Life has been busy lately. If you know me, you know my life is always busy. Like many Mom's, there's always something to do, somewhere to go, something to clean, some appointment I'm running late to, some unique present I have to think of buying/making, something to cook, and a life to live somewhere in between. Quite similar to a never ending "To-Do" List. Yet, right now I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. You see, my husband and I were surprised with the pregnancy of our first daughter when I was halfway through my first year of college. Since then all I've ever known was working full time, going to school full time, and being a mother and wife full time. Busy my whole life. That's just how we do things.
Since quitting my job last November I've actually had the time to explore things I enjoy. What a concept? I know. Thus, the happiest I've ever been comes into play. Cooking and blogging are definitely things I enjoy very much. I adore perusing recipes and daydreaming about how they will taste. I love flipping through the pages in my cookbooks. I love that my cookbooks are getting dirty - spotted with splatters showing proof of actual use - not just sitting pretty on a shelf. I pretty much love all things cooking.
Then the other day I went to the grocery store, yet again, and realized I am a hoarder of ingredients. I just keep buying and buying ingredients so that I will "have it on hand" later. I always have a fully stocked pantry, freezer and refrigerator. I need to use this stuff. I need to use it now. So, I've given myself a challenge: Pantry cooking for now.
I am challenging myself to cook with what I have, with the option of purchasing no more than two additional ingredients per recipe. (We'll see how long I last with this big idea.....I seem to come up with great ideas and then forget about them quickly.) The only potential problem I can see is it seems kinda boring, uninspiring. I'm determined not to let it be, but we'll see.
This dinner was the epitome of easy. Absolute no-brainer here. The chicken tasted good but the skin tasted great. I loved the flavor of the honey mixed with mustard and the way it crisped up under the broiler.
ps. If you have any yummy, solid "pantry cooking" recipes send 'em my way. Thank you!
serves 4
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
In a bowl, toss chicken thighs with olive oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and marinate 1 hour (or up to a day).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast chicken, skin side down, in an oiled roasting pan, 20 to 25 minutes; flip and roast 10 more minutes.
Stir together grainy mustard and honey and season with salt and pepper. Brush glaze onto chicken and broil 5 minutes.
Unfortunately, I cannot upload a picture of the final product. For some stupid reason I keep getting this message
"Unable to upload file (IMG_5317.JPG) because the site has exceeded its file upload quota"
Umm, does this mean my blog has too many pictures and that I can't add anymore?! No way. Has this happened to anyone? What the heck. Total pain in the ass.
Woo Hoo, figured out the problem...here's the rest of the pictures :)
Woo Hoo, figured out the problem...here's the rest of the pictures :)
I love chicken thighs... off topic thought? what happened to the thing on the upper right hand side of your blog where it said "My favorite thing about today was..." I liked that!
ReplyDeleteJealous. Want to quit day job so bad. Need more time for passions. Desire so strong, can't form complete sentences.
ReplyDeleteI do pantry cooking every few months to clean out my fridge and pantry. What I do is take an inventory of what I have and then try and figure out what to make with those items...If I get stumped I just search for recipes on the internet using keywords. Example: I had a lot of peas in my freezer so I searched for a recipe using them and I came up with the southern classic "Layered Pea Salad". :)
ReplyDeleteLiam-you crack me up =) I believe I was in that exact state of mind about the last two years of my employment.
ReplyDeleteSonia-thanks for the tips! Great idea:)