When he was small, my youngest son had a habit of filling his pockets with treasures he encountered in his daily adventures. I didn't always understand the value he saw in his chosen objects -- really, how many rocks and sticks could one boy keep? In his eyes, though, each one was beautiful and important. Life is just like that on a larger scale, isn't it? We gather up the precious bits of our experiences and save them all to learn from and enjoy later. Perhaps you'll find a little something here that you'd like to keep in your own pockets. Thanks for visiting.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Let's get grilling!


Despite the recent weather that is trying to tell us otherwise, grilling season is once again upon us, a fact that brings excitement to many households who have grown bored with winter meals! I have to say, we've been lucky at our house; Matt continued to barbecue on weekends throughout the cold months so we could have a taste of spring and summer year round. He'd bundle up in his warm winter gear, wheel the barbecue out in front of the garage, and faithfully grill meat and veggies to perfection in spite of whirling snow and frozen fingers. I married a good man.

The arrival of spring always adds new flavours and a lighter feel to our meals cooked on the grill. The recipe I'll share with you today, based on one from Canadian Living Magazine, is easy, full of flavour, and one of our absolute favourite ways to barbecue chicken.

Grilled Chicken Breasts, Italian-Style

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally in half (or 4 chicken cutlets)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a bowl, whisk together oil, parsley, lemon juice, basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Add chicken to bowl, turning pieces to coat them. Cover bowl and marinate chicken for 15 minutes.

Preheat barbecue to medium-high heat. (Be sure that the heat is not too high, or the oil in the marinade will catch fire and the chicken will get charred.) Place chicken on the preheated grill and brush it with the remaining marinade. Close lid and grill chicken, for approximately 12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. While grilling, turn the chicken every 3 minutes or so, so that both sides will be grilled twice and you'll have a nice criss-crossed pattern on the cutlets, which makes for a lovely presentation!


Chicken barbecued this way is excellent served with an assortment of grilled vegetables and some quinoa. Here's to a happy and delicious grilling season for all of you!

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