Feeding a crowd is easy with a whole cut up chicken. My cousin wanted to try a lemon chicken recipe she found. We didn't have all of the ingredients, so ended up with this new gem. Baked or grilled chicken is a summer staple, I think. It's easy to prepare and light/lean. For this recipe we used fresh lemon juice, garlic, pepper and olive oil.

BAKED LEMON & GARLIC CHICKEN
1 package cut up chicken
1 lemon juiced (a little over 1/4 c)
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, sliced thick
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
fresh cracked salt & pepper, to taste

Rinse and pat the chicken pieces dry and set aside. Prepare marinade by combining lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I added extra fresh cracked pepper to add a little spice. Place the chicken in a plastic bag or casserole dish to marinate. Pour the marinade over the chicken and massage all of the flavors into the chicken. Let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375º (You can either bake or grill the chicken, both take about an hour)
To bake the chicken, place in a casserole dish, skin side up. Top with any leftover marinade and the diced onion.
Cook covered at 375º for about 45-50mins. Raise the temperature to 400º and cook uncovered for the last 10 minutes of cooking time (this will hopefully crisp the skin a little).

Place the chicken on a platter. Scoop out the onions with a slotted spoon (so you don't get all the fats at the bottom of the dish) and pour over the chicken. Drizzle the platter of chicken with some of the juices from the casserole dish.

Do farmers' markets get you excited to cook as well? Every time I walk through the market it just makes me smile. All the beautiful colors of flowers, fruits and vegetables. How can you NOT get inspired?! For this salad I picked up some perfectly fresh blueberries (really some of the best I ever had), strawberries, curly kale and farm fresh feta. On my way home I saw some good looking peaches at a fruit stand so decided to add them as well. Top it all with some oregano, olive oil, fresh cracked salt, pepper and there's nothing better!

SUMMER FARMERS' MARKET SALAD
1 c chopped curly kale
1/2 c blueberries
1/4 c sliced strawberries
1/4 peach, diced
1/4 c crumbled feta
1 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
dried oregano, to taste
fresh cracked salt & pepper to taste

Put the kale in a medium sized bowl with the olive oil. Massage the leaves a little. This will make the leaves more tender...sometimes kale can be a little tough. Add the rest of your ingredients and toss well to combine. This salad is perfect for light lunch or dinner...enjoy!

When the weather is warmer and the sun is shining bright it inspires me to eat lighter.  After a long day, warn out from work and the heat, I decided to put together a light farmers market dinner. I picked up some fresh cherries, strawberries (super juicy) and a new cheese I had never tried before. I also toasted a nice piece of ciabatta and had a cool glass of white wine [not pictured ;-)]. Perfect end to a hot summers day in the city.