A mismatched Aranici and the almost perfect roasted chicken

I was spring cleaning my freezer this morning. There was a slight gap between the freezer door and therefore, "shaved ice" has been accumulating in the freezer. I was clearing the "shaved" ice from the freezer with a spoon into a bowl. I had my little helper with me. She was happily helping me remove the shaved ice. After a couple minutes, she came to me and said, "Mom, can u give me more shaved ice?" I was curious and asked why. She replied, "coz I want to build a snowman!"

This little helper of mine has a creative mind. When she was merely 4 years old, she was helping her dad by sweeping the floor as her dad was drilling the wall and after a couple minutes, she said to her dad, "Daddy, can you drill more?" Daddy was curious and asked why. She replied, "Coz I want to build a sandcastle!"

Now, back to the recipes I've tested. Here and again, two recipes from Just a Taste caught my attention....the Aranici (Cheesy Rice balls) and the Simple Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lemon. These two recipes my family and I had over the weekend immediately became a hit.

However and again, I did some variations to the Aranici. It is actually my first time preparing Aranici. I had slight trouble shaping the rice into ball-like-shape. It did not stick too well. According to Just a Taste, the best rice to use for this recipe is sushi rice. What I had at home was 15 grain rice and basmati rice. So, I opt for the latter. True enough, it did not "stick" too well.

I added dried oregano on top of the original recipe. Instead of parmesan cheese, I used sharp cheddar cheese and skipped the marinara sauce. Honestly, I was struggling to shape the rice in the beginning. Each time I dip the rice balls into the egg, it somehow "disintegrated". At the end, what I did was....I mixed the rice with breadcrumbs. And it works! The rice finally stuck together!

My Aranici...the mismatched shapes prepared by an amateur.

While I was working on the Aranici, I already had the chicken in the oven. I followed the recipe without any variations. It took about 2 hours to actually roast the chicken. Below is my final product. It's simple yet delicious. Recommended recipe.

My Simple Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lemon.

If you have any variations, please do share with us.

Have a blessed day!