Serving Up {Chicken}: Rosemary Chicken Marinade

Summer has finally come to the Northwest!  It has been a lonnnggg winter.  We just turned our heat off last week and three days later we were at 80+ degrees.  I'm not sure what happened to Spring but maybe we will get a few Spring-like days in the next few weeks before 80 degrees return to stay.

When the temperatures heat up it's nice to take the cooking out of the kitchen.  I like to throw my frozen chicken breasts into a marinade (morning of or even the night before) and let the chicken thaw while they soak up the delicious flavors of the marinade.  When dinnertime comes around I fuel up the barbecue and dinner is a snap.  This recipe for chicken marinade is my most used...it's quick to throw together, the ingredients are almost always on hand, and it's delicious (a favorite even of my kiddos).

ROSEMARY CHICKEN MARINADE     
(recipe from Saralyn D.)
printable version

16 ounce bottle Italian Dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup (heaping) brown sugar
2 tsp. dry rosemary, crushed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients and marinate the chicken 8-24 hours.
Discard marinade and grill chicken on the barbecue until cooked through.

Serving Up {Vegetable}: Rosemary Herbed Potatoes

This is a recipe for something that I don't actaully use a recipe to make.  I just eyeball everything and determine the amount of sauce based on the amount of potatoes we are making.  I will mention that we find that when we make these for dinner, the more potatoes the better.  My kids can put down potatoes when they are made this way.  It's pretty impressive actually.  In fact, my eight year old, who is adverse to about 99% of what I cook, has declared these his favorite potatoes.  It's nice to have something that can serve as a white flag in the parent/child relationship.

We like to use the little yellow fingerling potatoes when we make this recipe.  For us we find them at Trader Joe's year round or at New Seasons when they are in season locally.  You could use a red potato, but the fingerlings are so moist and have a natural buttery taste that makes them our favorite.

What really makes this recipe is the fresh rosemary.  In a pinch you could use dried rosemary, or even substitute a different herb, but you must try these at least once with the real thing.  You will be rewarded with a delicious aroma of baking rosemary filling your kitchen before you even get to take your first delectable bite.  You can freeze any leftover rosemary you may have so that you don't waste any - or if you prefer, throw the remainder into a loaf of homemade french bread!  Delicious!

ROSEMARY HERBED POTATOES     
printable version


Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh rosemary, removed from stem and coarsely chopped
Fingerling potatoes, washed and cut into bite size
Parmesan shreds

In a large bowl combine equal parts mayo, Dijon and olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste, one teaspoon of minced garlic and a handful of fresh rosemary.  Mix well.  Add the potatoes and toss to coat.  Pour out onto a foil lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle with Parmesan shreds.  Bake at 425 degrees until fork tender - approximately 30 minutes - stirring (carefully) once halfway through the baking process.