skoots and cuddles: March 2012

Friday, March 30, 2012

yummy lemon chicken

i made this for the family last night
it was a hit
the kids thought it was a little lemon-y

but they cleared their plates... which is rare

i did not think it was lemon-y

i thought is was delicious

i thought i'd share

-erin

Roasted Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. lemon zest

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced

1 tsp. salt1 tsp. black pepper

2-4 lbs. of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks

2-3 tbsp. melted butter

Directions:

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake well to blend. Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, pressing out excess air and sealing once more. Refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade. Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the skins are crispy and well-browned. Halfway through baking, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Monday, March 12, 2012

spring and sprout

we have a bird nesting

and

the rain is falling

it's march in illinois

spring has sprung

let's pray it's here to stay

the kids were outside all weekend

riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline

causing chaos in the cul-de-sac

I LOVE IT!

dan and i had date night in the city

we ate dinner at sprout

and

i elbowed chef dale levitski in the stomach

oooops i'm such a klutz
and tend to make a scene

remember him from top chef?
now he probably has a bruise on his belly
due to my elbow

i'm kinda (really) short and jumped out of my bar stool
right onto chef dale
then i collapsed in a fit of giggles
oh man

for me
the evening was exciting because of the top chef thing
and i love good food
but
dan was excited because he knew dale in college
they were both competitive divers
and competed against one another
dan at miami of ohio and dale at iowa

we're both such nerds

that being said, the food was amazing
i enjoyed every single bite
we ordered the 8 course prix-fixe menu
and OMG
i nearly licked the plates

some of the highlights were

english pea
(chilled soup)
speck | purple haze | radish |mint

pork
white bean | fennel | bacon | apple

salmon
cauliflower | escarole | faro | meyer lemon

this is AMAZING octopus dish... my absolute favorite.
i couldn't find the explanation online :(

i realize i'm going on and on
but it was SOOOOO yummy!

if you're ever in chicago, run don't walk to sprout
(link)

hope you had a great weekend!
happy monday - e