I have a friend who leads a boneless, skinless, boring existence.

She hasn’t let herself have the pleasure of eating a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast in years because she thinks they’re full of fat, hard to cook and, well, boney.

Oh… what she’s missing.

Making bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts is one of the easiest and most flavorful weeknight meals you can prepare. While the chicken cooks, you can put on your comfy pants, go through your mail and play a couple of rounds of Quiz Up.

You can season bone-in, skin-on breasts with whatever you have on hand… a shake of barbecue spice (like mine) or even a simple rub of olive oil, salt and black pepper. The bone gives the chicken added flavor and keeps it moist and juicy. I strongly recommend using an instant-read thermometer so you don’t overcook the meat!

Oh, one other thing… bone-in breasts are also less expensive, so you may want to buy few extra and cook them at the same time. Later in the week you can pull the skin off, shred the meat off the bone and have another great dinner!

 

 

Here’s a lovely little appetizer that you’re going to want to bookmark: Chicken Marsala Meatballs.

These tasty little bites are made with deliciously nutty Parmesan cheese and ground chicken, so they stay moist. Marsala wine is a fortified wine from Sicily that gives food, especially sauces, a light sweetness with hints of tamarind and vanilla, and overall deepens the flavor of the dish.

I made Chicken Marsala Meatballs as an appetizer, but you can serve them with the rich wine sauce as a main course over rice or pasta.

Here’s the tutorial… the printable recipe follows!

 

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

1. Gather your ingredients: 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided; ¼ cup finely chopped parsley; 1 pound ground chicken (I used thigh meat); ½ cup breadcrumbs; 2 cloves finely chopped garlic; 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 egg; 1 tablespoon butter; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ cup chicken broth; ¼ cup Marsala wine.

 

2. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese. Place ½ cup on a plate; set aside remaining ¼ cup. 

 

3. Finely chop the parsley; set aside.

 

 

4. Place the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and egg in a large mixing bowl. Blend with your hands or a spoon until well incorporated.

 

5. Form into 1-inch balls.

 

 

6. Roll each chicken meatball in the Parmesan cheese on the plate; set aside.

 

 

7. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add meatballs and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often until lightly browned on all sides.

 

8. Add chicken broth and Marsala wine. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. 

 

9. Remove from pan and top with remaining cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.

 

I shared this recipe On the Monday Handmade Linkup Party... Come over and take a look!

Life around my house is lived as though someone stepped on the accelerator—going 80 miles an hour, everything and everyone in constant motion (that happens when you have five kids). Lots of running around.

Last month is a good example—getting everyone ready to go back to school is a balancing act… no, a juggling act, beyond compare. Clothes to pack. Doctor appointments. School supplies. Planes to catch. Trains to catch.

And no real time for meals.

So, it’s kind of ironic that my salvation during all this activity isn’t something that moves fast. Just the opposite…it moves slowly. Methodically. It’s my slow cooker…and it’s a life-saver. Uh, make that a time-saver.

My good friends at Hamilton Beach sent me their Set & Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker to try out. What do I think? In three words: I. Love. It.

What’s really great is that I’m able to prep meals the night before… like this Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Green Salsa recipe. First I sliced an onion really thick and put the slices in the bottom of the Slow Cooker’s crock. I rubbed the pork shoulder with spices and set it on top of the onions… and then put the crock in the fridge.

The next morning I added the chicken stock and programmed the Slow Cooker to be ready by the time I got home. The salsa is so easy to prepare, I made it while I got the rest of dinner ready, but you can also prepare it in advance.

I shredded the pork, stirred in half of the salsa and served it with warm tortillas so everyone could make their own tacos as we all sat down for dinner… and put on the brakes for a little while.

And if you have any salsa leftover, it goes great with eggs the next morning!

One other cool thing is that this slow cooker comes with a temperature probe so that you can cook large cuts of meat, whole chickens or even turkey breasts by relying on the internal food temperature to test for doneness.

I used the probe to cook a 4-pound chicken on High in about 4 hours (internal temperature 180°F in the chicken’s thigh). The skin didn’t crisp up and brown the way I like it, so I but it in a roasting pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes… beautiful!

One more thing… head on over to my friend, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, to find more delicious recipes… just like this one!

                             

Whenever I make steak, I always make extra so that with the leftovers I can prepare my favorite summer dish: Thai Beef Salad.

The beauty of this salad is that you don’t have to include all of the ingredients. If you don’t have fish sauce, use soy sauce. Don’t like jalapeños… leave them out. You can add what you do have… like red or green peppers, cooked zucchini, broccoli or green beans. This is pretty much a “clean the fridge” type of salad with a whole lot of flavor.