Garlic Roasted Chicken & English Potatoes

Kicking off my New Year's resolution with a BANG!  I decided it would be great to cook Ina Garten's recipe for Garlic roasted chicken (taken from foodnetwork.com)  and English Potatoes (from "Foolproof").  Wyatt really wanted to be a big helper.  We went to the grocery store to get all of our supplies for dinner tonight and then for the rest of the week and he was very helpful.  So when he said he wanted to help me cook dinner, how could I say no?

 Wyatt helped Mommy season the chicken with Kosher salt and grind the pepper.  He seasoned both inside and out and helped Mommy put in the head of garlic and lemon quarters.

 The little chickie in the oven:

 These potatoes turned out really nicely and were a simple addition to the chicken.  Since I was roasting the veggies anyway it made sense to add these into the batch too so once the chicken came out and I put the veggies back in into the roasting pan the potatoes went.

 Getting golden:

 On the table and ready to carve:

So easy a kid could do it!

The Ina Resolution

Ah, the New Year filled with hopes and dreams and lofty goals of trying to lose weight before another year rolls around. Well, this year I have decided to focus my resolutions on honing my skills in the kitchen. Last year our IDC (dinner club) got underway and it has been a great venue for trying out all those recipes that I pick-up from various places.  With another year of IDC about to begin with the theme of New Year's Resolutions- I had to stop and think what will I resolve to do this year?

There is no secret here- I love Ina Garten!  Her foolproof recipes and her relaxed style are just the thing for someone like me.  Not too long ago I attended a book signing for Ina Garten for her new book, "Barefoot Contessa Foolproof" and I was inspired by the cookbook to venture forth and cook my way through the  book.  Of course usually I start out with very high ambitions and so I have gone through the book and decided what recipes I am going to make and then hopefully I will get this resolution started.

Here are the recipes I am hoping to create this year:

Cocktails:

- Mustard & Gruyere batons

- Crab Strudels

-Jalapeno cheddar crackers

-Parmesan Crisps

Starters:

-Winter Minestrone & Garlic Bruschetta

- Easy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Croutons

- Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham

-Easy Gazpacho & Goat Cheese Croutons

Lunch:

- Lobster Corn Fritters

- Lobster & Potato Salad

-Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad

-Roasted Asparagus & Prosciutto

Dinner:

- Crispy Mustard-roasted Chicken

 - Chicken with Wild Mushrooms

 - Slow Roasted Filet of Beef with Bail Parmesan Mayonnaise

 - Mustard Marinated Flank-Steak

- Osso Buco

- Seared Scallops & Potato Celery Root Puree

 - Orecchiette with broccoli Rabe & Sausage

- Lobster Mac n' Cheese

- Straw & Hay with Gorgonzola

-Penne alla Vecchia Bettola

Vegetables:

-Orange-braised carrots & Parsnips

- Provencal Cherry Tomato Gratin

- Spinach with Feta & Pine Nuts

- Crispy English Potatoes

- Truffled Mashed Potatoes

- Balsamic-roasted Brussels Sprouts 

Desserts:

-Chocolate Cassis Cake

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Globs

-Chocolate Chunk Blondies

- Ultimate Pumpkin Pie with Rum Whipped Cream

- Perfect Pie Crust

- Mexican Hot Chocolate

- Cinnamon Bake Doughnuts

And since Ina always gives great tips and tricks for hosting the perfect event I will try to include some of those as well.  

As you can see I have my work cut out for me and I think my New Year's Resolution this year will be anything but trying to lose weight!  

Toasting to a delicious 2013!

With A Little Help From My Friends

One of my absolute favorite things in the world of cooking is when you have something fabulous cooked by one of your friends/family.  I was thinking about the inspiration I get from my friends and was inspired as a part of this blog to include a series of recipes/ideas that I get from my friends. 

This salad was AMAZING! My friend, Shannon, blessed me with a taste of this and I couldn't get it off my mind.  What's in the salad?  Arugala, feta cheese, and a roasted tomato with balsamic vinegar & olive oil (a little salt & pepper). So I decided I should add something to the salad as well to make it more my own.  What did I add? Peaches- the sweet taste of the peaches balanced the salad so well and it was awesome. 

Another Challenge- I am a HUGE MESS and have asked one of my friends, Sonya, for a recipe for her chicken salad for ages and she keeps giving it to me and I have lost it everytime.  So I tried to develop it from taste and memory.  It was so much fun to try different ideas out and then execute them and get the result.

  What did I put in the chicken salad?
Chicken:  I boiled the chicken to cook it but you can always season and then bake
Small Clam Noodles
Cut up Pickles
Mayo
A pinch of grey poupon
salt
pepper
feta cheese (added later)
I also added chopped onion and celery salt (which would have been actual celery but I didn't have any)

First Ice Cream

It is always fun working with kids in the kitchen.  Although sometimes it can bring a lot of chaos it is also a great way to bond.  It is also a great way to work on units of measure, sharing, hand-eye coordination, and lots of other great skills.  And what could be yummier to make with a child than ice cream? 

For our first ice cream we made a French Vanilla with a simple cream base and then mixed in oreo cookies to make the perfect cookies and cream.  It was delicious and turned out great!  The texture was exactly what we were aiming for and Wyatt had a blast watching the dessert in all of the various stages.