On Saturday brunch, swoonworthy manboys and the simplicity of chicken and rice.

Darlings,I don't know about you guys, but we just got another gazillion inches of snow. Blech. As you know, my favorite thing to ruminate on this time of year is why I live somewhere where the air hurts my face. I've told le hubs that the next time we move, it has to be somewhere warm and sunny and somewhere where the air doesn't hurt my face.But what do we do to keep the warmth inside of our house? We cook of course! We cook, we drink wine, we snuggle.But sometimes you need to leave the house - even the homebody that I've become desires a bit of self imposed face hurting air every now and then.So, we meet friends, we toast those friends and we make plans for the future. Because isn't that what life is all about? So we go to brunch on Saturdays, because brunch on Saturday is an amazing iteration of the most polarizing meal of the week.Brunch is one of those meals that it so over-exposed and has become this cultural phenomenon defining a generation of over-indulgence and entitlement. Sunday brunch, maybe.Saturday brunch on a snowy day is one of the  most luxurious meals I can think of. There's no Monday to think of, no laundry to do that can't be done on Sunday, no consequence for one too many cups of coffee (or Bloodies!).Hours long Saturday brunches with old friends is exactly what I did yesterday. It's so much fun to sit down with people who you can just talk to for hours - people who share your love of "table carbs" (you know, the pancakes or french toast you order for the table in addition to the food you each order for yourself!), of bad TV, of traveling, of laughter, of wine, of so much.And Saturday brunch is refreshing - you come home refreshed, ready to make a(nother) meal for your family, and spend the rest of the cold Saturday snuggling,reading whichever book you're reading (right now: Re-reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen), and watching whatever show you are binging (right now: with le hubs: The West Wing. without le hubs: Brothers and Sisters. So, Rob Lowe swoonfest basically).(Older) Rob Lowe swoonfest made me realize that (younger) Rob Lowe is but one of the swoonworthy men that John Hughes made into heartthrobs.  Well, darlings, I just got way off track - because I wanted to share with you a fun, easy Saturday night (or really any night) dinner that has nuances from warmer climes.Yoghurt-y, Hummus-y, Onion-y Chicken & Rice INGREDIENTSCHICKEN1 lb chicken tenders1/3 c. greek yoghurt1 orange, juiced2 tbsp. Olive Oil2 tbsp. Oregano2 tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes1 tbsp cuminRICE2 c. Basmati Rice3 c. waterpinch of saffronpinch of salt1 tbsp butterMETHOD

1. Prep and cook the chicken.
2. Mix yoghurt, juice, oil and spices.
3. Cover chicken in yoghurt mix and let marinate refrigerated for an hour. When ready, preheat the oven to 350.
4. On a sheet pan, cook the chicken for 15 minutes.
5. Increase heat to a broil and cook for 5 more minutes.
6. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the rice. 
7. Rinse the dry basmati rice until the water runs clear.
8. Boil 3 cups of water. When water comes to a boil, add the 2 cups of rice.
9. When the water starts boiling again, add the saffron, salt and bring heat to the lowest temperature, tightly cover the pot and let cook for 15 minutes.
10. After 15 minutes, remove rice from heat and let sit for 5 minutes (still tightly covered! No peeking!)
11. Add the butter and fluff the rice.
12. Serve the chicken and rice with israeli salad and hummus (I mixed mine with leftover roasted beets, eggplant and zuchinni).

 xoxolcf