Well, I've spent the past week or so cooking, baking, writing, researching, and getting together with family and friends - none of that is news.  But I've also been practicing with my new-to-me grill ... whee!  I've grilled vegetables, pork chops, the requisite hot dogs, and even sandwiches (which will make their debut in tomorrow's post).  And I also grilled some chicken.

But I didn't just slather the chicken in barbecue sauce ... nope.  The meal pictured above represents bounty from the Dixboro Farmers' Market, which I love going to after work on Fridays.  I can schmooze with friends and vendors, eat fabulous treats, and buy lots of goodies to then transform into wonderful dishes throughout the weekend.

I prepared the Swiss chard from Ferris Farm very simply, sauteing it along with a minced garlic scape from my friends Dick and Diana Dyer at Dick's Pretty Good Garlic.  I used a Lotus scape, which "retains some heat baked."

Then I grilled (from left to right) one last stalk of green garlic left over from the previous week's market purchases; some more scapes (Shantung Purple, "For those who like hot garlic," and Shandong, which "Maintains good garlic flavor baked"); and an enormous spring onion (two and a half feet long from root to flower). I cooked them just until they were tender and slightly charred.

I threw the grilled vegetables into the blender along with some extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice, and prepared a fabulously fragrant marinade.  Then, after letting the chicken soak up the amazing garlic-onion mixture overnight, I grilled the chicken, too.  It was tender, moist, and tremendously flavorful; each bite was infused with the lovely marinade.

The chicken was perfect just served straight from the grill; it would be exceptional in a salad, in pasta, or in a sandwich, too.

It's such fun to be getting the hang of grilling again, after being without a grill for several years!

Grilled Garlic-Onion Marinated Chicken

2 garlic scapes
1 long stalk Spring onion, cut into 10-inch pieces, white part halved lengthwise
1 stalk green garlic, ends trimmed
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Preheat grill to medium-low.

Place garlic scapes, onion, and garlic onto grill; cook, turning frequently, until vegetables are tender and  slightly charred.

Chop vegetables, then place into a blender; add oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice; puree.

Place chicken into a gallon-sized freezer baggie, and pour marinade over it; seal well and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to prepare chicken, preheat grill to medium-low.  Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill; cook 12-15 minutes per side, until firm.

Serves 6-8.

Mary Bilyeu writes about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions or comments or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

You should visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — on which she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related.  And be sure to look for her monthly articles about holiday foods and traditions in the Washtenaw Jewish News.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.