Lemon Chicken

The thing is - I keep my resolutions - pretty much. (I make them in November having learned that if I can keep them during the busy holidays - I can keep them all year). These days you will find me going through my home "bird by bird," "word by word," "file by file," and "t-shirt by t-shirt." I used to thrive in clutter - all those years directing with kids - if you didn't thrive in clutter - you were toast.

But I cannot write in clutter. My office is so filled with piles - I need to get outside to think. Luckily the weather has cooperated. But 40 and 50 degree degrees days in January are not the norm, so before winter again grasps us (Wednesday), I  have been simplifying.

This philosophy also pertains to dinner time. I want few ingredients, one graceful meal without a lot of clean-up, a supper that delivers in taste but leaves me feeling that all is in place and the evening is for reading, music, conversation and cat purrs. This lemon chicken has been appearing on my table a lot. There is a lightness of being, an ease of preparation and it satisfies all quirky appetites (we have that in my home).

Nothing says Italian better than the classic combination of lemon, rosemary and garlic.The ingredients are bright enough for spring, but the comforting aroma makes it perfect for January - a soft blanket to keep you warm and snuggled.

Lemon Chicken (This is from Saveur - The New Comfort Food - served at Los Angeles's Angeli Caffe)
Serves 4
3-1/2 pounds chicken cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I used the juice of 1 lemon and called it a day)
10 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon peel - pith removed and pulp chopped (I just zested the lemon before juicing it)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss the chicken pieces with the olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice, garlic, lemon zest and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Marinate for about an hour (I did longer).
2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Arrange chicken in a 9x13 baking dish (or as you will) and cover chicken with remaining marinade. Roast, turning once until cooked through - about 30-40 minutes (mine took 40 minutes.)
3. Serve.

During the day, I have fallen in love with "Green Soup." I made a huge batch on Saturday, and it seems to be a tonic - to good health - to well-intentioned resolutions. It gives me a lightness of being. Just simple greens really (kale, spinach, chard, cooked  with caramelized onions and pureed in broth). And did I mention it's utterly delicious? Most important. It's the caramelized onions that transform it.

Find it here: (Try it, you'll like it.)
http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/basic_green_soup.html

If you have a resolve to eat healthier, get a wee bit leaner, this well help you. I am all for anything that will help me!

The moon appears around 4 p.m. I always have to stop what I am doing to see it - and say a moon poem to myself. The more I rid myself of "stuff," the more I see.

Not much later, the sun sets and I have to see that also.

I like the shimmer at the end of the short day. A last blazing moment - the sun does not disappear quietly. Why should it?

And after dinner, the evening star has been outshining the moon. Is it no wonder I want dinner to be simple? I want time for this.