roasted chicken with collards and tomatoes

Lately, our apartment had gone from “slightly chaotic” to “post-apocalyptic.” Our one year-old is walking a bit, but more often and more worryingly, she is climbing anything that’s climbable. She has recently made appearances standing on the kitchen table, teetering atop almost every chair, and pulling up on all manner of boxes whether they are sturdy enough to support her or not. She’s also fond of sitting on the very edge of almost any drop off, including the bed, couch, or steps. Needing to watch our budding Evel Knievel every second of the day means there’s a lot less time for almost everything else, including family dinners.

So when the nice folks over at Real Simple asked if we wanted to get involved in Real Simple’s Month of Dinners blog relay, we said yes. Simple dinners? For a month? We (really) need that.

Yesterday, we took their roast chicken with collards recipe for a spin. This is exactly the kind of meal we like to make–it  uses fresh, seasonal ingredients to create a simple, satisfying meal. The chicken thighs were nicely browned, and the flesh was cooked through, but still moist. The collards were flavorful and fresh. But it was the roasted grape tomatoes that really stole my heart. This is the time of year when tomatoes are still around, but due to the chillier weather, have begun to lose some of their flavor. Roasting concentrates the bright acidity of tomatoes, and in this dinner, they add tiny bursts of flavor, texture, and color.

There’s more than one way to roast a chicken, click here for more ideas. Real Simple‘s Month of Dinners blog relay will be happening all month–keep up with the latest posts on the Simply Stated blog.

Elsewhere on the internet, we’re sharing one of our favorite school lunches over on Saveur.com, and are so thrilled to see our words, recipe, and picture over there–I hope you’ll check it out.