Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Tomato-Cream Scalloped Vegetables

• 2# skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• Rosemary Seasoning *
• 2T dark Moroccan EVOO

• juice from the bowl of vegetables
• 1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes
• 6oz. Alfredo sauce
• ½c sour cream
• 1t sugar
• 2T fresh lemon juice
• 1-2T dark syrupy balsamic vinegar
• 1t± powdered rosemary
• 1t± fresh ground black pepper

Today, I'm cooking for a friend recovering from surgery. It took a while for this recipe to come together in my mind. I kept wanting to run to the store for some spinach and red peppers to add to it. Instead, I decided to just use what was here, take my time with technique and seasonings for the sauce, hoping to make it something this person will like. 

To start, wash, dry, then trim excess fat from the chicken thighs.  Sprinkle them well, then rub them with seasoning and put skin side down into hot EVOO in a non-stick skillet. Cover with a splatter screen. While these are sizzling, combine 1-2T chicken soup base with 1c of warm water and pour it over sliced vegetables shown, in a large glass bowl, toss to coat them, to keep them bright and fresh. Turn the chicken over. After a few minutes, when the skin is cool enough to touch, pull it off (keep it to render for another recipe, or give it to your dogs if they're okay with a little sodium) Re-season the chicken and flip it again to crisp it.

Drain the stewed tomatoes, using the juice for something else. Rough chop half and add them to the vegetables. Finely chop the rest into a medium glass bowl, with the next group of ingredients. Whisk this well then pour most of it over the vegetables in an 8x2x11" glass baking pan. Add the chicken and spoon the rest of the sauce on top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for about an hour, basting once. Check the vegetables for doneness, baste again. Bake a little longer if needed or serve. If you love to cook, have fun with it, and look for ways you can share it with the people you love. . .Lin

Onion-Mushroom Baked Chicken

3½# chicken thighs

1 skinny purple onion

4-8oz. fresh sliced mushrooms

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg. dry onion-mushroom soup

fresh ground black pepper

½ can water

Skin the chicken and trim off all the fat.  Arrange in a 12"x 8" x 3" glass baking pan.  Put a cross-section of onion on top of each thigh, along with mushrooms, if you have them.  Combine all the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken.  Bake at 375° for 15 minutes then drop the heat to 350° for another 45 minutes.  This creates a nice gravy so it's good with mashed potatoes and a side of steamed carrots and green beans. . .Lin