Spicy Chicken

To help get me out of this rut I am in, I decided to make an effort to cook some new dishes.

Recently, while reading prolific cookbook author Melissa Clark's book, In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, I came across a recipe that was calling my name.  The recipe for Spiced Chipotle Honey Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potatoes had everything I was looking for in a recipe and more--flavor, spice, color-- and I had all of the ingredients at hand.

The only change I made was to use much less cumin, as I am not a big fan.  Next time I would omit it. Also, I whirred the chipotles into a rough paste instead of mincing them. Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are a staple in my kitchen.  When I open a can, I roughly puree them in the food processor, transfer them to a glass jar and store them in the refrigerator almost indefinitely. I think they have a special affinity to sweet potatoes.

This recipe turned out to be uncomplicated and quick to put together--not to mention delicious to boot.

Post Turkey Blahs

It was late on Sunday afternoon, and my friend T had just gotten her last child back to where she needed to be after Thanksgiving when she called.

"What are you doing?"
"I'm just deciding what to cook for dinner."
"So, what are you cooking?"
"Chicken."
Pause.
"Aren't you going to invite us for dinner?"
"You don't need an invitation."

And so it goes.

After a little back and forth, we decided that  since T had all of the side dishes from Thanksgiving to accompany the chicken, John and I would go to their house with the main dish in tow.  I prepared Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken Breasts, instructed T to have the oven heated to 400 degrees, grabbed a bottle of wine, and off we went.

While the Martinis were being shaken, the chicken went into the oven, and T heated up the Apple Butternut Squash Soup.  Delicious.

What a nice way to end the holiday weekend.