Orange Roasted Chicken

All chicken photos courtesy the Bon Vivant de Roommates

Among my favorite things to make is roasted chicken, and the simplicity of it appeals to me like few other things manage. One yard bird, a couple of aromatics, and you've got yourself a knockout dinner that everyone enjoys. I made this one on a regular basis, and at a dinner party recently someone asked for the oh-so-simple recipe. Roasted chicken is very versatile; these things, your favorite things, or nothing except a little salt and pepper can be used. 

Buttermilk Truffle Popovers

Popovers, and My Cluttered Countertop

Like a lot of the food I love, popovers are forever tied to my grandma in my mind. When I was a kid, there was nothing better than getting to spend the night at her house either with my cousins or (if I was really lucky) all by myself. We would stay up late, her telling silly stories including one about a clumsy witch who repeatedly fell off her broom and busted her butt, all of us giggling until we fell asleep. The mornings were the best though. We'd get up early, and she would make a breakfast of foods we never got at home while we sipped Grandad's pineapple-orange-banana juice, one I never liked outside of their house. She would make three minute eggs with nice runny yolks, bacon in the trusty cast-iron skillet, and hot popovers slathered with butter and apple butter she'd "put up" the fall before. Surely, this was the food of gods.

Pasta Night

So begins my foray into a month of vegetarianism. This move is based on a desire to gain a sense of awareness over what I'm doing with my body. Also, I've eliminated processed sugar and artificial sweeteners, as well as alcohol. I'm not sure what's going to be the toughest: the meat, the sugar, or the booze. But it's only a month, and I've done at least the vegetarian aspect of this before. (Way back in college. Everyone experiments in college, right? I rebelled by giving up meat. I can't really think of anything more transgressive in Texas than that.)

I had some nice, acidic heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market that I bought last Thursday and needed to use. I was going to make a sort of panzanella salad, but I changed my mind when I found Trader Joe's Garlic Basil Linguine. The tomatoes were a little on the soft side, so I roasted them before tossing with the other ingredients. The higher acidity of the tomatoes allowed for a great concentration of flavors without them becoming too sweet from roasting. I'm not big on the super-sweet, sundried tomato flavor. Next time I make this, I might throw in a bit of lemon juice and zest at the end, but it worked well without it. All in all, I was very pleased with this pasta attempt and will certainly make it again.