Spicy Chicks [Chicken and Chickpeas]

In many ways thanks to Steven's mother, we both feel like having a stocked freezer of dinner options is a must for our home. Because of this belief, I tend to get overly excited about even the most minimal discounts in the grocery store butcher section, and this dish is one of my favorites when I realize I have way too many boneless skinless chicken breasts. Partially inspired by a Bon Appetit  2008 recipe and even more so inspired by Penzeys Tandoori Spice that I adore, this dish is has a ton of flavor, spice and savor. I would recommend trying this with similar Indian-style spices and serving alongside a simple green salad.

• 4-6 pieces of thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast (*Can also be swapped with pork chops, chicken thighs, shrimp, or almost any other type of meat you find yourself stockpiling)
  
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 1/4 of a cup + 1 TB of Olive Oil
• 1 TB of paprika
• 1/2 TB of Penzeys Tandoori Spice
• 1/2 TB of red pepper flakes
• 1 can of chickpeas
• Handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)
• 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
• Handful of fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup of feta cheese and a bit extra to toss

To make:

Preheat oven to 450° while you mix together the olive oil, garlic, and spices.Whisk 1-2 teaspoons of the spiced oil into the yogurt to prepare a dipping sauce, and set aside in fridge (right before serving, give this another stir and top with a touch of fresh cilantro: for pretty's sake). 

Add chickpeas, tomatoes (if using) and some fresh cilantro to the remaining spicy oil and stir to coat. Once the mixture is stirred, drench the chicken with it in a roasting or baking dish, and be sure to layer some directly on the chicken breasts. Before you pop into the oven, top with crumbled feta (be liberal if you love feta as much as I do).

Cook 27-30 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through and the feta and chickpeas have the slightest crunch to them. Serve alongside a dollop of the mixed yogurt and a simple salad and voila! 

*You may have noticed that there is one ingredient photographed that I didn't mention: the wine. Of course! That chard is for drinking, as you always should be sipping on vino when you are whipping up something in the kitchen: it leads to creativity.

Spicy Chicks 

Find Your Beach

Beaches and BBQs

We’ve started our exploration of all the nooks and crannies of Branford, already finding some serious gems. A few things I am hoping to discover in this little town include a local watering hole, some sort of market for produce, a restaurant for special occasions and a brand-new hair stylist. So far, I can check one off the list. I had an appointment with Nicole at Salon Massimo downtown, and I fell in love with the stylish hairdressers, premium products and all-over feminine feel (not to mention the fact that Nicole and I share a last name – fate!)

 

We also discovered the tiny cove of Branford Point Beach, which, thanks to our brand-new resident stickers, we are now welcome at. The small sandy area feeds into the Long Island Sound and is right next to a marina, which allows for prime boat-watching (slash drooling).

It feels like we're still eating leftovers.

 We invited some family over for the fourth, and though the heat wave in Connecticut forced us to spend a little less beach time and a little more AC time than we would have liked, it was still fab to show off our new apartment and

have a big family dinner.

 
And the best part was spending some time with my favorite two-year-old , Colin.

Bonkers in Branford

Moving Day! Weekend! Week!

Since we were lucky enough to have our move professionally handled and paid for as a part of our relocation package, we thought this move would be a breeze.  We thought wrong. It turns out, that while our movers were amazing at packing and lifting boxes (we’d highly recommend Collins Brothers Movers), the process of moving from a 2 room apartment to a 7 room apartment (plus a porch and a deck) is quite an undertaking. In just a few Saturdays, we have made 2 trips to Ikea, 3 trips to Walmart and 6; yes SIX, trips to Home Depot. Those shopping trips included feasts of Swedish meatballs, taking apart a grill using a penny and a dime to fit in our car, and a semi-romantic viewing of town fireworks – from a Walmart parking lot, alongside an Uncle Si local lookalike.

Just a few boxes

Parking lot celebrations

And I don’t think that we are close to finished. The good news is that all of our moving boxes are empty, the kitchen is officially open, and we toasted our very first bubbly in our banlieue of Branford. Here's to many, many more flutes (or solo cups) of champers.