This week was so refreshingly inspiring and productive - as I write this post, I am almost done with laundry, the floors have been cleaned, I finished a few wedding crafts, cleaned the craft room, and so on.
I was very inspired in the kitchen. It started when I went to Publix after work on Monday and wanted a rotisserie chicken but I couldn't find one. So I just bought a whole chicken without really knowing what to do with it. It has always been a goal of mine to cook a whole chicken or turkey in the oven and for some reason it had not happened yet. I remembered that Jacques Pepin had a recipe for cooking a chicken: http://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/episode204.html
And here is the result:
(Yes the pan should have been a bit bigger, but oh well)
It was very tasty if I may say.
Tom used the breast meat in a big Caesar salad while I had my regular salad (lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, and dried cranberries) with a chicken thigh.
This chicken also made for some nice leftover dishes: I made an orzo salad with sliced olives, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, asparagus, cashews, and feta cheese (with a lemon juice, onions, and olive oil vinaigrette):
Other leftovers: chicken salad, grilled chicken and cheese (croque monsieur), and chicken caesar salad wraps. This was a great strategy for not cooking much throughout the week and having easy lunches. And the chicken cooked really quickly, I would say about 45 minutes (my chicken was bigger than Jacques' and I wanted to make sure that it was cooked through).
I also attempted Jacques Pepin's crispy kale (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/617694); it didn't quite turn out like chips, which a lot of people said it would taste like. I may have used a bit too much olive oil. I might try this again. Tom gave it a "decent", nothing spectacular.
On Tuesday, I had a fun time hanging out at Kelly's and catching up with her. I even managed to get a little bit of crafting done, which I am convinced got me out of my crafting funk.
Also, while I said I didn't like the time change, I do like coming home with the sun still high and being able to enjoy a cup of tea on the balcony before being blinded by the setting sun.
Speaking of the balcony:
Also, I keep forgetting to introduce this guy:
It does not look like much but it's a hydrangea. I hope that this a plant that will last us for many years and we will eventually put it in the ground to set roots where we do.
Saturday was so pretty outside, nice weather with a cool breeze. We tried Maffioza's pizza in Mountain Brook for lunch and then walked around the area. We found a gorgeous but pricey plant shop. We will have to go back with my dad. We also drove by the very expensive houses with oohs and ahhs. We got home and enjoyed the balcony (well, Tom was laying on the roof), just hanging out, sipping on cool Moscato wine. At night, Tom fired up the grill for steak and grilled asparagus and I made the usual sauteed mushrooms.
So that's all for this past week.
Happy St. Patty's day!
I was very inspired in the kitchen. It started when I went to Publix after work on Monday and wanted a rotisserie chicken but I couldn't find one. So I just bought a whole chicken without really knowing what to do with it. It has always been a goal of mine to cook a whole chicken or turkey in the oven and for some reason it had not happened yet. I remembered that Jacques Pepin had a recipe for cooking a chicken: http://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/episode204.html
And here is the result:
(Yes the pan should have been a bit bigger, but oh well)
It was very tasty if I may say.
Tom used the breast meat in a big Caesar salad while I had my regular salad (lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, and dried cranberries) with a chicken thigh.
This chicken also made for some nice leftover dishes: I made an orzo salad with sliced olives, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, asparagus, cashews, and feta cheese (with a lemon juice, onions, and olive oil vinaigrette):
I also attempted Jacques Pepin's crispy kale (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/617694); it didn't quite turn out like chips, which a lot of people said it would taste like. I may have used a bit too much olive oil. I might try this again. Tom gave it a "decent", nothing spectacular.
On Tuesday, I had a fun time hanging out at Kelly's and catching up with her. I even managed to get a little bit of crafting done, which I am convinced got me out of my crafting funk.
Also, while I said I didn't like the time change, I do like coming home with the sun still high and being able to enjoy a cup of tea on the balcony before being blinded by the setting sun.
Speaking of the balcony:
Also, I keep forgetting to introduce this guy:
Saturday was so pretty outside, nice weather with a cool breeze. We tried Maffioza's pizza in Mountain Brook for lunch and then walked around the area. We found a gorgeous but pricey plant shop. We will have to go back with my dad. We also drove by the very expensive houses with oohs and ahhs. We got home and enjoyed the balcony (well, Tom was laying on the roof), just hanging out, sipping on cool Moscato wine. At night, Tom fired up the grill for steak and grilled asparagus and I made the usual sauteed mushrooms.
So that's all for this past week.
Happy St. Patty's day!
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