The last week of December may have been the most boring weeks since March. There were few UConn basketball games because it was the holidays. My New England Patriots were not even in the hunt for a playoff. I am reading a lot, but many of my books seems like the ones I read before, even though they are actually not. I watched Harlan Coben’s “The Stranger” on television, along with “Longmire.” Then I watched “Your Honor.” Talk about dark.

So I cooked a lot. Three banana breads with hazelnuts, milk chocolate chips and candied ginger. I won’t use hazelnuts again. Then I seasoned a chicken and put it into a 350 degree oven. As I was reading another novel, the cat ran down the stairs (she usually spends most of her time on her heating pan), I realized the house was filled with smoke. I had hit broil instead of bake.

I threw two windows open, add the oven fan and figured that chicken was history. But half an hour later, the chicken smelled good but the meat was raw, so I turned the oven to 350, covered it with foil and cooked it for another hour or so. Now I understand why cookbook author Barbara Kafka had a thing for baking at very high heat in the beginning but she didn’t suggest broiling it.

The next day I roasted bacon: 1½ pounds of regular bacon from Costco, then, separately, bacon my friend Rich Swanson cured with orange and dried five-spice. I now have, in separate plastic bags, enough BLTs for two weeks. Sheet pans are my kitchen workhorses and, although it may not be the season for farmers’ markets, even supermarket cherry tomatoes and corn are delicious with this recipe.

Farmers’ Market Chicken

From “Hero Dinners” by Marge Perry and David Bonomi (William Morrow, New York, 2019)

Serves 4

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon lime zest

1 teaspoon salt, divided

½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

2 garlic cloves, grated or minced

2½ pounds bone-in, skin-in chicken thighs (4 to 6 thighs)

2 pints cherry tomatoes, assorted colors if you can get them

1 small onion, cut into ½-inch pieces (about ½ cup)

1½ cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 cup quick-cooking brown rice

1 cup unsalted chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.

Combine 2 tablespoons oil, cilantro, parsley, lime zest, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and the garlic in a small bowl. Stir, then add chicken and toss well.

Combine remaining oil, tomatoes, onion and corn in a bowl. Toss with ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Spread rice on the sheet pan. Combine broth, 1 cup water and remaining salt and pour over rice. Spoon tomato/corn mixture over the rice. Roast for 15 minutes

Remove sheet pan from the oven and top with the chicken thighs. Roast until an instant-read thermometer into the center of the largest piece registers 170 degrees, the rice is cooked through and the tomatoes are tender, 30 to 32 minutes.

On the Side

When I am grilling beef on my Weber, I don't use an instant-read thermometer. I like steak really rare and I use the skin between my forefinger and my thumb to figure temperature (wide open, rare; small fist medium rare; strong fist, well done). But in the oven, especially with chicken, I use a thermometer all the time.

Such was the case when I mistakenly broiled a roasting chicken. The outside skin was charred, but the chicken was still pretty raw. Without an instant-read I would be lost. I order a new one (under $20) every few years. It is collapsible and the little needle and gives me the readout in Celsius or Fahrenheit. I also have a little magnet on the side of the refrigerator for correct temps. If you don't have a magnet, ask Siri or Google on your cell phone. There is nothing worse than pink chicken!

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.