Valentine's Day Playlist & Quick Cake!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!  May love and laughter mark not only today but all your days.
Shout out to both my boys for helping to make a lovely supper on a busy weeknight.  Ryan was my sous chef for the pasta with meat sauce (evoking Lady and the Tramp) and Ethan helped me with this tasty and quick to assemble chocolate cake.

This miracle cake is moist and delicious.
You whisk all the dry ingredients in your baking square,
create a well in the middle (like for homemade pasta),
incorporate the wet ingredients with your whisk,
bake for 35 minutes,
cool, frost and serve in the same dish!

This recipe is an easy vegan treat (no eggs, no dairy), simple enough for beginning bakers and perfect for all of us on a busy night.  Another classic from Mad Hungry, check it out at this link.

I also thought I'd share our playlist for today - made possible by the  'old' tradition of buying CD's rather than downloading singles onto an MP3 player. :).  It was great fun rummaging through the old collection.  What romantic classics are sitting on your shelf of CD's?

Fly Me To The Moon
(sorry for the small pic!)

Slightly, embarrassing that I knew all the words.

Classic - bring on those memories!

No one could sing quite like her.
And this movie was a romance must back in the day!

Tony Bennett is always groovy!

best bacon

Why is this the Best Bacon?

Is it because there is no grease spatter all over my stove top?  Is it because my family can put away an entire pound in one sitting?  Is it because my (not always in love with food-prep) husband makes it every weekend without a word or finger lifted from moi?  Perhaps a combination of all these things.

There is no better way to make bacon for a crowd than in the oven. No muss - no fuss. If you are not already preparing your bacon this way - you must try it!

Best Bacon

One package of center cut bacon
fits perfectly on a 12x17" sheet pan

from Mad Hungry
by Lucinda Scala Quinn

1 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2 - Lay bacon strips on a rimmed baking sheet, side-by-side.

3 - Bake 12-15 minutes for thin-cut, 15-18 for thick.

4 - Drain on paper towels or paper bags.

5 - If any slices are left over, cool and wrap in plastic wrap for future use.  (Can freeze in individual portions, say 2 slices)

Tip:  Even if you are horrified at the thought of consuming one pound of bacon - please don't make less than that at a time!  The leftovers are perfect for weekday breakfast sandwiches, burgers or for crumbling on top of your soup or salad.

my lonely piece of bacon!
- large quantities of bacon may be
best consummed by growing, active boys!

spatchcock chicken

Quick, juicy & flavorful - weeknight chicken!

Roasted Chicken is a snap, even on a weeknight, when you use the spatchcock technique.  This centuries old method for preparing fowl, removes the backbone of the bird to reduce cooking time. (Grab your heavy-duty kitchen shears for this task.) Flattening the fowl over the heat source cuts cooking time in half and I promise - it yields a juicy bird.  Martha Stewart gives a little demo and some grilling ideas at this link.

Mad Hungry's recipe is super simple with loads of flavor.  (We love this cookbook by Lucinda Scala Quinn.) During prep, I always ask for a little assistance with seasoning the bird. With messy hands, I relied on Ryan to snap pictures. (Thanks, Ryan!)

Be bold - give this method a try.  We've used it on turkey, too!

Shout-out to Alyssa - Thank you for the italian salt with black garlic; it made this chicken spectacular!


Spatchcock Chicken
adapted from Mad Hungry's 
Flat Roasted Chicken


Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs, backbone removed
salt & pepper (you can use your favorite salts or seasoning here)
1 T evoo
1 T butter

** My kids like it plain with a little salt and pepper at the table.  But you can make a light gravy with the juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of red pepper flakes added to the juices.  Just whisk together and drizzle over the carved chicken pieces.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Use your kitchen shears to remove the backbone of the chicken.  (I reserve mine in a large freezer bag; when it is full, I make broth.)

2.  Open the chicken's legs and season with salt and pepper.  Flip and repeat on the other side.

3.  Heat an ovenproof skillet (cast iron is our favorite!) on your stove top.  Add 1 T of butter and a little evoo.  Place your chicken inside, skin side down. Rest for 3 minutes to brown.  Turn the chicken over - use a wide spatula - try not to break the skin!

4.  Place your chicken in the middle of your preheated oven (My birds usually take 40-45 minutes.) to finish cooking.  You are looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

5.  Remove from the oven. Rest the bird on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving.