Fancy Fruit Salad

Want to impress your friends but not really work hard to do it? Have I got just the thing for you - fancy fruit salad. Let's test this out in a few scenarios:

Is your friend hosting a brunch and you need to bring something but don't want to work that hard?
Fancy fruit salad.

Do you have an interview and you want to impress your potential-future employers?
Fancy fruit salad.

Are you planning to go out this weekend and want to be the most popular person at the bar?
Fancy fruit salad. 

Oh my God, that's so fancy

See where I'm going with this? It's appropriate for all occasions!

So what makes this fancy, you ask? First of all, you've only got the good fruit in there. No apples, no melon, no oranges - those don't make the cut. I'm talking premium fruit here, people. The good stuff. Secondly, we really amp up the fanciness but adding some chopped fresh herbs. This takes you from Kimmy Schmidt to Lady Mary from Downton Abbey really quickly. 

You'll need:
- Pineapple (1 package of spears)
- Strawberries (1 carton, tops removed and cut in half)
- Mangoes (2, diced)
- Grapes (2 cups)
- Raspberries (1 carton)
- Blackberries (1 carton) 
- Fresh basil (start with 2 minced tablespoons and add more if needed)
- Fresh mint (start with 2 minced tablespoons and add more if needed)
- Juice from 1/2 lemon

Really, just pick any fruit that people actually want to eat. I made about 10 cups worth because this was for a 10 person brunch. Combine the fruit in a bowl and then gradually add the herbs until you reach your desired level of fancy. I suggest more herbs for brunch at a friends house, but less for an interview/night out at bars (because, you know, they might get stuck in your teeth). Finish with a squeeze of lemon. Voila!

Pinkys up

Indian-Inspired Chicken Burgers

Warning - all of the photos in this post are really bad. I'm talking blurry, off-centered, haphazard shots. No, I was not drinking while taking the photos, and no, I wasn't even really distracted by other things. I'm just really bad at taking photos, apparently. Don't let that stop you from making these awesome burgs!

Photography at it's finest

I was inspired to make these by a few turkey-burger posts I saw floating about on the internet. I did a quick mix of classic good stuff (onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno) and threw in an Indian spice (garam masala) and determined that was enough to call this Indian-inspired. After a quick cook on the stove top, I served these in a pita (that wishes it was naan) with an herby citrusy yogurt sauce (that wishes it was raita). I chopped up some red onion and cucumber to throw in there as well, and had some spring mix in the fridge that also was allowed to participate. I then made my friends eat it and tell me it was good. Works like a charm!

If you don't want to go through with the whole recipe, I'd say the 3 ingredients you can't leave out are ginger, garam masala, and the yogurt sauce (counting that as 1 ingredient, muaha). If you aren't feeling the burger-in-a-pita approach you can totally eat these with normal buns, or sandwich bread, or over some veggies, or plain. Do what you want what you want with your burger! Let's move on!

You'll need:
For the burgs 
1 lb ground chicken (or turkey, whateva)
1 jalapeno, minced, with 1/2 of the seeds removed
1/4 cup (or a small handful) of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 inch knob fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 of a large yellow onion, chopped
3 tsp garam masala (also used here)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Toasted pita (cut it half), cucumber slices, red onion, lettuce for topping


For the sauce 
1/2 c Greek yogurt
Juice from 1/2 lime
5-10 minced mint leaves
1 T minced parsley
Salt

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat (7 out of 10) on the stove top. Combine all of the burger ingredients (except the pita and toppings...) in a bowl and mix to combine. You should probably just use your hands for this! Form into 4 large or 6 small burgers - I do six, and I make them super flat so they cook quicker. Slap some oil in the pan (I used coconut), let it heat up, and cook the burgers until cooked through-about 4 minutes a side. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

While your burgers are a-sizzlin, combine the sauce ingredients and season with salt to taste. Feel free to mix up the herbs here - basil and cilantro would both be excellent substitutions for the parsley.

When it's time to mangia, cut open a toasted pita and fill with a burger, sliced cucumber/red onion/spring mix, and drizzle a lot of the sauce in there. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime and enjoy! If you make these and take a better photo, please text it to me so I can replace these awful ones! :)

I wish I was pretty

 

Bastard Pesto

If I wanted to be fancy about this recipe I would call it "toasted cashew spinach and basil vegan pesto." That sounds impressive, right? Vegan? Wow. Toasted cashews? Damn.

Damn

 But in real life there was no intention behind this. I had way too much spinach and a bit of basil in the fridge that were both on their way to better days, and I scoured the pantry at 8 PM trying to figure out how to use both up without too much effort. 

Why is it vegan? Because I have no cheese.

Why cashews? Because cashews live in the depths of my freezer. 

Why spinach and basil? Because I had too much spinach and not enough basil.

See the trend? I give you - bastard pesto.

You'll need:
Yield - 1 cup of pesto
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup chopped fresh basil
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 
1/2 cup raw cashews, toasted then roughly chopped
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil, plus an extra drizzle for luck

Heat a small frying pan over medium high heat and add the cashews. Shaking the pan occasionally, toast the cashews until golden brown - about 3-4 minutes. Or skip this part, whatever!

Place all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and pulse to combine. We're going for a very finely chopped texture. When you think you're at a good blending level give it a taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Next, add the 1/4 cup olive oil and continue to pulse to combine. Bonus points if you can drizzle it in while pulsing - I haven't mastered that part yet.  If the consistency is still a little dry, add an extra drizzle of olive oil. 

Photograph in front of Arnold, and then just imagine the possibilities for this pesto.

That wingspan!

- Toss with pasta or zucchini noodles
- Top pretty much any protein (chicken, turkey burgs, skrimps)
- Chop of some veggies, scramble in some eggs, and throw this on top

Really, you can put it on almost anything and it won't be a mistake!

I ended up baking halibut in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 20 minutes at 375, and then spooned the fresh [bastard] pesto on top. So good! So fresh!Enjoy!

Glamorous Peruvian Chicken

Glamorous chicken? Is that a thing, Laura?

Yes, my friends. It is if your chicken looks like THIS:
 

Money shot

 This is the Peruvian Chicken I waxed poetic about in the Peruvian-ish Halibut post from a couple of months ago. This particular chicken looks extra glamorous because I spatchcocked it, which is a fun word for a brutal-sounding task - cutting the back bone out of the chicken so it lays flat. This isn't a delicate procedure, but it's totally worth it. The chicken cooks faster, more evenly, and you almost double the crispy skin. Moment of silence for the kitchen shears that snapped halfway through the spatchcocking process. 

I also whipped up the life-changing green sauce to spoon all over the chicken. It's just so good! You  may have read about this recipe back in Jan, but let's go through it one more time for old time's sake.

 For the chicken:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 2 limes
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
4-5 lb whole chicken, spatchcocked (see the original recipe linked above for cooking times if you choose not to spatchcock the bird)

Before

During

 

After

Combine all of the ingredients (except the chicken...please don't include the chicken) in a blender or small food processor, and blend until smooth. Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken and pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels. If you're spatchcocking your bird I suggest referencing this video - I can say with full confidence it is 100% impossible to spatchcock a bird and take photos at the same time! 

Using your hands, loosen the skin from the bird over the breasts and legs (try not to tear it if you can!) and spoon about 2/3 of the marinade as evenly as you can under the skin. Spread the rest evenly over the skin. Marinate in the fridge for at least six hours - overnight if you can! 

 When it's roastin time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and roast the chicken (skin side up) for 45-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. At the end I like to crank up the broiler to high, move the oven rack to a few inches underneath the broiler, and broil the chicken until the skin gets super crispy - about 3 minutes. Keep a close eye during this part, because it can go from crispy to charred super quick! Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before you carve (this part is hard but important). Carve the thighs off at the joint, and carefully carve the breasts from the bone.

Roasty

Roasty2.0

For the green sauce: 

3 jalapeño chili peppers, seeded and roughly chopped (keep 1/2 of the seeds if you want a medium-hot sauce)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems 
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
Juice from 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few cranks freshly grown black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and photograph in front of the Arnold Schwarzenegger poster in your kitchen. Blend until smooth, transfer to a bowl, and allow to thicken up in the fridge if desired. 

AHNOLD

Thing of beauty

 We had ours with some roasted sweet potatoes (thickly cut up 2 sweet potatoes, sprinkled with chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pep, and olive oil, and bake at 425 for about 20-30 minutes) and a handful of mixed greens - aka lazy girl salad. 

All day

Every day

Prosciutto and Fig Roll Ups

I have 5 recipes to post, but I chose to do this one first because I MADE A GIF! I'M A TECHNOLOGICAL GENIUS!!!! 

This is big, people. I will do everything in my power to make every post into a GIF from here on out. Blessing? Curse? Not sure yet.

Anyway - prosciutto and fig roll ups! Are you ever asked to bring an appetizer somewhere and have a weirdly hard time figuring out what to bring? Well, I do. That's where my version of these babies come in. 4 ingredients, no cooking, and everyone likes them (except for vegetarians, sawee guys). The hardest part of this recipe is peeling the prosciutto out of the pack in a single piece - if you can do that, please mentor me.

Beauty

You'll need:
1 pack of prosciutto
Small log of goat cheese
Fig jam (finally found this by the cheese display, but of course)
Arugula

Lay out the prosciutto slices on a cutting board. If they aren't too mangled when I get them out of the pack I like to cut them in half. Add 1 tablespoon of goat cheese on the top 1/3 of each slice, then follow with a teaspoon of the fig jam. If you have it, add some fresh-cracked pepper over the top. Add a bit of arugula (I used mixed greens this time), and then roll them up. If this is confusing please just stare at the GIF for a while, and then it'll all come together. Voila! You're done! Go impress your friends!

Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Sauce

Big news everyone - I bought a cast iron skillet! I've wanted one for a while but always thought they were crazy expensive. Turns out the un-coated ones are really affordable - like $25 affordable. I bought mine from Sur la Table, but found the exact same one on Amazon for about $10 cheaper.

So what's the big deal about cast iron skillets?
1. First and foremost - they look cool
2. Untreated pan = no toxic fumes = you will may live forever
3. You'll boost your iron intake when you eat foods cooked in them (see note above about eternal life)
4. They maintain an even heat and are great for high-temperature cooking/searing, so you can impress people by cooking a steak inside that they will actually want to eat

I wanted to try this baby out and I thought I'd christen it with some enormous pork chops. You guys - these things were GIGANTIC. Probably a solid 1.5 inches thick. It all seemed very Fred Flintstone - minus the electric range, cast iron skillet, and iPhone to take pics. I made these with an awesome roasted poblano sauce in the same pan, which required a little bit of prep but came together pretty quickly. I'd definitely recommend this!

Massive

 Recipe adapted from here
You'll need:
2 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick each
Salt and pepper
2 T butter or oil, divided
2 medium poblano peppers
1/4 small onion, chopped
1/4 c cilantro 
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
1/4 c chicken broth
1/3 c heavy whipping cream (I used fat free half and half, it was weird, don't do it)
Additional salt and pepper

Turn your broiler to high and roast the poblanos a few inches off the broiler, turning to get all sides charred. This took me about 2 minutes per side. Charred and black is what you're going for - this makes the skin way easier to peel off. Pro-tip: if your peppers have long stems, snip them off. Mine caught on fire! Don't tell Curtis!

So fresh and so green green

The right stem is shorter because it burst into flames

Place the poblanos in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then rub the skin to remove as much as possible. I ended up just pulling the stem and seeds out with my hands at this point, but you can also cut them out if you're feeling it. Finely chop in a food processor or blender with the 1/4 chopped onion and 1/4 cup cilantro and set aside. Don't have a processor or blender? Just cut it all up with a knife, NBD.

Pork time! Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and peppah. In a large [CAST IRON IF YOU'RE COOL] skillet over medium-high heat heat 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil. Add the chops and brown on the first side for about 3 minutes. Turn the chops over and reduce heat to medium. Cook through, about 7 more minutes (or until the center of the chop is 135F). Since I got dinosaur-sized pork chops, I cooked mine for 5 minutes on the first side and 10 minutes on the second. Remove chops to a plate and tent with foil. 

Seriously - enormous

Sauce time! Add remaining butter or oil to the pan and let melt. Add the minced garlic and cumin and let it get fragrant - about 1 minute. Add the chopped poblanos/onion/cilantro and the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until broth is mostly evaporated. Stir in the cream and warm through, then add any accumulated pan juices from da chops. Finally, salt and pepper to taste.

I plated up a whole one for the pic, but I swear this lasted me 3 meals. I broiled some asparagus and mushrooms on the side - just place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, add some salt and pepper, and broil for about 5 minutes (shaking the pan halfway through). Voila!

Becoming Biryani

I love this recipe. I love it! It's so good!

I love you; you're so good

Biryani is an Indian rice dish that warriors used to eat before battle. Or at least, someone once told me that warriors used to eat it before battle. There is a large chance this isn't true, but let's continue. Naturally, I made biryani the night before Curtis had a swim test at work.  Swimming in a pool = hand to hand combat, right? Anyway, it only needs one pot which is what really gets me hyped up about it.

A couple of notes:
1. The original recipe calls for white basmati rice, but I sub it out with long-grain brown in the recipe below. This requires extra chicken stock and a full 50 minutes of cooking time. If you'd prefer to use white basmati rice (and I really think you should at least once!) you'll need 14 oz of chicken broth and only need to cook for about 15 minutes, or rice is tender. 
2. You could easily make this vegetarian - leave out the chicken, and sub vegetable broth for chicken broth. Booya!

Let's become biryani

You'll need:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced. Removing the seeds removes most of the spice, so leave the seeds in if you're feeling adventurous!
1 inch piece of fresh minced ginger 
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 t garam masala (this is a ground mix of a bunch of other spices - definitely don't skip this!)
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste
2 plum tomatoes, chopped 
1/3 c raisins (golden or regular)
2 c chicken broth
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 c uncooked brown rice (I used long grain - you can use any kind you want. Just follow the recommended liquid to grain ratio and cooking time!)
1/4 c sliced or chopped almonds
Lime wedges

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and saute 3 minutes before adding onion and jalapeno. After three more minutes add the ginger, garlic, and spices. Let cook through a few more minutes then add in tomatoes, rice, raisins and broth.

It gets better, I swear

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about 50 minutes (if using brown rice) and stir occasionally to make sure the rice isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. At the end sprinkle on the cilantro, layer on the almonds, and serve with lime wedges. Make this prior to battle! Or swim tests!

Successfully became biryani!

Not-Laura Leek and Mushroom Chicken Skillet (with bonus ingredients!)

The other day I made my version of Iowa Girl Eats Leek and Mushroom Chicken Skillet. This recipe is really not me. It isn't spicy, there's no curry powder, and there isn't even that much garlic. I had to buy fresh tarragon. This is not something I would normally make.

leeks = fancy

But you know what? I got out of my comfort zone, and it was delicious! My good friend Kathryn recommended I try this out and I'm so glad she did. The pounded, almond-flour dusted chicken cooks quickly and has a delicious crispy crust. The leek and mushroom "pan sauce" seems fancy and indulgent, but is really just a quick chop of veggies in chicken broth. The fresh tarragon lent an unexpected, almost licorice-y flavor - and made me feel sophisticated, to boot. Wins all around!

I've gotten some feedback that my posts tend to have too many ingredients - this is because I don't know when to say when. I'm of the "more is better" mindset (SHOUT OUT MAMA J).  Going forward I'll try to differentiate between "gotta have" and "nice to have" ingredients to show when recipes can be simplified! I added sun dried tomatoes and bacon to this recipe, because why not?

You'll need:
1 lb chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 c all-purpose flour (I used almond flour)
Salt and pep
2 T butter, divided
Drizzle of olive oil
3-4 pieces bacon, chopped*
1/3 c chopped sun dried tomatoes (I like these from TJ's)*
6 oz sliced mushrooms
2 leeks, white and green parts only, thinly sliced (verbose but thorough leek cleaning & slicing tutorial)
1 shallot or 1/4 small onion, minced*
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c chicken broth
1 packed T chopped fresh tarragon
juice from 1/2 lemon
* = nice to haves

We begin by pounding the chicken. This is always a good idea so the chicken cooks evenly, and in MUCH less time. My preferred method is putting the chicken in a large Ziploc bag, sealing it, and wailing on it with the heel of my hand. This time I was a little more refined and used a tenderizer. 

Action shot

 Add 1 T butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and dredge chicken breasts before adding to skillet. Make sure you allow the pan to come to temperature before you add the chicken! Or you will feel regret!

 Saute until golden brown on both sides, which took me about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside. Note that chicken doesn't need to be cooked through at this point.

Dredge thumbs up!

So golden, so brown

 
Now it's time to get to business. I highly recommend prepping the veggies prior to starting the pan sauce. Prepped? Ready? Onward!

Add the chopped bacon to the skillet and cook until almost crispy - about 4 minutes. Add the shallot, mushrooms, leeks, and sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and saute until mushrooms are golden brown and tender - the recipe says 5 minutes, but I think this took me more like 10. Don't forget to stir!

Leeks on fleek (too much?!?)

Add the other T of butter and the garlic and saute for one more minute. Disclaimer - this butter was totally gratuitous and you probably don't need it, but I had it out and was just feeling it. Add chicken broth and tarragon, then nestle (yes, nestle!) chicken back into skillet and simmer until sauce has thickened and reduced, and chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the skillet and stir to combine. 

Shown: nestled

To serve, I ended up removing the chicken from the pan, cutting into portions, and spooning the sauce on top. In the end...this isn't really a sauce. It's more like an awesome...hash? Veggie bacon compote? If you come up with an adequate description, please let me know! We had these with easy roasted brussels, but this would also be great with a simple salad, roasted potatoes, or just some crusty bread (crusty bread is always appropriate). Hope you like it!

gimme gimme

Chill Crock Pot Carnitas

Taco night. Do you have that friend that always suggest taco night? Are you that person?  Oh, it'll be soooo easy. We'll just have to get three different kinds of tortillas, make up the fillings (ground beef AND turkey, obvs), and then chop a gazillion things and put them in their individual bowls. Lettuce! Tomatoes! Jalapenos! Avocado! Onions! Olives! Cilantro! Salsa! OMG we forgot cheese, someone go to the store and get the cheese!

But this recipe can change that, you guys. This recipe can make taco night more chill. 

"But Laura, what if people like different kinds of tortillas??"
I don't care. Eat these with corn tortillas. You can get 400 for I think 75 cents.

"OMG Laura but the toppings? I want all the toppings in the little bowls?"
Shut up! Just make lazy girl guac and put some cilantro on top! Maybe Greek yogurt and a wedge of lime if you're being ambitious! Let the toppings go!

"Laura you're being really aggressive about taco night."
You're right - this is getting intense. I may be overreacting. But I digress.  

beauty pageant tacs

SO - what makes these good? 
1. They are easy. You dump five ingredients in a crock pot, go away, and return to them as some sort of carnitas genius. 
2. This is way more interesting that normal ground meat with taco seasoning. We're talking HERBS, people. SPICES! 
3.  The carnitas are so good, you don't even need a bunch of toppings! More chill!

Enough rambling- on with the recipe!

You'll need:
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, trimmed (also knows as pork butt)
2 T dried oregano
2 T chili powder
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t garlic powder
1 jar of salsa (anywhere between 8 and 16 oz is fine) 
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of black beans (drained)
 For the tacs:
Small corn tortillas
lime (cut in wedges)
Chopped fresh cilantro
Greek yogurt or sour cream
Lazy Girl Guac (recipe at the end!)

Place the pork shoulder in the crock pot, and generously season with salt and pepper. Smother the oregano, chili powder, cocoa powder, garlic powder, and salsa on the pork. This is NOT photogenic! Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

bay leaves optional

Like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, so you shall become DERELICT!

After the crock pot has done all of the work, take two forks and shred the heck out of that pork. It should be really easy. Add the drained beans and corn to the crock pot, and a little salt to taste (duh!)

Okay, you're done! It's taco time! Serve in warm corn tortillas and top with cilantro, guacamole, a squeeze of lime, and Greek yogurt (or sour cream of course).

These got crazy with corn salsa

 If you're still reading this, now it is time to learn about Lazy Girl Guac. This is basically what I make if it is a week night and I need delicious guacamole immediately, with the least amount of effort required. 

You'll need:
2-3 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lime
Garlic powder
Salt

Mash avocados in a bowl with 2 forks. Add a healthy pinch of salt and a healthy sprinkle of garlic powder (I never measure this so apologies for the ambiguity - start with 1/4 t and add more to taste!). Squeeze in the lime and mix it all together. Adjust seasonings to taste. DONE! Enjoy!

Easy Bacon Broccoli

"It's broccoli....but better!" (Trademark pending)

I noticed that my posts are primarily meat-based entrees, and that I should get some green stuff up here too. With bacon. However this is not aggressively trendy and bacony - it's just a nice addition that won't totally cancel out the fact that you're eating steamed broccoli. The real star of the show here is the apple cider vinegar - it lends the awesome tangy flavor that I think makes this worth eating. This has just a handful of ingredients and is pretty darn tasty. Give it a shot!

You'll need:
3 pieces of uncooked bacon, chopped
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
2 heads of broccoli, stems removed and florets separated
1 or 2 T apple cider vinegar (start with one, and then decide if you'd like more!)
1/2 t garlic powder
Salt and pep (obvs)

Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat (I'd say a 7 out of 10). Add the chopped bacon and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly.  Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes more, until onions soften and become a little translucent. Keep stirring! Add in the broccoli florets and a couple tablespoons of water to help get that steam going, and pop a lid on. When broc has reached your desired tenderness level (I like mine a little crisp - about 2-4 minutes of steaming) pop off the lid, add in the apple cider vinegar, sprinkling of garlic powder, salt and pep (to taste) and give it a mix. You're done! Now eat your vegetables!

Rosemary-Sriracha Chicken

I trespassed on private property in the early morning hours to make this rosemary-sriracha roasted chicken. 

Allow me to elaborate.  

It's 6:15 in the morning and I want to make this marinade before I go to work, so the chicken can sit in it and get delicious all day. I have all of the ingredients, but no rosemary. At my old apartment I could hop over to the traffic circle across the street and take as much as I wanted (rosemary grows EVERYWHERE in Seattle). But in my new neighborhood I haven't seen any "public" rosemary...instead, the closest bush is in my neighbor's yard, bordering their front door entry.
  

Do I wait and pick some up from the store? Do I swing by the old hood and snip a few branches from a perfectly respectable public source? No...I throw my coat and shoes on over my PJs, grab some scissors, and sneak into my neighbor's yard. I creep up to their front door and breathe a sigh of relief that they don't have motion-activated floodlights. I keep my head down, snip a solid five rosemary branches, and then book it down their pathway, across the street, and back into the safety of my apartment. Isn't cooking exciting??? 

Worth it

Sometimes cooking chicken gets boring. Especially if you are trying to be healthy. ENTER: rosemary-sriracha chicken (adapted from here). It comes together quickly, has a delicious, earthy, and unexpected flavor, and can sometimes cause unexpected petty crime. Let's get on with it, shall we?

You'll need:
Bone-in, skin on chicken drumsticks, thighs, or breasts.  I always do drumsticks for myself and white meat for Curtis.
1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
4 T olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
4 T finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 T sriracha
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and peppa (about 1/2 t each)

Generously salt and pepper chicken and place in a large ziploc. Combine all ingredients (except chicken, silly!) in a medium bowl, and then pour into the bag. Do what you gotta do to make sure the chicken is evenly coated. Place in fridge and let marinade for at least an hour...as you can read from above, I prefer if the chicken is marinated for at least 8 hours/overnight.

Frantically thrown together before going to work

Forgot about the ziploc trick - more dishes for me

Preheat oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with foil (if you're smart and don't want to scrub dishes). Arrange the chicken evenly in a single layer - I recommend putting the bigger pieces on the edges, and the smaller pieces inside. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. At the end, broil on high for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and golden. 

I like to boil the remaining marinade and spoon over the chicken when it is done. The sauce looks pretty weird after it is boiled, but I promise it still tastes good!

Looks aren't everything???

I served this with some easy bacon-broc, which I'll post soon!

******Update: At the time this was posted, I have found a more appropriate neighborhood rosemary source that does not require trespassing.******