MONDAY

Chicken Thighs with Preserved Lemon  |  Steamed Artichokes  |  Tarragon Mayonnaise

 

HOME...what a wonderful place!  I so enjoyed our time away.  Not your typical vacation…so much work with the horses.  BUT, it was a change of pace & we all loved every minute of it {uhmmm, well, the 2 dogs did get on my nerves by Friday} & {uhmmm, the stress of Mallory’s competition left me numb by Sunday}…so, YES, I am happy to be back home!

VACATION…the definition of that term has evolved over the years.  As newlyweds, Michael & I would jet off to some tropical place and enjoy time on the beach & sailing.  As the children began to arrive, we sought out all-inclusive resorts {for convenience} and, eventually, we made it to Disneyland.  The children have always been involved in sports and, as they have gotten older & more successful in their endeavors, their sport-related travels have become our family vacations.  Beaches, resorts & Disneyland have moved over making way for horse shows {across the country}, basketball camps, baseball camps & football camps.

SPRING BREAK…last week found this little family traveling {3 children, 2 horses, 2 dogs & 1 parent} 4 hours South to Paso Robles for the Twin Rivers International Three-Day Event.  A HUGE horse show at which Mallory was competing in her very first classic, long format event.  Hundreds of horses & riders competed at this wonderful event in the Paso Robles wine country.  Michael was able to join us on Thursday evening & Friday before both he & Max had to leave on Saturday for Max’s weekend baseball games.

Back to dinner…

Michael & Max arrived home a day earlier than us girls, so Michael pulled up this week’s menu and put together a grocery list & did the necessary shopping {kiss, kiss, hug, hug}.  The girls & I arrived home last night {a bit dusty and SO tired} to a wonderful steak dinner prepared by the boys!  Barely recovered, tonight’s dinner was  planned as:  Egg Salad with Tarragon, Parsley & Chives  |  Toasted Baguette Slices  |  Broiled Grapefruit, easy.  But we received word over the weekend that Max’s baseball team has a night game {yes, under the lights} this Wednesday so I rearranged our dinner plan…bumping the grilled chicken thighs to tonight and moving the egg salad to Wednesday {when we need to grab sandwiches on the run}.  Sooo, tonight’s dinner…

Tarragon Mayonnaise {adapted from Vegetable Literacy, by Deborah Madison}

• 2/3 cup {or more} tarragon leaves, finely chopped
• Leaves from several sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• grated zest of 2 small tangerines
• freshly ground white pepper & sea salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, place in an air-tight jar and refrigerate until ready to use…

Steamed Artichokes…Click here to view how to trim an artichoke for steaming…

And now, the Chicken Thighs with Preserved Lemon {adapted from Canal House Cooking, Vol. No. 3, by Christopher Hirsheimer & Melissa Hamilton}

• 2 seasoned cast-iron skillets
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 11 chicken thighs {bone-in, skin on}, seasoned  to taste with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• finely chopped rind from 1 preserved lemon
• fresh lemon wedges
  

1. Divide olive oil between two cast iron skillets.  Heat skillets over medium heat. {We cooked our chicken in cast iron skillets on our grill, avoiding a mess in the kitchen}
2. Add seasoned chicken thighs to the skillets, skin side down.  Cook thighs, without moving them, until the fat has rendered out and the skin is deep golden brown and crisp, about 15-30 minutes.
3. Turn the thighs over and stir in the finely chopped preserved lemon rind into the skillet.  Continue cooking the thighs about 10-15 minutes more.  Serve the thighs and lemony pan drippings with fat lemon wedges.

One more thing before I go…{remember that?}

I won’t bore you with a long list of photos from our “vacation” but here is a collage of the high points from Mallory’s competition…

And how did it all end?  Well…a picture {maybe a few} is worth a thousand words…

Yup…that little pony & that very, little girl WON…FIRST PLACE!  Big Sis was a HUGE help & Mallory told me, as she went to bed last night, that it was the BEST vacation she has ever had…go figure!  WE are ALL so proud of our peanut!  You can click here to view the official USEA wrap up