The local farmers market offered the first chicken of the season last Saturday. There's something about free-range, organic chicken... it somehow tastes more like the chicken of my childhood. I found a recipe for Grilled Beer Marinated Chicken on Picture the Recipe, but chose to use bone-in chicken thighs instead of drumsticks. I left them in the marinade all day, turning whenever I thought of it.
The lime, cumin, cayenne, and beer marinade made for incredibly flavorful chicken, and I loved using parsley fresh from my herb garden. The girls and my husband all loved it and proclaimed the recipe a "keeper".
We also had our first corn-on-the-cob last week. It wasn't local, but my husband loves it and I thought it would be a nice surprise. It was super sweet, so I bought a few more ears the next day to make this Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad from The Girl Who Ate Everything.
I had a couple of ripe avocados and you know how that goes... they needed to be used right away. Cilantro fresh from the herb garden was another big plus. We had it for lunch with tortilla chips - so good! I would have preferred the salad without red onion, but was overruled. Next time, I'll set a little aside before adding the onion.
Finally, I got the most gorgeous cookbook from the library this week - The Kinfolk Table: Recipes for Small Gatherings by Nathan Williams. I've marked several recipes to try, but it's really the photography that makes this book so appealing. I know it was mentioned in a Weekend Cooking post a few weeks ago, but I can't remember where. If it was you, thank you!
What's happening in your kitchen this week?
That chicken looks divine!
ReplyDeleteLawstudentcookbook - The flavors are perfect for summer!
DeleteA very interesting post; studded with recipes, book reviews and lovely photos. That corn salad looks especially inviting.
ReplyDeleteRachel - The corn salad is so pretty and colorful. It would be a perfect side with grilled fish or a burger, too.
DeleteI've put this onto my library request list - thanks. Cheers from Carole's Chatter
ReplyDeleteCarole - I'm sure you'll enjoy this beautiful cookbook!
DeleteThe chicken and corn salad sound tasty. I love summer foods!
ReplyDeleteJanel - Everything seems to taste better when you eat outdoors!
DeleteWhat a great week of eating! Love that you're combining Farmers Market and grocery finds with your own garden!
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Joy - We're fortunate to have so many Farmers Markets in our area, and they will only get better as the season progresses.
DeleteYummy! Both the chicken and the corn salad look so good. I will have to look for the Kinfolk Table. :)
ReplyDeleteJama - The Kinfolk Table is a beautiful book!
DeleteThe chicken looks and sounds so good! Yummy!
ReplyDeleteVasilly - I got a new kitchen gadget last week (the green lemon juicer in the picture) and was looking for a recipe to test it ;-)
DeleteLove chicken, love corn so this is great. We're eating warm winter soup because it's winter and this week it is acting like winter. Gray and cold. The soup was chunky vegetables with small chick peas in it. Delicious with a chicken stock. Looking forward to summer but winter has only started so need to wait more. Enjoy your summer days because I will be coming to take them in about 3 months. Happy eating.
ReplyDeletePam - I always think of my friends heading into winter as we are finally beginning to get some warm weather... in a few months, I'll be ready to try new soups and stews again.
DeleteI've been having a hard time commenting on your blog lately, but not sure what to do about it. Are my comments showing up in spam or just not getting through?
Carl would love that chicken and I would love that salad.
ReplyDeleteKathy - Something for everybody :)
DeleteI'm always looking for new marinades and your beer based recipe sounds great and I think my husband would love it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletebookdout - Hope you like it as much as we did!
DeleteOur farmers' market just moved outside. I'm so excited to be back in summer eating mode. I think I'll try that chicken this summer, and that salad looks awesome! Can't wait to hear about the cookbook, that one caught my eye too.
ReplyDeleteBeth F - The beginning of the farmers' market season is something I look forward to every year. The offerings always get more plentiful as the season progresses.
DeleteI love corn salads--they just taste like summer. I need to try adding avocado--thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteKerry Ann - Yes, corn is one of the essential flavors of summer. We rushed it just a little bit, but that's okay ;-)
DeleteLove the beer marinated chicken idea. Lime and cumin are always delicious but the added beer and cayenne sounds extra tasty. I've seen the Kinfolk Table but have yet to really look through it. I love cookbooks especially ones with beautiful photography! Sounds like your kitchen was smelling heavenly and you were eating well this week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine P - Lime and cumin have become one of my favorite flavor combinations... the beer is a delicious addition!
DeleteThe salad looks so fresh!
ReplyDeleteI have heard of Kinfolk magazine ... I should check out book!
Enjoy the grilling weather :)
steppingstonesblog- They have a magazine? I'm going to check that out. Thanks!
DeleteYum! You almost have to marinate chicken before grilling, otherwise it's just too dry. Our chicken turned out well last night, too. I meant to let it soak in buttermilk first but the store was out so I used yogurt and lemon juice with chili powder. Cooked it in the oven until halfway done and then basted with our fave BBQ sauce. It was nice and moist. Had some for lunch!
ReplyDeleteTi - I agree, you can't just throw chicken on the grill. That's one you need to plan ahead and marinade. I should use buttermilk more, but it seems like I buy it for one recipe and end up throwing the rest out :(
DeleteI only ever use organic, free-range chicken, and you're right - it tastes exactly like the chicken of my childhood. Loving the sound of that corn, tomato and avocado salad. I'm dying to get my hands on that book - I've seen a few people raving about it lately.
ReplyDeleteCouscous & Consciousness - I try to get organic, free-range chicken whenever I can, but I'm going to use it exclusively now!
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