one pan chicken with crispy potatoes

Before I had a child, I thought staying at home with a kid would mean I would have a ton of time to do all the things I never had time for when I worked full time. I figured my husband would always come home to a clean house that smelled of roasting meat with me in my apron and Ollie in clean clothes. At the very least, dinner would be ready at a reasonable hour, so that we would have some solid time together before the baby had to go to bed. Fast forward a year and a half and the scene is a lot less Pleasantville and a lot more Roseanne. Ah, naivety.

Today I didn't get to shower. We spent the morning at Costco crying over blueberries we couldn't eat at that very second. The new chicken costume helped with that disappointment, thankfully. Nap time was a rush to take a few pictures and then finish my resume so I could get it into the hands of the right people. By the time that was finished and edited, the babe was awake. The kitchen was a mess and dispersed from my makeshift photo studio and both sides of the sink were spilling over with dishes, but we left all of the mess at home and walked to the park anyway. Ollie went down the slide for the first time all by himself, never put sand in his mouth and I didn't even think about dishes one time. It was pretty great. At 4:45 we walked in the door, Ollie got a late afternoon snack and watched an episode of Bubble Guppies (I remember when I said my kid would never watch tv) while I tried to get a start on some of the dishes and a jump on dinner. Jon came home early to dirty dishes, onions and garlic on the stove, laundry that hadn't been folded and he kissed a wife who probably should have put on another layer of deodorant at some point during the day. We ate simple beef tacos with plenty of hot sauce and laughed a lot. There were no phones around and no to-do lists. Just us, around the table and now that I really think about it, that version of parenthood is actually pretty great. 

Since I don't need any help in the 'generating dishes' category, one pan recipes are highly sought after in our house (especially by Jon who frequently takes the dish washer job after dinner). We roast a chicken at least once a week, using just one pan which usually takes an hour, but lately I've started removing the backbone to speed up the cooking. Because all of the flesh is in contact with the pan, it cooks much faster than if it were whole. You also can set it and forget it until the timer goes off since it no longer needs to be flipped. All great things when you've got a hungry family to feed. 

Potatoes are a common compliment to chicken, but you could really use any root vegetable. Butternut squash or sweet potato (or all three!) would be great here as well. The onions get nice and browned while they roast and the extra time the potatoes take in the oven at the end really make them irresistably crispy. 

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one pan chicken with crispy potatoes

serves four

Ingredients: 

• 1 3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken, whole
• 4 large red potatoes, cut in half lengthwise, and then halved lengthwise again, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 of a medium yellow onion, cut into 1" pieces
• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• smoked paprika
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle position. 
2. Remove any organ pieces from inside the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast side down on a large cutting board. With kitchen scissors, cut along one side of the back bone starting at the neck and ending at the tail. Cut the other side and remove the back bone (see images above for reference). Flip the chicken over and place the heel of your hand in the middle of the breast bone. Put your other hand on top and push down as hard as you can to break the rib bone. The chicken will then lay out flat.
3. Transfer the chicken to a large (at lease 12") oven safe (no plastic on the handle) skillet, with the breast side up and the legs laying flat. Spread the potatoes, onion and thyme around the chicken and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Season the whole dish with a couple big pinches of kosher salt and a light sprinkle of freshly ground pepper. 
4. Cook the chicken until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and allow it to rest while you finish the potatoes. 
5. Even out the potatoes in the skillet and transfer back to the oven. Cook until the potatoes are well browned, about 10 minutes. Serve alongside sturdy sautéed greens such as kale. Mmm. Yes to kale.  

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biscuit sandwiches with bacon, egg + tomato

I used to go through a major crisis when we went out for brunch. The decision to go sweet or savory was so hard for me, you'd think I was making a life and death decision. Nearly every time, I go the savory route, mostly because so much sweet so early isn't usually my jam but a little something sweet is nice. We finally figured out that if we ordered a pancake for the table, our problem (my problem) was solved. This made all my brunch decisions easy, breakfast sandwich please, with a side of pancake to share.  

If there is a breakfast sandwich on the menu, I want it. If said breakfast sandwich is made with a biscuit, definitely get that in front of my face as soon as possible. My love for biscuit sandwiches probably stems from many childhood mornings at McDonald's. Just a biscuit with sausage, maybe some cheese. No egg (was it even really egg back then?) and definitely NOT on an english muffin. 

Now that most of our brunches happen at home (have you ever tried to have a civilized meal in public with a toddler?), I've been on the hunt for the perfect biscuit recipe. There isn't a huge amount of variation in the method, except for the additional step of folding the dough to create some extra beautiful layers. Of course, the ingredients or add ins vary, like these gorgeous sweet potato biscuits or these with honey and rosemary, which are both on my to-do list, but for the most part, the magic is in a few basic rules of biscuit making: work with cold ingredients, mix it all quickly and don't overwork the dough. Those luscious layers don't happen by accident, that's the cold butter working to create steam, pushing the dough into sheets of flaky nirvana. The fat in the butter works to tenderize the dough, making it soft AND flaky . YES. That's what we want! Bake them in a hot oven, top them with some salty bacon, a fried egg, a big hunk of tomato and a dollop of mayonnaise and then call me, because I'm coming over. 

When you've got a lazy weekend morning, make a batch of these biscuits. Go wild and double the recipe if you can and freeze half of the biscuits to make weekday biscuits a thing. They could be a thing, you know. I mean, any weekday that starts out with biscuits is all right by me. These biscuits are quite good, too. They're soft, buttery and are the perfect vehicle for all kinds of breakfast sandwich fare. Next time I'll remember the "L" in B.L.T. and add a little spicy arugula for a fresh kick. 

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biscuit sandwiches with bacon, egg + tomato

serves 6

find the original biscuit recipe (and much prettier ones at that!) here

Ingredients: 

• 9 oz all purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3/4 cup cold buttermilk, plus more for the top of the biscuits
• 6 eggs
• 12 slices of bacon (you should probably throw a couple extra on in case someone wants a sample)
• mayonnaise
• 1 large tomato, cut into thick slices

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter cubes, and use a pastry cutter or a couple of forks to mix the butter into the flour mixture. The pieces of butter should not be smaller than the size of peas and the mixture will start to look like course meal or wet sand. Stick the bowl in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to chill.

3. Add the cold buttermilk to the flour and butter mixture and mix it quickly with a fork until it's moist. There may still be some dry bits of flour, that's okay. They'll get mixed in in a minute.

4. Dump the dough (and any extra flour) onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently about 3-4 times until you have a mostly cohesive mass. The dough might still be a little shaggy, but we'll work that out right now. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 9'' by 5". Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, folding the long sides in toward the middle, overlapping one another. Roll out the dough again into a 9" by 5" rectangle. Fold it up again like a letter. Roll it out again into a 9" by 5" rectangle. Repeat the letter folding one more time, and then roll it out to about 3/4 inch thick. With a large knife, cut the dough into six equal pieces. Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet and brush the top of each biscuit with a little buttermilk. Sprinkle with kosher salt. 

5. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the biscuits have puffed and are golden brown around the edges. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool slightly. 

6. While the biscuits are in the oven, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Let them drain on some paper towels.

7. Wipe out the bacon skillet and cook the eggs over easy, until the whites are set, but the yolk is still runny. 

8. Now that the biscuits are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and spread a good dollop of mayonnaise on the bottom of each biscuit. Place a tomato slice on top of that, and then put an egg on it. Give it a light sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper and top with two slices of bacon. Place the top half of the biscuit on, well, the top and take a giant bite. Let the egg and tomato drip down your elbows. "Mmmm" and "Yumm" loudly. 

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tofu summer rolls

Summer is great isn't it? I mean, all that sun, late dinners on the porch, tomatoes. Sure, you're constantly dripping sweat, you can't find anything to wear because all you own are cardigans and black jeans and you keep buying butternut squash even though you know it just doesn't feel right. You are pinning cool ways to decorate your mantle with branches and pine cones and you know exactly how many days there are until Christmas Eve. Oh, by you, I definitely mean me. Don't get me wrong, there are certainly some endearing qualities of the season like al fresco dinners, pool parties and popsicles. I just think summer and I would probably get along a lot better if it wasn't so darn hot all the time and the sun decided to hide itself every once in a while. Just a little break, tiny really. After all, California has had so much sun this year (and so little rain) that the lakes and reservoirs are just about dried up. I'm hoping and praying for a long and wet winter. Wouldn't that just be absolutely glorious? We'll make soup and crusty bread and we'll sit by the fire, sipping tea in our oversized sweaters. Guys, it's gonna be amazing. 

There are still 19 days left of summer, so in the meantime, I promise I'll refrain from complaining about the fact that it's STILL summer and move that we pull it together and really take advantage and live it up. Let's boycott the oven, get outside and eat as many tomatoes as we can fit in our mouths. I'll stop pinning pumpkin recipes and hearty soups and really try to enjoy the moment and I won't even think about how many more days are left before I can legitimately start listening to Christmas music. Let's hit the pool, eat dinner outside until the sun is gone and make popsicles. Alright, that's the pep talk I needed. Thanks guys. Let's do this. 

As our first act of living it up, let's make summer rolls. I mean, it's in the name. So perfect, right? Summer rolls are a great dish for using up leftovers from the week. We nearly always have baked tofu around to use as a quick toddler snack or to bulk up salads and scrambles. It works perfectly here and since it was already in the fridge, it was super simple to throw these together. If you don't want to use the baked tofu option for these (which would require some oven action, but totally worth it), you can substitute about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken or quickly grilled shrimp would be pretty great as well. I'd plan for two shrimp per roll if you go that route. 

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tofu summer rolls

makes 8 

Ingredients: 

• 10 rice paper wrappers (it's a good idea to soak a couple extra since it's easy to tear them)
• 4 green onion, white and light green parts only, split lengthwise, then sliced lengthwise again
• 3 oz cellophane noodles
• 1 cup pickled vegetables (alternatively, you can use regular carrot and daikon, julienned) 
• 16 sprigs cilantro
• 16 large basil leaves
• 2 cups mixed greens

• 24 baked tofu sticks, or 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 2 tablespoons honey

• juice of one lime

• 1 teaspoon garlic chili paste

Preparation:

1. Cover the cellophane noodles with hot water and let them sit for 10 minutes. Drain them in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside. 
2. Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, lime juice and garlic chili paste in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. On a large plate or a baking dish, soak the rice paper wrappers in warm water until soft and pliable, just a few minutes. 
4. Carefully separate a rice paper wrapper and place it on a plate. In the middle of the wrapper, add three sticks of tofu, a small handful of pickled vegetables, a small handful of cellophane noodles, two sprigs of cilantro, two basil leaves and a small handful of mixed greens. Roll one side of the wrapper toward the middle, tuck the top and bottom over the top and continue rolling until you meet the other side. Slice in half, dip it in the sauce and enjoy. 

grilled salmon with chimichurri

Around 7:15 am we wake up to either loud playful gibberish or screaming. It all depends on what side of the bed our toddler happens to wake. No matter which way our living and breathing alarm goes off, we both roll out of bed, wipe the sleep from our eyes and hit the daily routine. Ollie gets a "milkshake" in the morning because he doesn't like to drink milk straight quite yet. He usually gets a peanut butter banana shake with whole milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon (come to think of it, that's probably why he doesn't like it plain but I can't blame him, it's pretty delicious). He takes his daily shake on the couch on dads' lap while catching up with the gang on Sesame Street. It's a pretty solid way to start the day. 

Eventually, after everyone has been fed, caffeinated and dressed, my husband leaves for work and the toddler and I spend the day running, picking up sticks, trying to eat rocks, doing laundry, napping and attempting to throw a balanced dinner together. Some days everything comes together and we get to eat a satisfying, healthful meal and other days my son wants to be pushed in a cardboard box all day and it's all we can do to get something other than cheez its and blueberries in our mouths. On those days, when my attention leans a bit more than normal, a low maintenance dinner is necessary. Cue a quick cooking protein, a bright herb mixture and pre-washed greens (with a glass of wine for me, please). 

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grilled salmon with chimichurri

serves 6

This dish comes together quickly. If you have time the day before to whirl the chimichurri ingredients in the food processor or blender for a few seconds, it's gloriously fast. Just throw it in an airtight container and refrigerate it until you need it. 

Ingredients: 

For salmon

• 1 cup parsley leaves
• zest of one lemon
• juice from half of the lemon
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• large pinch of kosher salt
• 1 large salmon filet (about 2 pounds), skin on

For vinaigrette

(side note) This will make a half pint jar of vinaigrette, so you'll have lots of extra to use the rest of the week. Woot! Also, if you don't already make your dressings in a mason jar, get on that. It's so easy. Just cap it, shake it and pour it on. Then cap it and refrigerate.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 1/2 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

For salad

• 12 cups baby kale
• 2 cups peeled and grated daikon
• 2 cups grated cucumber (no need to peel)
• 3 green onion

Preparation: 

1. To make the chimichurri, whirl the first six ingredients for the salmon together in a food processor or blender until well blended and the parsley is finely chopped. (If making ahead, place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight)
2. Make the vinaigrette by combining all of the ingredients into a lidded jar. Shake well and set aside. (see side note above)
3. Pre-heat the grill for zone cooking with high heat on one side of the grill and medium on the other. If you are using a charcoal grill, push the hot coals to one side to keep one side a bit cooler and if you are using a gas grill, you can merely turn the heat to medium if you only have one burner. 
4. With an oil soaked paper towel and a pair of tongs, grease the grill grate to prevent the fish from sticking. 
5. Rub the salmon with the chimichurri, reserving about 3 tablespoons. Place the fish skin side down over direct heat until the skin is seared, about three minutes. Move the fish to the cooler part of the grill (do not flip, keep it skin side down) and let it cook until it begins to flake with a fork and is just cooked through, about 9-12 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the fish. Transfer the fish to a cutting board and cut into 6 hefty sized vertical filets. 
6. When the fish is just off the grill, combine the salad ingredients and toss in about 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette. The greens should be lightly coated, not drowning in the dressing, just enough to make them shimmer. Divide the salad among 6 bowls and top with each with a piece of salmon and a drizzle of the chimichurri. 

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