Menu - Spicy potatoes and peas with chicken

Last weeks dinners consisted of lots of pizza and pasta.  The weather was so beautiful, I took the opportunity to rake my yard.  I was in no mood to make dinner rather I came inside and took a long hot bath to soothe my screaming muscles and blisters.  Needless to say, my body was not happy with me.  I  threw it into gardening mode with no warning what so ever.  But, damn it felt good to be outside soaking up the warm sun on my arms and working up a bit of a sweat.  It does a body good!
This week we are back to the chilly weather and I'm okay with that as I have been out of the kitchen for a whole week and itching to get back in there.   I'm a girl who likes to have a menu planned for the week.  I hate being caught off guard with my family lingering around looking at me with hungry eyes.  There are moments I fear for my life.  I would also much rather cook up some good food then make a run up to McDonalds and get home and bite into a cold cheeseburger  or worse yet, cold fries.  So, I am an organized cook.  I function well that way and my family likes that stability too.  This weekend I didn't plan a menu though.   However, as luck would have it, I received my March Everday Food issue in the mail.  In there, they have a whole weeks menu planned with a pre-printed shopping list.  Bingo!  I grabbed that and ran to my local Walmart.  They had everything I needed except for the fresh Cilantro which is okay as my husband swears it's the devils weed!  I like it and I put up with his black olives so every now and then he can put up with my cilantro.  It's a give and take relationship we have over here.  Enough chitter chatter, here is my pre-planned menu for the week.  I'm a little nervous as there are some dishes that I'm a little hesitant about.

Monday - Spicy potatoes and peas with chicken
Tuesday - Sweet-pepper rice with sausage
Wednesday - Egg-bacon toasts with onions and spinach
Thursday - Couscous and roasted carrots with spiced meatballs
Friday - Bread and shrimp skewers with romaine salad

As a favor to you, I will include the recipe for tonight's dinner and if the rest of them are good, I will blog them too!  I'm nice like that :)

Spicy potatoes and peas with chicken



Yields: 4

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 bag (10 ounces) frozen peas
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves, plush whole leaves for serving.

Preheat oven to 400.  In a small bowl, stir together cumin, coriander, and cayenne.  If using.  In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, 10 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.  Return water to a boil, then add peas and cook just until tender.  3 minutes.  Drain peas and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  Season chicken with salt and cook, skin side down, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.  Flip and transfer skillet to oven; roast until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove chicken from skillet and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.  Add potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mix, reserving remaining for Thursday and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are golden in spots, 7 minutes.  Stir in peas, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper.  To serve, place chicken on top of peas and potatoes and sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Just a few notes I made for this recipe.  When I drained some of the fat from the skillet, I found that I needed to add butter.  I just couldn't help myself!  Also, please DO NOT grab the handle of the skillet to give the potatoes a shake like I did.  It hurts really bad and words you did not know were in your vocabulary will certainly make an appearance!

Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go put my hand on something cold!

Source: Everyday Food

~ Enjoy!