Ham Sandwich Indicted!

Not to brag or anything, but I've been incredibly lucky enough to find a completely awesome boyfriend who loves to cook (and eat!) as much as I do. At least one or two evenings a week, we get together and make a dinner that can range from a tomatillo and chicken soup to a potato and chickpea curry. Recipes usually start with the random ingredients we have on hand, and then cookbooks and websites are scoured for inspiration and ideas. Sometimes, however, a simple meat well seasoned and grilled is really all we need, and we recently made what we both agreed was "the best" chicken dinner we've made to date. Roast chicken is one of those dishes that can be pure, juicy heaven when done well, or a tasteless, dry hell if not. The chicken above (and below), was definitely the former. This particular (whole) chicken was purchased at Whole Foods, split in half, and brined for several hours. Then, with some help from the awesome, spice-geniuses at Penzey's, The Grillmaster ...

Rice Krispie Treats. Simple, delicious, and easy to throw together at 9:30 at night before the next day's office party. Rice Krispie Treats have been a dessert staple of my family for years. They were one of the earliest things I can remember helping my mom to make, and as my sister and I got older, we had a revelation--you can sub in other cereals of your choosing ("Rice Krispie DOESN'T have a monopoly on these treats!"). My sister's genius contribution was Berry Berry Kix. Tossed with melted butter and marshmallows, Berry Berry Kix turned your average bake sale snack into a fruity taste sensation tempered by those little puffy balls of Kix goodness. (Nothing so overwhelming as using all Fruity Pebbles. Blech.) It also didn't hurt that our breakfast cereal choices as children were limited--Berry Berry Kix were about as "sugary" as my mom allowed. Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Being a "more is better" kind of girl, wh...