Here are a couple of really good recipes that I got from Food Network. They come from Melissa d'Arabian's show "Ten Dollar Dinners". I wish I would've taken a picture of everything on the plate--it looked so good. But we were hungry & the food was gettin' cold--no time to get out the camera.

Crispy-Skinned Chicken a l'Orange

Ingredients
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 skin-on bone-in chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
4 tablespoons honey

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breast halves. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin side only, until brown and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the orange glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice concentrate, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste, over medium heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Turn the chicken over and brush each piece with the glaze. Turn the chicken skin side up and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, brushing on more glaze halfway through, about 15 minutes in total. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the chicken breast from the bone and slice the meat on the bias. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve.


(*I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. It actually took a little longer to cook than the recipe said, but it was really good.)

Perfect Crispy Potatoes

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the potato cubes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add the water, stir, and cover the pan with a lid. Steam the potatoes until the water evaporates, about 3 or 4 more minutes. (Every 1 to 2 minutes, open the lid long enough to stir the potatoes so they don't stick.) Lower the heat to medium, and saute another 1 to 2 minutes until all traces of water are gone. Toss in the butter and stir to coat the potatoes. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the potatoes are crisp and browned to your liking, about 15 to 25 minutes depending on how dark you want them. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and serve.

A Conversation With The Girl

Our daughter (aka "The Girl") was sitting in my lap @ the eye doctor's office today. She said, "Mom, how did you know you were meant to be a dental hygienist?" (She's been thinking a lot about what she wants to be when she grows up.) I said, "Well, I didn't. What I knew I wanted to be was a mommy." She grinned & said to me, "You said, 'Dear God, can I please be a mommy?' And POOF there went your belly."

We both just started cracking up.

If only, when it was time for the girl to be born, it would have been POOF--there was my baby!

:-)

Crazy Quote of the Day (At Our House)

(My son yelling from the bathroom...)

"What did I eat that was GREEN???"