happy 2010!

{me • january 1, 2010 • lake tahoe}

hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. i took a little much needed time off + went up to lake tahoe with elliot + some friends. what a beautiful way to start 2010.

here are some pictures from my weekend away...spent mostly eating, drinking bubbles, exploring + sitting by the fire.

{snowy walk.}

{i love this fence...the yellow looks so warm against the coolness of the snow.}

{evan aka harry wiener is quite the adventurer.}

{evan reflecting on 2009.}

{lake tahoe • january 2010 • i just love the contrast between the melting snow + sand.}

{me.}

{harry wiener exploring the beach.}

{and the mountains.}

{harry wiener all done exploring.}

{martha stewart's chicken paillards with lemon butter sauce.}

i tend to cook things i am familiar with (which can get a little boring)...so one of my new year's resolutions is to try new recipes more often. i found this recipe in the january edition of martha stewart. one resolution accomplished! the other (eat less butter) was not. oh, well, it was tasty!

{my attempt at paillards.}

we didn't have a mallet, so ended up using a small frying pan to pound the chicken out. i also am not too gifted with butterflying chicken. adding that to the long list of things i need my oh-so-talented-chef-father to teach me.

{i love brussels sprouts...especially with pancetta}

bussels sprouts with pancetta is one of my go-to dishes in the fall + winter months. super yummy + easy to make.

{good eats.}

{big e smalls did a little exploring of his own...several times without my permission!}

{and a lot of relaxing.}

martha stewart's chicken paillards with lemon-butter sauce

serves 2 to 4

lemon segments give this dish great flavor. to segment the fruit, cut away all the peel and white pith. then slice along the membranes. serve the chicken and sauce over fresh spinach.

season 4 chicken paillards (from 2 breast halves) on both sides with salt and pepper.

heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. add 2 paillards, and saute on 1 side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. reduce heat to medium. flip, and saute paillards until cooked through, about 2 minutes. transfer to a plate. raise heat to medium-high, and repeat with remaining paillards.

add 1/4 cup minced or sliced shallots to skillet, and coo over medium heat, adding oil or butter as needed, stirring often, until golden, about 1 minute. rainse heat to meadium-high. add segments of juice of 2 lemons (my notes: i didn't understand if she meant 4 lemons total, 2 for segments and 2 for juice?), 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock, and any plate juices, and deglaze the pan (my notes: i used a splash of white wine to deglaze as well), scraping brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. simmer until sauce reduces by half, about 3 minutes. gradually stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold un-salted butter (cut into small pieces) until just melted. season to taste (my notes: i added a little tarragon...nice addition).

preparing the chicken

boning: start with a bone-in breast (this will yield two paillards). inset the tip of a boning knive near the ribs, and work the knife along the bone to remove the meat.

butterflying: place one hand on the chicken, curving your fingers up slightly for safety. slice meat horizontally, cutting almost to the other side. open it like a book. (my notes: i didn't read that last bit + cut them into separate pieces...oops!)

pounding: place meat inside a plastic bag or between plastic wrap (my notes: i used wax paper...it worked just fine). working from center out, pound with the smooth side of a mallet until meat is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. cut into 2 pieces.