Anyone who knows me, knows I cook pretty much every day. The thing is I forget to blog about the savory stuff, mainly because it usually isn't very pretty, tasty, but not always pretty. After a long day last week, I was really in the mood for a flavorful dinner. There is nothing that will rock the gastronomy world here, but it is a testament that good food is sometimes the simplest to prepare.
It started with a lovely organic chicken. I gave him a quick bath, tied his wings together and seasoned him well with some blend from Penzey's. I basically grabbed a few different jars from the pantry and shook them in my hand and slathered them on the bird. No oil, butter or extra fat here. I opened a cold one and took a nice long sip...the first sip is always the best! You can use any kind of beer. My husband worked for Coors in college as a campus rep, so you usually find that in the fridge around here. Stick the opened can where the sun does not shine and balance him on the hot grill. I heat the grill on high and keep it in the med range while cooking. I stick some onion in the neck cavity and lightly cover the top with foil so the steam from the beer is sort of caught. You can see what he looks like about a half hour into it, and note the grill needs to be smoking pretty good. You can see by the lead picture what he looks like in an hour. How perfect is that? Need I try and tell you how delicious it was? And simple (the only dirty dish was the serving platter!)
So while the bird was smoking away on the grill, I boiled up some wheat berries. I buy them at Whole Foods, and discovered them making an amazing salad I found in a Martha Stewart magazine years ago. That is another blog. But I love these little wheat nuggets, they are delicious and have a chew to them. So I bring them to a boil and then simmer for about 40 minutes. Check for doneness, but I like them a little al dente.
I chopped up some pepper, tomatoe and scallions and made a mustard vinaigrette and tossed them with the wheat berries. Delicious. I have been eating it for days, and just sprinkle a little more dressing on when I serve it.
Vinaigrette
6 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 c white wine vinegar
4 tea dijon mustard
1 ½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 T sugar
½ t. celery seed
1 cup olive oil
And finally, I really was in the mood for something sweet. We love frozen yogurt, but the craze here is serve yourself. Don't even get me started on this. I was reprimanded on another blog for complaining about these stores, and was accused of not supporting local businesses. Nothing could be further from the truth. I do not eat public food. Period. Those bins of topping and the hoards of kids are a major turnoff to me. And then you pay, holy moly, they charge .40-.50 cents an ounce. It adds up in a hurry. I am happy to pay more for a superior product (it isn't), great service (I have to do it all myself) or even a great atmosphere (um, nope). So I made my own frozen yogurt. I took 2 cartons (16 oz. each) of Oikos 0% fat, plain Greek Yogurt. I mixed in a tablespoon of vanilla paste and ¾ cup of sugar. I ran it in my Krups ice cram maker for 20 minutes and had a creamy, tangy frozen yogurt.
This is not like TCBY, this is like Pinkberry. I love the tang, but it is not for everyone. I have plans to try other flavors. But what a delicious dinner, and easy. So what are you waiting for? Get in there and cook!
When my friend told me she was throwing a wedding shower I knew I would be baking. She loves the letter cookies, I have made them for an alphabet shower she threw, where everyone was assigned a letter. I made them too, for a pre-play dinner when we all went to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This shower however was pure Southern. I wish I could remember all the stuff she made, but here is what I recall, deviled eggs with smoked salmon, pulled pork BBQ sliders, shrimp grit cakes, cherry tomatoes stuffed with pimiento cheese, pecan tassies and banana pudding shooters. She is, hands down, the best Southern cook I know. So I made L, P and R cookies for the bride, groom and their new last name. 
When I was ready to decorate I had her give me the color scheme. I love that she went total Lily Pulitzer colors, such fun to work with, primarily hot pink and lime green. The cookies would look great with the centerpieces, the napkins, the Chinese lanterns flickering in the trees, and knowing Melinda, she probably matched too!
I decided to add in a few paisley cookies and a couple big plaque cookies to keep the assortment interesting. I thought a tray with the 3 letters may be a bit boring. I did the bride's initial with a pink base, the groom's in a green base, and the new last name is a mix of the 2. I added a little orange and blue to keep it all Lily-ish. Great fun! So, what are you waiting for? Get in there and bake!
