The question isn't a bad one, really, just way too general, which is why some novelists roll their eyes when they hear it.
I'll give you a culinary analogy. Imagine lifting a menu and asking a chef: "Where do you get your ideas?"
"Excuse me," the chef would likely reply. "For which course? Which dish?!"
Like a multipage restaurant menu, a piece of fiction has dozens if not hundreds of ideas layered into it. We authors draw from our pasts and presents, our pets and peccadilloes. We're inspired by our friends and families, our reading and hobbies. We might groove on a passing conversation or a passing thunderstorm; an exquisite or exquisitely bad meal; a brilliant sunrise or a lunar eclipse (dang, another Stephenie Meyer reference).
We writers harvest ideas 24/7, and spend months if not years cooking them into works of fiction, poetry, or dramatic lit. That's why a better question for an author might be: "Where did you get the idea for that particular storyline, character, or (in the case of mystery writing) crime..."
Cleo Coyle, who never met Stephenie Meyer, is author of The Coffeehouse Mysteries |
"Chop me up and cook me with a chicken," rosemary whispered in her needling little voice, and (for a moment) the shimmering image of a succulent, perfectly roasted rosemary-lemon chicken floated down the grocery store aisle. I blinked and it was gone, replaced with a rather burly produce manager, wondering why I had his herbs to my ear.
Granted, rosemary-lemon is a classic flavor combo, one I also use in my go-to recipe for rack of lamb. (Click here to download a free PDF of that recipe.)
Krista also did a wonderful rosemary-lemon chicken post, sharing a diet version using skinless breasts. Click here to get Krista's recipe.
But...after making Key Lime Coolers (cookies) last week and doing the lime taste test, I still had plenty of Persian limes on hand. (Click here if you missed the cookies post.)
With so many limes still rolling around my countertop, I decided to live dangerously, and switch the classic lemons for limes in my chicken recipe. I'm glad I did, too. My husband and my taste buds found the change a lovely and lively one.
Final Note: You might think it odd (at the end of the recipe) when I suggest squeezing a wedge of lime on the finished, carved meat, but a squeeze of lemon often finishes a dish, and I found the tart and tangy dash of lime especially refreshing on a warm summer day. I hope you do, too...
👇
To download a free PDF
of this recipe that you can
print, save, or share, click here.
ROASTED CHICKEN
with LIME AND ROSEMARY
INGREDIENTS:
4 – 6 pound whole chicken
5 – 6 fresh limes (medium size)
1 tablespoon sea salt
6 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
METHOD:
Step 1: Prep meat: First preheat your oven to 350º F. Allow the meat to reach room temperature (20 to 30 minutes outside the refrigerator). Rinse the chicken and pat dry. If your limes were in the refrigerator, warm them to room temperature, as well.
Step 2: Stuff the bird: Quarter one lime and place the sections inside the chicken cavity, along with a dash of sea salt and white pepper. Close the cavity. (I use a simple wooden skewer for this.)
Step 3: Create the rosemary-lime slurry: Place the sea salt into a small bowl and smash the garlic on it. Mix in the freshly squeezed juice of 2 to 3 limes (enough to measure about 1/4 cup). Add the chopped rosemary, poultry seasoning, white pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Now rub this slurry all over the bird and place breast side up on the greased rack.
Step 4: Roast: Lightly coat the top of your broiler pan or roasting rack with the final tablespoon of olive oil. (For easier clean up, I also like to cover the bottom portion of my pan with aluminum foil.) Place your pan in the center of your oven for about 25 minutes per pound, giving a bird of 6 pounds about 2½ hours of cooking time; a bird of 4 pounds about an hour and forty minutes. You’re looking for the thickest part of the thigh to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
TO FINISH: Once cooked, allow the chicken to stand for 15 minutes before carving. To keep it warm, tent foil over the bird. If you cut into the bird right out of the oven, the juices will run out and your chicken will be dry instead of succulent.
TO SERVE: Cut your remaining limes into wedges and serve on the side with the chicken. Invite guests to squeeze a little juice over the meat before digging in, and please do…
👇
To download a free PDF
of this recipe that you can
print, save, or share, click here.
Click the photo for my recipe! |
Eat (and read) with joy!
Pre-order now at:
Bulletproof Baristaincludes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
Coming Soon
New Paperback Edition!
Learn more or pre-order at:
Includes a mini guideto honey varietiesand a wonderful menuof delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image abovefor Cleo Coyle's Free IllustratedRecipe Guide to Honey Roasted
~ Fresh Fiction
"DELIGHTFUL" ~ Kirkus Reviews
To Buy:
The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
20 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.
Get a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here or on the image below.
👇
Pre-order now at:
Bulletproof Barista
includes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
of delicious recipes!
Coming Soon
New Paperback Edition!
Learn more or pre-order at:
Includes a mini guide
to honey varieties
and a wonderful menu
of delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image above
for Cleo Coyle's Free Illustrated
Recipe Guide to Honey Roasted
~ Fresh Fiction
"DELIGHTFUL" ~ Kirkus Reviews
To Buy:
The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
20 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
20 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.
Get a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here or on the image below.
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here or on the image below.
👇