HOW TO: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Actually my favorite desert in the world, Chocolate Covered Strawberries!
So why pay like $8 for one at a store, that has probably been sitting there for awhile when you can make it at home and be able to lick the melted chocolate spatula afterwards! Win-win!
So lets begin

INGREDIENTS:

- Dark Chocolate

- Strawberries

I know I know, its a whole shopping list, so many ingredients.. my apologies! But seriously, you need DARK chocolate! Milk chocolate doesn't melt very well, and dark chocolate compliments strawberries much better anyways.
 So lets get started!

STEP ONE:
Create your own double boiler! I know most of you don't actually have one, and it's not really logical to invest in one, so you can just make it yourself!
First you need a small pot, filled about half way with water, and a metal bowl that can sit on top of it comfortably. Simple!
Now get the water boiling!

STEP TWO:

Wash and thoroughly dry the strawberries (if they are wet, the chocolate wont stick and you'll end up with watery chocolate.. not good) and cut the chocolate into small chunks for easier/faster melting.

Once the water is boiling, add the chocolate to the bowl. Make sure you dont spread around the chocolate too much, you need a nice puddle in the middle to dip the strawberries in!

STEP THREE:

Once the chocolate is throughly melted, using the stem of the strawberry, gently dip and maneuver the strawberry around the chocolate to get a nice even coat all around. 

  

 
Get creative!

STEP FOUR:
Line up the strawberries on parchment paper and place in fridge until chocolate hardens.

And viola! It's that simple! Now if you have extra melted chocolate.. well you know what to do..

(I like having my strawberries with the hot melted chocolate, even before it dries! yum.)

RECIPE: Roasted Chicken Thighs with White Wine, Lemon, & Thyme

This recipe is one of my favorites! The chicken is juicy, the skin is crispy and the sauce is delicious!
Uses both stove and the oven so a pan that can go in the oven is needed for this recipe!

NEED:

- Chicken thighs-with skin

- Lemons

- Fresh Thyme
- Dry White Wine

- Onion- diced

- Garlic- minced

- Grapeseed Oil

- Fresh Cracked Pepper

STEP ONE:
We are going to be using chicken thighs with the skin. This makes the chicken juicy and crispy at the same time, and oh so delicious.
Wash, pat dry, and sprinkle fresh cracked pepper onto the chicken, not salt! Adding salt right now will draw out moisture and your skin wont be crispy!

STEP TWO:

Heat up your pan on HIGH, and add Grapeseed Oil, (high smoke point and light flavor), once sizzling hott, add the chicken thighs skin side down! Do not move it! I know it's hard, but do not touch them, let them create a beautiful crust- you might want to open a window! 

- this would be the time to sprinkle a bit of salt

STEP THREE:

Use tongs to carefully check the color on the skin, once it is brown and crispy, place entire pan in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is at 165 (use a thermometer)!

Once ready, take the chicken out of the pan (don't forget its hot!) and place skin side up on a wire rack to remove excess fat (I dont have one so I got creative with a slitted pan on top of another pan)

 KEEP THE JUICE OF THE CHICKEN IN THE PAN!

STEP FOUR: 

Make the sauce! Put the pan back on the stove on high, doesn't take long to heat back up, just a couple seconds, add the garlic and onions until soft. Add in fresh thyme, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1/4 c of dry white wine (lemon zest optional) and whisk! Also add in a couple slices of lemon and allow the sauce to thicken as well as the alcohol from the wine to evaporate!

This is not fully thickened, keep reducing until desired thickness is reached!

STEP FIVE:

Once thickened, pour over chicken and serve!