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. 

---

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.  

---

roasted poblano + chicken enchiladas

I often struggle with what to share on these pages. Anecdotes about our daily lives, silly toddler stories and sharing a great meal we had are all pretty safe places, but what about the hard stuff? The difficult things are an important part of our human existence and I find that those are the experiences we bond over most frequently. We all have a struggle in some form and it is in that struggle where we see each others humanity. In a society where we have a screen in front of our faces at all times, it is easy to curate our interaction with the world to miss a lot of that real, vulnerable connection. My hope for this place is to encourage us to be authentic with those around us and to connect in a way we can't through a screen. Allow yourself to share those hard places with someone. Cook dinner, share life.

This week was really hard.

My family life growing up seemed to be filled with more bad weeks than good ones, while we all lived through the constantly repeating repercussions of substance abuse and severe emotional instability. My sisters and I were lucky enough to make it out mostly unscathed, but occasionally the battleground of our childhood resurfaces and we dutifully put on our uniforms and wield our weapons, in hopes of making it through another conflict. In wars past, my inclination has been to attempt to rescue everyone, but this time, I'm all out of energy and all I can do is throw my hands up and retreat, waving my white flag in hopes the enemy that is addiction will leave us alone once and for all.

It amazes me, when I think about it, how much our choices can affect other people. Something as personal as how many drinks we decide to have on any given night can greatly alter the lives of those around us. Those seemingly small, insignificant choices can have a real lasting impact on those we care deeply about.  It's likely I am blissfully unaware of most of the ways having an alcoholic father has shaped who I am, however, when the careful balancing act of quiet addiction is thrown out of whack, I'm acutely aware of the affects and their tremendous weight. 

We spent the last two weeks dealing with the consequences of his poor decisions. It was painful and confusing and oddly numbing in some ways. By the weekend, I was completely drained. I told my husband that I needed a day where I didn't have to take care of anyone because I really needed to take care of myself. He was happy to give me that time and skipped out on work to support me. I cooked and I stood behind my camera and no one asked anything of me. The enchiladas did exactly what I wanted them to and my sense of control was restored if only for a few hours, and it was perfect. 

If you like your food spicy, these will be your jam. I was actually really surprised by the heat, but it's the perfect amount for me. The sour cream lends a reprieve and if you serve these with some rice and beans you'll have a beautifully balanced plate. The tortillas can tear pretty easily, but just give them grace. They still taste great and all that lovely sauce will cover any holes. 

In every other tray of enchiladas I've made, I have covered the tortillas completely in sauce. This recipe suggested leaving the edges naked to allow them to get crispy, which added an extra crunchy layer I had never had in an enchilada. It's awesome and I'll never go back. 

The extra step of roasting the poblanos is an essential part of this recipe. It takes little effort and really makes the recipe what it is. Resist the temptation to use canned green chiles here, it just won't be the same. Plus, there is something therapeutic in peeling off those skins. Count it as your end of the day de-stress activity. 

---

roasted poblano + chicken enchiladas

makes 10 enchiladas

adapted from this recipe from Sunset Magazine

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 pounds poblano chiles (you can also use anaheim or hatch chiles if you catch them in season)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus a bit more
• 3 3/4 cups reduced-sodium or homemade chicken broth, divided 
• 10 corn tortillas (6 1/2 to 8 in. wide) 
• 2 cups shredded monterey jack, divided
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (from left overs or a store bought rotisserie chicken)
• Sour cream, for garnish

Preparation: 

1. Place an oven rack on the second position (or at least 6 inches from the heating element) and another rack on the middle position. Pre-heat the oven to broil. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil on the second rack until very dark, about 15 minutes, flipping them halfway through to blacken evenly. Allow them to cool slightly. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees. 
2. When the chiles are cool enough to handle, remove the stems, seeds and skin. Roughly chop and set aside. 
3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the chiles and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Cook for a few minutes and then add 1 1/4 cups chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it reduce by a third, about 10 minutes.  
4. Place the chile mixture into a blender (careful, it's super hot!). Cover with a clean towel and blend on low (to avoid a really big mess), until the mixture looks a lot like pesto. Set aside. 
5. In the same skillet, add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth and bring it to a gentle simmer. Grab a large baking sheet and set it up next to the stove. Dip a tortilla (until completely covered) into the hot broth to moisten it. Place it on the baking sheet and repeat with another tortilla. Don't let them touch on the baking sheet or they'll stick to each other. Add a pinch (like 2 tablespoons) of cheese to each tortilla and about the same amount of chicken. Give them a small sprinkle of kosher salt and a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper. Roll them up and transfer them to a 9x13 baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. 
6. Pour the chile sauce over the enchiladas, leaving the edges of the tortillas exposed to allow the ends to get a bit crispy, because they're super good that way. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and again, give it a sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. 
7. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes, until the cheese is good and melted. Turn the oven to broil, and move the enchiladas to the rack in the second position. Broil until the cheese is browning, about one minute. Garnish with sour cream and have some milk ready. These babies are packing some heat. 

---

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. 

---

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. 

---

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. 

---

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.