MSLS Chicken Picatta

08/18/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

It’s been a week of great sun light at dinner time, allowing us to update older posts with better photos! Today’s update is one of our favorite “go to” meals: Chicken Picatta. We typically have the ingredients on hand, and can get this on the table in about 45 minutes. Our recipe has evolved over time, and our favorite version is posted here. It is a saucier version than most, as it goes very well with pasta.

For the Chicken Picatta – 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

flour for dredging – about 1/2 – 3/4 cup

salt and pepper for seasoning

olive oil and canola oil for sauteing

1 lemon – 1 tsp. zest, then juice the lemon

12 ounces chicken stock

12 ounces white wine

1/3 cup capers with about 1 tablespoon of juice

8 slices of prosciutto or speck, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips – our favorite is LaQuercia Speck Americano*

fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Pasta – we usually use Penne

Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Put the flour in a large zip lock bag, season with salt and pepper. Place one chicken breast half in the bag of flour. Make sure the chicken is coated with the flour on both sides, before you start pounding it. That will prevent the chicken from sticking to the bag. Pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4″-1/2″ thickness. The main goal is uniformity in thickness so they cook evenly. Yes – that is a rubber mallet. I find it very useful for pounding cutlets.

Cover the bottom of the sauté pan with about 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 Tablespoons of canola oil . Heat the pan over low flame. Add the chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides. You are only browning at this stage, the chicken will complete cooking in the sauce. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate. There will be a lot of oil left. It is an integral part of the sauce.

Add about 1/3 cup of flour to the sauté pan. (Use the flour left from the dredging and pounding the chicken.) Whisk the flour and oil together to make a light rue. Once the rue comes together, whisk in the white wine. The mixture will thicken. Continue to stir and simmer about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, lemon zest, prosciutto and capers. Adjust the lemon to your taste by adding more zest or juice. Continue whisking and bring sauce to a light simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the chicken back to the pan. Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

Add the chicken breasts back to the pan. Spoon to sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with a little parmesan. Continue to simmer until cooked through – approximately 20 minutes.

Start the water for your pasta when you place the chicken back in the pan.

Serve with pasta on the side and grated parmesan cheese.

*As with all my posts, things I point out as a favorite are truly a favorite. I have neither been paid nor asked to endorse any of the products I recommend.

Salmon Nicoise and Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

08/09/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

I knew I was kind of pushing my luck serving salmon two days in a row. Dave informed me that it is not much of a “hard-working man’s meal”. By hard-working, he means painting the second of four sides of the house. I think he was too hot and tired to protest. I did surprise him by making a beautiful plate of our favorite heirloom tomato bruschetta. We finally have tomatoes and basil all ripe together. If you are not growing your own tomatoes, you must splurge; at least once this summer, on a few from the farmers market and make this dish. A little fresh mozzarella and prosciutto make this a meal on its own!

Though Salad Nicoise is traditionally made with tuna, I often see it made with salmon as I have done here. Maybe it is a Pacific Northwest thing. Regardless, it is becoming my favorite preparation! And since it’s summer and we are having a French salad, I had to serve it with a lovely, dry rose! Someone needs to inform the folks who stock the wine in the cooler that people drink chilled rose in the summer. There were numerous choices on the shelf, and none in the cooler! Doesn’t it look beautiful with the salmon?

for the Salad Nicoise

for the dressing

Dijon Vinaigrette – not traditional – but my version!

2/3 cup of great quality olive oil

1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon tarragon

Fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste.

Whisk all together in a small bowl or measuring cup.

for the salad

4-6 small baby new potatoes, boiled gently until fork tender, drained and cooled

1/2 pound haricot vert – or any other small green bean, blanched until tender and cooled

2-4 hard-boiled eggs

a handful of heirloom cherry tomatoes

mixed baby lettuce

Nicoise olives (I could not find these at my regular store. I substituted the Lucques olives I had on hand. At least they were French!)

4 ounce portion of grilled salmon or one can of good quality tuna packed in olive oil, per serving

capers for garnish

fresh ground pepper and salt

Slice the cooled potatoes, place in a small bowl and pour a little of the dressing over them. Garnish with a small spoonful of capers. Stir gently to coat. Place the green beans in a small bowl and dress them in the same fashion. Slice the tomatoes, peel the eggs and chill until ready to plate.

To assemble the salad, place a handful of the baby lettuce on a chilled dinner plate. Sprinkle with a little of the salad dressing. Arrange the sliced potatoes, green beans, eggs, tomatoes, salmon or tuna, and olives in a pleasing pattern. Spoon a little more dressing over the salad. Bon appetite!

to prepare the Bruschetta

fresh baguette bread, sliced on the diagonal

olive oil

salt and pepper

chopped heirloom tomatoes, about 1 cup

finely minced garlic, 4-5 cloves

1/4 cup basil chiffonade

Brush the sliced baguette bread with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toast until the edges brown.

Mix the diced tomatoes, minced garlic and basil together in a small bowl. Add a little olive oil to coat the tomatoes. Stir gently.

Spoon the tomato basil mixture onto the toasted bread. Garnish with a little more basil.

Cedar Planked Salmon with Shitake Mushroom and Baby Bok Choy Saute

08/08/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

This is one of my favorite meals. Simple grilled salmon and a sauté of bok choy and shitake mushrooms. The bok choy and mushrooms seem made for each other! As you know, my suggestions of salmon for dinner don’t always go over very well. Since Dave is really busy painting the outside of the house, we did not engage in the “what’s for dinner” conversation. I took it upon myself to decide, shop and cook while he painted away!

for the Baby Bok Choy and Shitake Mushroom Sauté

3/4 pound of shitake mushrooms

6 small baby bok choy

4-5 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 cup diced onion

2-4 Tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup dry vermouth

salt and pepper

optional: add minced ginger with the garlic and onion, and garnish with soy sauce, for a more Asian style sauté

Slice the mushrooms, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan. Cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned and softened. You may need to add a little more olive oil. Add the vermouth and place the bok choy on top of the mushrooms in the pan. Steam for about 10 minutes until the bok choy is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. I tried a little experiment by placing the bok choy on the grill for a moment. I wanted to impart a little of the smokiness that the cedar would add to the salmon. It worked and gave the bok choy a nice char color.

for the Cedar Planked Salmon

1 culinary grade cedar plank, soaked at least two hours in water

(No Jeff, you cannot use the left over shingles. They may have been treated with chemicals!)

1 filet of salmon – a little over a pound

olive oil

salt and pepper

lemon for garnish

Place the plank in a sheet pan filled with water and place a weight on the plank to keep it submerged. Let it soak at least two hours. We had a friend who did not soak the plank first. He placed his fish on the plank and the plank on the grill, put the lid down, set his watch for 10 minutes and came back to a fully engulfed fish fire! It is a good idea to keep a spray bottle close by in case a small fire erupts. And in case you were wondering, you cannot reuse the planks!

One of Dave’s biggest objections to fish is discovering bones mid-meal. I remove the pin bones with tweezers, it takes just a minute and makes for a more pleasant dining experience. It also takes the worry out of sharing the leftovers with our very spoiled cat and dogs.

I do not like to do very much to a beautiful piece of salmon, other than add a little olive oil, coarse salt and pepper. Place the salmon on the pre-soaked plank, season as you choose. Place on a hot grill, keeping a close eye for little fires. This piece of fish was about 3/4 of an inch thick and was completely done in 8 minutes, on a very hot (450′) grill. We served it with a little lemon and the sautéed bok choy and mushrooms.

Grilled Pesto Rubbed Chicken, Caprese Salad and Summer Squash

08/06/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

I love the emails I receive every Monday morning from Saveur with Simple Weeknight Meal suggestions. This weeks Pesto-Rubbed Chicken grabbed my attention as I had both pesto and a chicken on hand. It’s still too hot to cook inside so knowing I could make this dish on the grill was a huge bonus. I did not make the Panzella salad suggested with the recipe, but I did throw together a quick Caprese salad with fresh garden tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. I grilled yellow summer squash and zucchini to serve alongside. It was a quick and flavorful meal. I will be turning the leftover chicken into amazing pesto chicken salad sandwiches. Stay tuned!

for the Pesto-Rubbed Grilled Chicken

1 whole chicken, 3-4 pounds – I chose to spatchcock it as it is so easy to grill that way!

4-6 ounces pesto, any flavor you like. My recipe is here.

My pesto is traditional Pesto Genovese. This preparation would be amazing with roasted red pepper pesto!

olive oil

salt and pepper

Loosen the skin on the chicken. Add the pesto under the skin and spread evenly with your hand. Work your way around the chicken until all the meat under the skin is covered with pesto. Rub the both sides of the chicken with about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Season generously with freshly ground salt and pepper. Rub the remaining pesto on the outside of the chicken. Heat the grill to 450′. Place the chicken on the grill skin side down. Cook for about 20 minutes. Turn and cook another 20 minutes. Insert a thermometer to test for doneness. It should be at least 165″ in thickest part. Let chicken rest 10 minutes and then cut into serving pieces.

for the Caprese Salad

fresh garden heirloom tomatoes, sliced into serving sizes

fresh mozzarella, sliced into serving slices

fresh garden basil, torn

fresh cracked pepper and coarsely ground salt

very good quality fruity olive oil. My favorite is California Olive Ranch Arbequina

lettuce “cups” for serving

Layer the tomatoes, cheese and basil in the lettuce cups. Drizzle with olive oil. season with the salt and pepper. I also make this with fresh burratta frequently throughout the summer.

for the Grilled Summer Squash and Zucchini

Slice the squash into thick slices. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill on each side about 5 minutes, being careful not to over cook. Remove from grill, let rest. Slice for serving. Drizzle the squash with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar or glaze. Season with salt and pepper.

We had an amazing visitor while we were grilling this meal. A beautiful Peregrine Falcon decided to hang out for awhile in a cedar tree in our yard. He was absolutely stunning!

Grilled Tandori Style Chicken

07/29/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

After a few days of drenching rain,* we are back to our unusually hot temperatures in the mid eighties. Needless to say, if anything is getting cooked, it is being cooked outside on the grill! Our conversation, shortly after breakfast last Sunday, turned to what we would make for dinner. It went something like this:

Dave: “Have you thought about your dinner?”

Me: “No, have you”?

Dave: “No, not really”.

Me: “What about salmon”?

Dave: “We just had that. What about Chicken Parmesan”?

(We haven’t had salmon for weeks and Dave always wants chicken parmesan)

Me: “We just had spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce”.

Dave: What about hot dogs”?

Me: “Eeeeuuuuuwwwwwhhhh”!

(Dave frequently suggests hot dogs. I am happy with one or two a year, preferably at a baseball game with a very cold beer!)

And so it goes… This conversation is typical of most days when we are trying to figure out what to make for dinner.* My mom and I have said to each other, at least 100 hundred times, that coming up with what to cook, is harder than the actual cooking!

My current source of inspiration is the garden. I had lots of cucumbers and tomatoes ready to be eaten. That led me to tabouli (Lebanese) salad, which spring boarded me to tandoori (Indian) chicken and riata. The bonus of this international meal would be leftovers for lunch all week! A quick search on the internet for tandoori marinade led me to David Lebovitz Tandoori Chicken recipe. My version is below. Since it was late in the day, and since I had all the spices on hand in the “ground” version, I did not start with whole spices. Toasting and grinding whole spices would definitely intensify the flavor of the dish. We served the chicken with our version of raita, tabouli salad and grilled naan.

for the Tandoori Chicken

6 whole chicken legs (that means the thighs are attached)

1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

1/4 t. saffron threads

1 T. boiling water

3/4 t. coarse salt

1 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground coriander

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. paprika

1 t. turmeric

1/2 t. garam masala

1 1/2 t. chili powder

1 t. fresh ground black pepper

juice of one fresh lime

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger – about a 2 inch piece

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

Trim the excess fat from the chicken legs. Score the legs and thighs by making 3 deep angular cuts into the meat. (Most recipes call for skinless chicken. I did not remove the skin.) Place the chicken in a large zip lock bag. Soak the saffron threads in the boiling water for a minute. Place the yogurt in a small mixing bowl. Add the saffron and water, the spices, ginger, garlic and lime to the yogurt. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Seal the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator a minimum of four hours, preferably overnight. Remove the chicken from the bag and place on a very hot grill. Cook until done, about 35-40 minutes, turning every 8-10 minutes.

Laura and Dave’s “Raita” Cucumber Cooler

This may not be traditional raita but it is our version and we love it.

2-3 cucumbers, peeled, sliced in half, seeded and chopped

1 small, sweet onion, peeled sliced into fourths and then sliced thinly

1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon of salt

paprika for garnish

Please the cucumbers and onions in a bowl. Add the salt and gently stir. Let stand for about 15 minutes. Drain the excess water. Gently stir in the yogurt. Garnish with paprika. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

for the Tabouli Salad

Since it was late in the day and I did not want to boil grains for 40 minutes in a hot kitchen, I used a tabouli salad mix. I added lots of fresh, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley from the garden. I also added extra olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I am anxious to make this salad with quinoa, a diversion from the traditional bulgur wheat.

*As always, I am grateful for the much-needed rain, a life with choices and plentiful food to eat.

Grilled Veggie Kabobs and Teriyaki Short Ribs

07/10/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

I really do not mean to sound like a broken record but our fabulous summer just continues to be more and more fabulous! I have never had such great crops this early. I picked three cups of blueberries, a large cucumber, a batch of green beans, a couple dozen cherry tomatoes and more zucchini. I only have one zucchini plant and it is the small bush variety. However, it has produced 3-4 squash per week so far. With my commitment to use what I grow, I came up with this little veggie kabob. It was very simple and went perfectly with the teriyaki flanken style short ribs. There are no elaborate recipes or detailed instructions for this post. It’s too hot to cook, stage shots and spend a lot of time in the kitchen!

For the Veggie Kabobs

if using wooden skewers, soak them in warm water about 20 minutes, prior to placing the food on them

2 small zucchini, cut in bite size chunks

1 large red bell pepper, cut in bite size chunks

1 large, sweet onion (Walla Walla or Maui) cut in bite size chunks

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, core removed and cut into chunks

Place the fruit and veggies on the skewers in your desired pattern. Brush (or spray) the skewers lightly with coconut or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a very hot grill, turning every 4-5 minutes until the zucchini is cooked through and the other vegetables and fruit are well-marked. When choosing ingredients for kabobs, make sure everything you are grilling together, will cook to the same doneness in the same amount of time.

For the Teriyaki Short Ribs

2 cups Soy Vay Island Style Teriyaki sauce (I LOVE their products and their story! As always, this is NOT a paid endorsement!)

2-3 pounds boneless or bone in, flanken style short ribs

Marinate the short ribs in the teriyaki sauce 3-4 hours or overnight. I place the meat in a zip lock bag, pour in the sauce and leave in refrigerator overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature prior to grilling.

Place the ribs on a very hot grill and cook to desired doneness. We prefer medium rare and we cooked them about 4 minutes per side.

Serve with rice and a little extra teriyaki sauce.

Dave’s Diner – The All American Burger!

07/06/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

Dave has mastered the art of grilling a burger. He mixes 80/20 organic ground beef with salt, pepper, seasoning salt, and a little water. He heats the grill for a solid 15 minutes to ensure it is at the maximum temperature. The patties are seared about 5 minutes per side. He adds cheese the last few minutes, and lightly toasts the buns. Once removed from the heat, the meat rests at least 5 minutes. The best thing about grilling your own burgers? You can have it YOUR WAY! Mine was served with lettuce, tomato, dill pickle, purple onion, mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup. Oh, and a few sweet potato fries! My other favorite is with pepper jack cheese, grilled Anaheim chili, purple onion and avocado. Dave loves sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese on his. How do you like your burgers?

The picture below is one of the hummingbirds who lives in our back yard all year around. He loves the crocosmia, which is just outside of my office window. I caught this shot around dusk, while waiting for Dave to finish grilling our burgers.

Sweet Corn and Zucchinni Sauté with Basil and Chevre

07/01/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

This is my favorite time of the year! Dinners are quick and simple. Inspiration comes from what is on hand from the last visit to the farmers market, and what is ripe in the garden. The zucchini is now producing. If you have grown zucchini yourself, you know you need to check the plant every single day, under every single leaf or risk finding an 8 pounder that results in 15 loaves of zucchini bread! I have been checking everyday, and luckily I found two manageable zucchini. I was also lucky enough to find plenty of basil, a few Anaheim chilies and a sprinkling of ripe tomatoes. Unheard of this early in the season in Seattle, but hey, I’ll take it. Don’t you love the nasturtiums? They just seem to shout “summer”!

We had planned on bbq’d chicken and corn on the cob for a quick dinner. I love fresh, sweet corn but I prefer it OFF the cob. I know that is weird, maybe it’s due to a mouthful of braces and retainers as a kid, but I just don’t find a lot of pleasure in knawing the kernels off the cob. Armed with what I found in the garden and what was in the fridge, I came up with this quick sauté. It was delicious. If you’re like my Mom and don’t like chevre, you could easily use a little parmesan or feta, or even no cheese at all! Be creative, use what you have on hand and adjust the proportion of the ingredients to your taste!

For the Sweet Corn and Zucchini Sauté

olive oil for sautéing

salt and pepper

2 small zucchini, sliced in thirds and then diced

2 ears of corn, kernels sliced away from cob (Place the corn in a bowl, use a very sharp knife to cut the kernels away)

1 small, sweet onion

1 large Anaheim chile, chopped fine

1 diced tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

1-2 Tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade

2-4 Tablespoons crumbled chevre, or any other cheese you prefer

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Sauté the diced onion and green chili until soft. Add the zucchini and tomatoes. (I also threw in a little purple salad onion I accidentally pulled up!)

Season with fresh ground salt and pepper. Sauté about 5 minutes and layer the corn on top of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let the corn steam, about 5 more minutes. Do not over cook. You want the corn to remain a little crispy.

When ready to plate, scoop onto a serving dish, garnish with the basil chiffonade and crumbled chevre. Serving this at room temperature is perfectly fine. Serve this over brown rice or quinoa for a hearty vegetarian main dish.

First Day of Summer!

06/22/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

Yesterday was the first day of summer; the longest and most wonderful day of the year. The solstice begins a series of long days! Since we are so far north it can remain light up to 10:30pm. We were charmed by perfect weather, not always the case on June 21st in Seattle! We worked in the yard most of the day; weeding, trimming, mowing, sweeping. Feeling inspired and motivated, we tore into our garden shed. The shed was in total disarray and begging for reorganization. By disarray, I mean knowing you have string for the weed whacker, a washer for the sprinkler, twine for the tomatoes; but cannot find any of it! With hooks replaced, tools rehung, gloves, hand tools, washers, sprinklers and clippers all sorted and placed in bins the shed has returned to a state of organized usefulness! We pinky swore we would keep it that way! Rewarding ourselves, we relaxed on the patio for a couple of hours; listening to music and drinking in the beauty of the day.

It was (all too) soon time for dinner. Armed with my bounty from the farmers market and a piece of Copper River Salmon, dinner was quick and easy. I knew I wanted to use my peas, fava beans, and garlic scapes, somehow. Catching up on my favorite blogs in the afternoon, I came across a dish posted by Aran Goyoaga at Canelle et Vanille: Fava and Peas with Prosciutto and Fried Egg. Not really a salad and not really a vegetable, it was more of a first course. The dish was exactly what I was looking for. I modified the recipe to include tiny, new potatoes. The dish would be a wonderful meal on its own, and was also perfect with the grilled salmon.

I prepped the peas and the fava beans the day before. If you have never worked with fava beans, there are a couple of steps. First, remove the beans from their velvety outer jacket.

Next, blanch the beans for about 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water, and immediately place in ice water. This makes it easier to remove the white, outer shell from the bean. Remove the outer layer and set aside.

Shell the peas and set aside. Can you tell Dave shelled and photographed the peas?

For the Fava and Peas with Potato, Prosciutto and Fried Egg

Adapted from the original recipe Canelle et Vanille: Fava and Peas with Prosciutto and Fried Egg.

About 1 pound of Fava Beans, shelled, blanched and peeled

About 1 pound of English peas, shelled

4-6 tiny, new potatoes (not in original recipe)

3 tablespoons of olive oil, plus additional for frying the eggs

1 small leek, cleaned and sliced, white parts only

5-6 garlic scapes, or 2 finely sliced garlic cloves if you do not have scapes

4 slices prosciutto or Serrrano

2 eggs

1 cup watercress, – I had arugula which I used instead

Chopped mixed herbs, I used parsley and tarragon

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the fava beans and peas about 2 minutes. Remove and drain in a colander.

Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until a sharp knife can easily be inserted, about 10 minutes. Drain and slice in half.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan. Sauté the leeks and scapes (or garlic) until soft, but not brown. Add the fava, peas and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté to warm through and to ensure all vegetables are coated with the oil. Set aside and prepare two fried eggs.

When ready to plate, place the vegetables on a plate of arugula (or watercress). Top with the prosciutto and fried eggs. Garnish with the chopped herbs. I also added some sliced radishes at this stage.

A perfect summer meal and a perfect summer day. Cheers to many more!

Greek Style Salad and Chicken with Herbs

06/20/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

Here in Seattle, I can visit a different neighborhood Farmers Market everyday of the week from early June through late September. I visited the Lake City Farmers Market yesterday afternoon. It was my first visit to this particular market, and my first “summer” market shop. Needless to say, I got a little excited and a bit carried away. I found many late spring treasures: last of the season asparagus, fava beans, English shelling peas, green garlic, garlic ramps, farm fresh eggs and farmstead feta cheese. There were also some early summer things from the warmer, Eastern part of the state: cucumbers, peppers and even a few tomatoes. I had no immediate plans for anything I bought. I just knew it would all be wonderful.

Quickly surveying what was available from my garden, the chicken breasts I thawed earlier in the day, and my haul from the market, I decided on a Greek Salad and grilled chicken for dinner.

Dave was at rehearsal and not around to help me with photos, so I had not really planned on posting this meal. I took a few shots along the way that turned out fairly well, and since the meal was really delicious, I decided to share it after all.

Like I mentioned earlier, I had originally planned to throw the chicken on the grill for a few minutes. Once the chicken breasts were on the plate and liberally seasoned with olive oil, chopped oregano, lemon zest and salt and pepper; they just seemed to say “roll me up and sauté me”! Ok then, that’s what I did and I will definitely do it again. Next time, I will hold back a little feta from the salad and include that in the center as well as the herbs.

Roll the chicken from the longer edge. Tie with kitchen twine or secure with toothpicks. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil to the pan. Sauté the chicken breasts on all sides, until done…about 10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little white wine. Slice the chicken into rounds and serve with the pan drippings and the Greek Salad.

Laura’s Greek Style Salad – adjust the ingredients and proportions to your personal taste

Cucumber, peeled, quartered and sliced

Red bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces

Purple onion, quartered and then thinly sliced

Pitted kalamata olives

Feta cheese, cut into cubes

Cherry tomatoes, halved

2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, coarsely chopped

Fresh cracked pepper and freshly ground salt

Juice of one lemon

Good quality, fresh, peppery olive oil

Chop all ingredients and place in a bowl. Gently mix with your hands. Add the lemon juice and enough olive oil to coat the vegetables. (Olive oil to lemon juice ration is typically 3 to 1.) Adjust the seasoning. Chill until ready to serve. I plated the salad on butter lettuce leaves.

I harvested our first of the season tomatoes this week! Having a ripe tomato this early is a big accomplishment in Seattle! I took a chance and planted earlier than usual this year. Luckily, the weather has supported that decision with mild temperatures and alternate days of rain and sun.