Impromptu Date Night

By Andrew Hunter

Ever wish you could have a date night but you don’t have a sitter? We started a new tradition that the boys enjoy as much as we do. It’s a date night for the grown-ups and kids!

All you have to do is ask for two tables separated by a few feet. This way, the kids feel grown up by placing their own orders and talking to the servers, while we enjoy a grown up conversation. It works even better when there’s counter seating, which our boys love!

Tonight, we went to a BBQ joint in Old Pasadena. Ben and Nick ordered their favorite, barbecued chicken, which is a delicious, quintessential summer dish. Here’s an easy at-home version that we also like to make. You can barbecue the chicken under the broiler or on the outdoor grill. Either way, you’ll have a saucy dish with lots of summertime flavor.

Barbecued Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
2 cups (your favorite) barbecue sauce

In the broiler: Preheat the broiler. Brush each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Heat a non-stick sauté pan, without oil, until it’s hot. Place the chicken breasts, bottom or flat-side down, in the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until they begin to brown. Turn the breasts over and brush with a generous amount of the barbecue sauce. Continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Turn the chicken over so the top side is up. Brush with barbecue sauce and move the breasts close together in the sauté pan. Place the pan under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes and cook until the sauce glazes.

On the barbecue: Brush the chicken breasts with a small amount of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken over a hot fire and grill for a few minutes on each side. Brush with barbecue sauce and continue grilling until the sauce glazes.

Makes 4 servings

After dinner we walk across the street to a pharmacy with a soda fountain for ice cream sundaes and then “window shop” along an historic walk of shops. After all, a good family date night is a combination of fun, indulgence and exercise.

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