Visit's Home

I have been blessed with some great visits this month, my brother Dan and friend Erik last week and uncle Bob this week.  So, while I haven't worked a ton on jewelry (outside of Dan's Custom stuff), I have had the pleasure of good company and even the opportunity to cook a nice meal or two.

Naturally I wanted to post about one of those meals which has become a staple in our house. It's one of my favorites to prepare for many reasons; simplicity, flavor, use of ingredients, and visual appeal. No I cannot claim this Garlic Roasted Chicken recipe as my own (I have to thank Food Network Magazine). Here's a pic after the chicken is browned and right before I pop it into the oven...

Simple. Fragrant. Amazing.

I found it impossible to find skin-on boneless chicken, so I used skin-on bone-in. Another reason I love making this recipe is the use of fresh rosemary (from my garden) and the aroma that fills the house. I prefer using locally grown garlic because the cloves are smaller and crisp up nicely. The recipe calls for 425F oven temp, but I bring it down to 400F to accommodate for brussels sprouts which I toss in olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper. Baking the little cabbages in a single layer on a baking sheet and turning them periodically results in a nicely browned, slightly crispy outer layer. I wish I would say I had a fab pic of those brussels sprouts and the basil/tomato salad I made but I don't. The above preview will have to do and you will have to use your imagination, or better yet try it all yourself! 

Dessert for Dad

Lately I've been working on custom orders, which means I have a little less time for new projects (and reproductions). So I am postponing the posting of Larimar Necklace #3 for the time being, but I promise I will get back to it soon!

In the mean time I thought I would share a recent cooking adventure. I asked Oliva what I could make my chocolate loving dad as a dessert for his birthday. I wanted something portion controlled…a whole cake or batch of cookies just isn't a good idea for only four of us! Olivia suggested this chocolate pudding recipe and also told me about By the Pound in downtown Ann Arbor.  I had everything except the arrowroot powder (which I admit I hadn't heard of- think corn starch…only not from corn). 

Getting things started;

Since the author of this recipe had tried a few things before achieving perfection, I figured I wouldn’t tinker too much. One thing I did modify was the spice amount, I had red curry at home (which can be strong) and my dad is not terribly adventurous so I opted to reduce the amount from 1 tsp  to ¼ tsp. It was pretty easy to make and fun to use a new ingredient.

After mixing this and that, it's into the fridge we go to set. Reducing the spice to only ¼ tsp paid off, it still had a great aroma and aftertaste that was warming but not overpowering.  It was very rich and creamy, the arrowroot really worked very well to thicken and give it a great consistency. I used fresh basil as garnish and instead of spice on top I used a bit of cocoa powder with the toasted coconut flakes.

I'm already planning to make it again! Also, I have to thank Laura for reading me the instructions over the phone- my internet was down and I didn’t have the recipe printed out! Otherwise I might have been tempted to go here;