Summer Feast

So here's that awesome dish I made on Friday. It was so summery and delicious and EASY, and I did it completely without a recipe (well, except for dessert, but that's a post for another day). I just love when I can decide to make something and just throw it together without really thinking about it :)

BBQ Chicken Thighs with Corn on the Cob and Orzo with Peas

I started by preheating my oven to 350 and bringing a very large stock pot, half full of water, to a boil. I also added a splash of milk, a big helping of salt and a handful of sugar to the water. While that was heating, I took some chicken thighs and covered them with BBQ sauce to "marinade" for a bit. I also started heating a medium pot for the orzo.

I put the chicken into a greased casserole pan and popped it in the oven with the timer set to 20 minutes, then put the corn on the cob in the stock pot as the water was heating (this cooks the corn more gently than dumping it in when the water's at a raging boil). When the small pot of water came to a boil, I added a big helping of salt and the orzo. I let the orzo cook for about 3 minutes, then added half a bag of frozen peas. When the water came back to a boil, I let it simmer for another 4 minutes or so.

When the corn water came to a boil, I let it go for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, I melted some butter and a touch of olive oil in a small pan. I divided this mixture between the corn, when it was finished, and stirred the rest into the orzo-pea mixture. If you time everything right (as I miraculously did), it will all be done about the same time! Delish.

For those who don't know, orzo is not rice. It's rice-shaped pasta. And I love it!

For dessert I made a rhubarb-strawberry crisp, which I made first and baked while everything else was cooking (it bakes at 350, so it shared the oven with the chicken). I'll post that recipe later in the week!