Artichokes with a Butter-Lime Dipping Sauce

Artichokes are a scary vegetable. In a fit of craziness, we got a couple at Trader Joes, and then I had to figure out how to make them. It turns out they aren't difficult at all.

First, trim the stem and the top by an inch and trim the thorns with a pair of scissors.

Then put them stem up in a steamer with 2 inches of water for 20 minutes until the stems are tender. Here you can see the fork slid clear into the stem.

For the sauce, melt some butter and add a splash of lime until it suits your fancy.

Eat it by pulling off a leaf and dipping it in the butter, then scraping your teeth along the leaf about halfway up to get the fleshy part. Throw out the rest of the leaf and proceed to the next one.

Artichoke Chicken on Whole Grains

This recipe comes straight from the FlyLady emails. It is one of our favorite meals, and we use it whenever company comes over because it makes us feel fancy. We usually bat our eyelashes as they say it looks good, then smile demurely and thank them for the wonderful compliment.

Never mind that we eat cold cereal just as often as a real dinner. Please don't let our secret out.

We get the jars of artichokes at Aldi's, and it comes with olives, pimento, and artichokes. We then leave out the red peppers and mushrooms. The sauce made out of the artichoke marinade is what makes it yummy, so we experiment with the other ingredients.

Artichoke Chicken

1 jar of marinated artichokes

3 chicken breasts

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 jar roasted red peppers, sliced

3/4 C chicken broth

1/2 C apple juice (or more chicken broth)

1 T cornstarch

2 cups barley, steamed like rice

Drain the artichokes into a skillet on medium high. Cube raw chicken with kitchen shears, then cook it in the liquid for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 4 more minutes until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in artichokes and peppers.

In a medium bowl, combine apple juice and corn starch. Gradually stir into chicken mixture. Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute until thickened. Put grains on your plate and top with chicken mixture.