Roast Chicken

This is seriously the best roast chicken recipe I have ever tried or tasted.  I can't take all the credit.  I adapted it from Ruth Reichl's recipe.  It is featured in her third book, Garlic and Sapphires, which I am now reading.  Yes, I am continuing my obsession with Ruth.

So, these are the ingredients you will need (plus some butter):

You will need a roasting chicken (3 1/2 pounds or so), 1 lemon, olive oil, 4 medium potatoes, 1 onion (cut into pieces) and 4 garlic cloves (unpeeled). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Now, wash that chicken (NOT with soap, mind you,, just rinse it with water) and pat it dry. I hate peeling potatoes, so I just got some white ones (or you can just red ones) and cut each into about 8 pieces and leave the peel on them.

Now, melt some butter (do not make it too hot, just a little warm). Gently rub your fingers between the breast and the skin, and load in some butter and then dump in that butter so it oozes all over inside the chick. The instructions say, quite emphatically, not to puncture the skin. I am not sure what happens if you do. So, try not to. Admittedly, it made me want to puncture it just to see what would happen. I am not that daring though.

DO NOT FORGET to take out the packet of innards that they now package inside the little chicken. I throw those away. If anyone has another suggestion, I am all ears. I just don't even want to look at it (a good farmer, I would not make). Once your chicken is buttered inside (this allows the chicken to baste itself while it is cooking), salt and pepper the chicken all over it and inside the cavity.

Take your lemon and poke holes all over it with a fork. Then, place the lemon inside the chicken.

In a bowl (I just did this step in the bottom of the roasting pan and it was fine), put the garlic, potatoes and onions. Drizzle them with salt and pepper and olive oil. Coat the veggies with the oil so each piece is coated. If you have a rack, place the chicken on top of the rack (otherwise, just put the chicken right on top of the vegetables). It should all look something like this:

Place this in the oven for about an hour and fifteen minutes. And, it should look something like this.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Carve the chicken into serving pieces, surround with the veggies and squeeze the baked lemon over the top. It was so incredibly juicy and tender and just wonderful!! Enjoy!

His and Hers Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

I love to make tomato mozz salad every once in a while, rather than the regular greens.  One night, I cut up the tomatoes and sliced the mozzarella to discover that I did not have any balsamic vinegar.  At first, I freaked out a little.  I then googled "substitutes for balsamic vinegar" and discovered there is generally NO GOOD substitute.  I then freaked out a little more. 

Then, I remembered my favorite vinaigrette.  It is this wonderful bottled blush wine vinaigrette I stumbled on recently.  It claims it is very good over strawberries (which sounds sort of unsavory to me).  I thought it might just be great to drizzle over the sad, lonely, parched tomato and mozzarella. 

Well, I informed Arnnie of the change in plan.  Before I drizzled my lovely vinaigrette on his little salad, he asked me to please refrain and drizzle HIS favorite garlic dressing over his.  We both loved them so much that this has become our new way of making these great little salads.  See below:

Now, if you want to make a traditional caprese salad (the fancy term for tomato and mozzarella), just put a few sprigs of basil on top and drizzle both olive oil and balsamic vinegar. But, this his and hers variation is a really big hit at our house. Oh, and for those of you out there who want to make your own homemade salad dressing, just put in 3 parts olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar and crush in any type of berry you like best. I can't take credit for that. My friend, Kathleen, taught me that those long years ago when we lived together in Wheeling in that house I love on Howard Hill (before I left for law school and got all serious with life, sort of). I guess we did do some productive things in that house even though our schedules seemed to revolve mostly around what time we would meet at the Alpha or TJ's for drinks.  Ah.  Those were the days (that will, most definitely, not be part of another post!).

If you have a daughter, you should read this ...

I love books.  I was an English major in college.  I wish I could go to college again though.  I read so much more now than I ever have, and I would love to go back and throw myself into my classes.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  I went to class and read all of my required reading, but I didn't appreciate how fantastic it was at the time to have that opportunity.  I don't know if many people do, at the time. 

One of the best articles I have encountered recently regarding literature is about the the great young adult literature that is out there for girls.  I can't take all the credit for finding this article.  It was posted by a lovely Facebook friend.  I posted it on my Facebook, but I know so many people out there who read my blog but are not on Facebook and most of them have daughters.  Obviously, the article originated out of the recent Hunger Games craze.  But, there were so many books on this list that I remember loving as a child (namely the Ramona books and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler).  Enjoy and READ!!!!

P.S.  I would add Little Women to this list.  Just one that really seemed to be missing to me.

Nemacolin and the Girls' Getaway

I have been fortunate enough to have an awesome Mom.  She is really terrific, in every way.  I have also been fortunate enough to have two other really awesome people in my life - another mother and daughter combo. These are three of my favorite people in the world.  We have been going away together for over 10 years now.  During that time, I have been the one to move around so it has been hard at times to coordinate.  But, one place we have always gone to regularly is Nemacolin, located in Farmington, Pennsylvania.  It is also a special place because this is where Arn and I got married almost seven years ago.  It is also where my Dad gave me a lecture about figuring out what I want to do with my life and, well, I then went to law school 5 months later.

So, here is Nemacolin:

Here is the lodge.

Here is the spa.

Oh, and inside the spa (so wonderful)!

Here is the ice cream parlor:

Here is the hallway leading to the restaurants and some shopping:

Here is the lounging area in the lodge:

They also have some pretty cool sculptures:

And, here is where we got married (we had a very small wedding with just 28 people, but it was so nice!):

If you get a chance, go and see sometime. It is nice and relaxing. Just a really nice getaway.

Ruth Reichl and Lemon Pudding Cake

I am currently obsessed with Ruth Reichl's books.  She was the last editor of Gourmet magazine and is a former restaurant critic for the L.A. Times and the N.Y. Times.  Her books are autobiographical and wonderful!  She has a wonderful little website where she blogs and has information regarding upcoming appearances and the books she has written.

Her first book that I recently finished is Tender at the Bone. 

It was wonderful.  It started in her youth.  She talks about all of the people who influenced her obsession with food.  The book ends when she is in Berkeley and is becoming a part of the farm to table movement made famous by Alice Waters and Chez Panisse.  I couldn't put it down.  She is honest to the core about her faults, transgressions, neuroses.  It also makes you feel like you are sitting in a room with here reliving her life. 

But, the most interesting thing is that she has included recipes in the book as she goes.  After she talks about a recipe she made based on what she was going through in her life or what was troubling her at that time, she then gives the reader the recipe.  Now, not all the recipes are things I would try.  But, there was one I tried this morning.  It was the Lemon Pudding Cake.  I made it and have to admit, it is really very good.  If you like lemon meringue pie, then this is for you.  It is much lighter than pie and is perfect for a very light dessert.  I will admit that while I made it in a pan, I think it would be great to make in individual ramekins topped with a little chopped strawberries mixed with a pinch of sugar placed on top of the cake.  In fact, here is a nice little you tube Gourmet video providing helpful instruction on exactly how to make one.

I started Ruth's second book, Comfort Me with Apples, yesterday, and I am almost done with it.  It starts where Tender left off.  I intend to read all of her books, one right after the other.  She is that good!

Pork Chops with Apples and a Side of Grits - YUM!

This is a wonderful recipe that I, once again, adapted from The Pioneer Woman.  It was so delicious!  So, let's get started.



Here are the ingredients you will need for the grits. Make those first.

You will need 4 slices of bacon, 1/2 cup of chopped onion, 1 cup grits, 1 cup of chicken broth, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of heavy cream (this really can be omitted), 1 cup grated cheese (whatever cheese you like or have on hand), cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. To begin, cut the bacon into small chopped pieces. Throw them into the pot, add onions, and cook for a few minutes.

Add grits, broth and water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for about 30 minutes.

Now, let's start with the pork chops. Here is what you will need.

You will need pork chops, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 gala apple (diced), 1/4 cup of dry white wine, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup maple syrup, dash of salt, pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter and heat until butter is melted. Now, salt and pepper the chops on both sides. Brown them in the skillet, both sides, until golden brown. Place them on a separate dish for now.

Now, add apples to skillet and stir to combine with the oil and butter that remains in the pan. Pour in wine and vinegar and whisk along the bottom of the pan. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half (5 minutes or so). Pour in the syrup and add a dash of salt and pepper. Stir and then return chops to the pan. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes.

Now, take your grits and pour in the cream (again, optional). Taste and add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Remove from heat and add in your cheese. Now, serve up your chops on top of a serving of the grits and be sure to spoon in some of the apples and sauce from the pork chop pan. YUM!

NYC, 9/11 Memorial, Artisanal Cheese, and Eataly!

There is a small group of us who have gone for a sort of "foodie" sightseeing New York weekend in January the past two years.  It is such a fun experience!  It is so nice to leave work on a Friday, early afternoon, and jump in a cab to the 30th Street station in downtown Philly.  I then catch an Amtrak train, and arrive in NYC in about an hour.  It is one of my favorite things about living here.  For those not familiar with Amtrak, it is the best way to travel.  There are no long security lines.  You can literally just show up 10 minutes before train departure time and hop on!  It all feels very continental to me.

This is 30th Street Station:

During this last trip, we went to see the 9/11 Memorial. It was really profound and moving. I highly recommend doing this if you get to NYC one of these days. It is a terrific remembrance of those who died that day.

One of the wonderful restaurants we went to during our visit was Artisanal.  We are very fortunate to have one of the ladies who is from the area who joins us on these weekends.  She always suggests the most wonderful places for dinner!  Here is Artisanal:

What I didn't realize until just last week was that Artisanal has a cheese shop. The online cheese shop has a wide cheese selection.  In fact, it has a wonderful cheese club (which I just signed up for and will post once my first order arrives).






However, the most amazing place we went to that weekend had to be Eataly.  It is not just a restaurant but it has something like 6 different restaurants and a wonderful food market.  I have never seen anything like it.  We grazed there for about 4 hours.  Heaven!  If you want an absolute wonderful eating and marketing experience, it is not to be missed!!!

Here is a peek at Eataly:

What a great trip, as always!! Now, we are all getting ready to plan a trip to Paris for next year. Though I do hope we continue the NY trip. So many things yet to see and do!!