 Anyone else like those really close up photographs that make you guess the subject? Here's a hint: it's a vegetable.  It's an artichoke! I bought a couple of artichokes this week and much to my surprise, my children did not know what they were! (I felt like I had failed them as a chef.) Once I gathered composure and quizzed the kids on every other vegetable that I could find in the kitchen, I quartered my artichokes and go ot work on my chicken dinner. I'm a big fan of brined chicken so when I found this recipe for a dry brined chicken from Williams Sonoma - I just had to try it. The recipe calls for a special dry brine that you can purchase from Williams Sonoma but I decided to come up with my own instead.  Dry Brined Chicken 4 Tablespoons kosher salt 1 Tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons dried thyme 2 teaspoons dried rosemary 2 teaspoons dried sage 1 chicken 2 Meyer lemons, cut into 1/4" rings 4 artichokes, outer leaves, removed and quartered 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1" wedges 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup olive oil 2 Tablespoons white wine Combine first 5 ingredients and rub over chicken.
Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place remaining lemon slices inside chicken cavity. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and cook 30 minutes at 425. Rotate roasting pan 180 degrees and roast another 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter and tent with foil for at least 10 minutes.
I served this chicken with steamed broccoli and our yummy Meyer lemon vegetables. The skin was crispy and the meat was juicy and delicious. This is my new favorite roasted chicken recipe.
Ciao!
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The chicks only lived with us for a short time. We took them to an Easter carnival at the church and then they went to live on a local farm which was a much more suitable environment for them.  I made a batch of Easter chicks this week to send to school. These chicks didn't last very long in our house either - but these were eaten - not sent to the farm.
Let the dipping begin.
Add beaks and feet with orange icing.
I did save a couple and put them in the freezer. Shhh - You never know when one of these little chicks might just appear again.  Who wouldn't love to find one of these sweet little chicks tucked into their basket on Easter morning?
Ciao!  Nothing says spring to me like fresh strawberries. We are less than a month away from strawberry season in Atlanta - I can hardly wait.  I was responsible for bringing a fresh fruit tray to a party this week and I wanted to make it extra special by adding a yogurt dip. I've made the marshmallow fluff/cream cheese dip in the past but I was really wanting something a little less sweet and a little healthier for this occasion. I used my imagination and I came up with my own recipe for a strawberry yogurt dip.  Strawberry Yogurt Dip 2 small containers of vanilla Greek yogurt 1 container of strawberry cream cheese Combine ingredients with a spoon or in a mixer until smooth and creamy.  I set up my fruit tray and yogurt dip among a vast array of sugary treats in front of a group of teenagers. What happened next, was something that I wouldn't have believed unless I saw it for myself. The teenagers were bypassing the cupcakes and cookies and eating the fresh fruit and yogurt dip! At the end of the party there were cupcakes and brownies leftover and the fruit and dip was nearly gone. I never would have guessed that this would have been so well received by teenage girls.
Who says that you can't feed healthy food to kids? I've been snacking on this yummy dip all week. I discovered it's also good with fresh pineapple, mandarin orange wedges, grapes and apple slices. I am already planning to make another batch to serve at my Easter brunch. Ciao!   It's been another great week of baseball and soccer games. I love watching their games and I would choose to watch my teenage athletes perform over a professional athlete - any day. It's so much fun to watch them in a sport that they really love. It's too bad that somewhere along the way, some professional athletes lose sight of the love of the game. I packed Philly Cheesesteaks for dinner to eat at the ballpark one night. They are easier to make than you might think and they are delicious. Philly Cheesesteaks 1 pound top rounds steak (or flank steak) 5 slices provolone 1 onion, chopped 4 sub rolls 2 teaspoons oil
Combine onion, 1 t. oil and 1/4 t. salt in nonstick skillet. Cover and cook 8 min.
Uncover, increase heat to medium high and add 1 t. oil, meat, 1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. pepper. Cook meat through. Reduce heat and place cheese over meat. Cook until melted.
Ok, so Philly Cheesesteaks may not be as widely accepted at ballparks and hot dogs, but they were a delicious dinner to eat while we cheered on our favorite team.
Ciao! 
It's hard to put into words the range of emotions and feelings that overwhelmed me when I watched him pull away for the first time. It was through anxious tears and nervous smiles that I managed to snap a few pictures of his first independent voyage. Needless to say, it was a hard day for me. Watching my kids grow and achieve these milestones makes me so so proud but that doesn't make it any easier to let them grow up. As they become more independent, I realize that it's becoming increasingly harder for me to protect them. I have to put my trust in the knowledge that the creator of the universe is watching over my kids - especially my sixteen year old driver. By Monday morning, I was emotionally exhausted from the weekends driving events so I made a batch of Chocolate Crackles to help ease the anxiety. Chocolate always makes me happy.  Chocolate Crackles 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate 1 ½ cups brown sugar ½ cup butter ½ cup cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup whole milk ¼ teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cups flour 1 cup sugar 1 cup powdered sugar
Space 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake 14 minutes at 350. 
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