Chicken Piccata

When I lived in downtown Des Moines after college, I loved stopping in all the little shops near my apartment in the East Village. One of my favorites was Kitchen Collage, a little store chockfull of colorful kitchen gadgets, dinnerware, and all of those gleaming big-ticket cookware and kitchen electronics that someone with my budget can only dream about.

I still get the store's email newsletter, and it's one of the best food-related newsletters I get. I actually save all of the back issues in my Recipe folder in my email and browse through them when I'm looking for cooking inspiration. Each issue focuses on a theme and includes tons of really useful information, plus terrific recipes from some of the cookbooks they sell in the store.

The most recent newsletter, for instance, is all about lemons. It includes information on how to choose lemons, the parts of a lemon, different kinds of lemons, the pH of a lemon, the proper way to zest and juice a lemon, and more. Then it goes into the recipes ... a lemony chevre appetizer, preserved lemons and greens with lemon-honey vinaigrette, the perfect lemon tart, shortbread and lemon curd bars, and chicken piccata.

I made that last one for dinner the other night. And despite the fact I was out of white wine (the horror!) and forgot the capers (silly me), it was darn good. I'd make it again. Here's the recipe, in case you're in the mood for something lemony yourself.