real simple

i have to give credit where credit is due on this post. andy's been really busy with school lately so i've been taking over in the kitchen. i actually enjoy it because though he is a far superior cook, i love being in the kitchen and cooking meals for my family. however, i cannot just whip up a recipe off the top of my head the way that andy can. he can look in the fridge, combine ingredients that i would never think to put together, and make an entire meal fit for a fancy restaurant. my skills are much more limited and most often require a (simple) recipe. recipes with long lists of ingredients and multiple steps don't interest me. i like easy and quick, especially on a week-night. so, for the second night in a row, i've turned to www.realsimple.com for dinner. this evening it was rosemary chicken and arugula salad. i tweaked it a little bit (my recipe is below), however the majority of the credit goes to the fun chefs at RS. everything was yummy and quick, and i know it had to be good because the chef in the house ate seconds.

chicken ingredients:

4 bone in chicken thighs (if you don't like dark meat you can use chicken breast, which is what the RS recipe calls for. i've been using thighs in lieu of breasts lately because i find them to be much jucier)
2 tbs red wine vinegar
5 tbs olive oil
2 tbs chopped rosemary
2 cloves chopped garlic
s&p

to prepare:
1. whisk together vinegar, oil, rosemary, garlic, and salt and pepper (to taste) in a casserole dish.
2. add chicken to the dish and coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
*preheat oven to 400
3. wipe the marinade off the chicken. heat oil in a pan on med-high heat. Sear both
sides of the chicken (about 4 min. per side or until a golden brown)
4. cook the chicken in the preheated oven for 30 min or until chicken is heated to 165 F

salad ingredients:
*note, prepare the salad while the chicken is marinading so that it has plenty of time to soak up the dressing

2 tbs dijon mustard
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained (but not rinsed!)
1/4 red onion, chopped
3 oz baby arugula

to prepare:
1. whisk together mustard, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper (to taste)
2. add cannellini beans, onion and arugula
3. toss to coat and let sit (in the fridge or at room temp) while the chicken cooks, tossing occasionally.

serve chicken and salad together and enjoy!

this one's for you, trude!

i just got back from the wedding of one of my very best friends. trudy, affectionately known as HOWARD, got married in kiawah island, sc and i was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid. i loved every minute of my trip, but most importantly, was so honored to be a part of one of the most important days of trudy's life. when trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight, i thought of trudy. a few months ago trudy's maid of honor made a recipe book filled with dishes from all of her closest girlfriends. i got to see the book while at trudy's bachelorette party and it was so much fun to look at the recipes that all of the girls submitted. one of the recipes that i sent in was a very simple shrimp taco dish. it's one of my favorites which is why i wanted to share it with trudy. it's fresh and summery and, considering we're having june-like weather in march, i thought it would be a terrific dinner this evening. it was just as delicious tonight as it was five years ago when i first discovered it and i couldn't help but think of my sweet friend and her new husband who are off enjoying their honeymoon. here's to yummy dinners and to trudy and sean!

recipe (courtesy real simple magazine)

ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tbs fresh lime juice

2 tbs sour cream

1 jalapeno

1 tbs olive oil

1 c. corn kernels

8 oz cabbage, shredded (or bagged slaw mix)

1 lb shrimp

small flour tortillas

to prepare:

1. in a bowl, whisk together oj, lime juice, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste

2. add cabbage, corn, and jalapeno. toss to coat and let sit for at least ten min.

3. season shrimp with salt and pepper

3. cook shrimp on the grill or in a pan (using the olive oil if you cook it on the stove)

4. serve the shrimp and slaw in a warmed tortilla