Celebrations

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Reverend Ted Grady

What a busy week, with so much to be grateful for!

-       My oldest daughter performed a Hamlet monologue as part of her English class requirement.  She chose the passage that ends “The play’s the thing/wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.”  That passage is 59 lines long.  Where does she get that memory from?  I can’t even remember a five-item grocery list.
-       Andrew and I celebrated our twenty-first wedding anniversary on Friday.  Our wedding day was about 33 degrees Celsius (over 90 Fahrenheit) and very muggy.  Twenty-one years later, it was 15 degrees (59 Fahrenheit) and my hometown got about 2” of rain.  Luckily, we celebrated our love, not the weather, with a beautiful dinner out.
-       We attended two weddings of our dear friends.  We don’t go to many weddings at this stage in our lives – most of our friends are already married, and our friends’ children aren’t there yet.  What’s the chance we’d be invited to two in the same day?  We loved sharing our best wishes with the brides and grooms, and dancing at the end of the evening.  (And the mother of one of the brides asked that I bring my chocolate raspberry cake to the dessert table!)
-       And this morning, we heard the first sermon given by the Reverend Ted Grady.  Ted grew up in our church, and we’ve known him and his wonderful family ever since we started attending.  Ted’s parents, Jack and Isla, are absolute blessings to our church, and it was an honour to celebrate their joy by their sides.

Factor in last weekend’s visit to my oldest daughter’s future university campus, and preparations for my youngest daughter’s church musical performance next weekend, and it feels very much like we’re in a time of transitions. 


When life is super-busy, sometimes it’s hard to find time to eat, let alone to prepare a meal. This recipe is quick to prepare and tastes delicious, and you can feel virtuous about all the vegetables in it.  And whether you’re celebrating weddings, anniversaries or new beginnings of any kind, that’s definitely something to take pride in. 

Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

3 large red peppers
3 onions
3 medium zucchini
3 Tbsp oil, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 chicken breast halves, skinless and bone-in
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary leaves and 1 tsp dried rosemary

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the peppers and onions into large chunks.  Slice the zucchini in half crosswise, then cut each piece in half lengthwise once again.  Cut each strip into three chunks. 

Put the vegetables in a large baking pan, and toss them with 2 Tbsp oil and 1/4 tsp salt.  Arrange the chicken pieces in the pan with the vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp of oil, 1/2 tsp of salt, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Rub the mixture into the chicken in the pan.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then stir the vegetables and add the rosemary.  Cook for about another 20 – 30 minutes more until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.

32 comments:

Bonnie said...

Congratulations! I'm glad the weather didn't keep you from celebrating your anniversary.

It sounds as if your daughters are as accomplished as their mother. Hamlet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I am impressed. I took a class on it and have seen it numerous times on stage; I doubt I could quote more than a line or two.

This sounds like a great recipe to put in the oven and get a few other things finished while it is cooking.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon.

Bonnie

Valerie Gamine said...

Congratulations on your 21st wedding anniversary! (as well as everything else!) I'm amazed that you have time to look for recipes, let alone cook. :D

Jeanne said...

Wow, you have lots to be thankful for and quite a busy schedule! Congrats on your anniversary! I love these simple recipes, and anything that reminds me of Italy brings a smile to my face. :)

Anonymous said...

Congrats on all your good times!

Belinda said...

WOW! Hearty congratulations!!!

Anonymous said...

wow! lots to celebrate! and that meal looks terrific! thanks for sharing!

Sue said...

Congrats on your wedding anniversary! What a great "performance" by your daughter...my son-in-law teaches H.S English, and "Brit Lit" (Shakespeare) is his favorite subject to teach.

Trisha said...

Happy Anniversary to you and u'r husband ...

I'm hosting a giveaway over at my blog and would love for you to stop by and participate.

http://www.myhobbielobbie.com/2012/05/my-200th-blog-post-and-my-1st-ever.html

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Congratulations to you and your husband my friend :D
How perfect!

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Anonymous said...

looks so easy to prepare and delicious…mouthwatering!

Vi said...

Happy Anniversary! 21 Years is something to be proud of! That chicken looks delicious and perfect for summer.

Joanne said...

YOu guys have been busy busy busy! SOunds like a fun weekend though....and happy anniversary! I'm glad to see you're eating well to keep you energized!

erica said...

Oh my goodness have you been busy! Happy Anniversary and that chicken looks amazing. xo

Kitchen Riffs said...

Congrats on everything, but particularly your wedding anniversary. Although it's probably better to be too busy than not busy enough, it can be somewhat stressing. So I agree, it's nice to have easy go-to recipes. And roasting is one of my favorites methods, too, when I need a meal on the table that doesn't take too much time or attention. And your recipe is perfect for that - healthy, nice flavor, and really easy to prepare. Thanks for this.

Claudia said...

What a rich, beauteous time you are having. Hope you can catch your breath to savor it all. That Tuscan chicken recipe is right up my alley - especially now that "real" vegetables are making their way back here. Happy anniversary! How sweet it is!

Jemi Fraser said...

So many wonderful events! So nice :)

That meal is something my family would love! I'll be making it soon :)

Stina said...

Happy anniversary!!!

I could NEVER memorize anything from Shakespeare. I can't even read and understand his plays, never mind memorize them. People who can amaze me.

Yum on the recipe. :)

Janet Johnson said...

That looks delicious! I need to work on adding a little zest to my cooking (at least, as soon as we've moved and settled in).

Sounds like you're doing wonderfully. Congratulations on 21 years! That a beautiful accomplishment. :)

Anonymous said...

It seems that your wedding anniverary is on my birthday -- it was such a rainy day...but fortunately I worked from home and missed having to walk half-way home. Hopefully you didn't have to take the subway. Best of luck to both your daugthers with all of their activities, at such an exciting time. It'll be quite a while before one of my girls is off to university!

Anna said...

This sounds delicious, and what a lot of happy excitement! Happy belated anniversary!!

Carol said...

Happy Anniversary! Congrats. You have a lot going on. I can relate. We just had orientation at the college my daughter will go to in the fall. The chicken looks delicious!

Vicki Bensinger said...

It sounds like you've had quite the week with so many important events to celebrate. Congrat's on your anniversary. How exciting that your children love the theatre but then you've obviously been instrumental in their passion from everything I've read to date.

Will your daughter be going far when she leaves for college? I remember those days. My youngest just graduated college, so we're done and you're just beginning.

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary.

What fantastic celebrations. I also don't know how people memorize things for acting.

Kathy said...

Happy Anniversary!! Such wonderful, happy celebrations! Your chicken dish looks delicious!

CJ - Food Stories said...

Wow, you sure have a lot going on ... Great recipe for busy times :-)

grace said...

21 years together!? that's marvelous, beth--congratulations!

Jemi Fraser said...

Hi Beth! I'm popping by again to let you know you won the PDF copy of the Emotion Thesaurus from my blog! :)

I couldn't find your email anywhere via your profile. Could you either email me (jemifraser @ gmail . com) or Becca (becca . puglisi @ yahoo . com)? We'll get that sent your way soon! Congrats :)

Kittie Howard said...

Happy Anniversary! I loved the part about celebrating the love and not the weather!. So many good things are happening in your life and, yes, some are transitional and give pause for thought (but don't think too much). Love your recipe -- on the menu for Friday night. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary! And for anyone with kids, this is such a busy time of year! Perfect for simple, healthy food!

Cathleen said...

Happy anniversary!
Wow, you are so busy! And even time for a recipe. You are like superwoman :)

Beth said...

Not at all, Cathleen. I just love to cook!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like the seasons of your lives are shifting. So much celebration! So much transition. Enjoy your family time! I can also not remember a 5 item grocery list, so your daugters 59-line monologue is most impressive!

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