Friday, September 10, 2010

It's official, we're foodies...

foodie or foody fuːdɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
n , pl -ies
a person having an enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of good food

This definition cracks me up. It is so us. Especially the enthusiastic part. When Tyler and I retire, right after we catch up on years of lost sleep, we're watching countless hours of Food Network together (and we won't fall asleep doing it). We'll make notes and plans to replicate fabulous dishes. Then we'll grocery shop together

(any time we want, instead of during the most ridiculous sleeping hours), leisurely browsing in aisles that have many breakable containers. We'll buy lots of strange ingredients that kids don't like. Then we'll come home, put on some romantic music (or Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits... either way), light some candles, and cook (together and uninterrupted) until our hearts are content. We'll consume everything before it gets cold (enthusiastically, mind you), and we'll only have to cut up our own food. And we might even stay at the table afterwards, you know, for a palate-cleansing dessert and a cup of coffee/tea over some stimulating adult conversation. We might even know a thing or two about politics by then. Sounds dreamy, doesn't it?

Exactly.

Until then, we're tiding ourselves over with some simple, but flavor-filled dishes, that even our kids will eat.

Here's my latest favorite Fall chicken recipe. I'll title it Foil-wrapped Rosemary Chicken (catchy, huh? I just made that up right now...). It's quick, easy, and pretty much impossible to screw up. Just how I like it. Check this out:

First, you must find a really cute preschool helper. The one that never wears a shirt is a keeper. Get him to wash the sand out of his fingernails, and get started.
Lay out large pieces of foil, big enough to wrap and seal in your seasoned chicken breast (Quick tip: we buy all our chicken at Sam's Club - they always beat the best sale price I can get anywhere else, and the breasts are twice the size of other places). Lay trimmed chicken breast on foil, and sprinkle with some olive oil. Season both sides with generous portions of kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and - our favorite spice of all time - Emeril's Original Essence (you can buy the spice pre-made on grocery store shelves, or check out the link to make it yourself). Top with whole sprigs of Rosemary. And if the foil has Tyler's name on it, add some Chipotle Pepper Flakes. Just how he likes it.

Fold down the foil around the chicken, making sure it is sealed tight (this will pay off when it traps in all of the yummy juices). Place foil-wrapped chicken in a baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until done. The individual servings allow you to tailor the flavor to the likes of each dinner guest, and the juice that gets trapped in the foil will simply amaze you. So good.

I feel the need to fit in the descriptive word "fantastic" somewhere here, and if I add a YouTube clip of me tasting the finished product (and describing how succulent it tastes while I still have tons of food in my mouth), then - only then - could I be a real Food Network star.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure Giada can get away with talking with a mouth full of food way better than I can.

I think I'll keep my day job...

But really, you should try this.

What is your favorite fall recipe?

3 comments:

Angela said...

The Humphrey's can attest that this recipe is very yummy! However, ours didn't come with the cute preschooler with no shirt!

Rosilind Jukic said...

Oh wow!! I am definately giving this a try!!! My hubby loves chicken in any form and this is sure to be a hit in our home. I am following you from GMGs

Cory Costello said...

I don't know if this post was about a recipe or some sultry evening reserved for a dear letter...