Stumbled across this lovely, haunting band London Grammar. Perhaps I am late but there album comes out September 8th. They are even touring next month at a bunch of U.S. Cities.

Delicious Grilled Chicken

Last Night's Dinner Included Grilled Chicken 

During the cooler months I tend to make roast chicken nearly every week. I have memorized the Zuni Cafe recipe (which people have blogged about all over the place and you can find here). It is always delicious and I have leftovers for a few days for Hank's lunch or for our dinners. In the summer months it feels odd roasting a chicken. It is already hot enough without turning your oven up to 475 degrees (seriously the recipe is all about high heat!). My go to summer recipe is Ina Garten's Grilled Tuscan Chicken. It is always juicy, flavorful and delicious. I also always enjoy at least a day of leftovers. It couldn't be easier you just need to start marinating the chicken at least four hours ahead of time (last night I ended up marinating it for over 24-hours b/c our Saturday night plans changed and it was still delicious. Enjoy!

Tuscan Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, flattened

Kosher salt

1/3 cup good olive oil

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, halved

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.

When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on 1 side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the chicken on the cooler side, skin side up, and weigh it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

 

Grand Park

This weekend we finally checked out the new Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. I realize we are a bit late to the game here but wow was this park fantastic for kids. We got there at 5:00 pm on a Saturday when the crowds had thinned significantly but there were still a ton of kids splashing in the water. Hank immediately peeled off his clothes and proceeded to run for a good hour. He had the best time. He would follow around older kids and lie down next to them in the shallow waters. The splash pad part of the park is the obvious draw for kids but there is also lots of green space and places to sit and they have all sorts of events here all summer long including outdoor movies and a farmer's market. We will definitely be back for more fun on a hot day. I can't recommend this place more if you have kids and you are looking for an alternative to the beach on a hot summer day.

Here are some more pics of Hank in Grand Park heaven:

Best Ceasar Salad Recipe Ever

I have always loved a good Caeser salad. In order to be great it can't be too heavily dressed and I love when it has fresh anchovies (I realize they aren't for everyone). Over the years I have experimented with various incarnations and recipes but I have never found one that is as good as a great restaurant version.....until now.

This month's Food and Wine has an incredible version from April Bloomfield. I have made this dressing three times since I first found it. It is a game changer. Enjoy.

1. Here are the ingrediants: 
2. 1/2 pound day-old rustic Italian bread, crusts discarded and bread torn into bite-size pieces
3. 10 anchovy fillets, plus more for garnish
4. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
5. 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6. 2 garlic cloves
7. 1 large egg
8. 1 cup vegetable oil
9. 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus finely shredded cheese, for serving
10. Kosher salt
11. Freshly ground pepper
12. 18 ounces Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated and chilled
13. Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the bread pieces on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden and crisp; let the croutons cool.
14. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the 10 anchovy fillets with the vinegar, mustard and garlic and puree until smooth. Add the egg and pulse until just incorporated. With the machine on, gradually drizzle in the vegetable oil until emulsified. Scrape the dressing into a bowl and stir in the 1/3 cup of grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the dressing with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled and thickened, at least 30 minutes.
15. In a very large bowl, toss the chilled lettuce leaves with half of the dressing, gently rubbing the dressing onto the leaves with your hands. (Save the remaining dressing for another salad or to serve with grilled chicken.) Arrange the dressed lettuce on a platter and scatter the croutons on top. Garnish with anchovy fillets and serve right away, passing shredded Parmigiano cheese at the table.

Baz Luhrmann and Rereading Classics

Baz Luhrmann's luscious adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" hits theaters next month. This movie seems to suddenly be everywhere. Carey Muligan is even on the cover of Vogue this month draped in gorgeous twenties-inspired clothes. I am pretty sure I want to see this film. Luhrmann's movies tend to be a visual feast but they sometimes leave me a bit cold in the actual story department.

I read the book in a high school English class on American literature. We had a teacher named Ms. Stone who had a profound impact on all of us. She demanded excellence in the class and I can still recall little things she said about particular passages in the book. I am curious to read the book again now. What impact will it have on me now in my thirties versus sixteen-year-old me who read it so many years ago? This book should take me less time to tackle then "Anna Karenina" (I hope!).

Lurmann did have one movie that I loved. I think it probably had more to do with Leonardo DiCaprio, a post-"My So Called Life" Claire Danes and me being just the right age to love everything about this movie. It came out when I was still a teenager. 

Finished!

I felt like Maria on top of the hill when I finally finished!

I was an English Major in College. Tackling enormous and sometimes overwhelming books was par for the course back then. When I graduated I had a lofty goal of reading a classic every fourth or fifth book that I read. I think it did stick for a while. I read Middlemarch and Moby Dick after college. These days I tend to choose mostly contemporary books. That is why I chose to challenge myself recently by rereading Anna Karenina. Perhaps I was inspired by the lush Keira Knightly film and wanted the book fresh in my mind before I watched the latest retelling on film. I figured I would plow through this book. I am embarrassed to admit it took me well over a month to finish, closer to two months if I am being really honest. Last night I was a bit shocked when the book finally ended. I felt a bit of relief mixed with sadness. Even though it had taken me a while to put it mildly, it felt like it ended so abruptly. I quickly started reading Junot Diaz' latest collection of short stories and devoured three stories in one gulp. I frankly could have finished the book last night if I had allowed myself to stay up. I don't know why reading old books is a bit more of a chore for me. Despite the challenges I am going to continue to force myself to tackle on older classic now and then. I often want to revisit the books of my college courses. I wonder if they will mean more now.

Our Weekend

This weekend was a bit less frantic than the previous one. We stayed in Friday night. Saturday morning Mike played Tennis and Hank and I road my bike over to the zoo in Griffith Park. We enjoyed the ride over and our little visit. We also met some new neighborhood friends with a son almost the exact same age as Hank. Hope everyone's weekend was as lovely.