Za'atar Chicken Thighs and Roasted Green Beans

Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe this is one of our family's FAVORITE dinners.  Nice enough to serve company, but simple enough to make on a weekday.  The chicken is super moist, and the green beans are delicious.  We don't always do the roasted pita, but that is a nice extra touch!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lemon, quartered
3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, (about 4-6 thighs)
2 1/2 Tablespoons of Za'atar spice
3 T olive oil
2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

1 lb green beans
1 clove of garlic minced or 1/4 t garlic powder
2 T olive oil
1/2 t salt and pepper
3-4 pitas (optional, omit for gluten-free)

1.  Preheat oven to 450 with rack in the upper third of the oven.  Place baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
2.  Quarter lemon.  Pat chicken thighs dry, then transfer to a large bowl.  Toss and coat with 2 1/2 T of za'atar, lemon quarters, 3 T olive oil, 2 t salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
3.  Place lemon quarters and chicken on preheated baking sheet, skin side up.  Roast until chicken is cooked through 18-20 minutes.
4.  While the chicken is cooking, trim ends of green beans.  Toss the green beans with 2 T olive oil, 1/2 t salt and pepper and garlic.  (Optional) cut pitas into 1-inch pieces.
5.  When chicken is cooked through, add green beans to baking sheet around the chicken (remove lemon wedges if more room is needed).  Roast until green beans are barely tender about 5 minutes.  Then switch the oven to broiler.  Broil on the top oven rack until the chicken is crisp and the green beans are cooked about 2-3 more minutes.  Watch closely. Transfer chicken thighs to a plate to rest.
6.  Add pitas to baking sheet if using, stir to coat in the pan juices.  Broil on the top oven rack until lightly toasted with the green beans for 1-2 minutes.  Stir then broil again for 1-2 more minutes.  Watch closely.

*NOTE: In a pinch, I've used a half of an orange instead of lemon and still tasted great.

Pretzel Bites

These are super quick, fun, and delicious!


INGREDIENTS

DOUGH:
 2 1/4 cups (11.25 ounces) all-purpose flour (see note)
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon sugar
 1 tablespoon instant yeast
 1 cup (8 ounces) warm water

TOPPING:
 1/2 cup (4 ounces) very hot water
 2 tablespoons baking soda
 Coarse, kosher salt or pretzel salt
 3 tablespoons butter, melted

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix. Add the water. Mix well, adding more flour, if needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. It should be soft but not overly sticky.
2. Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is soft and stretchy. Grease the inside of a gallon-size ziploc-type bag with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough inside. Close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes (or up to 60 minutes) until doubled in size. Alternately, the dough can rise in a lightly greased, covered bowl.
3. Preheat oven to 500°F. The high heat ensures the pretzels will brown beautifully on the outside while staying soft and chewy on the inside. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured work surface, and cut the dough into four thick strips. Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces. It doesn't have to be exact.
5. Combine the very hot water and baking soda and whisk to combine well.
6. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this helps give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color and flavor). Let the excess liquid drip off before placing the pretzel bites a couple inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
7. Sprinkle the pretzel bites with coarse, kosher (or pretzel) salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
8. Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes until golden brown.
9. Remove the pretzels from the oven, and immediately brush them with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.   Excellent with dipping cheese sauce.

NOTES
Yeast: to sub active dry yeast for the instant yeast, use the same amount and proof it in 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar. Add it to the ingredients and decrease the overall water by 1/4 cup.

Flour: I often use half to 3/4 finely ground white whole wheat flour with good results.

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES  COOK TIME 8 MINUTES  ADDITIONAL TIME 45 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR 8 MINUTES. From HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/CHEWY-PRETZEL-BITES/

Puppy Chow (aka Muddy Buddies)

A favorite treat, that's easy to make and naturally gluten free!  Adapted from The Very Best Puppy Chow {Muddy Buddies} - Mel's Kitchen Cafe (melskitchencafe.com)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips (see note)
• 1 ¼ cups (320 g) peanut butter (see note)
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) salted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 ½ to 11 cups (352 g) rice or corn Chex cereal (a 12-ounce box)
• 2 ½ cups (285 g) powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons (11 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour the cereal into a large bowl.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter and cook for 1-minute intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is smooth and fully melted. Don't overheat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the cereal and using a flat rubber spatula gently fold the mixture until the cereal is evenly coated with the warm mixture.
4. Place the powdered sugar* in a large bag and add the chocolate-covered cereal (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your bag). Close the bag and shake like your life depends on it until the cereal is coated with the dry mixture.  
5. Let the cereal rest until it goes from wet and shiny to looking a bit sticky, 5 to 10 minutes (this is an important step – If it is too wet, the powdered sugar soaks into the runny chocolate instead of forming a powdery coating on the outside).
6. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder (see note).
7. Spoon about half of the powdered sugar mixture in the bottom of two 1-gallon ziploc bags or one 2-gallon ziploc bag (I keep these larger bags on hand just for this recipe – makes it so easy to mix!).
8. Add the cereal mixture to the bag(s). This step can be a bit messy. It helps to fold down the top of the bag a few inches and pile the cereal in.
9. Add the remaining powdered sugar mixture. Close the bag and shake, turning the bag over as you go, until the cereal is mostly coated with the powdered sugar mixture and has formed clusters here and there.
10. (You can continue adding powdered sugar a little at a time and shaking to coat if you'd like a thicker powdery coating on the puppy chow, but be warned that this may result in less clusters.)
11. Spread the puppy chow out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. At this point, you can easily sprinkle on a bit more powdered sugar and toss by hand if there are extra gooey spots that need it. Let the puppy chow sit for 20 to 30 minutes to cool and set.
12. Store the puppy chow in the fridge or the freezer and experience how good life can be when munching on chilled clusters of this magnificent stuff.