Attack of the killer tomatoes!

So more notes on the scariness of offering to help with someone's garden. Beware! If they have more than one tomato plant, they are going to pawn lots of them off on you.

In speaking to the grandma and the mom, I casually mentioned that I needed to make some salsa. Grandma tells me that she is going out of town and wants to know if I could possibly, please, do her a solid and pick her plants clean so she does not have to worry about all those tomatoes going to waste. Remember kids, grandma's don't like to waste food. So I stop by the day before she is slated to leave and I am nudged toward the garden. I was prepared with my lovely plastic bags. I filled four. There were Romas and beefsteak, and lovely little cherry tomatoes that I ate off the vine. Talk about variety. I pawned some off on friends and neighbors and took the rest home.

Next day, Mommy drops off a lovely bag of peppers. Anaheim, Yellow wax and lots of Jalepenos. I only needed a few, I say. She says, oh well. You have all those tomatoes, you have to do something with them.

I did the only thing I could think of. I made salsa. Lots of salsa. Luckily I know people who like my salsa.

My Mommy's Salsa

A note about this salsa. This is a salsa fresca, meaning it is chunky and bright. If you want a smooth, dark salsa this is not the one for you. Also, it is a bit watery when I make it. This can be solved by straining the tomatoes after chopping. All the ingredients here are suggestions. I add more or less peppers depending on who I made it for. I add more or less garlic depending on who is eating it. Modify it to your taste. If you make it too hot, add more tomatoes.

A note about chopping: I do all my chopping by hand with my wonderful santoku knife. You can whir the tomatoes in the food processor and throw everything else in, but it tends to make the tomatoes really watery and foamy. Whir at your own risk.

6-8 large roma tomatoes, chopped
2 anaheim peppers, seeds removed and minced
1 yellow wax pepper, seeds removed and minced
1-2 jalepeno pepper (enough to satisfy your hotness), seeds removed (unless you like it really hot) and minced
1 medium size onion, chopped to your size preference
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon salt

Mix together and enjoy. Can be refridgerated for up to a week or frozen for about a month before the flavor starts to be sub-par.

The dangers of helping...

I have decided that it is a slightly dangerous thing to offer to help someone with their garden.

I totally agree with the urge to want to protect something that you have worked hard to create. Hell, I once made a chocolate cake and would not let the husband eat it because I wanted to oogle it for a while more (I had to cave eventually and let him eat the damn thing). So I can understand the "Garden of You" is a sacred place, but please don't yell in my ear that the bugs are vital to the environment and your garden. He was crawling on me, and I don't like bugs. What did you think was going to happen?

The next, and possibly the biggest, problem is this: if you offer to help someone by taking some of thier excess bounty off thier hands- you might just get what you wished for.

Example One: The great pruning of the apricot tree...
Grandma is clearing the apricot tree. It just so happens that you have been dying to make the Apricot Torte from the illustrious Molly of Orangette, but have not had time to go buy some apricots. Truth be told, you were wanting to find a tree with free ones so you wouldn't have to. Grandma seems overjoyed to provide you with the requested apricots because she hasn't been able to give them away and she just hates to waste food (you know, the whole Depression Era). But she just somehow doesn't understand that you don't need TWO WHOLE BUCKETS FULL. So, a question for the ages, how do you say no to sweet grandma that was just providing you what you had requested? You don't. (Not to mention you don't like to waste food either). So what do you do with all these apricots? You bake said Torte and borrow a food dehydrator. I made 4 Tortes and a gallon Ziploc full of Apricot Chips. Luckily, I know people who like cake.

Example Two: It's the Great Zuchinni, Charlie Brown...
You mention casually to your grandma and your mom that you need a zuchinni to make bread. BEWARE! You mention you want zuchinni to someone that has more than one plant and you will recieve a bounty of zuchinni. I recieved 9 of them. These were not sweet, wimpy zuchinni's either. These were meaty, two feet long, and about 8 inches around. They were HUGE! I offered some to everyone I knew. I got rid of two. So what to do with 7 huge zuchinnis? Make bread like you planned. You don't like to waste food, remember? So instead of the 3 loaves that you were planning to make, you make 18. Luckily, you know people who like zuchinni bread.

So here is the recipie that is saving me from being buried in zuchinni, because they are still showing up on my porch...

Zuchinni Bread- Makes 3 standard size loafs
A few notes about this bread.

When the recipie says grease and flour the pan, do it. Trust me, I tried butter, not flouring, oil, cooking spray and I always ended up losing bread in the bottom of the pan. The only thing that I know works is crisco. I tried silicone pans and you still need to flour it. Be warned, the loaf edge tends to be a bit darker in a silicone pan. Non stick pans work, but if you don't grease and flour, you lose bread in them too. Just grease and flour every pan, you will be happier.

Second, I shred my zuchinni and then strain it for about 2 hours. You can just squeeze out the extra liquid by hand too. If you don't squeeze it, your bread ends up mushy and wet. If you do strain it, it ends up thick but light. It's worth the bit of effort and fun too!

Last, I make my bread in my lovely Kitchenaid. You can mix it by hand, just do the dry and wet separate. But if you are going to make 18 loaves, you might want to invest in a Kitchenaid. Think of it as a savior for your arms.

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup oil
2 cups shredded zuchinni
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Grease and flour 3 standard loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees farenheight.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Use a whisk to fluff and mix evenly.

In the bowl of your mixer mix 3 eggs and both sugars until combined. Add 1 cup oil and mix again. Keep your mixer going and slowly add dry ingredients in, pausing every few seconds to let the dry stuff be incorperated. Once all the flour mixture is in, add one cup of zuchinni. Wait a minute for your mixer to catch up, then add the second cup. Add your vanilla then add your walnuts. Stop your mixer and scrape the bottom to make sure nothing is stuck down there. Start mixing again for about a minute. Stop your mixer then pour your batter into the prepared loaf pans. Make sure that all your loafs are about the same height. Bake in your oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

Coming up.... Tomatoes, Tomatoes everywhere and not a chip to dip...

Being a new foodie

I have always loved to bake. I have always thought of it as a science experiment in the kitchen rather than an art. In fact, that is one of my favorite quotes. "Cooking is an art form, while baking is pure science". I have no idea who said it, but it is plastered in my new kitchen for the world to see.

In spite of my love for baking, I have never really been concerned about baking. You see, for many years of my life, I battled an eating disorder. I did not eat, or if I did it would come up later. I hated my body and felt that food made it that way. I was blind until about 4 years ago. I still remember the turning point. I had just eaten an amazing creme brulee, and my head was saying get it out. My body, however, was telling my head to shut up, because this was a full sensory experience that it did not want to give up. It was fighting to keep the wonderful taste alive for as long as it could. In the end the body won. And although I have had setbacks on the road of food, I am now officially concerned about food.

I am amazed by all things food now. I troll the food blogs like the younger set trolls myspace. I love the way people are so in love with their food. I am amazed by how much work goes into a blog. I don't even have enough time to post as much as I would like to, and some blogs have new posts everyday. Stories, trivia, and recipes all combined for the world to see, feel, and enjoy. I can't thank people enough for their blogs. I have found so many recipes that I now feel as if I can't live without. Food bloggers are like my celebrities. Who cares what Britney, Paris, or Nicole did last week? I care what the bloggers said. I care what recipes they have created. I want to get in my kitchen and bake, bake, bake.

I am now officially concerned. I still like to bake, but now I am also concerned about cooking. This is a new experience for me. I have never thought of myself as a cook. I was scared to cook anything on the stove top that did not involve chocolate. I am now trying to perfect my art of cooking. I am also inspired constantly, by the food blog world. Where else can you go and learn not only how to make something, but the pleasure that someone had sharing it with you. I humbly thank all the food bloggers out there for letting me into their recipe box and into their lives.

So if anyone stumbles across my small boring blog, Welcome. I hope you enjoy what I have to offer and maybe be inspired in your kitchen too.

Panna Cotta

So I recently had a craving for panna cotta. Since I do not have a restaurant nearby that serves it nearby at a reasonable price, I thought that I would make my own. Funny how things don't turn out as planned.

We moved. Into a spacious, lovely, wonderful house. We also got a dog. A cute miniature schnauzer named Jack. So needless to say, we have been very busy. No time for Panna Cotta, no time for anything really but work, cleaning, and wanting to bake. I actually have not made anything from scratch for over two weeks. Alas, no Panna cotta for me.

Since I do not have the time to make the dessert, I am hoping that someone out in the blog world will have time to make it. Enjoy and let me know how it turns out.

Panna Cotta (from The Lady Had Seconds)

1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 2/3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup raspberries, blueberries or halved strawberries
Honey- Balsamic Drizzle
Mint Sprigs

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small saucepan and let stand 3 to 4 minutes; stir in sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar and gelatin are dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk whipping cream and sour cream until smooth in small bowl; whisk in gelatin mixture. Pour mixture into stemmed glasses or small bowl. Refrigerate until set, 3 to 4 hours. Spoon berries on top of Panna Cotta and drizzle with Honey-Balsamic Drizzle. Garnish with mint.

Honey-Balsamic Drizzle

3 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Heat honey and vinegar to boiling in small saucepan, reduce heat and simmer until thickened to a syrupy consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Busy Bees

So here I am, finally able to jot down a note for the first time in a week. I have been a very busy bee. It was my aunt's 50th birthday this past Sunday, and my mom wanted to throw a bash for her. So of course, being that I am a good daughter and quite handy with cake, I was drafted to serve in this party as well. Now, I should not have been surprised that all the time went poof, but I was. I was so completely shocked when my mom called and said it's two days before the party, is everything done? No! Everything was not done, which is why I was late to bed and early to rise and completely exhausted by the time Monday morning rolled around.

So, suffice to say, I have not been in the kitchen for a few days. The hubby and I have been living off of salads, watermelon, and the occassional Happy Meal (oh, my stomach is sooo mad at me). I am making spaghetti tonight, so rest assured, that I will be back and better than ever on Thursday. (I am taking one more day off to celebrate the holiday).

Enjoy and fire up the grill! It's BBQ time!

cold sandwiches and warm days

Somedays, it is really too hot. Now, I don't get this feeling often. I am the one who wears a sweater in the spring, I wear hoodies into summer, and I always (always) wear jeans. So I was surprised yesterday when I found it too hot, It was only 99 degrees. I LOVE the heat. The hubby says that I must have been a lizard in my past life because I like it so hot. Of course, maybe the heat had something to do with the oven being on all day. :)

See, Sunday is the best day for experimenting in the kitchen. I have a birthday party coming up, and I am making the cake. So I devoted the entirety of my day to chocolate (talk about the best day ever). I made a chocolate sheet cake and did various experiments to ensure that it was the appropriate cake for a day in the sun. It was yummy.

By the time the cake was done, it was time to start dinner. I made the roast chicken again with some sweet yellow corn. It was fabulous. I decided this afternoon, though, that I was not going to cook. So, we had cold sandwiches. Cold Lemon chicken sandwiches. Mmmm! Far be it from me to tell you how to make the best sammich ever...

The best chicken sammy

leftover roast chicken (either homemade or from the grocer)- cold
a half loaf of crusty french bread- sliced down the middle
some good lettuce (endive, romaine, or even iceberg)
a wonderful tomato- sliced
some lemon juice
some wasabi mustard (optional)
some good cheddar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Smear the mustard on the bread, be advised that a little goes a long way. Add the chicken and the cheese and throw in the oven till the cheese melts and the bread is toasty. Add your lettuce and tomato. Sqeeze a bit of lemon juice on and squish the sammy together. Enjoy the melty, gooey, tangy goodness.

Brilliance and cherries

I was inspired today to stop and review, to thank the powers that be for everything. To say thank you for everything in my life, in my work, in my world, everything. And yet to say this seems so insignificant. It seems like such a small gesture to send to the cosmos. However, I can't help but feel that I have done my part to send the positives rays onward and upward. I can only hope that my positives have helped someone's negatives. So cheers to you!

In addition to that, I can be doubly thankful. I have cherries! Deep, red, sweet, tangy, juicy, delicious cherries. In my mind, cherries are sunshine. So no recipe today, no deep thoughts on food and enjoyment. Just enjoy a bowl of cherries, after all... isn't that life?

Sausages...

I remember when I first learned where sausage came from. It was the same time I learned about hot dogs and pepperoni. It was not a pleasant experience for me. I remember thinking, 'why do people eat this stuff, if it is so gross?'. I thought 'Why do they continue to make it? Don't they know what's in it?'... Of course, I was about ten and my world view was wide, but narrow. I clearly assumed that if everyone knew about where sausage came from, no one would eat it and so they (meaning the bad sausage man, I can only assume) would stop making it. Hmmm. I guess that means I also assumed that those eating the sausage would care how it was made. Not always a valid assumption.

I recently began to think about my scope of food. In realizing that although I love food with a passion that scares most, I am not truly in love with the food I eat. You can only eat at McD's so often before you become sick. So, I am on a mission this summer: Eat at home. I started planning out my meals each week. I pack my lunch or work everyday. I make extra of whatever I am cooking, This gives us snacks, lunches, and dinner. I experiement more in the kitchen. I eat lots of fruit and veggies. I am now thinking about my food and eating slowly in order to enjoy it. I am loving the food that I eat and all because I thought about sausages.

So in tribute I was inspired today to try sausages. Not actual sausages, mind you, but turkey sausages.
Italian turkey sausage. Yummers. This one came about by thinking about what flavors would be good together and throwing them in a pan. Enjoy....

Italian Turkey sausage Heros

1 lb Italian Turkey sausage or kielbasas
1 green bell pepper
1 small vidalia onion
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
1 loaf of crusty bread

Brown the sausage in a skillet till cooked through, stirring occassionally. Slice the bell pepper and onion thinly and add to the sausage. Brown a bit more, until the onions are translucent. Mince the garlic and add to the skillet. When everything is done, add the vinegar and turn off the skillet. Toss everything together once to coat. Cut the loaf in half and fill with the sausage mixture. Cut the loaf into sandwiches and enjoy.

New flavors and loves

Yoga and apple cider vinegar. My two new favorite things.

I always thought that yoga was a foofy sort of activity. Who has time to sit around and contort themself into wierd pretzel shapes when there is sooo much going on in the world? Not me, I always thought. I like to be busy. I like to have activities. How much of an activity can it be to pose in wierd shapes? So I never tried yoga. Recently, I have not been able to sleep well. I have had trouble clearing my mind to actually fall asleep. I always keep a pad of paper next to the bed, so I can jot down the important thoughts that run through my mind right before I fall asleep. I thought this was helpful to me, but it turns out that this pad of paper started creating more thoughts. Then more thoughts would join the party and I would be miles away from sleep before long. It was rough. So I talked to my doctor because I was having trouble. How do I go to sleep? Maybe there is some prescription that will help me fall asleep faster? Maybe there is something I should be eating or drinking so I can fall asleep? She thought for about two seconds then suggested yoga. Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnnn. So I have been trying it at home. I am following the funny video that I got at the local library and actually started to feel myself slow down. It was wierd.

On to my other new favorite thing.... Apple cider vinegar. I made some good chicken today. I was excited. Not much else to say except here it is. Slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and oh so good.

Honey cider fried chicken.

1/4 cup of honey
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
6 chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon of oil

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Whisk together honey, vinegar, chili powder, and curry powder. Dredge chicken and let sit about 10 minutes. While the chicken is resting, oil a deep dish pan. Take the chicken out of the honey mixture and roll in breadcrumbs until coated. Place the chicken in the pan and put the pan in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the chicken. If there is any honey mixture left, you can pour it onto the chicken now. Bake about 15 minutes more or until the chicken registers 180 degrees internally.

Serve with some home fries. And eat on up.

Lovely Chicken

I am being adventurous. In all aspects of my life, I am trying to take risks, try new things, and not be so afraid. I found this recipie a year ago in a local newspaper. While I thought is sounded good, I was scared to try it. I don't normally eat pork, so there was that concern. Also, I had never used thyme, or really any spices, so I was afraid of that as well. When I got married, I asked for a really cute spinning spice rack. I recieved it, but I never opened the spices until now. I always wondered why every kitchen has a spice rack. It always made me laugh that most of the bottles were full, and only a select few would ever be used. But I digress...

So back to my goal. I decided that I would try one new spice a week. I didn't want to do too much too soon, so I figured that one new spice a week would do it. I wanted them to be spices that were already in my spice rack. And I wanted to make sure they were things that wouldn't freak the hubby out too much.

The spice I used today was Thyme. I had never really smelled thyme. It is gorgeous. I can only describe it as full bodied and almost minty. I think that thyme will be my new favorite thing. Now, if I only had enought time to go with it....

Lemon Thyme Pork Chops

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pork chops
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
juice of 1 lemon
a little bit of lemon zest

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan. Cook the pork chops a few minutes on both sides. Season with the salt and pepper. Put the chicken broth in a cup and slowly add the cornstarch, mixing all the while. Add the mixture to the skillet. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Simmer over heat until sauce is thickened and the chops are cooked through. Enjoy with some lovely whipped red potatoes. Yum Yum Yum.

Comfort Food

I was cold the other day. Not that it was cold outside, but I was cold in my heart. See, one of my friends is mad at me, and for something that I did not feel was my information to share. Suffice to say, that I was very sad, and needed some cheering. I needed something to warm me from the inside. So I made chili.

I remember eating chili when I was young. Always the gross congealed mess from a can, served warmed in the microwave over icky hot dogs on buns. My grandpa used to eat his chili with vienna sausages. I could never bring myself to eat that or any other potted meat product. There was something about saying 'potted meat' that was a little bit too much for me to handle. When I decided to make chili today (for the first attempt ever in my life), I decided I wanted it to be fresh. I wanted it to be light and I wanted it to be GOOD.

This is the recipie that I made.

The recipie calls for beef, but I don't eat beef. I used ground turkey instead and I think I like it better that way. Beef has a tendancy to weigh us down, but this chili was filling and light at the same time. It was like a Chili revolution!

COMFORT CHILI

1 28 oz can of dices mexican tomatoes
1 15 oz can of light red kidney beans
1/4 cup chilis (I used jalepenos, but the pepper can be changed to suit your spice)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
pinch of oregano
1 small sweet onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey)
2 Tablespoons Chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Start the tomatoes, beans, chilis, and tomato paste on medium in a large pot. In a saute pan, saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Once done add the onion and garlic to the tomato and toss in the pinch of oregano. In the saute pan, cook the beef until cooked through and browned. Add the chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and stir to coat. Once done, add the beef to the tomato mixture. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for a few hours or until you just can't stand it anymore and have to eat.

This is best served over some homemade crusty bread.

Rice and Pineapple Sauce

So I used to be afraid of rice. I was not a fan of Chinese food, I did not like Sushi, I was afraid with a capital A. So one night, on a date many moons ago, I had a date that decided he would dare me $50 bucks that I could not learn how to use chopsticks by the end of the night. Well being how I am, and loving challenges, I accepted and won the $50. Funny thing was, I was so preocupied with proving him wrong, I forgot to bitch about the food laid in front of me. So I ate Chinese food for the first time, and actually liked it. It was not until I started dating the hubby that I started to appreciate Chinese food. The subtle differences in flavor, the brilliant presentations and plating, and the wonderful things that could be done with plain white rice (rice sculptures, anyone?). I remember the first time I tried Sushi. I was out with some friends, and they built me up to the experience and described the flavors so vividly that I had to try them. This was the beginning of my appreciation of food. This was the beginning of descriminating tastes. We sat at the bar of a local sushi restaurant, and we ordered. It was refreshing to have someone tell me that allergies were not a problem. They told me since the sushi is made fresh to order, they could just leave something out. Imagine my surprise when the sushi chef came over and made suggestions of substitutions since I could not enjoy the original rolls. Imagine my surprise when trying Mussel shooters with quail eggs for the first time! All in all it was a beautiful experience (although, I don't think the mussel shooters will happen again soon).

This all leads into my forays of cooking with Rice. To make it really easy, and because the hubby is not great with my tempermental stove, we bought a rice cooker. It was about fifteen dollars at the local store and makes enough rice for the two of us, with just enough left over for lunch the next day. So we tried Jasmine Rice, Basmati, Plain Aborrio, Brown, and Quinoa in the rice cooker. Each gave slightly different flavors and textures. Last night I found my new favorite thing.

White Rice and Pineapple sauce. MMMMMM!

enough rice for you and some to share
1 can diced pineapple
spices that you like

Wash and rinse your rice. Add half the water called for to cook the rice. For the remaining water needed, add pineapple juice from the can of pineapple. Cook the rice

In a pan, combine the remaining liquid in the pineapple can and the spices that you like (I used a jerk spice blend, some cayenne pepper, a bit of sea salt, and some lovely garlic). Add half the pineapple chunks. Warm over low heat, and slowly cook down the pineapple, mashing as you go. Once it cooks down a bit, you can add a bit of sugar to taste. It may be thin, but it is still tasty.

When the rice is done, scoop into portions and add some pineapple chunks on top. Add a bit of the sauce and enjoy!

I really enjoyed this rice, and it just reminded me to not ever rule any food out. Even rice can be adventurous.

A yummy chicken and sweeeeeet potatoes

I remember the first time I ever had roasted chicken. It was at a fancy french restaurant and they brought the whole chicken out to us... with the head and everything. Unfortunately, I was not able to try the chicken because of my own personal issues. I have a weird issue with eating meat that looks like what it once was. So I have issues with chicken that looks like a piece of chicken, ot fish that has the head on, or even snail with the shell on. I don't mind seeing it that way before it's cooked, but after? No Way! So I have always been afraid to try roasted chicken, because of course, it comes out of the oven looking like a chicken (minus the head this time). But everytime I see a roasted chicken (even without the head), I think back to the grand culinary adventure I had during my foray into French cuisine.

That all changed this past week. I decided in my quest for new tastes and things to try, I was going to visit my local library. My library has a very good system and internal book transfer process, so I can basically request any book and if it is checked in at any branch I will have it the next day. So last week I requested all the cookbooks by Jamie Oliver, Heidi Swanson, and random authors that I had read about on other people's blogs. The next day I had a stack of about ten books (all the books were not checked in yet). So I am purusing 'The Naked Chef' and enjoying it quite immensly when the hubby enters and mentions the Roast Chicken looks amazing. Seeing as we had a whole young chicken in the freezer, I thought I would attempt it. After all, when something fails we have an amazing selection of restaurants nearby.

So this past Sunday I made my first ever roasted chicken. Yay me! The chicken was so good. It had a fairly strong lemon flavor, which the hubby was not sure of, but which I loved. We also had a fabulous Sweeeet potatoes and I was sooo proud.

The directions from dear Jamie were really simple, but not really directions at all, more like guidance open to interpretation. So here is what I did:

Wash young chicken. Take out the gizzards. Lift up the skin covering the breasts (careful not to tear) and add favorite spices underneath. Flip the chicken over, and lift up skin covering the thighs. Add favorite spices here too. Stuff the middle of the chicken with a half lemon, or stuffing. Place chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan with a glug of olive oil. Roast at 375 degrees for 40 minutes per pound, until the breast meat and thigh meat register 180 on the meat thermometer.

The spices I used? Let me share:
A palm of salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, basil and Mrs. dash. I also placed a lemon in the pockets that were created when the skin was lifted. If you want it less lemony, dont put the lemon in the skin pockets (that sounds gross, doesn't it?).

What did I serve it with? Sweeet potatoes! The hubby calls them sweeeet potatoes because they use a sweet potato and are slightly sweet in flavor. You have to imagine the hubby saying this in a surfer kind of voice, like a flashback to 90210 days.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large baking russet potato, peeled and cubed
4 small red potatoes, cubed (peel if desired)
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
a pinch of sugar

Boil potatoes until mostly soft (not quite mashable). Drain and let sit for 5 minutes. Saute onion until translucent then toss it in with the potatoes. Add the sugar and the garlic. Toss these in a roasting pan and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft (definitely mashable). Take some of the drippings from the chicken and add to the potatoes, tossing to coat. You can also just add the potatoes to the roasting pan with the chicken and skip this step. Then enjoy with your chicken.

Ah, lovely. The best things often come from something we were afraid to try.

Sometimes life just sweeps you away

So I remembered this blog today. After all of the other things that I had been writing, and all the other things that I have been trying, I remembered this blog. I don't write this for anyone other than myself. It is my hope that I can look back and remember what my life was like at this particular moment. It is my hope that one day I will be able to think back and be inspired. So, continuing my journey through my brain requires a bit of thought and a bit of dillegence so I don't forget what I wanted to gain from it to begin with. So in keeping with this theme, I am back. Remind me if I forget to visit often.

I went camping. To anyone who knows me, this is a shocker. I am not your typical girl, all concerned and fashionable. I can't even wear makeup due to the allergy issues. With this being said, I am a city mouse through and through. I am so not a fan of the great outdoors (the real thing... I love the movie). I am also not a fan of the not showering for days, and the sleeping on an air mattress rather than my comfy bed. I know it could be worse, i did have an air mattress after all, but I am grateful it was only three days.

Having said that, the hubby made a great breakfast each morning that was almost enough to make me forget about the great outdoors... Almost.

OUTDOOR POTATOES AND EGGS

The hubby made this recipie as breakfast two mornings in a row. The amazing thing was that it tasted different both times. It was made in a large dutch oven over the campfire, but I am sure that you could make it on the stove in your favorite skillet.

8 large red potatoes
1 large sweet potato
4 large russet potatoes

1 carton egg beaters
2 tofurkey dogs or brats

Cube the potatoes (Peel first if you are not a fan of the skin). Dump potatoes in the dutch oven, cook until lovely and almost done. Cube tofurkey dogs and dump in the dutch oven as well. Cook some more until the dogs are good and toasted and the potatoes are finished. Add the eggbeater and mix around. Cook a bit until everything is done or until all your fellow campers wake up.

It fed four of us each morning, but we were very hungry campers :)

St. Patties Day

I just wanted to do a quick post about one of my favorite holidays of the year. St. Patrick's Day! Yeah!!!! Green beer and pinching people for fun always sounded like good times to me :) I sometimes wonder why the green beer started...hmmm, maybe time for more research. So I do what I always do when I am curious about something.... I googled it. A wealth of information available right at my fingertips. I think the history of St. Patties Day is very interesting, but I still could not find an answer to why the green beer started. A curious thing indeed.

Anyway, I thought that I would share a recipe today. This bread is crusty on the outside and has a great heaviness to it. This bread is rib-stickin' bread and you don't need to eat a lot... Trust me, I overindulged last year :)

THIS RECIPE IS NOT ALLERGY SAFE- so If you have allergies, try substitution.

IRISH SODA BREAD
Adapted from a recipe by MP Welty on allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

And so it begins...

I am beginning this blog to bring myself closer to the world. I recently discovered that I feel as if I float above the world, too unusual to maintain contact with the majority population. I feel a little bit lost as I navigate my way through life, and I think I was driving my husband crazy with all the discussions I have with him. Of course, the discussions generally are me talking and he nodding his head and saying um-hm every once in a while. I wanted to connect with people and live.

I want to share. I am a corporate zombie by profession, a baker by passion, and a loon by astrology. I wanted to share my thoughts, my recipes, my passions, and even my kookiness once in a while.

I wanted to help. I have allergies and I can't eat certain foods. I have developed a network of friends that have the same circumstances I do. As a baker, watching what I make is skill. As a friend, watching what I bake for others is lifesaving. I wanted to share ideas about living nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, fat-free, or even egg free.

I wanted to be. Anything and everything I want.

So there we go with the first glimpse into my mind. Hopefully the journey is an adventure.