Dinner for the One you LOVE!

Here is a special meal to prepare for the one you LOVE. This is the week of Valentine’s Day, but hey we need to celebrate LOVE everyday!! All the ingredients are easy to find and if you chop and do some prep work ahead of time it won’t take so long to put together. I have a YouTube video making this dinner so I will put the link at the end of this blog! Happy Cooking Friends!!

Ingredients:

Chicken (enough for your family, I used drumsticks with thighs attached)

2 whole Garlic Bulbs:

Link for my Garlic Baker: http://amzn.to/2ClUSNI

Parchment Paper

Olive Oil/Oregano or Italian seasoning/Sea Salt/Pepper/Garlic Salt/Real Maple Syrup

Lemons: Link for the Lemon Squeezer: http://amzn.to/2Gc0i0o

Red Onion/Sweet Onion/Multi-Colored Baby Peppers/Carrots/Potatoes

Lemon Thyme

Artisan Bread

Salad Ingredients: I used Romaine, Croutons, Kalamata Olives/Red Onion/ Cherry Tomatoes/Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Artichoke

Artichoke Dip: Salsa/Cream Cheese/Sour Cream

Chicken Marinade:

2 T. Fresh Lemon Juice

2 T. Olive Oil

1 T. Real Maple Syrup

Fresh Herbs: Lemon Thyme & Parsley

Sea Salt

Wash and dry the chicken. Place in a large dish or zip lock and brush on marinade. I actually ended up making another batch and also brushed on chicken as I was browning it!

Roasting Garlic

Remove some of the papery outer skins from the garlic. Slice off the tips of the bulbs so each clove is exposed. Trim base so garlic heads will sit flat on the base of your baker or flat surface. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic bulbs. Sprinkle with oregano or Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bake in a terra cotta garlic baker or foil. I Love my garlic baker!! Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until garlic is tender and golden brown. Baste occasionally with olive oil. Here is the link for my garlic baker: http://amzn.to/2HfA2TQ

Artichoke Dip

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1 T. Cream Cheese

2 T. Salsa

Mix the dip together and place in refrigerator. Using a sharp knife cut off the artichoke stem even with the base. Cut off top 1/3 of artichoke, pull off small coarse lower leaves. Using scissors, cut off thorny tips of remaining leaves. Rinse well. In a saucepan bring water to a boil and squeeze in fresh lemon juice. I added the garlic slices also from what was left over from the top of the garlic bulb before roasting. Place artichoke in the boiling water stem side down and cover. Simmer for 35 minutes or until base can be easily pierced with a fork. Later after your artichoke has cooled scoop out the inside and fill. For more watch my YouTube video about cooking the artichoke.

Chicken:

In a large frying pan add a little olive oil and heat. Add chicken pieces and brown on both sides basting on more marinade while frying. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in 350-375 degree oven till done and juices run clear. Approximately 45 minutes. Watch my video the link is below.

Uniformly cut all your vegetables. Red onion, sweet onion, peppers, carrots and potatoes.

Bake carrots and potatoes together tossing with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. Bake in 425 oven till done and crispy. Toss in fresh parsley and parmesan cheese the last 10 minutes!

Roast Peppers & Onions:

Toss in olive oil and season with sea salt. Bake along with chicken until done. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Artisan Bread and Romaine Salad

While everything is baking prepare salad on plates. Right before dinner warm bread in foil just until warm. During dinner spread roasted garlic on your bread and drizzle with olive oil! It is hard to not eat the whole loaf!!!