water and mix thoroughly; mix in the onion and scallions.


Pour half the marinade mixture into the plastic bag with the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a day. Refrigerate the remaining marinade in a small covered saucepan.

2. When you're ready to eat, remove the chicken from the fridge. Place the saucepan with the reserved marinade on medium heat and simmer until the mixture is thickened and saucelike, about 20 minutes.

3. Brush a grill or grill pan with grapeseed oil and set the heat to medium high. When the grill is ready, cook the thighs until the undersides have charred grill marks and release easily from the grill, about 8 minutes.

4. Flip the thighs and cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the middle reads 165°F, about 8-10 minutes more. Let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes, and serve with white rice and grilled vegetables like scallions, mushrooms, or bok choy. Makes 4 servings

The Good: Unique combination of flavors - sweet, spicy, earthy, salty - makes this stand out. Easy to whip up.

The Bad: Went light on the sirarcha sauce since I wanted to make sure this was not too spicy for the boys. The end result was good if not a little tame. Will dial up the heat next time.

Grade: A-. This was a big hit at our backyard BBQ. Serve with grilled scallions and this is a knockout dish.

Brown-Sugar BBQ Chicken
Adapted from Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS:

The Good: Essentially there are only five ingredients to this dish. So simple yet so delicious.

The Bad: Even with the oiled grates, left such a mess on the grill.

Grade: A. A HUGE hit with all my boys. And even better the next day. Never buying store-bought sauce again.