Photos from a delicious meal

Good evening, friends!

First and foremost: the meal was a success! I made the 5 Garlic Chicken that I shared last week: worth every second of preparation time. Yum! I also made brussel sprouts prepared McNally's Style: cooked in triple sec and cream and reduced until a lovely, caramelized glaze coats the vegetable. I didn't get to the risotto for a couple reasons: first, because we had no parmesan cheese, and second because I felt we had enough food for just the two of us already. I was right.

Here are some pictures of just how delicious this meal was. Hope you enjoy!

Cake, Chili and Garlic

Yesterday manfriend and I woke up early to go to the Farmer's Market and then the grocery store... the later in the day the busier and more crowded these places become. It was cool and rainy and perfect. My produce bag was well-stocked, as well. I found inside: a few pounds of potatoes, a butternut squash, three tomatoes, a small pumpkin, two peppers - one hot and one sweet, and two cucumbers. I think this bag will do me some good this coming week. I've a counter full of produce to use, so that is my challenge for this week and coming weekend.

We attended two parties last night: one for my job and one for close friends who are moving soon - it was also her birthday! I decided to try out my new KitchenAid mixer and whip up a from-scratch Angel Food Cake with Lemon Frosting to take with us to share with the birthday girl. Although I was a bit nervous about it, I was told it was fabulous. One person even said, 'This makes me believe in Jesus.' Dang. Must have been magical. But we also must evaluate the crowd: a few beers deep and ready to devour anything in arm's reach. Nonetheless: pretty tasty!

After our grocery store adventure yesterday we also decided chili sounds fantastic considering the weather, so manfriend (with a little guidance) put together a delicious batch of dump chili. Spicy, but not too much so, and great texture... couldn't have asked for more!

Today I have to go meet another gal to help plan a bridal shower, but when I get back this afternoon I'm going to make that 5 Garlic Chicken recipe I posted last week. I've got the garlic roasting right now and it smells wonderful; I can't wait to put together the rest of the meal: risotto and brussel sprouts. Yum!

Here is my recipe for chili. It came from my grandma, and she used Turkey Burger for it - it's not bad that way, but when I make it with turkey the meat seemed a bit rubbery. This is just the base recipe; we always load it full of spices and other surprise ingredients based on what we have on hand and what sounds good that day. Hope you enjoy!

Dump Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 whole onion, chopped

Brown the beef with the onion. Then add:

2 cans diced tomatoes (or however you like them - stewed, whole, sauce, etc...)
3 cans beans - any variety and combination (we like black beans, chili beans, and kidney beans)
1 can whole corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet dry ranch dressing mix

DO NOT DRAIN ANY OF THE CANS BEFORE ADDING.

Bring to boil and simmer until time to serve.

Tada! That's it. We like to add garlic, peppers, tomato paste, and a variety of spices, so crazy and make it yours! It's way easy, way fast, and way delicious.

Hope you have a delicious day!

Untested Waters...

I know this is probably illegal, but I haven't yet tried this recipe yet still want to share it. It makes my mouth water just looking at it. If anyone tries this before you see a review posted, please share your thoughts! Hope you enjoy!

5 Garlic Roasted Chicken – French Style

5 heads of garlic
2 dime-sized drizzles of olive oil
1 3.5-pound chicken, cleaned and patted dry (preferably free-range and organic)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus one bunch
3 stems fresh rosemary
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

PROCEDURES

1

 Preheat the oven to 300°F. 



2

 Cut the top quarter of two heads of garlic off horizontally. Drizzle each head of garlic with a dime-sized amount of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Wrap tightly in foil. Roast for 1.5 hours. Allow to cool. Then squeeze the soft garlic flesh out of the head.



3 

Raise the oven heat to 425°F.



4

 Use your fingers to separate the skin of the chicken from the flesh, careful not to tear the skin. Peel the cloves of 1 head of garlic, and scatter them all over the chicken under the skin.



5

 Use a fork to mash the butter, two heads of roasted garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon of thyme together. Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the dry chicken, and rub all over with the garlic butter.



6 

Cut the fourth head of garlic in half horizontally. Stuff the garlic head, rosemary, and remaining thyme into the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan.



7

 Separate, but do not peel, the cloves of the last head of garlic. Scatter them on the bottom of the roasting pan, and pour in the wine and stock. Cover the chicken lightly with foil.



8

 Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and roast another 60 minutes, until the juices run clear and the skin is crisp. Baste every 15 minutes or so.



9 

Remove the chicken to rest. Set the roasting pan over medium-high heat on the stove, and reduce the pan sauce to 1/2 cup. Serve alongside the roasted chicken.

Week Something - WAY Overdue

Well folks, I apparently went on a 15 year vacation and ignored my blog. I apologize for being so neglectful.

On the upside, I'm back now. I can't tell you how happy I've been with my CSA this year. Fresh, delicious produce each and every week is a wonderful thing. I will say that I haven't used each and every piece as productively as I initially intended. I've had to throw some carrots, squash, peppers and a couple of other things away over the course of the summer. Unfortunately, I really lost my desire to cook for most of the summer. I did use a fair amount of the produce accumulated, but my goal obviously will not be complete: I wanted to use each and every piece of produce and write my experiences on a weekly basis. Fail.

Alas, I just received a cookbook yesterday at my bridal shower, and I've now a new determination to cook delicious foods once again. Along with a cookbook, I received a number of WONDERFUL kitchen tools: NEW POTS AND PANS! YES! A KitchenAid Mixer! Cutting boards, aprons, a salad spinner, mixing bowls, a toaster and a number of other fantastic (and much needed) items. My family, friends and future family are amazing. Thank you thank you thank you!

Tonight for dinner I baked some chicken breasts with green peppers and spices and served them over pasta and alfredo sauce. My favorite meal ever. No, the alfredo was not homemade, but I did at least doctor it to a point of manfriend liking it--he's typically not an alfredo fan (freak!).

I have a number of gourds on my counter begging to be cooked, and a drawer full of potatoes staring at me each and every day... I'll be getting around to a number of new recipes this week and next, and I'll be sure to keep you posted as I go along.

Thanks for reading! Have a delicious eve and a more delicious tomorrow!