Just Married!

The day finally came! Charley and I got married on September 5th, 2010. I will post more photos of the wedding festivities and honeymoon soon.

Saturday Supper: Chicken instead of game hens

I just returned from a lovely holiday weekend (Utah’s Pioneer Day) in Helper, where I enjoyed two barbeque dinners, slightly cooler weather (95° instead of 100°), and some time with my wonderful fiancé.

On Saturday Charley and I prepared a recipe inspired by my addiction to the Today Show…I know it would come in handy some day. I few weeks ago they had a barbeque cook off and the winning recipe was grilled Cornish game hen. It looked so good, I had to try it. Here’s the clip:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/37994277#37994277

The Walmart in Price did not have game hens (or onions for that matter) so we used bone in chicken piece and it worked out great. It was delicious! I would highly recommend this recipe any summer cookout.

Here’s the recipe:

Grilled BBQ Cornish game hens, California style

Chef: Jeff Henderson

Ingredients

• 1 cup cilantro


• 1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped


• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped


• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, finely chopped


• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• Juice from one lemon


• 4 small Cornish game hens


• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter


• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped


• 1 1/3 cups ketchup


• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


• 1 cup (packed) light dark brown sugar


• 1/4 cup molasses


• 1/2 cup of orange juice


• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke


• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar


• 1 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce


• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the cilantro, parsley, jalapeño pepper, one tablespoon of garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice (for the pesto rub). Stir well and set aside.
Place hens on a wire rack with a drip pan underneath. Rub hens thoroughly with pesto rub. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Preheat your grill for 275 F.
In a large saucepan, add butter and stir until melted. Add onions, one tablespoon of garlic and sauté until tender. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, molasses, orange juice and liquid smoke. Let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once glaze has slightly thickened, remove from heat. Add apple cider vinegar and Tabasco sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove hens from the refrigerator. Place hens on grill skin side down. Cover grill and cook for 30-35 minutes. Turn the hens over and grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until hens are golden brown or test done about 175 F.
Using a sauce brush, start brushing the hens with barbecue glaze. Remove hens from grill and place on a serving platter. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Home Improvement: Weekend #1...Wallpaper Debacle

This past weekend we got start on what we thought would be relatively simple renovations on our new house. The game plan: frame out new walk in closet, finish and insulate garage for Charley’s studio, prep the walls for painting.

My job was to prep the walls for painting. We have a few walls that the previous owner had texturized…not our thing. So, I was planning on sanding them down and smoothing them out. The walls in the basement have “Tuscan” plaster treatment which will be difficult to smooth out. So, I decided to start in the living room, where the one textured wall seemed to be the result of texture paint (a bizarre product if you ask me…the paint has little lumpy particles right in it) and I thought it would smooth out easily. I was right, the texture did come off easily…but that’s not the end of the story.

After sanding for about 45 minutes I noticed a pattern starting to emerge…wallpaper! We quickly realized the whole living room, dinning room and upstairs hallway had wallpaper under the paint. Fortunately, it peeled of relatively easily and after 2 days of pulling a peeling and scrapping it's 99% gone.

Over all, we got a lot done (with a lot more to do): wallpaper peeled, walk-in closet framed, and studio half done. And I learned a lot. Charley taught me how to use a power sander and how to apply dry wall mud. All in all it’s satisfying work.

Next Saturday I will move my stuff in and the work continues.

Our House is a Very Very Fine House...

Charley and I are buying this house! We close on March 24th.

Saturday Supper: Lemon Chicken

I love to cook, but I don’t really take the time to cook much anymore. But I’ve decided that when ever Charley and I are in the same city on a Saturday night I will make an effort to prepare a real meal then share the recipe and experience with you…who ever you are.

Last Saturday I was in Helper with Charley, so we had some friends over and I made Lemon Chicken which is rapidly becoming my signature dish.

This is a family recipe that was never formally written down with measurements or detail instructions…it was just passed on almost through osmosis. It's the kind of recipe you just have to feel (and taste) your way through. But here’s an approximation:

LEMON CHICKEN:

- 1 Whole chicken, cut into pieces (and I mean the WHOLE chicken. DO NOT try to make this with pathetic skinless, boneless white meat…that would be bad)
- Olive oil – enough to coat all the chicken pieces
- Juice of 4 lemons
- 2 to 4 Sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped (it must be fresh!)
- 2 to 3 Cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/4 Cup sweet vermouth
- Salt and pepper to taste

Set the oven to broil. Coat the chicken pieces with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and place skin side up in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the middle of the oven, and cook for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken over and cook for another 10 minutes…then flip again, but this time, before you put it back in the oven pour half the lemon juice over the chicken and top with half the rosemary. Cook for 10 more minutes, flip and add the remaining juice and rosemary. Keep cooking and flipping, until the chicken is cooked and crispy. The whole process should take 40 to 50 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked remove it from the pan and set it aside. Place the pan on the stove top, on two burners (both on medium heat). Add the sweet vermouth. With a wooden spoon stir the juices and vermouth, scrapping the yummy caramelized bits, until it begins to bubble. Then put the chicken pieces back in the pan and coat them in the gravy…and fini!

Serve it in the pan with a loaf of good crusty bread (you’ll need the bread for soaking up the gravy, which is the best part).

I want this: Firefly Lights

I love living in Utah and I have no desire to move back east…but there are a few things the east coast has that we don’t that I miss. One of those things is fireflies. Catching fireflies on a warm summer evenings is one of the best things in the world. And seeing them light up a whole tree is even better.

When I started planning my wedding, I became even more nostalgic about fireflies. I’ve always picture my wedding as an evening garden party, complete with paper lanterns, string lights and candles…and fireflies. But of course, we don’t have them here…so I joked with my parents about bringing them in with no real expectation of having them. But I found a way I can! Firefly Lights by Firefly Magic! I want them!!

Digital Photography

I’ve always been a fan of photography and enjoyed taking pictures…and I know my way around a dark room. But until recently, I never learned how to use my digital camera. I recently took Digital Camera Basics through Westminster College’s Continuing Education department…and now I can finally take my camera off auto. Here are the results of my class assignment:

Blog Slacker

I've been slacking on my blog...been real busy: Got engaged, planning a wedding, looking for a house, buying a house, two more shows for Charley.

But my right brain has atrophied, so I've resolved to knit more, make more jewelry and write more blog entries.