How to fake a barbecue

Summer in an apartment is missing one big thing: a grill. We've toyed around with the broiler and wanted to share some key lessons. Combine this method with our six ingredient barbecue sauce and you've got yourself a summer cookout (in your kitchen).

Prep time: 4-8 hours (plus marinating time)

Cook time: 30-35 minutes

What you'll need:

• Your favorite barbecue sauce (you can use ours)
• 3 pounds of legs and thighs 

What you'll need to do:

Marinate the chicken pieces in the barbecue sauce for at least 4 hours. 

Once it's good and soaked, preheat your broiler and place the pieces skin side up. Broil for 5-7 minutes until the skin is just a bit fire kissed. 

Preheat your oven to 350. Place the chicken in a rack above a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until juices run clear. 

Ta da-barbecue in your kitchen. 

Blueberry Coffeecake with Almond Streusel

A delightful way to take advantage of berry season. This one comes by way of the July issue of Cooking Light, with some tips from us to help any first time bakers.

This cake is light and fluffy, but also has some fantastic flavor in every bite. It's a good breakfast companion with a strong cup of coffee. 

The recipe specifically calls out not baking this in a dark or nonstick pan. 

Prep time: 25 minutes

Bake time: 45 mins

What you'll need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries (if using frozen, don't thaw the berries. Just bake a bit longer if necessary)
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind (the whole rind of a medium sized lemon)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)

What you'll need to do:

Combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and mix with whisk. Place your blueberries in another small bowl and sprinkle two tablespoons of the flour mixture over them and toss to coat (This apparently helps the blueberries not bleed into the mixture). 

In yet another small bowl, combine brown sugar, rolled oats, sliced almonds, 1 tablespoon flour and cinnamon. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of melted butter and mix, making sure to break up any large chunks of brown sugar. 

Preheat your oven to 375. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, 1/4 cup butter and oil until blended. Add the egg and beat well. Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in the lemon rind and juice.

Grease the pan and spread half the batter, then layer with 1 cup of blueberries. Spoon the rest of the batter over the blueberries, then top evenly with the brown sugar mixture.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool and enjoy!

Sweet Pepper Pasta

Say that three times fast!

This is one of the most simple and satisfying meals. To boot, it also helps you eat seasonally.

Roasting the peppers give them a great taste, while topping it with burrata or fresh mozzarella is just fun.

Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 20 mins

What you'll need:

• 1 16 oz package of linguine or fettuccine 
• 2 red peppers
• 2 yellow pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 package of burrata (if that's not available, fresh mozzarella or ricotta)
• olive oil 

What to do:

Boil the water and cook the pasta according to directions.

Quarter the peppers and lay them out in a single layer on a foil lined broiler pan. Broil the peppers for about 10 minutes, or until the skin is blackened. Once they are nicely roasted, put them in a ziptop back and let sit for about 15 minutes. When the peppers are cooled, peel the skin and discard.

Take our your favorite food processor and puree 1/2 of each color of pepper and set aside. Chop the other half. 

Heat up the olive oil and brown the garlic. Toss in the chopped peppers and saute for 5 minutes. 

Drain the pasta and mix with pureed peppers. Top with chopped pepper mix and buratta. Serve immediately and enjoy. 

Broiled Pork Chops Marinated in Mustard

We dream of summer grilling and backyard barbecues. But, living in a city, we have a tiny kitchen and no grill! We've found the broiler is a better than average substitute for that just-grilled flavor.

This recipe riffs off the marinated pork chops with green bean and grilled crouton salad in the June 2014 issue of Cooking Light. While the original recipe uses the extra dressing for the salad, we decided to increase the number of chops and substitute the salad with some roasted asparagus and yellow sweet potato fries. 

The mustard gives the pork a tangy flavor and marinating it overnight allows that flavor to permeate the whole chop. 

Prep time: 8-12 hours marinating time, 30-40 minutes actual active time
Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 6 boneless pork chops (thinly sliced)

What you need to do:
Whisk together the red wine vinegar, mustard and olive oil until well combined. 

Using a fork, pierce each chop on both sides.

Place the chops and marinade in a ziptop bag and shake to coat. Make sure each chop is coated evenly. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before broiling.

When you're ready to broil: 
Pre-heat the broiler and line the broiler pan with foil. Broil each side for 4-5 minutes. We broiled the first side twice, just to brown the edges a bit, but once per side is enough.