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gfrancieAfter taking care of the dishes and starting the laundry I went to the grocery store.
I adore grocery stores. Every shape and kind. I find a sense of calm when handed a cart and a shopping list. I can spend hours going up and down the many aisles looking at the various brands. I am easily seduced by pretty packaging, and will restrain myself from buying several bottles of olive oil just because it has a nifty design or a beautiful label.
I love comparing prices, brands, qualities, quantities. I can say with confidence, I am a shopping professional. Which is due to my mother taking us kids to the grocery store as children and showing us what to look for. She always made a trip to the store so much fun. We would sometimes race down the aisles like crazy people and scream. Sometimes we would dance to the overhead music. (I like to dance to Tom Jones in the pasta aisle) It was like a party when we went.
To end the trip we would look at magazines, make fun of the rich and famous and be carried away with such giddiness.
I know you are thinking, "what kind of people were you brought up by?"
So, I like going to the store. Today I wandered around the produce section looking at all the pretty things. I found local peaches on sale, corn that is the perfect pearly shade of yellow. Walla Walla onions which were golden. Then I looked at the clams. I thought about steaming some for dinner, but the very nice lady told me they weren't worth buying. She said, "I won't sell them to you, they are dead and they will be truly awful." Instead I found a whole chicken. ON SALE and I decided immediatly what I ought to make for dinner.
A stuffed roasted chicken. I know in this heat you are thinking to yourself, "she has lost her mind."
Then I grabbed a bottle of wine. I am attempting to educate myself on the subject. I don't want to be the frightening oenophile who makes you feel bad because you like some sort of trendy wine.
I just want to be able to understand what the hell I am drinking.
I dig milkshakes, I know milkshakes. I can tell you the best brand of milkshake maker to purchase. The kind of ice cream you should be using and how to blend your ingredients.
It is now time to learn something new.
So far I know I am more fond of red wines. I am beginning to understand why chaptalization is truly an unpleasant thing.
Goodness the insanity of it all is a bit much at times.
So anyways...
I bought this cabernet sauvignon. Barton & Guestier from the languedoc region. It was described as being lightly spicy with raspberry and red currant aromas and an elegant finish
I shall be curious how it will go with the chicken. It was something new in the collection and I thought why not live a little.
I have been noticing a number of inexpensive wines that are quite nice that seem to come from Southern Australia.
I will have to think more about all of this and read some more.
For the roasted chicken I removed the giblets, and proceeded to rub butter into the skin of the bird. I use alot of butter and sometimes insert the pieces of butter beneath the skin, because my feeling is a chicken can never be too moist. I place butter within the cavity of the bird, along with some lemon juice and salt and pepper.
I put a bit of rosemary and thyme on the bird and then put it in the fridge.
For the stuffing I like to use a recipe from Jane and Michael Stern (true authorities on American cuisine, read any of their books)
It is called peacemaker stuffing. It was born out of the fact that they each came from families where they did stuffing differently and they never liked the other person's stuffing. She came from the south, where they had fruit, cornbread, and a bit of whiskey in their stuffing. He from the northeast where it was walnuts, bread, herbs and dry sherry. One Sunday a friend suggested combining the two, thus happiness was born.
I always use this recipe at Thanksgiving.
You take 4 tablespoons of butter and melt the butter over medium heat. Then you add one finely chopped onions. (this is where the walla walla onion comes into play) and two cloves of finely minced garlic.
You don't want to cook the onion/garlic mixture too long. You want it to be golden, not brown.
You then pour the onion/butter mixture over 1 cup of bread cubes and 1 cup of cornbread (cubed as well) Mix that up so the bread is coated nicely and everything seems moist.
You then simmer the giblets in water (creating chicken stock) until nicely cooked, chop up the giblets, add it to the bread/onion mixture along with the stock.
Oh it doesn't even end there. We have much more to add to this concoction.
You toss in 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, 1 apple chopped, 1/3 cup of dried apricots (chopped up) and 1/4 of a grapefruit (cut up as well) and 1/4 cup pitted chopped dates. You think you are done yet? NO! You then add a healthy jigger of whiskey. Because whiskey is good for you and the family. *hiccups* Some like to add 1/2 cup of chopped celery, but I have never been a fan of the stuff.
Then you add some rosemary, thyme, a bit of salt and pepper.
You may want to add more melted butter to keep the stuffing moist.
There is nothing sadder in this wide world then dry stuffing. It makes everyone a little sad. Trust me.
Oh at this point you are just giddy like I am.
You carefully stuff the cavity of the bird, leaving room because the stuffing expands and you don't want anything to be underdone.
You cook the bird at 325F about thirty minutes per pound. I have a four pound bird...so about two hours for me.
I will steam some corn. Which means more butter.
I am not sure what I will also make, but something will come to me.
*is off to do things to the peaches*
I adore grocery stores. Every shape and kind. I find a sense of calm when handed a cart and a shopping list. I can spend hours going up and down the many aisles looking at the various brands. I am easily seduced by pretty packaging, and will restrain myself from buying several bottles of olive oil just because it has a nifty design or a beautiful label.
I love comparing prices, brands, qualities, quantities. I can say with confidence, I am a shopping professional. Which is due to my mother taking us kids to the grocery store as children and showing us what to look for. She always made a trip to the store so much fun. We would sometimes race down the aisles like crazy people and scream. Sometimes we would dance to the overhead music. (I like to dance to Tom Jones in the pasta aisle) It was like a party when we went.
To end the trip we would look at magazines, make fun of the rich and famous and be carried away with such giddiness.
I know you are thinking, "what kind of people were you brought up by?"
So, I like going to the store. Today I wandered around the produce section looking at all the pretty things. I found local peaches on sale, corn that is the perfect pearly shade of yellow. Walla Walla onions which were golden. Then I looked at the clams. I thought about steaming some for dinner, but the very nice lady told me they weren't worth buying. She said, "I won't sell them to you, they are dead and they will be truly awful." Instead I found a whole chicken. ON SALE and I decided immediatly what I ought to make for dinner.
A stuffed roasted chicken. I know in this heat you are thinking to yourself, "she has lost her mind."
Then I grabbed a bottle of wine. I am attempting to educate myself on the subject. I don't want to be the frightening oenophile who makes you feel bad because you like some sort of trendy wine.
I just want to be able to understand what the hell I am drinking.
I dig milkshakes, I know milkshakes. I can tell you the best brand of milkshake maker to purchase. The kind of ice cream you should be using and how to blend your ingredients.
It is now time to learn something new.
So far I know I am more fond of red wines. I am beginning to understand why chaptalization is truly an unpleasant thing.
Goodness the insanity of it all is a bit much at times.
So anyways...
I bought this cabernet sauvignon. Barton & Guestier from the languedoc region. It was described as being lightly spicy with raspberry and red currant aromas and an elegant finish
I shall be curious how it will go with the chicken. It was something new in the collection and I thought why not live a little.
I have been noticing a number of inexpensive wines that are quite nice that seem to come from Southern Australia.
I will have to think more about all of this and read some more.
For the roasted chicken I removed the giblets, and proceeded to rub butter into the skin of the bird. I use alot of butter and sometimes insert the pieces of butter beneath the skin, because my feeling is a chicken can never be too moist. I place butter within the cavity of the bird, along with some lemon juice and salt and pepper.
I put a bit of rosemary and thyme on the bird and then put it in the fridge.
For the stuffing I like to use a recipe from Jane and Michael Stern (true authorities on American cuisine, read any of their books)
It is called peacemaker stuffing. It was born out of the fact that they each came from families where they did stuffing differently and they never liked the other person's stuffing. She came from the south, where they had fruit, cornbread, and a bit of whiskey in their stuffing. He from the northeast where it was walnuts, bread, herbs and dry sherry. One Sunday a friend suggested combining the two, thus happiness was born.
I always use this recipe at Thanksgiving.
You take 4 tablespoons of butter and melt the butter over medium heat. Then you add one finely chopped onions. (this is where the walla walla onion comes into play) and two cloves of finely minced garlic.
You don't want to cook the onion/garlic mixture too long. You want it to be golden, not brown.
You then pour the onion/butter mixture over 1 cup of bread cubes and 1 cup of cornbread (cubed as well) Mix that up so the bread is coated nicely and everything seems moist.
You then simmer the giblets in water (creating chicken stock) until nicely cooked, chop up the giblets, add it to the bread/onion mixture along with the stock.
Oh it doesn't even end there. We have much more to add to this concoction.
You toss in 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, 1 apple chopped, 1/3 cup of dried apricots (chopped up) and 1/4 of a grapefruit (cut up as well) and 1/4 cup pitted chopped dates. You think you are done yet? NO! You then add a healthy jigger of whiskey. Because whiskey is good for you and the family. *hiccups* Some like to add 1/2 cup of chopped celery, but I have never been a fan of the stuff.
Then you add some rosemary, thyme, a bit of salt and pepper.
You may want to add more melted butter to keep the stuffing moist.
There is nothing sadder in this wide world then dry stuffing. It makes everyone a little sad. Trust me.
Oh at this point you are just giddy like I am.
You carefully stuff the cavity of the bird, leaving room because the stuffing expands and you don't want anything to be underdone.
You cook the bird at 325F about thirty minutes per pound. I have a four pound bird...so about two hours for me.
I will steam some corn. Which means more butter.
I am not sure what I will also make, but something will come to me.
*is off to do things to the peaches*
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ME TOO
Date: 2003-08-20 03:10 pm (UTC)Oh dear lord are you sure we were not separated at birth?
And isn't goign to the grocery store in a foreign country just heaven on earth? What an adventure... I get butterflies and goosebumps in Tesco's.
Re: ME TOO
Date: 2003-08-20 03:13 pm (UTC)It is the best place in the world.
I like markets in general.
I love to look at everything, touch it, talk to people who know their stuff, and then buy beautiful things to cook with.
Re: ME TOO
Date: 2003-08-20 03:24 pm (UTC)Yes yes yes yes and Amen sister. You need to come over and play with me.
Re: ME TOO
Date: 2003-08-20 05:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-20 03:27 pm (UTC)probably because when i was a kid, every two weeks we would go to sandpoint (the military base) and go grocery shopping cause that shit is major cheap. my dad always did the grocery shopping and i usually went with him. for some reason i always liked to go and straighten up the toilet paper isle, don't ask me why, i was a weird kid :P
no subject
Date: 2003-08-20 05:07 pm (UTC)wino
Date: 2003-08-21 02:33 pm (UTC)and i adore red wine. i'm not actually all that excited about merlots or cabs, but i lovelovelove pinot noir. mmm... and zinfandel, and shiraz. *drool* yes, that will be me huddled on the street corner, clutching a bottle of wine in 10 years.
Re: wino
Date: 2003-08-21 06:06 pm (UTC)