Gal #1 Checks In

The star of the show....

Not Mr. #1's favorite meat.

Onions.  Again.  Last month I shared my angst with onions...and this month I had another breakthrough.  I read that if you soak your onions (cut) in cold water for 10 minutes, it really cuts down on the pain and tears.  I tried it.

It works.  Really does.  Using the food processor seems like an obvious way to avoid tears too - but forever after it seems like my food processor smells like onions...no matter how I clean it or whatever else I put in it.   The water bath keeps my knife skills sharp and my food processor smelling clean. :)

Chicken is prepped and ready for the oven.  Time to prepare the couscous.

Chicken is done...

Dinner is served (and blurry).  :)

The pineapple looked good on the outside...was past its prime on the inside.  Maybe another day.

The best thing about this meal was that Mr. #1 (who normally is not thrilled with chicken) really liked this entire menu.  I was all about how easy it was...but I didn't think it was a 10.  Maybe I just needed to go to California too?

I'm ready for April, girls!  Bring it on!

Coast Meets Coast

What a treat being together in California to make this wonderful menu (Gals 2&3)! It is so rare we are together to create our monthly menu, so this was a treasure. With a few alterations to the ingredients, this meal turned out to be fantastic and simple to put together- the most important factors when judging a menu.

The chicken was superb, although extremely citrus. We cut down the garlic for fear of the repercussions of 3 tablespoons! Next time the #3 household might keep the garlic the same and cut down on lemon zest. Mr. #2 would like the same, but for Gal #2 and guests, the lemon was divinely refreshing.

(Sorry, we ate it all up to fast after it came out of the oven so there were no final pictures!!)

The couscous was a debate of onion. A recipe calling for 2 cups of onion is something to be taken very seriously. We opted for the more palate-friendly shallot and only added 1 to the mix. There were not as many pine nuts as were required in the recipe (fault of Gal 2!), but we added what we had. What came out was a savory and crunchy couscous that will now be a staple of Gal's 2&3's side dish recipes.

The pineapple is a scary thought for Gal 2, but for the #3's we love our pineapple any which way you can serve it up! We saved this delectable treat for when we wanted to use the charcoal grill for burgers later in the week. Turned out great!! They were very easy to make, nothing stuck to the grill. However the 1/4 cup honey called for is too much! We maybe used an 8th of a cup and still thought it was on the very sweet side. Perfect with ice cream :)

Barefoot in March!

With my thoughts turning to spring, I choose recipes from my favorite celeb chef - the Barefoot Contessa.  Here is the menu:

Lemon Chicken Breasts

Pine Nut Couscous

Grilled Pineapple

Doesn't that look delicious?  In NEOhio...it is cold, gray and dismal.  Something about the word "lemon" and "pineapple" conjure up thoughts of light, fresh and simple.  I will let you add your own colorful vegetable dish (I'm thinking spinach salad) or maybe none at all...How Easy Is That?  (That's the cookbook these recipes come from)

Just a reminder - these are barefoot recipes - so go easy on the salt.  The biggest shopping challenge I think you will have is finding boneless chicken breasts with the skin ON.  I say - forget it.  Just buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts - keep it simple.

Come on spring!