Low Key Weekend

Tyler and I were both exhausted from this week, so we decided to take things easy this weekend. We both had a lot of work to catch up on and just wanted to hang out. We kicked off the weekend with drinks at our apartment and then ventured down the street to a French restaurant called Alouette French Bistro. We had a Groupon to the restaurant and weren't sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised!

Saturday, we laid low.....we ran errands, went to the gym, and got caught up on miscellaneous things. We ended up deciding not to go out for dinner and instead tried a jazzed up version of spaghetti. I found a recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Yummy Mummy Kitchen, and decided to give it a whirl. The only thing I modified was adding chicken apple sausages to the mix to make the dish a little more hearty. I highly recommend this recipe, especially for a quick week night dinner!

Sunday, we woke up on the earlier side. Tyler spent the morning working on school work and playing basketball, while I went to the gym and ran more errands. We spent the afternoon hanging out and made pesto pizza chips (pizza dough, pesto sauce, and mozerella cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with Ranch Dressing....sooo good!) We decided not to head to our friends place for the Super Bowl and instead kept it low key...kind of surprising because I love to make appetizers for Super Bowl parties. Instead, I made guacamole and then the most flavorful chicken...I will likely never buy a whole chicken from the store again after having this chicken. This was really easy and very juicy! Here are the recipes from tonight:

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 of a yellow onion diced
• 1 Roma tomato diced
• 1/2 lime
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Dice tomato and onion and place in bowl.  Slice up the avocado and place slices in the bowl.
2. Mix all ingredients together until desired consistency. 
3. Squeeze 1/2 of lime and season with salt and pepper. Stir and then serve with chips :)

Lemon Parsley & Parmesan Chicken and Potatoes
(From Martha Stewart Living Magazine)
Ingredients For the Chicken and Potatoes:

• 1 whole organic chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved or cut into thirds if large

Ingredients For the Sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive
  
• 1 lemon, zested (2 teaspoons) and juiced (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken, breast side up, on a baking sheet. Rub with two tablespoons oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Place parsley and 1 lemon half in cavity of chicken. Tie legs together with chicken twine.
2. Toss potatoes and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Drizzle with juice from remaining lemon half. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter potatoes along chicken.
3. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees; cook for 25 minutes. Rotate pan, toss potatoes, and cook until potatoes and chicken are golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken's thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 25 minutes more. Let chicken and potatoes stand for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine ingredients. After 10 minutes, brush sauce on chicken and drizzle on potatoes.