Citrusy Broiled Chicken Legs

It is a real shame living in a place with no outdoor space or grill access. I love grilling! To substitute, I’ve been experimenting with my broiler. I figure a close, dry flame is the closest I can get to grilling. It’s really nothing like the BBQ, but it makes good food in its own right. These chicken leggies make a fun and tasty dinner.

The marinade on these chicken legs is the best part. It’s so delicious and lightly flavorful. David started it while I was out, and I could smell it as soon as I walked in the door. That’s pretty impressive for uncooked chicken, sealed in the refrigerator!

Put your chicken legs in a large bowl or plastic bag. I used 14 legs, which is a good amount for feeding four people. Then, cover the legs with 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of orange juice, the juice and skins from 2 lemons and 2 limes, 3 crushed garlic cloves without the skin, 1 quartered onion without the skin, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Let the chicken marinate for about 3 hours, making sure to mix everything around every hour to get the chicken fully coated. 

After the legs are marinated, preheat your broiler to high. Mine went up to 500ºF. Then, lay your chicken legs out on a broiling pan, or improvise your own like I did. I set a cooling rack over a sheet pan so the chicken juices would drip away from the legs as they cooked. Put your chicken into the oven at the middle rack. You don’t want it too close to the broiler or else it will burn on the outside and stay raw on the inside. Total cooking time for the chicken will be 25-30 minutes. You should turn the legs over half way through and baste the new top-sides with the marinade. If your chicken still isn’t brown enough when it’s done cooking, you can move it closer to the broiler for a minute.

I served my citrusy chicken legs with a tomato mozzarella salad, spicy black beans, corn on the cob, and avocado. It was a satisfying meal. I loved the chicken’s subtle, marinated flavor. Morsels of meat were best eaten with smidgen of bean-studded avocado. The chicken meat was very juicy. And I’m sure this idea isn’t a new one, but I discovered I could serve my mashed avocado/unseasoned guacamole inside of the avocado shell. It was cute. Have fun with this meal (and it’s leftovers)!

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman.


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Is My Scar on Straight?


The last Harry Potter movie premiers tonight, and the anticipation is too much. I can’t wait!! I have high hopes for this last movie because the first part of the finale did a really good job staying true to the book (even if that meant releasing a long movie with an abrupt ending). Harry Potter movies have been memorable occasions throughout the last ten(?) years. I remember going to the first movie with my family and being embarrassed for all the kids dressed as HP characters wearing tattoo scars on their heads. The lightning bolts were more cartoony than realistic, and that’s just a shame.

As the years have passed and subsequent movies have been released, I’ve come to appreciate this HP fanaticism (not that I’d be caught dead dressed in costume for the movie). I like joking that I’m going to bring my wand or cape. I casually mentioned to David that I needed to prepare my scar for the event, and he believed me… ugh, maybe my enthusiasm is going too far.

I saw the fifth Harry Potter by myself, and it was the first movie I’d ever watched sandwiched between two strangers. It was a very grown-up moment for me. Fortunately, I finally found a true parter in Harry Potter crime when I discovered Rachel reading the French edition. We saw HP six at its midnight release and then again the next morning (not because of fanaticism but because we bought too many tickets. Good thing it was a movie worth watching!). And tonight, we will summon magical forces when we see the final movie, one that sold out weeks ago! I can only imagine what adult costumes we will see.

On a completely unrelated note, I just ate a mango-nectarine hybrid and it was not good.
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Lemony Cream Cheese Cookies

I have a big thing for cream cheese. Although I’m past the days of eating it straight up, I still love anything made with it- cream cheese icing, cheesecake, whatever. So these cream cheese cookies are right up my alley. They taste a lot like lemony cream cheese icing, but in cake form. Yes, cake. You know I like my cookies on the crispy side, but these are good too. In fact, I think they would make excellent mini-muffins.

To make these scrumptious delights, preheat your oven to 350ºF. Then, beat one brick (8 ounces) of room temperature cream cheese with one stick (1/2 cup) of room temperature butter. It really helps to use an electric mixer here, but mixing by hand would work too. Then, beat in some sugar. I used 1 cup and found the cookies to be a little too sweet for me. I’d knock it back a little next time. Also mix in 1 egg, the zest of 1 lemon, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Once that’s all incorporated, mix in 1 cup of flour and 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder. 

Scoop your cookies out into tablespoon sized lumps and space them evenly. I found it helpful to use a non-stick surface for these cookies to ensure that they cook evenly and don’t stick. If you use tinfoil, I’d lightly spray it with cooking oil first. Then, put your cookie sheet in the oven and bake it for 12 minutes, rotating the sheet around at the 6 minute mark. Your cookies should be lightly browned on the bottom when they’re done.

If you love cream cheese, you’ll really enjoy these cookies.

Even Stella gave these cookies her paw of approval when she went counter surfing for them while I was out!

The Kitchn inspired these cookies.

Shopping list:

  • Cream cheese- 1 brick/8 ounces
  • Sugar- 3/4 cup
  • Egg-1
  • Lemon- 1
  • Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
  • Flour- 1 cup
  • Baking powder- 1/4 teaspoon
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