Mexican Grilled Chicken with Spicy Black Beans & Rice

This past week, the thermometer decided to test the "above 90 degrees" thing, which meant by Saturday I was in no mood to heat up the kitchen in order to provide dinner.

Thankfully, we got our grill working.

This recipe was so easy, I'm a little surprised I hadn't figured it out before this.

Spinach & Feta Stuffed Chicken

You know how sometimes you have stuff sort of sitting in your fridge because you bought it on sale, or for a different recipe, and now you're just not sure what to do with it?  I had that happen a few months ago with baby spinach and crumbled feta cheese.

A couple of Google searches later, I came across a recipe from Food.com for an easy spinach and feta stuffed chicken breast, and thought I'd give it a whirl, and my own small twists.

Ready to see how it's done?

Julia Child's Coq au Vin

If you're looking for a relatively easy but impressive dish to serve, say, on Valentine's Day, and have about an hour free to prepare such a meal, the coq au vin recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking may be perfect.

I will admit I'm just a touch more in love with Julia's boeuf bourguignon.  But this coq au vin is so delicious.  I've made it twice, once for my family and once for some of my coworkers (I love having little dinner parties!) and both times it surprised everyone in an exceptional way.  When cooked, the chicken takes on a reddish-brown appearance, which makes everyone think it's beef until they cut into it.  It's like a happy surprise!

Chicken Soup - Ultimate Comfort Food

In my neck of the woods, it's chilly, blustery, and we could get some snow tonight.  Plus I have a slight cold, and despite the fact that I'm sitting here in a sweater and my husband's fleece-lined hoodie, I'm freezing.  So it seems fitting to blog about the ultimate comfort food, homemade chicken soup.

There are many variations on chicken soup in the world.  I even have a "quick" chicken soup I do during the work week that starts with a box of Swanson broth (I've found it's the closest thing to homemade that's not actually homemade).  But nothing - and I mean nothing - beats my family's recipe for chicken soup.

There may be some wailing and gnashing of teeth when they've realized I've shared this recipe.  But it's really too good to keep to oneself.

Sea Scallops in White Wine Sauce

My husband's birthday was Wednesday, and to celebrate, I experimented a bit in the kitchen with one of his favorite food items - sea scallops.  He loves scallops of all shapes and sizes.  Usually I use bay scallops, which are the little ones, because the sea scallops are on the pricier end of things.  But I splurged a bit because he's such a wonderful husband.

The result was beautiful and tasty.

You could serve this over your pasta of choice or over brown or white rice.  It's really quite easy and rather fancy, so if you have a special occasion to celebrate it's worth the price of the scallops.  It may take a couple attempts to get the scallops right - there's a very fine line between undercooked, tender, and overcooked, and you're more likely to err on the overcooked side due to food safety fears.