Spiced Honey Lemon Chicken

Courtesy of Mindy Carlson

2 full chicken breast pounded to an even thickness
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 tsp. olive oil
1 tbls. butter, melted
3 tbls. honey
zest and juice of 1 lemon (or 1/3 cup)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika

1. Combined all of your ingredients in a small bowl or ziplock. Pour over chicken. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge, but you can marinate the chicken for 24 hours, and longer is better!

2. You can either grill or broil the chicken. To grill, preheat the grill to medium-high heat and grill over high heat for 3 minutes on each side, then over indirect heat for 5 minutes on eat side. To broil, heat the over to 400 degrees and cook for 10-15 minutes on each side, until cooked through and the juices run clear.

Sweet Carmelized Brussels Sprouts

Courtesy on Mindy Carlson.... but may have originally come from The Noshery.
(Photo from Flickr)

I've never had brussel sprouts in my life but I ate two servings of this and can't wait to make it for Chris.

6 tablespoons butter, divided into 3 tablespoons
1 onion, thinly sliced
kosher salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, quartered
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
4 slices of bacon, cook until crispy then cut into small pieces

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium heat. (Mindy cooked the bacon first and used the bacon fat to start cooking the onions, YUMMY) Add onions and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and pepper. Saute until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the combined vinegar and sugar. Stir until brown and glazed, about 3 minutes.

Quarter brussels sprouts length wise. Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the brussel sprouts and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until brown at edges, 6 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Saute until most of water evaperates and sprouts are tender but still bright green, 3 minutes.

Mix in cooked, crispy bacon and serve on top with onion. ( Mindy mixed them all together in a bowl before serving, I highly reccomend this)

Serves 4

Fried rice with shrimp and snow peas

Martha Stewart Living February 2010
I saw Martha make this on the Today Show yesterday and it looked so yummy I had to get the recipe and make it right away.

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
12 large shrimp (about 12 ounces), peeled and deveined, tails on
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass (yellow and pale green parts only)
3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 large cloves)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (from one 2-inch piece)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped Thai chile
12 shiitake mushroom caps, sliced 1/2 inch thick (11/2 cups)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
4 cups day-old cooked long-grain rice, preferably jasmine (from 1 1/3 cups dry)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
5 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, sliced crosswise (1/2 cup)
Lime wedges, for squeezing
Garnish: scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise

Directions

The secret: Day-old rice. It’s drier than freshly steamed rice, so it fries easily without sticking to the wok.

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wok over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Scramble eggs, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds; transfer to a plate.

2. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon oil to wok, and heat until shimmering. Cook shrimp, tossing occasionally, until seared, 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.

3. Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and chile. Cook, tossing, for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add peas, and cook until bright green but still crisp, about 1 minute. Stir in rice, and heat through. Add soy sauce, and stir to coat. Toss in scrambled eggs, breaking up any large clumps, and scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze limes over fried rice. Garnish with scallions.

NOTES: I used brown rice. Also, due to all the chopping (which is well worth it) you could totally prep all the food ahead of time and then pull it all together when it's time for dinner.