Food Posts!

For the last few weeks the only two things that I have been thinking about are cooking and eating. So....I am going to follow in Jessica's footsteps and post some of the dishes that I have prepared and then eaten over the last few weeks. Enjoy!
I made this for a 'date night' Matt and I had at his parents. They were out of town, so we crashed at their house in Nashville for the night. The chicken was delicious and quite easy to make. (Recipe to follow.) The tomatoes were another Barefoot Contessa recipe and also easy. I served boxed bulghur wheat with it.

Lemon-Spiced Chicken (source: The Newlyweds' Cookbook)

8-16 chicken pieces, preferably thighs (allow 2-4 per person)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
a small bunch of thyme sprigs fresh or dried
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

serves 4

Trim any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Put the chicken in a baking dish large enough to hold them comfortably (or divide between 2 dishes). Put the oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Make sure all the chicken pieces are skin side up in the dish and roast in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees until browned and cooked through, 50 -60 minutes. Serve immediately with the pan juices poured over.
Then I had the grand idea to make homemade chicken stock to use all winter long for different soup recipes I want to try. Easy to make, but make sure you have the right equipment (ie: a stock pot). This recipe is again from the Barefoot Contessa.
As I have mentioned before, I love cheese! This Barefoot Contessa recipe (Penne with Five Cheeses), although not good for you is YUMMY. And it reheats well for leftovers.
I know, this looks gross and it's not plated nicely, but it was sooooo good. Even Matt who doesn't love salmon LOVED IT. Again, from the Barefoot Contessa.
This was a steak salad with a blue cheese dressing and I can't remember where I got the recipe. But it was delicious and a good way to satisfy the men and the ladies at the same time. (I know, we like our meat pretty raw!)