pesto roasted chicken and marinated grilled baby artichokes

ahhh...this dinner was comfort food at its finest. trader joes now has those wonderful little baby artichokes...perfect food to let you know spring is here. a bottle of jarred pesto and a roaster chicken completed this meal...oh, and some herb roaasted red potatoes helped as well.

enjoy!






1 4 1/2 lb organic all-natural whole chicken
1/2 cup pesto, homemade, jarred etc. w/no funky additives

preheat oven to 450F.

clean out chicken. lift up skin to make lose enough to fill. rub pesto under the skin and all over the chicken. rub a little inside. you may need more or less.
put in roasting pan, breast side up on rack.

roast for 30 min on 450f.

reduce heat to 350F. and continue roasting another 40 min.



marinated and grilled baby artichokes

a bunch of baby artichokes,(i used the whole box full)
1 lemon
3/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 glc clvs, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
season with sea salt and pepper


fill bowl with cold water and a squeeze of lemon juice to avoid discoloration.

cut stem off of artichokes. peel until yellow leaves are exposed...remove as much of the green leaves as you can. if large quarter but most can just be halved. place in water.

bring pot to a boil and add artichokes. boil until tender, about 6-8 minutes.

in a bowl add red wine vinegar, squeeze of remaining lemon, garlic, herbs and s&p.

when artichokes are done add to marinate. leave in an hour or a day.

heat grill pan. remove artichokes from marinade and grill until grill marks appear and are browned. put back in marinate and toss. now eat!