Oven Roasted Chicken - so easy, so delicious

Roasted chicken is probably the simplest meal there is for impressing guests. It's economical, elegant, delicious, and looks like a lot of work when it isn't. It's also incredibly versatile, whether you want your chicken to be lemony, herbed, spice rubbed, or plain.

The biggest fear when doing a roast like this is that it won't be moist. Although there are a lot of variations on flavor and style, there are really only a few things that matter for ensuring a juicy bird.

Here's what I like to do:

Simple Roast Chicken

Special equipment: butcher's twine or cooking string, for trussing the bird

One 3-4 lb. roaster chicken
1 lemon
1 head garlic
1/2 TBSP Paprika
Kosher salt
Cracked pepper
Oil or butter
1 onion
4-5 carrots
Any other veggies, such as potatoes

Fresh herbs (optional)

Method:

Let the bird come to room temp for a couple hours before you begin. If you're planning in advance, you can prep. the bird the night before and let it rest in the fridge overnight, then let it come to room temp. before baking.

Preheat the oven to 450f. If your oven heats from the bottom, move the rack to the lower third, otherwise leave it in the middle.

I like to buy my meats from the meat counter rather than pre-packaged, especially when I'm working with poultry. That way I can clear some counter space, unwrap it, and do all the prep work in the wrapping. This makes for easy clean up, which is especially important when it comes to raw chicken.

Rinse the bird, inside and out, and check for any stray feathers or flecks of down (especially if your bird is organic). If it still has innards or giblets, remove them. Then pat the bird dry very thoroughly inside and out with paper towel. Again, be as thorough as you can be - the dryer the skin the better the roast.
In a small bowl combine 1 TBSP kosher salt with 1/2 TBSP cracked black pepper. Put half of this mix in the palm of one hand, and insert the hand, palm up, into the chicken. Rub the seasoning all over the top half interior of the bird, then refill your hand, turn the bird over, and season the other inner half. Be sure the salt is evenly distributed.
To season the outside, many think it's best to go beneath the skin first. Since it isn't really necessary I usually skip this step, so if you're afraid you might break the skin you can go ahead and just season the top. If you do want to salt beneath the skin, start at the back end of the chicken, neck end away from you, and work your fingers beneath the skin around the legs and thighs, working your way up the bird. Once the skin is mostly separated from the flesh, apply some salt and pepper (1/2 TBSP and 1/4 TBSP?) evenly with your fingers.
If the bird feels a little damp, pat the exterior dry again before seasoning. Lightly rub the bird with oil, or melted butter, and sprinkle salt over the bird, top, bottom, and sides. Hold your hand about 6-8 inches over the bird to ensure an even distribution. Crack pepper the same way, over the entire bird.
Sprinkle 1/4 TBSP paprika on the top side of the bird, and rub in with your fingers - do the same to the opposite side. The paprika is certainly optional, or could be traded out for any number of other herbs or spices depending on what flavor you're going for. You could use lemon zest, or cayenne, or garlic powder, or curry and cumin - whatever is your fancy. I like paprika because it's simple, not an overwhelming flavor, and adds a little color.
Slice lemon and full head of garlic in half, and stuff inside the bird. This will add a only a hint of lemon to the meat of the bird (if you want more lemon flavor, zest the lemon first and season the chicken with the zest), but will help add moisture to keep the breast meat from drying out.
At this point you can also stuff the chicken with any fresh herbs you want, such as thyme, rosemary, tarragon, etc.

Now for 'trussing' the bird. Trussing is a method of tying the legs and body so that the bird cooks evenly, which means no dry breast meat. It also keeps any stuffing's inside, and holds the bird in shape. There are a bunch of different ways to go about this, from simply knotting the ankles together to complicated stringing techniques.
Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman have a quick, simple tutorial video, which I've embedded below. Polcyn's method is easy to do, effective, and is what I tend to use.



Once your chicken is stuffed, seasoned, and trussed, place it (breast side up) in a roasting pan, Pyrex baking dish, or oven safe saute pan.
Quarter your onion, and cut your carrot into hearty chunks and arrange around the chicken in the pan. Place in the oven, and bake for 40-60 minutes. The cooking time depends primarily on the size of your chicken, so check it on the early side. If you have an instant read or meat thermometer, it should read 170 when inserted into the center of the thigh, or 165 in the center of the breast. Otherwise, you should look for the skin to be thin and pulled taught between the legs and body, and for the juices to run clear when the dark meat is pierced.
Once the bird is done, remove from the oven and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before carving, to let the juices redistribute. Some people like to tent foil over the bird at this point, to keep it from drying out, but I haven't found this necessary. You can if you want to, or if it will be a little while before serving and you want to keep the roast warm.


(If I may be so bold... Bam!)

You can serve the bird as it is, drizzled in pan juices or slathered in butter, or simmer the pan juices along with chicken stock, white wine, and corn starch to make a gravy.

On it's own, as a centerpiece, with veggies and mashed potatoes, as a side, in a sandwich, on a salad... I can hardly begin to hit all the selling points, here. You could even do a spicy rub and then slather it in barbeque sauce! From elegant to finger lickin' in one fell swoop.

Beer and Bacon Mancakes - pancakes just don't get any manlier than this

(Beer and Bacon Mancakes - recipe in post)

*Whistles...* Ain't she a beaut'?

Whether you call them hot cakes, flapjacks, tall stacks, griddle cakes, or any of the other names they've been given... I love pancakes. For breakfast, for dinner, for 2 AM pancake making parties in my underwear... love 'em.

For awhile, I went on a bit of a pancake rampage. Day after day I made different kinds of pancakes, from potato latkes and zucchini fritters to good ol' fashioned buttermilk.

I've made pumpkin, blueberry, peanut butter, banana, walnut, banana/walnut...

(Banana walnut pancakes with bourbon reduced maple syrup - these were pretty fan-freakin'-tastic)

...You get the idea.

Now, before I lose any readers, let me emphasize that I am also a strong supporter of the Waffle. Belgian waffles, Liege waffles, Stoopwafels, Waffle waffles, Chicken and waffles...

"Spam spam spam eggs and spam..." - Monty Python

Anyway, point is, I don't discriminate. I know there are all kinds of 'ratial' tention between the pancakes and the waffles, and people think you have to choose sides, but I refuse to be lumped into one category or the other. Why can't we all just live in peace!? I don't want my children to grow up in a world of constant fighting... *sob*

Wow, am I a drama queen today.


Onward! This post is about pancakes. Mancakes, to be precise. The manliest, pancakiest pancakes ever. They're brimming with awesome, and packed full of bad-assery. You eat a plate of these in the morning, and by noon you've got five o'clock shadow like Daniel Craig and the chest and jawline of Clark Kent - damn, how did nobody recognize him without his glasses on?

I'm not claiming super powers, I'm just sayin'... if you find yourself thinking about feng shui, and which doily would look best at the dinner party (in fact, if you even know what a doily is...) now is your chance to reclaim some of your manliness.

Now I don't mean to scare off the ladies, here, by any means. I know my appetite is right up there with the boy's, so don't be afraid to jump in and make these for yourself. You won't really get five o'clock shadow or Clark Kent's jawline - just a deep satisfaction in the belly of your soul. Or the soul of your belly... either way.

Beer and Bacon Mancakes
(Adapted from Betty Crocker, of all people)

1 lb. Bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups pancake mix (homemade or Bisquick style)
2 cups of your favorite beer, alcoholic or non, separated (I used Founder's - a local brewery I like. The Porter I chose is very dark, hoppy, and has undertones of coffee and chocolate. It was a great pairing with the salty bacon and sweet syrup. Guinness would work well, too, or whatever kind of beer you like.)
2 eggs

1 - 2 cups maple syrup (I like grade B because it's darker and sweeter, but use what you have/what you prefer)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350f.
Line a cookie sheet with foil, and set inside of that a wire rack or oven grill grate. Lay the bacon flat, in a single layer, on top of the rack and bake for 10 minutes.
Take the bacon out, and sprinkle evenly with half of the brown sugar - bake for 10 minutes more.
Remove the bacon again, and turn each piece over. Sprinkle this side with the second half of brown sugar, and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until nice and golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before crumbling into pieces.

Get your griddle or skillet heating up - medium-high should do the trick.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pancake mix, 1 cup beer, and eggs. If it's too thick add more beer, too thin add more mix. Stir in the bacon.
Grease your griddle (oil, butter, shortening, spray...) and ladle/scoop/pour your batter into whatever size pancakes you want.
Cook on one side until bubbles appear on the top and the edges begin to look dry, then flip.

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining beer with 1 cup of maple syrup. Stir, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. If it's too thin, or too much beer for your taste, adjust by adding more maple syrup. If you don't want the extra layer of beer, you can skip this whole step and just warm up your maple syrup.

Serve hot.

Now, as a practical matter, these babies are filling, even if you are a manly man (or a womanly woman). I'm a good eater, but I topped out at just 2 or 3 of these, so invite some friends over when you make them. That's right - not if, when.


Stepping aside from the manly persona, I'm going to be honest here and say: there are a lot of applications where beer, and even bacon, do not make things better. I know there are a lot of people who would disagree, who love chocolate and bacon, or bacon brittle, or bacon mints... but I'm not a fan. I love bacon, I really do, and I love chocolate, but for me they don't add to one another, they cancel each other out. The awesome is not cumulative.

Here, however, all of the flavors play very nicely. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and would dip my bacon or sausage in the extra syrup on the plate. The addition of beer lends a deepness that really offsets the sweet syrup, and adds some balance by hitting parts of your tongue that the other flavors don't.
Of course, any die-hard bacon/chocolate/breath-mint lover will be into these, but for those who are a little more skeptical or think this is going over the top, I say give it a try - you might be in for a very pleasant surprise.*




*Unless you don't like beer or bacon at all. I'm not gonna lie, it tastes like beer and it tastes like bacon. You won't like it. Don't say I didn't tell you so.

Blue Jeans and Buttercream - Ranting, and Raving

(Tube cake decorated with four different frostings, strawberries, and topped with a strawberry rose piped full of chocolate ganache - more on this later in the post)


Why is it, when I consider myself of average build, I have such a hard time finding jeans that fit?

I pose that question philosophically, to no one in particular. My real complaint is much more specific, and concerns only women's clothing. That complaint is this: The numbers. Mean. Nothing.

I wear my pants a little large, and always have - I like 'em loose, don't judge. Lately, however, my go-to size 8's have been causing some issues. I've been finding everyday tasks far more difficult to complete with only one hand as the other hangs on to my belt loops, or while I waddle mother-goose style just to keep my rear-end from presenting itself to the world. Yeah - you know you've got a problem when you don't have to unbutton or unzip, ever. (I see you there, about to suggest I get a belt... don't. I have one, but it doesn't solve my complaint. On with the complaining!)

So, I went out and bought new jeans. Well, thrift-store new, that is. I believe in recycling, besides which I choose to spend my money on food, rather than fashion. So sue me.
Miraculously, I pulled from the shelf 2 pairs of jeans, both of which fit me to a tee. Their sizes are 9, and 4. The 4's are slightly looser.

(From left to right: size 9, size 4, size 8)

That's messed up.

Seriously people, how hard is this? We have these things called inches, and centimeters, which have been so handy as to help us construct modern civilization as we know it, and yet women's apparel companies have decided to make up their own set of numbers, the equivalent of which would be a child's made-up language consisting of nothing but gibberish that no one understands.
At least with dress sizes, a size 4 will be at least similar across the board, but when it comes to anything else there seems to be little or no rhyme or reason. Sure, now I can say I'm a size 4, but I'm also a size 9, and 10, and don't even get me started on tops (where my range is anywhere from a small to a large depending on brand). These numbers mean nothing to me!
All I ask is that women's clothing manufacturers take a queue from mens pants, and from the rest of society, and use actual forms of measurement. Tell me it's a pair of 30-32's, and sure I'll have to try them on to know if they're comfy, but at least I know they'll button across my hips!
Amen!

Whew.

Now that I'm done with the ranting, on to some of the raving.

As The Sister's wedding approaches - a small family and friends ceremony of approximately twenty-five people, which I will cater, photograph, and I suppose be Maid of Honor for - I've been testing the recipes I'll be using to be sure I don't make a mess of the big day.
Though I don't want to spoil too much of what is to come, I will say I've been trying out several different frostings. I will be needing one chocolate and one vanilla, and they have to be light enough to not weigh down the cake, as it will be light and airy.

(I frosted it as a pie chart, using the majority of my personal favorite, followed by second favorite, and so on. The rose in the center is also a warm up for the wedding, as instead of a bride and groom atop the cake there will be two edible roses piped full of ganache)

First, I made a Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (from MarthaStuart.com). Although Martha's was lovely, it wasn't quite chocolaty enough, and ended up just about as heavy as a traditional buttercream would be without the meringue. In the future I would add more chocolate, and possibly some cream of tartar to keep the meringue fluffy. Or I would just follow this recipe: Ina Garten's Food Network recipe, which does both of those things.
While too heavy for my purposes, it didn't stop me from eating it by the spoonful. In fact, there was quite a bit of frosting that went mysteriously missing... I wonder how that happened.
Next in the chocolate category was this Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting, from Epicurious.com. This was perfect as far as not being too heavy, plus it had a good dark chocolate flavor. My concern here was that, being whipped cream, the frosting wouldn't hold up for very long. Because of this I decided to use only half of the called for heavy cream, making the chocolate even more pronounced. Reducing the cream did not make the frosting significantly heavier, but allowed it to hold up perfectly well for several days with refrigeration. In fact, not only did it not melt al over itself, but it kept a lovely spreadable smooth consistency. This was the winner all 'round.
(Also, although I would have loved it personally, for the purposes of the wedding I omitted the called for espresso powder).

Then came the vanillas. The first one I made was a Vanilla Buttercream from Tasty Kitchen. Unlike every other recipe I found, this one calls specifically for granulated sugar, not powdered, claiming that with enough beating of the butter and sugar all graininess would go away, leaving a far superior frosting.
I can't tell you how long I creamed that butter and sugar, but still no luck - when I ran my finger around the edge of the bowl (which I scraped down frequently with a spatula) it still seemed grainy. Finally, knowing the butter would eventually melt and I would throw a tantrum, I gave up and put it in a jar in the fridge.
The next morning I took a taste, to see if the flavor was indeed good, and by the grace of all that is sweet and good the frosting had transofmed into being completely smooth, creamy, and sans the grains. I don't know how it happened, but - Hallelujah!

For comparison, and just for good measure, I also made a basic vanilla buttercream, using powdered sugar, from ApronDays.blogspot.com. This turned out perfectly fine (and again, disappeared by the spoonful), but was far too sweet for my purposes. More of a holiday cookie topper than a wedding cake garnisher, in my opinion. Plus, due to the sheer volume of sugar, it was 'grainier' than the first. Not a bad grainy, though... more of a classic buttercream grainy.

Since the first vanilla recipe was still just as heavy as any buttercream, I went ahead and added some whipping cream to lighten it, and reduce its sweetness slightly. This worked perfectly to get it to the consistency I needed. Additional changes I would make would be reducing the sugar slightly, and adding the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean pod.



So, after a great many testings, and tasting's, I can officially say I have consumed more butter and sugar in the past three days than I have in probably the past 3 months combined. I'm not even a fan of buttercream, because while I'm eating it and my eyes are rolling back into my head as I enter a euphoric sugar-coma, my mind is screaming 'No! You're eating butter by the spoonful! Stop! Agh! There's now a pound of butter in your stomach! Agh!' - somehow, this inner turmoil doesn't stop me.

My mother has taken this opportunity to remind of 'The Butter Monster'... a monicker she so aptly gave me after an incident where she found me, barely old enough to walk, having gotten hold of the butter and lathering it all over my face and arms.  Yes, there are pictures, and no, I'm not proud. Well... maybe a little.


Fortunately for me, I only made a small amount (1 - 1.5 cups) of each frosting. Unfortunately for me, that's still 4-6 cups, and if I keep this up I'll be going jeans shopping again. Or returning to my trusty size 8's... curse you, butter/sugar/dark lord/tastiness! No, the frosting is our friend... my precious!
Okay, perhaps equating myself to Smeagol is taking it a little far.

Still, just as much as I love sweets, and pride myself for being able to consume ice cream by the gallon, I also love fresh produce and quality proteins. I can't keep up this buttercream fiasco much longer before the cravings for salad and meat kick back in - *sigh*.

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pesto Cream Sauce

Simple, elegant, and not too labor intensive - what more could you ask for? Oh, did I mention it's delicious? It's delicious.

I don't remember when the idea of stuffed chicken popped into my head, but it was one of those small thoughts that kind of drifts in, and you think it'll be just a passing fancy, but then it sticks and hangs out at the back of your mind for awhile. Yeah, apparently I need to spray some Pam up there, or something.

It's a little bit fancy, but not over-the-top shmancy, so I thought it the perfect excuse for inviting The Mom and Sister over for dinner. As is my way, I looked at recipes first, but then did my own thing. The results were definitely guest worthy, although next time I'd tent some foil over the chicken so it doesn't dry out in the oven too much. A small complaint for a first time recipe, I'd say!

Stuffed Chicken Breast
(Serves 4)

4 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless
3-4 cups fresh spinach, packed down (I didn't weigh this after wilting, but maybe the equivalant of 1 package of frozen, thawed and drained of course)
3 TBSP ricotta cheese
3 TBSP fresh Parmesan
1 TBSP butter, softened
5-6 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped (plus more for garnish, if you like)
2 cloves garlic, oven roasted (or fresh and finely minced, if you don't want to bother roasting)
1/4 cup sun dried or oven roasted tomatoes
1 TBSP + 1 tsp. olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Method:

In 1 tsp. olive oil, lightly sauté spinach until just wilted (or thaw and thoroughly wring dry frozen).
In a bowl, mix spinach, basil (chopped), garlic (chopped), tomatoes (chopped), Parmesan, ricotta, and butter. Season lightly with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Lay the chicken breasts out on your work surface - I suggest spreading aluminum foil or plastic wrap out first, to make for less mess (don't use parchment, here, as the chicken juices can still soak through). Butterfly open each breast by setting them flat, and holding your knife almost parallel to the counter begin a slit through the side of the chicken. Once your knife is several centimeters in, you can hold the top flap of the chicken and gently pull it away from your knife as you slice through the center. Peel back this fold, and continue to cut, until you're about 1/4 - 1/2 inch away from slicing the breast all the way through. Lay it flat like an open book, and repeat with the others.
Once the breasts have been flayed open, lay another piece of plastic wrap or foil over the top (if you don't have a meat mallet, that is) and smash with the bottom of a heavy pot, pan, or measuring cup. Whatever has a flat bottom. Pound the breasts out until they're no thicker than 1/4 inch, but don't pound them too far or they'll turn to burger meat. If that happens you can cry, or you can proceed with making burgers.
Once the chicken has been dissected and had the crap beaten out of it (yeah, don't tell me you didn't let out at least a little pent up frustration, there), it's ready to stuff.
Split the spinach mixture evenly between the four cuts of chicken, smushing it into one strip down the middle of each. Roll each breast around the stuffing like a fruit roll-up, and tie both ends (and possibly the middle, if things aren't holding together) with butcher's twine.
If you happen to have particularly large breasts (congratulations), you might be able to secure them with toothpicks and forego the twine. Also, if they're on the smaller side and not all the stuffing will fit, you can reserve any extra for later use or just let it ooze out the sides - it's all good.
Now that everything is rolled up and good to go, season the chicken with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat 1 TBSP oil in a skillet, and once the oil is nice and shimmering add the chicken. If you're doing more than four or five breasts, do it in batches - you don't want to over crowd the pan. I put mine around the edges of the pan, avoiding having any partially to the outside and partially in the middle where there might be hot spots. Once the chicken is in the pan, reduce the heat from high to medium-high, and don't touch it for a good 3-4 minutes. When the chicken enters the pan, even with that bit of oil it is going to stick. As it sears, though, it will begin to form a bit of a crust and will detach itself from the pan. If you try to move it too soon, you'll end up leaving meat behind.
After the meat has let go of the pan, you can check to see if it's browning. Once one side is nice and golden, turn, browning all sides evenly.
While the chicken is searing, preheat the oven to 350f. As soon as all the sides are browned, transfer the breasts to a baking dish and back until the chicken is cooked through (165-170 in the center), approximately 20-30 minutes. This is where I'd tent aluminum foil over the baking dish, to hold in some of the steam and help keep the chicken moist. Not a crucial step, but I suspect a very useful one.

While the chicken is baking, you can move on to making the sauce.


Pesto Cream Sauce

1/4 cup store-bought or homemade pesto
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream or whole milk, whatever you have on hand should do)
1 TBSP butter
1 tsp. lemon zest (this is optional, but brings a nice brightness to an otherwise heavy-flavored sauce)

Method:

In the same pan the chicken was seared in, over low heat, add the butter and pesto and cook for about a minute, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the half and half, and increase the heat just enough to bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat off, and stir in the lemon zest. Let this sit until the chicken is done.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, there will be some lovely juices in the bottom of the pan (especially if you tented with foil). Pour these into the pan with your pesto sauce, and turn the heat back on to medium-low. Stir, and cook the sauce down (if necessary) to the desired consistency.
Spoon over chicken, and serve!



This could easily be served with rice, roasted veggies, potatoes... you name it.
A friend of mine had just given me some green tomatoes, and I chose to caramelize them (hot pan until browned on both sides) and serve with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. A nice accompaniment!

One thing I like about this is how easily versatile it is - even for a party, the chicken could be cut into medallions and served by the piece. The stuffing and sauce are both easily customizable, or could be changed entirely. You could wrap the chicken in bacon and stuff it with broccoli and cheese! Or you could sit around drooling on your keyboard, instead... up to you.

Yogurt Spiced Chicken with Spicy Sweet Curry Sauce

Perhaps not the pretties plate of eatin' you ever laid eyes on, but presentations aside it was darned well tasty!

What? I don't talk like that... *scratches head, confused*



Alright, so last night was a rough one - I knew what I wanted to make for dinner well in advance, had bought the ingredients and marinated the chicken... but somehow when it came down to making the food, my mind just scattered in a million different directions. Halfway through preparation, I changed my side dish three times (finally landing on roasted veggies), and I kept trying to decide, right up until the final minutes of cooking, what kind of sauce to make.
I can't remember the last time I was this disorganized in the kitchen. I mean, a little confusion is fine, I can deal, but this was one of those times when I really struggled to know what I was doing and ended up making an absolute mess in the kitchen. I kept having to remind myself, whatever you get out of this situation, you will have gained. This is a learning experience.

I already had the recipe for the chicken, which I based off of (read: 'stole from')  Chocolate Shavings. With that already figured out, my main concern was the sauce, and how to go about it.
Luckily, what I came up with actually worked. It was a well balanced level of heat (a little kick, but as the marinade and sauce are primarily yogurt this was significantly dampened on the tongue), and the whole dish somehow managed to seem congruous, despite its hectic preparation.

Once I was finished making, eating, and cleaning up after it all, I quickly wrote down the basics of what I did so I wouldn't forget the recipe. As I wrote it out, I realized that although I had spent upwards of two hours scrambling around the kitchen, my finished product was really quite simple. In the future, I see it taking no more than 45 minutes, and most of that is baking time.
So, here's what I ended up doing:

Yogurt Spiced Chicken
(Adapted from Chocolate Shavings)
Serves 3-4

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
1 cup Greek yogurt, plain
1 TBSP coriander, powdered
1 TBSP Cumin, powdered
1 TBSP curry powder
1 TBSP grated ginger (I failed to remember this part, and in a pinch used powdered ginger)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper.

Optional: parsley, mint, or cilantro to garnish, and naan (Indian flatbread)

Method:

Mix the yogurt and all the spices together in a bowl. Cut the chicken into 1-2 inch cubes and place it in a zip-top baggie. Pour in about half of the yogurt mixture, seal the bag, and toss to coat the chicken thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I made mine in the morning and let it marinate all day. Cover the bowl with the rest of the marinade and set aside.

After the chicken has marinated, preheat your oven to 350f.
Line a baking tray with parchment or aluminum foil, and set inside the tray either a wire cooling rack or an oven grill grate, if you have one. Lay the pieces of chicken, individually, onto the grill grate, shaking off most of the excess marinated back into the bowl.
Bake on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes, then (turning your sheet front to back if your oven heats unevenly) turn on the broiler and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through (watch it closely while it's under the broiler).
To test the chicken, either insert an instant read thermometer into the center of one of the largest pieces and look for 170f, or remove a large piece to a plate and cut it open, looking for no pink in the middle.


Spicy Sweet Curry Sauce

Reserved yogurt marinade
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 red bell pepper, roasted
1 Anaheim hot pepper, still green, roasted (Anaheim's have a wide range of how spicy they can be, but after de-seeding and roasting the heat level is quite tame.)

Start by roasting the peppers (you can do this part before the chicken, or leave the broiler on after the chicken is done and do it then). Preheat your oven broiler, and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (not parchment - it will burn).
Cut the stem ends off the peppers, then slice them lengthwise in half. Remove all seeds and veins (be careful here, with the Anaheim. The oils in its seeds can be hot enough to irritate your skin for hours afterwards, so you must wear rubber or plastic gloves and be sure to dispose of all the seeds).
Turn the pepper halves skin side up on your cutting board, and press them flat with the palm of your hand. Then place them, skin side up, on your foil lined baking sheet.
Put them under the broiler for maybe 13-14 minutes, checking them frequently towards the end. You want their skins to turn very black and charred. The more black, the easier it will be to remove the skins afterword.
Once they look thoroughly charred, remove the pan from the oven and (with tongs or while wearing oven mitts) fold up the aluminum foil around the hot peppers, creating a pocket for them to steam in.
Let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
Once the peppers are steamed, peel back the aluminum foil and start removing their skins. Starting at the edge of the pepper and using your fingernail, pull the skin back and (if the peppers are burnt enough) the entire skin should peel right off. If it doesn't, just keep picking at it until you get it all. Discard the skins, and you are left with the lovely soft flesh of roasted peppers.

Pour the leftover marinade and coconut milk into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Turn off the heat, and transfer the hot liquid to the bowl of a food processor. Always be careful when blending hot liquids, as they are prone to spattering and causing all kinds of messes/injuries, even with the lid on. It may be helpful to throw a dish towel over the top of the food processor, and hold it down over any openings (such as ingredient spouts).
Add the roasted peppers, and pulse until smooth. If the sauce is thinner than you'd like, add a little yogurt.

Serve with the chicken over a bed of rice, or with naan bread, and with a simple side - in this case, I chose to roast carrots, red onion, and zucchini with a little salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Green Bean Soup - no, not split pea... green bean

Yeah, I had never heard of it either.

Apparently, The Sister's Fiancé grew up with the stuff, and so (not entirely sure how this happened) I decided to make it. I went on a hunt for recipes, and talked with him about what it's supposed to be like - the hope being to come up with a recipe at least somewhat like the traditional soup he remembers - the only hitch is, he's currently in a different state, and cannot taste what I make or give much direction in what I'm doing.
Still, with some basic ideas in my head, I decided to do a test-run of the soup.


I started off Saturday morning with a jog - it was crisp and cool, and the perfect way to get myself going. I followed that up with a big bowl of Oh She Glow's Carrot-Cake-Oatmeal (holy crap, does that girl make some good hot cereal!), and a round of disc golf with The Boyfriend. By that time the dew was gone and the sun was just beginning to warm things up. On our way back, we stopped at the Cider Mill for fresh apple cider and pumpkin doughnuts. Seriously, does life get any better than this?


 After that it was off to The Mother's, where I was greeted by this:


(Morning Glories climbing up the gutter spout.)



And this:


(Cody, with his 'Critter' toy.)


And all sorts of late-summer produce fresh from the garden:


(Heirloom, Roma, and Cherry tomatoes - this is only one of the baskets!)


(Green Beans and Dragon Tongue Beans.)


What a glorious day, indeed! It was all bolstering my confidence, leading up to the soup. Even getting stuck in traffic and then having to go back because I'd forgotten my purse couldn't dampen my mood.


I was kind of just winging it, so I'll give you the run-down of the recipe and what I did, with notes and any changes I would make in italics.

Green Bean Soup
Attempt # 1 *Ding!* and she's off!

Ingredients (makes about 4-6 servings):

1 lb. fresh green beans, ends cut off, and cut into 2 inch pieces (this was way too big - next time I'll trim to 1 inch)
1 lemon, juice of (I didn't think of it this time around, but would add it next time)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (or other cooking oil), separated
1 large onion, cut in half (I used yellow, but Vidalia or red would work fine as well)
1 Poblano pepper, seeds removed ( next time I would use 2 of these)
1 Seranno pepper (here I was careful to remove all the seeds)
3 large carrots, cut into thick 1 inch juliennes
1 cup Greek yogurt (I used full fat, but others would probably work as well. You could also substitute with sour cream, or even cream cheese. If you use cream cheese, you may have to add a little more liquid.)
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
6-7 cloves garlic, minced (sounds like a lot, but I used a little less and it was hardly noticeable)
1 TBSP (plus more for garnish) Paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
Lots of kosher salt, and fresh cracked black pepper

Optional: 1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I know it sounds like a lot of hot peppers, but the finished product was still verging on bland. In fact, I intend to use more peppers next time, or leave some of the seeds in, for a nice kick.)

Method:

A quick note: Many chefs will tell you, the proper way to season is to salt at every stage of cooking. This is called seasoning in layers, which I very rarely do - however, for some unknown reason, every stage of this dish seemed bland. I seasoned liberally, and at the end added even more. Don't be afraid of the salt, here. Remember that you'll be making a roux and cream sauce at the end, and all the seasoning going into the dish will have to flavor a large amount of finished soup.

In a large pot, bring to a boil enough water to cover the green beans. Generously salt the water, and add the juice of 1 lemon. Once the water is boiling, add the green beans and cook until just al-dente. (If the green beans are getting over-cooked sitting in the hot water, you can remove them to an ice bath, but be sure to save a few cups of their cooking liquid for later in the recipe).

Slice peppers into halves or quarters, removing stems, seeds (according to how much heat you like), and veins. (Note: be sure to wear gloves when handling/de-seeding hot peppers.) Roughly chop 1 half of the onion.
Heat over medium-high 1 TBSP oil in a large pan. Once the oil is glistening, add the peppers (skin side down) and chopped onion. Add a large pinch (about 1 tsp.) kosher salt, and let them char/sauté for a several minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly blackened.
Reduce or turn off the heat, and add to the pan the garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook just long enough to toast the spices. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Remove (with fork or tongs) the Poblano pepper and set it aside. Transfer the rest of what's in the pan to a food processor.
To the food processor, add 1/4 cup of the green-bean cooking liquid, and another small pinch (1/2 tsp?) salt. Blend until smooth, and set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the second TBSP oil, and once it's hot add the carrots. Then pour (watch out for steam) 2 TBSP water into the pan - stir it around and then let it cook until the water has evaporated.
Meanwhile, slice the second half of the onion into 1/2 or 1/4 round rings. Once all the water has steamed off of the carrots, add the onions and sauté on high enough heat to develop some char to the carrots, and color on the onions. Add another large pinch of salt, and cook until carrots are just barely tender.

Dice, very finely, the cooked (and now cooled) Poblano pepper. I used the tines of a fork to help hold the slippery pepper in place, and also to guide my knife for very uniform little juliennes. Then I chopped the slices into very small bits, big enough to be seen throughout the soup but small enough not to give too much of a kick to any one bite. Add this to the pan with the onion and carrot right at the end of cooking, then transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan back to low heat, and add 2 TBSP butter and, as the butter melts, 2 TBSP flour. Stir together in the bottom of the pan to make a roux. You want it to be smooth, and cooked long enough that it starts to turn a little brown and all the uncooked flour flavor gets, well, cooked out.

In a bowl, combine the yogurt with 1 cup of the reserved green bean water. Add the food processed peppers to this, and then add the whole thing to the roux in the pan. Add salt.
Bring to a simmer (but not a boil) for several minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened. Add the carrots/onions and green beans. If the cream is too thick, and it's looking more like a casserole than a soup, add more water. If it's too thin, let it simmer longer to reduce down. (I initially added 1.5 cups water to mine, and it looked too thin. Because I already had the veggies in and didn't want it to over-cook, I added some water/cornstarch mixture to thicken it up. Well, thicken it up it did! After I turned off the heat the whole the kind of coagulated... whoops. I suggest if it really is too thin, and reducing it down just isn't going to cut it, to add more yogurt, or possibly more flour (be sure to let it cook for a few minutes) to make it a little creamier).
Add salt to taste, and lots of cracked black pepper.

Garnish with a dash of paprika.

This was really quite tasty, but was amazingly mild considering the amount of spice and salt I'd added. It really is important to salt, season, and taste every step of the way with this.
The Sister and I were in agreement about more hot peppers (and perhaps different varieties - her Fiancé has now promised to send some New Mexican green chiles for me to play with) and more garlic and spices. The whole thing needed to be bumped up a notch. I think, even with more hot peppers, that a little bit of cayenne would give it just enough kick to make it through all the flour/butter/yogurt to the taste-buds.

Still, it was tasty, and the entire pot got eaten despite its surprising fillingness. Definitely room for improvement, but certainly not a bad start.

Not a bad start to the recipe, and not a bad end to my wonderful Saturday.


UPDATE:

After making this soup with The Sister's Fiance (now husband), the primary change that we made was to add New Mexican red chiles. We used both dried chiles, pulsed along with their seeds in a blender until powdered, and New Mexican Chile Powder - I'm sure using just one or the other would be fine. Add these chiles in adition to the rest of the hot peppers, and they lend a great depth of flavor (without too much spice) to the recipe.
The soup was a huge hit!

Chocolate Meringue Cookies - the best tasting styrofoam ever

I've never been a huge fan of meringue cookies. I like them, will eat them, but don't crave them - I've always felt they were a little like sweetened styrofoam. This would be a good place to note that I'm not really all that picky, and will happily eat sweetened styrofoam. So when The Boyfriend mentioned them, said he liked them as a kid, and suggested we try them with the chai spice we'd just bought, I was more than happy to oblige.

We (or at least I) went into the process with the idea that it was a trial run. I'd found a few recipes, but hadn't looked around very extensively, and had only found recipes calling for corn starch (and no cream of tartar). Also, the recipe I chose to follow most closely (which I felt was close to what we wanted and would be easy to doctor with the chai spice) called for adding the vanilla extract to the egg whites at the beginning of whipping - something I seriously suspect was our biggest downfall.
Although the meringue held up in the oven and produced a pretty decent cookie, it was too limp and gooey to pipe or dollop, and was a mess to deal with. Though the outcome wasn't very pretty, it was tasty, and I felt like I knew what to do differently.


(I piped half, while The Boyfriend spooned the rest onto a second baking sheet - to his he added chocolate chips, something I never would have thought of in meringue cookies, but definitely an improvement. Note that these were piped with the same star shaped tip as the one at the top of the page, but the meringue was simply too gloppy to hold shape.)
_________________________________________________

The next morning, I got ambitious and decided to make more, this time using the tweaks we'd thought of. First, I looked up other recipes calling for cream of tartar, and used the amounts given to match the number of egg whites. I kept the corn starch (which helps meringues to bake well, and not turn to slop), and this time decided to make the flavor chocolate. The chai was nice, but I was ready for bigger and better things.

After tossing around some ideas (with myself...) I came up with the following recipe.



Chocolate Meringue Cookies

If you plan on piping these, get your piping bag ready to be filled.
Line 2 (or 3, in my case) baking sheets with parchment paper before you begin.
The number of cookies this makes will depend entirely on the size you make them. I made mine bite-sized, no more than an inch across. I did not count how many cookies it made, because I was eating them before they were even out of the oven.

Preheat oven to 200f

4 large egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt

1 TBSP cocoa powder (or, if you want them to be chai spiced, 1/4-1/2 TBSP chai powder. Or, for espresso, 1/2 TBSP espresso powder - you get the idea)

1 1/2 cups super-fine sugar (this is still granulated, not powdered - I just spun some regular granulated sugar in the food processor/blender a few times)
2 tsp. corn starch

1 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond extract)

Method:
In your blender or food processor, pulse granulated sugar until a super-fine but not powdered consistency. Add the cornstarch to the sugar and set aside.

In a large bowl (larger than you think you'll need, egg whites get pretty fluffy) or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat (stand mixer or hand mixer) until the whites are starting to look fluffy and are on their way to soft peaks.
Add the cocoa powder, and beat to soft peaks. With the beaters still running on medium-low, add the sugar/corn starch very slowly (maybe 1-2 TBSP at a time) until it's all incorporated. Towards the end of adding it all, the mixture should start to get very heavy. Using a hand mixer it was easy to feel an increase in resistance. Keep going until you have nice stiff peaks.
Slow the mixer down to low, and add in the vanilla extract. If you were so inclined as to add any food colorings, now would be the time. Bring the beaters to a stop.

You do want to work quickly here, filling your piping bag and piping (or simply spooning/dolloping) them onto the baking sheets - however, my meringue was so stable it held up to me having to refill my too-small piping bag three times, and frantically scrambling to prepare a third baking sheet, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

You can pipe/dollop however you want, but I used a 1M star tip and made very small, bite-sized cookies. You can space them pretty close together, leaving as little as 1/2 inch between them. If your meringue is strong, they won't spread out during baking.
I was super-sneaky and added a secret chocolate chip to some of the cookies. To do this, I piped a small glob of meringue, then topped it with a chocolate chip. Then I took the piping bag and piped, as I  normally would, over the chocolate chip to cover it.


(Pardon the flash... oh, you could even replace these with small coffee beans, or chocolate covered espresso beans, if you wanted.)

Place your trays (assuming there are two of them - since I had three I had a bit of a juggling situation on my hands) on the two middle racks of the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes before rotating, front to back and top to bottom, then bake for another 45-50 minutes. More than cooking them, your goal is to dry them out. If you want to do a lower temp. for a little longer, that's fine too.
Remove the trays from the oven and allow to cool. They should be crunchy and completely dry at this point - if they aren't, return to the oven for a little more drying.

Once the cookies are cooled, you can eat them as is, or drizzle, dip, or pipe them with chocolate.




(This one has the chocolate chip center - mmm!)

Once they're finished to your satisfaction, it's important (as I discovered after leaving them out on the counter for a while) that they be quickly stored in an airtight container, and kept either in the fridge or a cool dry place. Otherwise, they may get a little gummy/sticky.




I liked these so much more than any store-bought meringue cookies, and VERY much enjoyed making them. All the whipping, and the piping, and the pretties! Plus, the goo got all over my fingers and I got to lick it off. And the beaters. And the bowl. This is probably too much information to share with the world.


They were so simple to make, and so few ingredients, I'll have to add them to my repertoire of recipes to make around the holiday as give-aways. The flavor possibilities are pretty endless, as well - I keep seeing recipes for lemon meringue cookies sandwiched with lemon curd, for tiny bites of lemon-meringue-pie. I'll definitely have to try that one!




Fun, bite sized, tasty clouds of... styrofoam? Not quite. After these, I think I might be changing my tune.

Zucchini Bread, and how to slay a giant zucchini monster

(Zucchini bread with Pecans, step-by-step photos and recipe in post)


The other day, The Sister told me a neighbor had given her some fresh zucchini, and she didn't know what to do with it all. She told me it's the biggest zucchini she'd ever seen - as big as her arm, she said. I didn't believe her.
Next thing I know, she's handing me a baby-sized zucchini squash. By baby-sized, I don't mean small or mini, I mean literally the size of a small human child. I could have swaddled it in my arms and cooed to it. Not that I would do that... okay, seeing as I shred it up and eat it later, let's say instead of a baby it's a beast. I giant zucchini monster!

For reference, this is the zucchini with a potato:



Here's the zucchini with a banana:



This is the zucchini with my arm (aka, me wrangling the beast):




Slay the Beast, Monkey Boy!




Okay, moving on.

Deciding what to do with it wasn't too difficult, since I figured zucchini bread would probably use up the most zucchini the fastest. Plus, zucchini bread is delicious.

I based my bread (just changed around some of the amounts) off une vie saine's recipe, which I found through Marci Gilbert's post. I found the recipe awhile back, and saved it along with several other zucchini bread recipes - this is what I tend to do. So when I went looking, this time, I just grabbed the first one I had saved, bought some applesauce and pecans, and went to work.
It is amazing how far I made it through this recipe before I realized it was vegan. As I'm stirring together the flax egg (a mixture of ground flax and water, which gels up and acts as an egg replacement), I'm wondering... huh, this is a little unusual... Then it clicked. Applesauce instead of butter or oil, flax instead of egg... vegan zucchini bread. This was actually quite exciting, because I had read over the ingredients and the reason I didn't notice anything strange was because, well, there isn't anything strange! Okay, maybe a flax egg is a little weird, but flax adds a nice savory counter-balance to the sweetness, so I figured it was there for flavor reasons, not dietary ones.
Now, just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's bad (actually, much of what I eat is vegan, I just don't go out of my way to make it that way). So don't go judging this recipe just because it's different. That's recipe-ism, that is. Recism.
While I'm on the subject of misconceived vegan notions, just because something is vegan doesn't mean it's inherently healthy. There are tons of junk foods that fall into the vegan category, and I know all too many vegetarians and vegans whose diets are lacking.

This bread, however, is not lacking.

As I said, I have several recipes for zucchini bread, including more 'normal' recipes, with eggs, all-purpose flour, and sugar. This recipe isn't as light and sweet as those, but is by no means sub-par. It's dense, moist, sweet, and just a little chewy. Plus it's easily customizable for additional fruits, nuts, seeds, or *gasp* chocolate chips!

Alright, I'm done trying to convince you. Time to let the pictures do the talking.

Preheat the oven to 350f.

Whisk (or fork) together 2 TBSP ground flax meal, and 6 TBSP water (this is your flax egg, and can be replaced with a regular large egg if you want) - set the flax egg aside to gel while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.




In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. If you want, you can add additional spices like nutmeg to the mix.




Grate up 1 1/2 cups zucchini - I did half in the food processor, to make a finer mush, and half on a box grater for heartier strands througought the bread. Of course, if you're one of those fancy people with a grater attachement to your food processor, you could do it all right there. Or you can do it all on the box grater.
(Note: if you're now thinking 'grating zucchini? This recipe is far too much effort!' - stop. Zucchini is super easy to grate, and leaves virtually no clean-up as you can just rinse and wipe when you're done.)



(I made so much because I was doing a double batch - did you see the size of that zucchini? There it is in the background, still half left!)


(Note: zucchini have seeds the same way cucumbers do - they're tiny and pale and you hardly notice them. But since my zucchini was so large, when I went to grate it I found that the seeds were quite substantial. Knowing what I love to do with pumpkin and other squash seeds, I rinsed them, dried them, tossed them with a bit of olive oil and salt, and threw them on a baking tray in the oven with the bread. They're lighter and airier than pumpkin seeds, but tasty and crunchy all the same!)

Now add 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract to your flax egg, and stir until thoroughly combined.



Add wet to dry, and stir.



Now fold in the zucchini, and (optional) 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans).






Pour into a lightly greased (or sprayed with cooking spray) loaf pan, and top with whatever nuts/seeds you're using. Again, I was doing a double batch. I also had three oddly sized pans - two mini, and one bigger than average. Unfortunately my batter didn't divide very nicely between them, so my loaves were a little flatter than I'd have liked - no biggie.



After baking for 50-60 minutes, I took them out and let them cool for a little bit so I could handle them. After slicing into the first one and discovering how incredibly moist it still was inside (not too moist for me, but possibly for some) I turned out the other two onto a cutting board (they came out of the pans easily) and put them back in, this time upside down, to dry out the bottoms a little.



With the apple sauce, maple syrup, and mass amounts of zucchini this bread is super moist inside, with just a bit of chew from the denseness of the whole wheat flour. I love the additions of pecans, but other nuts could easily be substituted, or seeds if you're concerned about nut allergies.
Since I love sharing food so much, it's great to be able to make a recipe that will fit everyone's needs. It also freezes well, so can easily be made ahead.




Yum!

Here's the recipe, in all it's glory:

Zucchini Bread
(Adapted from Marci Gilbert, adapted from Une Vie Saine)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (and optionally a pinch of other spices like nutmeg)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBSP ground flax meal (and 6 TBSP water)
1/2 cup maple syrup (note: this was by no means too sweet, but could, if you want, be reduced by up to half)
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or any other additions you might want: oats, cocoa, dried fruit...)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350f.

Whisk together flax and room temp. water to make a 'flax egg'. Set aside to gel while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon (and other spices if you're using them) in a large bowl.

Grate zucchini, by hand or in the food processor.

Add applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the flax egg, and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix.

Add grated zucchini, and nuts or other additions, and stir together.

Pour into a greased/sprayed loaf pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Let cool for about ten/fifteen minutes, then remove from pans.

Optional: Return to pans upside down, or lay flat on a baking sheet, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the bottoms dry out slightly.

Slice and serve!

Can be completely cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to a year (depending on your freezer).



This bread was quick and tasty, but I still have a lot of zucchini left. Although I could probably make another dozen loaves of this stuff and start selling it on the street, I'm already coming up with other uses. Roasted veggies? Grated zucchini salads? So many possibilities!

For breakfast, I cooked up some of Oh She Glow's fantastic (and vegan!) zucchini-bread-oatmeal:



Mmm! And it's one of those cold mornings that make it hard to get out from under the covers, too. Nothing like oatmeal and a cup of hot tea to cure the chills!

The Spice House, Geneva IL

During the trip to Illinois, it was imperative that we made a stop at The Spice House, in Geneva. Not only was it right on the way, but it's one of only several branches of Spice Houses started by the Penzey's in 1957. You may be wondering why it matters that it was, once, in the fifties, a mom and pop grinding operation, but the truth of the matter is that it still feels like one, and in many respects, acts like one.


(The Geneva branch is their most recent location, opened in 2007)

Their spices are some of the freshest, and almost all of them are ground in-house. Behind the counter there's a chalkboard, telling what will be coming in fresh in the next week.
All of this is in starkly high-contrast to the baking/spice isle at most super-marts, and while it's certainly easy to make due with what's so easily available to us, there is no question in the quality difference.




(This wall was filled, primarily, with holiday spices - that top row is mostly cinnamon, and below it are nutmeg and cloves, among others. At the bottom of the photo, you get a tiny glimpse of the vanilla extracts.)

In front of nearly every large glass jar of herb, spice, salt, house-blended seasoning mix, and extract is a small tester jar, for opening and smelling (and sometimes tasting). The scent of real cinnamon, or double strength bourbon, Madagascar, Mexican, or Tahitian vanilla extract, is just intoxicating. Even the dried herbs smell fresher.
They also carry harder to find items, and even things I'd never heard of. Pure chocolate extract, and vanilla powder (as well as paste)... I was like a kid in a candy shop.





(They even have a cabinet full of recipes, to go with their in-house mixes!)

I admit that most of the spices in my cabinet are from McCormick or Spice Islands, but when I get the chance I try to buy in bulk. Health food stores and small local markets often sell in bulk, and for a fraction of the cost of what you buy in the store. It's often fresher, and there's at least somewhat less likelihood that it's been cut with flour or sawdust or some other unwanted filler, but even the best I can find locally is sub-par to this.


(This is dehydrated onion... in five different forms. On the shelf below is garlic, also in five different forms.)

As Dave, one of the staff at the Geneva shop, hands me my jar of cumin, he tells me it was ground around 1:30 yesterday afternoon. Many of the spices, he says, were milled or ground within the past week.
Seeing how vibrant the colors are, and how aromatic the flavors, I have no reason to doubt that these are probably the freshest spices I've had the opportunity to encounter. I only wish I was more prepared in knowing what to stock up on.



Still, we managed to leave with a hefty 4oz (by weight - that's a lot!) of true cinnamon, a 15oz jar of Tahitian vanilla extract (this stuff isn't easy to find, either - in fact, I've been considering making my own), a jar of ground cumin, some whole nutmeg, and a bag of chai spice to play around with.
On top of the items we'd picked out, Dave - who was kindly showing us around, answering questions, and graciously letting me snap photos - threw in a free jar of their new Bloody Mary Spice mix, which he says is fantastic when rubbed on meats and braised. Mmm!


(Our bounty being bagged and rung up.)


On top of the welcoming atmosphere, and some of the freshest herbs and spices around, the prices were (as far as I could tell) right on track with other bulk sellers - including those online. The only downside is that it isn't located right around the corner from me (how wonderful that would be!), but I can hardly complain. Geneva is not only one of the prettiest little towns, but is also just a stone's throw away from The Boyfriend's Family. It was he, in all his wisdom, who insisted on stopping at The Spice House... and thank goodness he did!


Ooh, and they offer online ordering!* http://www.thespicehouse.com/



*No - I am not getting paid to say nice things. On top of probably wanting to brag about it, there are laws stating that I must say when I've been reimbursed in any way for advertising, so don't worry, you'll know when I am. In the meantime, you can rest assured that any gushing is from the heart, not from the pocket book.