Watermelon Limeade #SundaySupper

It’s seems to be a winter that’s getting longer by the moment. As I sit here typing, on March 22, it’s SNOWING again! Just as my head is turning toward starting some seedlings for planting and planning out our garden. It’s SNOWING! AGAIN! I need something spring-like. Something summer-time cool to chase away the winter blasé mood.

It was a combination of events that led me to try this recipe … first, Sunday Supper’s theme of Citrus Recipes That Will Make Your Smile, hosted by Lisa at Jersey Girl Cooks AND walking through the supermarket and finding watermelon! I know, I know, it’s the wrong time of year. I don’t care. It looked fab and I needed a cocktail.

The original recipe did not call for gin. To me, it called for gin!

• 6 cups 1-inch-pieces watermelon (from about 1/2 5-pound watermelon)
• 1/2 cup cup fresh lime juice
• 2–3 tablespoons light agave syrup (nectar) or honey
• Lime wedges (for serving)
• GIN

Purée watermelon, lime juice, and 2 Tbsp. agave syrup in a blender until smooth. Add 1 Tbsp. more agave, if desired. Strain into a large pitcher filled with ice and stir in 1/2 cup water. Serve over ice and garnish with lime wedges.

Sunday Supper Citrus Recipes That Will Make You Smile

Appetizers

• Lemon Lime Shrimp Cocktail w/a Citrus Yogurt Dipping Sauce by The Freshman Cook
• Mango Citrus Salsa by Feeding Big

Breakfasts

• Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Rolls by Caroline’s Cooking
• Creamy Vanilla-Orange Overnight Oats by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Key Lime Muffins with Key Lime Glaze by Family Around The Table
• Lemon Donut Holes by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Lemon Poppy Seed Quick Bread by Pies and Plots
• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Muffins by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins by Jersey Girl Cooks

Main Dishes

• 10 Minute Lemon Pasta With Crispy Basil by Sprinkles and Sprouts
• Asian Lemon Chicken by Brunch-n-Bites
• Calamansi Shrimp on Couscous by Asian In America
• Citrus Marinated Chicken Thighs by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Citrus-Glazed Scallops with Chunky Avocado Salsa by The Weekend Gourmet
• Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti with Peas by Cricket’s Confections
• Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• One Pan Parmesan Lemon Chicken and Asparagus by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Orange Beef by Palatable Pastime
• Orange Chicken by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Skillet Roasted Lemon Chicken by My Savory Spoon
• Slow Cooked Orange Chicken Breasts by Simple and Savory
• Thai Lime Basil Chicken Stir Fry by Wholistic Woman

Sides

• Cilantro Lime Quinoa by Home Sweet Homestead
• Tiny Batch Blood Orange Marmalade by What Smells So Good?

Desserts

• Banana Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Clementine Pistachio Pomegranate Upside Down Cake by Sunday Supper Movement
• Easy Japanese Lemon Yuzu Bars by The Ninja Baker
• Key Lime Chiffon Pie by Food Done Light
• Ladyfinger Lemon Torte Recipe by Positively Stacey
• Lemon & Blueberry Skillet Cake by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Lemon Key Lime Layer Snack Cakes by Crazed Mom
• Meyer Lemon Creme Brulee by Soulfully Made
• Meyer Lemon Mousse by Recipes Food and Cooking
• Pink Grapefruit Meringue Tart by Baking Sense
• Sittin’ On a Sandbar Key Lime Pie by Gourmet Everyday
• Starbucks Lemon Loaf Recipe by Life Tastes Good
• The Best Lemon Bars Recipe by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Triple Citrus Macaroon Mascarpone Tart by The Crumby Cupcake
• Triple Lemon Poke Cake by Shaken Together

Beverages

• Homemade Grapefruit Soda by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pineapple Orange Smoothie by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• Ruby Red Mimosa by Our Good Life
• Simple Meyer Lemon Margaritas by My Life Cookbook
• Watermelon Limeade by From the Bookshelf

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Roasted Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Oregano

Can I just start by saying OH YUM?

It’s sunny … and spring is trying to come along, but evenings still have a bit of a chill, and if you spend part of your life as far north as I do, it’s still DAMN chilly at night!

I wanted to make something warming, comforting, to satisfy after a long day of working, but still delicious, light and spring-like. Lemons always seem to make things bright and light. When I found this recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine in the December 2012 issue, I knew I had to make this, and that this dish would bring smiles all around. This quick and easy to put together dish did just the trick!

My finished photo is a little darker than I had hoped, but there’s a terrible reason, and my tale of woe is told below …

• 1 lemon
• 4 large or 8 small skin-on, boneless chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 t olive oil, divided
• 3 sprigs oregano
• 1 T minced shallot
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 C dry white wine
• 1/2 C low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425°

Very thinly slice half of lemon; discard any seeds. Cut remaining lemon half into 2 wedges.

NOTE: I used more than HALF a lemon! I sliced one lemon thinly and then used half of a second one for wedges, but I am a bit of a sour person (no comments, please).

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Coat a large room-temperature skillet with 1 teaspoon oil. Add chicken, skin side down. Place skillet over medium heat and cook, letting skin render and brown, and pouring off excess fat to maintain a thin coating in pan, until chicken is cooked halfway through, about 10 minutes.

NOTE: This seemed to be more than 10 minutes. And, yes, pour off the excess fat, it makes a huge difference.

Scatter half the lemon slices on the bottom of skillet and half directly on top of the chicken (the slices on top of the chicken will soften; those in the skillet will caramelize).

NOTE: I put some of the slices directly under the chicken pieces. This may have softened the skin a bit too much, so next time I’ll just put it in the skillet.

Transfer skillet to oven, leaving chicken skin side down. Roast until chicken is cooked through, skin is crisp, and lemon slices on bottom of skillet are caramelized, 6-8 minutes.

NOTE: Again, this took longer than 6-8 minutes. Judge for yourself when the chicken is done.

Transfer chicken pieces, skin side up, and caramelized lemon slices from bottom of skillet to a warm platter. (Leave softened lemon slices in the skillet.)

Return skillet to medium heat. Add oregano sprigs, shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

NOTE: Now, do try to RESIST the urge to grab the skillet handle when you stir. It’s SERIOUSLY hot. It just came out of the oven, remember? How do I know this, you might ask? I grabbed it. I seriously burned my hand … was jumping around the kitchen HOWLING, tears streaming down my face, while being chased to get some first aid to my 4 burned fingers and palm (oh, when I do it, I do it good!). Thanks to some quick thinking, beaten egg whites, tons of burn cream being applied and reapplied and reapplied, a bandage of paper towels and duct tape (sorry I didn’t take a photo of this!)  and a lot of TLC, I woke up the next morning without a single blister. I was lucky … THIS TIME! Thank you.

Remove skillet from heat. Add wine; cook over medium heat until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add broth; cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over and season sauce with salt, pepper, and juice from remaining lemon wedge, if desired. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons oil.

Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, to rewarm. Serve topped with caramelized lemon slices.

NOTE: I served this with orzo seasoned with oregano and lemon zest and a salad. You definitely need bread, you won’t want to let a single drop of the sauce go to waste!

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce

I don’t know about you, but I have PILES of cooking magazines EVERYwhere in my house.

Every once in a while I feel the need to purge the piles. I spend hours upon hours pouring through them, tearing out recipes that I have EVERY intention of making. HA!

These torn out pages then become piles of their own. And then these piles begin to get unwieldy

The next step becomes going through these piles and piles of torn out recipes. I sit there and look at some of these pages thinking to myself, ‘What the heck were you thinking, girl? You are NEVER going to make this!’

Going through these pile I found this recipe for Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce from an issue of Bon Appetit in July 2011. Yes, it’s been at least that long since I last weeded through the piles!

This was delicious and quick and super easy. Lots of flavor packed into the oregano butter that finds its way into the tomatoes and chicken. I served this with orzo that I saved a tiny bit of the oregano butter to mix into.

Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and halved (4 halves total)
• Salt and pepper
• ¾ cup flour

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1½ tsp. fresh oregano, minced
• ½ tsp. sweet paprika
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (about 12 oz.)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic, oregano, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the oregano butter with the olive oil. Place the chicken breast halves in the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining butter mixture to the pan.

Crush the tomatoes slightly to release their juices and continue stirring until the butter is melted. Add the wine or broth to the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits. Cook for a minute more until well blended.

Slice the chicken, transfer to serving plates, and top with the pan sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

NOTE: Nothing to change! Totally WOW! Really quick and easy to put together. Great for a mid-week, guests coming over dinner.