Happy Valentine's Day

Bob and I have a Valentine's tradition of not eating out. Instead, we take turns making a nice dinner for each other. It's a chance to try out dishes we might not otherwise make as we try to impress each other.

This year was my turn. We started out with a strawberry chop salad with a strawberry vinagrette dressing. You can find the recipe here. It was not only beautiful (which is not fully reflected in the photo), but even Bob, the non-strawberry eater in our family, gave it a big thumbs up.

Valentine's Salad

The main course was chicken in a basil cream sauce, which was one of our favorite culinary discoveries this year. Here's the recipe. And the photo showing Bob's very own hand!

Valentine's dinner featuring chicken with a basil cream sauce

Sides included a mushroom rice pilaf with red peppers instead of green (it's Valentine's Day!) and roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar (our new favorite way to roast asparagus).

One of the highlights of the meal was the heart-shaped chocolate cake:

Heart-shaped Valentine's Cake

The cake was fairly simple, but won the title of Coolest Thing Ever from our teenage daughters (they also thought it tasted really good when we ate it later). I remember making this cake when I was 14 or 15 with a church group. But I think the advisor who helped us make them must have had miniature cake pans, because this cake turned out to be enormous. Seriously, the only thing we had that it would fit on was a cookie sheet (aka a jelly roll pan), and then it barely fit.

I used a chocolate cake mix and put half of the mix in a 9-inch square pan, and half in a 9-inch round pan. After it was baked and thoroughly cooled, I cut the round cake in half and placed each half along the side of the square cake (turned it diagonally) so that it formed a gigantic heart.

I debated whether to make the lattice on the cake out of whipped cream or frosting. I opted for frosting; we (we being the girls and I) also debated whether to make the frosting pink, cream-colored, or light chocolate. You cans see that plain cream won out, and I think it was a good choice given the visual intensity of the cake. I used this frosting recipe, doubled it, and barely had enough. The frosting turned out to be a good choice, as we didn't even come close to finishing the cake in one sitting, and the frosting will hold up much better than whipped cream would.

I've already reminded Bob that it's his turn next year. Good luck, Honey!

Creamy Chicken Soup

Creamy Chicken Soup

I intentionally titled this post creamy chicken soup rather than cream of chicken soup, which was the original name. The first time I made it, I told the kids we were having Cream of Chicken soup for dinner. They kept waiting for me to break out the can of Campbell's. They were disappointed.

My quest for this soup started a few years ago, when Bob and I had dinner at a very well-known restaurant about 100 miles north of where we live. They served a creamy chicken soup that Bob has not forgotten. He kept wanting to drive back there, just for that soup, even though they only serve it one day a week (which turned out to not be an especially convenient day for us to go there). I figured it was far cheaper and easier just to figure out how to make it.

I started with a recipe from the Food network, and adapted it from there. It's not an especially healthy soup, but it's wonderful and comforting for special occasions. This was our Christmas Eve dinner this year (well, part of it) and it was hugely popular.

Creamy Chicken Soup
1/2 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
7 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2-3 cups cooked, diced chicken
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 teaspoons sherry
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook, stirring for about two minutes until well mixed.

Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Add spices and mix well. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Whisk the cream, sherry, and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes:
I've used a variety of types of chicken in this recipe. I've made it with rotisserie chicken from Costco, a fresh chicken boiled at home, and various breast and thigh pieces that I had boiled.

Boiling the chicken takes a little more work, but it gives you a lovely broth that you can use in the soup. I usually start the process the day before, cleaning out the chicken and then boiling it for about an hour. Then I store it in the fridge over night, which makes it easy to skim off a fairly healthy layer of fat before you start cooking. When I used rotisserie chicken, I made broth using chicken base, which gave the soup a little bit of a synthetic taste. Another option would be to use rotisserie chicken with canned or boxed chicken broth.

Keep in mind that your chicken/broth choice will influence the amount of salt you use. If you use chicken base, add it a little bit at a time (tasting between additions) or you'll oversalt it. If you made your own chicken broth, a tablespoon will be about right.

Oh, and if you have fresh herbs, by all means use them.

Coconut Chicken Curry

Today's post is a recipe I discovered on a favorite of the blogs I follow, My Kitchen Cafe. It's practical and yummy, all at the same time.

I love a good curry, but haven't been especially successful at making them at home. For some reason, the finished product never seems like it's good enough to justify the time invested. But this recipe is a glorious exception. It's relatively simple and exquisitely delicious. It's universally loved at our house. And I hope you love the odor as much as we do, because it will hang around the house for several days. We just look at it as one of the positive by-products of making the meal.

Mel, the author of My Kitchen Cafe, suggests taking the recipe to the simmer phase early in the day and then pouring it in the crockpot to finish on low for four to five hours. I think this is a lovely idea, but it would require thinking four or five hours ahead, which often does not happen when I'm in charge of the meal. We serve it over jasmine rice with any kind of Asian or vegetable sides that suit your fancy.

Coconut Chicken Curry
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry powder (we are especially fond of Penzey's sweet curry, which a thoughtful friend shared with us)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (substitute cayenne if you want it hotter; we don't)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
4 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, Italian style
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons of sugar (no wonder it is good)

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant but not burned. Turn the heat up to medium and stir in the onions and garlic; cook 7-9 minutes or so until the onions are very clear. Add the chicken, tossing lightly to coat with the curry oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through or nearly cooked through (it will continue to simmer in the next step). Add potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar into the pan. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes. The sauce thickens slightly upon standing. Serve with jasmine or brown rice.

Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo is a Filipino classic. We've tried making it many different ways; one of the most fun efforts was when our friend Michelle and her mom, who is from the Philippines, came over to teach us their method. We made a huge pot of adobo along with many other tasty treats.

This recipe is a slight modificiation of the one Michelle taught us. I have to warn you that it will smell up your house for quite a few days with a potent aroma. But it's fairly simple, exceptionally delicious and also quite inexpensive.

Chicken Adobo
(Makes 6 main dish servings)

12 bone-in chicken thighs (I take the skin off because it's healthier and also because I don't think there's anything quite so creepy as boiled chicken skin on your plate)
2 cups soy sauce
1  cup white  vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
4 teaspoons minced garlic
3 bay leaves
1 large onion, sliced in large slices
fresh ground black pepper to taste (other recipes we've tried call for whole peppercorns; one thing I like about this recipe is that you don't have to pick out the pepper corns).
Trim skin and excess fat from chicken. Put chicken in single layer in heavy pan. Mix other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on very low simmer for 1/2 hour, then turn chicken and cook additional 1/2 hour. Remove chicken and place on broiler tray or in shallow glass casserole which will fit under your broiler.

Strain liquid to remove onion pieces and bay leaves. Drain off as much fat as possible, using a fat seperater if you have one. After fat is removed, boil down the liquid until the sauce is thick enough to barely coat your spoon.

Preheat the broiler. Put chicken under broiler for 5-10 minutes. Turn and broil the other side another 5-10 minutes (depending on how hot your broiler gets). Serve immediately.

Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad

You won't believe how good this salad tastes. My friend Amy brought some by one day for me to try. It was heavenly! Bob and I opened it for just a taste late that night; I was planning to take it to work for lunch the next day. By the time we finished tasting, the salad was half gone. I've made it several times since.

This recipe makes enough for a crowd. We served it at a recent family party and it was a huge hit. We actually enjoyed two very similar versions at two family parties in a row. My aunt made a salad very similar to this for my mom's 80th birthday party, but omitted the chicken and substituted the almonds with cashews. Both version left people wanting more.

Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad

4 cups diced chicken
2 Tablespoons green onion
¾ teaspoon pepper
2 cups bowtie pasta
1 8 oz. bottle Kraft Cole slaw dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
Dash of thyme
Pinch of ginger
Mix the above ingredients and refrigerate overnight or move on to the next step immediately.

Add:
1 cup diced celery
2 cups halved red grapes
1 20-ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups apples, diced (Amy recommends one golden delicious apple and one Fuji apple)
¾ cup slivered almonds

Toss lightly and serve. This recipe makes a large quantity, but it also holds up very well for several days.

Chicken and 40 Cloves of Garlic

And now just to prove that we do sometimes still use whole garlic cloves, here's one of the most garlic-rich recipes I know. That may not look like 40 cloves of garlic, but it's actually about 47 or 48 cloves. I doubled this recipe, but refrained from doubling the number of garlic cloves because I wanted to be sure that the neighbor kids would still play with my children. Did you know that consuming large amounts of garlic will cause it to seep through your pores in odor form? Try getting on a crowded public bus in a country where garlic is included in every meal and you'll see what I mean.

I'm not sure of the origins of this recipe, but I think it's French. I've seen many different versions. I'm almost certain I've seen one that calls for a whole chicken cooked in a crock pot (with, of course, the 40-odd cloves). It's a lovely, simple meal. Bob and I have searched for a great garlic chicken recipe since I took him to Mr. B's restaurant in New Orleans six or so years ago. At the time, he couldn't believe that I was ordering chicken at a world-class restaurant (I had been there before on business trips). But after he tasted it, he was won over and has been a raving garlic chicken fan ever since. I can't say this even comes close to Mr. B's, but it has a wonderful flavor and is relatively easy to whip up. Here's what the dish looks like after it's finished:

Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any fat
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
40 cloves of garlic, separated and peeled
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (I didn't have any parsley on hand, so I omitted it. It is, after all, a garnish).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place trimmed and halved chicken breasts in a large zip loc bag. Pound the meat flat with a mallet until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Season with sea salt, black pepper and thyme to taste (the fresh thyme in our garden is going crazy, so I substituted it for the dry. It was lovely).

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. In batches, saute the chicken smooth side down first until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the breasts and cook for 45 seconds, then remove to a baking dish. Once all the chicken has been cooked, add the garlic to the skillet. Lower the heat and saute for 3-4 minutes, turning often. Add the chicken stock, making sure to scrape all the brown goodies off the bottom of the pan. Season with salt, pepper and thyme if needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the baking dish. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Once the chicken has baked, carefully remove the meat and garlic cloves to a platter and cover with an aluminum foil tent to keep it warm. Place the sauce in the large skillet used to cook the meat. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and milk with a little bit of the sauce. Once it's thoroughly mixed, slowly whisk the flour mixture back into the rest of the sauce. Add the butter to the sauce, increase the heat and boil for three minutes or until it's nice and thick. Taste and re-season if needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Chicken Coconut Kurma

First, although my mother taught me never to begin with an apology, let me apologize for the less-than-perfect photo. This tastes really good, though. Chicken coconut kurma is one of my favorite dishes at Indian restaurants. The same sauce can be used with other meats; we like chicken so much that we've never ventured out. The coconut cream and raisins give this a sweetness that contrasts nicely with the rest of the savory flavors.

Chicken Coconut Kurma

½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 ½ to 3 pounds skinned, boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Mix the spices together and stir over the chicken pieces. Mix well and refrigerate for at least one hour.

6-7 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 inch square of ginger root, fresh
1 ½ cups of water

Put the ginger and garlic in a blender with ½ cup of the water. Blend until smooth.

4 Tbs. of vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
6 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt, whip until very smooth
2 tablespoons golden raisins
¼ cup cashews
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ cup coconut cream (sold by the can in most Asian stores; it's thicker than coconut milk)

Heat the oil in a heavy, non-stick pan. When hot, put in as many chicken pieces as will fit on the bottom. Cook until browned and repeat with other pieces of chicken. Set the chicken aside.

Put the onion in the remaining oil and fry hot until they turn medium brown. Add the garlic-ginger paste. Stir and fry until the water evaporates. Put in the remaining cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne. Fry for about 30 seconds. Now put in the chopped tomatoes. Turn heat to low and cook for three to four minutes, mashing the paste with the back of a spoon. Add the yogurt, one tablespoon at a time. Add raisins and cashews. Put in the chicken and any accumulated juices, ¾ cup of water, and one teaspoon of salt in the pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Take off the cover and add the garam masala and coconut cream. Mix gently. Turn up the heat and cook, stirring gently now and then until the sauce becomes fairly thick.

Chicken Stir Fry

My last post was on Kirkland Stir Fry Vegetables, so it's no surprise that this post is an actual stir fry recipe.

This recipe grew out of our desire to both eat healthier food and eat more Chinese food. We found this recipe somewhere on line and have (of course) modified it a bit. We usually use the Kirkland mix for most of the veggies, although we have made it from scratch, which gives you a lot more control over which vegetables are actually included.We've tried it with both chicken and beef; both are good, although we still need to perfect the beef version. We also like to add a handful of cashews just before we serve it. As with most Chinese dishes, we prefer this one over steamed white rice or a lovely brown rice pilaf.

Chicken Stir Fry

1 bunch broccoli

1 sweet red bell pepper

2 large green onions or 1 medium yellow onion, julienned

3 chicken breast halves

1/2 cup chicken stock (divided)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Dash of dried red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried ginger

1/4 cup cashew nuts (optional)

1. 
   
   Chop vegetables into thin strips. Cut chicken into thin strips. Set aside.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Whisk together 1/4 cup of the chicken stock, soy sauce, cornstarch, oyster sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes; set aside.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Heat wok or deep skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; heat for 30 seconds, swirling to coat pan. Stir-fry half the chicken for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink inside; remove and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding some of the remaining oil if necessary. Add to reserved chicken.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Add remaining oil to wok. Stir-fry garlic and ginger for 10 seconds or until fragrant; avoid overcooking because the garlic will burn and become bitter. Add vegetables and stir fry for two minutes. Pour in remaining chicken stock; cover and steam. Stir once; cook for two minutes or until broccoli is tender crisp.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Stir chicken back into wok; push to side of pan. Pour soy mixture into the center of the wok; cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir chicken mixture into sauce until coated. Sprinkle with cashew nuts. Serve over rice.
   
   
   

Easy Chicken Dinner

Bob tried this meal after spotting the recipe in a grocery store circular a few years ago. The name of the dish is exactly as we found it in the paper - Easy Chicken Dinner. Our family joke is that the dinner isn't really all that easy. It's not complicated, but takes a little bit of time. But it's delicious comfort food that all of us enjoy.

Easy Chicken Dinner

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded until flat

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 16-ounce carton of sour cream

1 8-ounce package of mushrooms, sliced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season flour with salt and pepper and dredge each chicken breast in flour mixture, coating well. Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown chicken on each side in hot oil and then place in a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Mix the soup, sour cream, mushrooms, milk and cheese together in a large bowl. Pour over chicken breasts and bake for one hour. Serve over steamed white rice. Serves 6 to 8.

Anniversary Chicken

Almost exactly a year ago I had one of those desperate evenings when I had no idea what to make for dinner. I browsed a couple of recipe sites for ideas and found this dish that happened to include ingredients that we happened to have on hand. When Bob looked at the recipe, he said, "Sounds like a teenage boy's dream come true--teriyaki sauce, ranch dressing, bacon, cheese--what more could they want?" And in fact, our son asked for it a couple of weeks later for his eighteenth birthday dinner.

I passed the recipe on to my sister-in-law, Marianne. I don't think I made it again. Last week Mari asked why the recipe wasn't on the blog. "Because I never make it," I said. She said that she makes it all the time and felt that it should be shared with the rest of the world, so I made it for dinner the other night and was pleasantly surprised. It was much better than I remembered.

I made a few changes this time. Instead of using straight teriyaki sauce, I thickened our usual sauce with a heaping teaspoon of cornstarch, cooked on the stove top until it thickened a bit. You can also use prepared sauce from the store; I can't recommend a particular brand, but I'd recommend something that looks thick enough to stay on the chicken. I also used our homemade ranch dressing, but commercial brands work just fine. As one last note, I used chopped, sauteed white onions for this version because that is what I had in the pantry (I sauteed them in the leftover bacon drippings). Finely chopped green onions (not sauteed) also work well and are a bit prettier, in my opinion.

Anniversary Chicken

1/3 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup teriyaki sauce (thicken with corn starch if necessary)

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

3-4 green onions, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove top. Fry chicken in hot oil until light brown on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side. Arrange chicken in a baking dish. Spoon the teriyaki sauce over the chicken breasts. Add a spoonful of ranch dressing to each breast and spread evenly. Top with cheese, then top with onions and bacon. Bake for about 20 minutes, then serve.

Sesame Chicken

Our family loves Chinese food of any kind. I don't remember how I came across this recipe for sesame chicken; I don't think I had ever eaten this dish at a restaurant, so I can't imagine that I was actively searching for it. I do know that I found it on some random website, and am sorry that I'm a poor record keeper and can't give appropriate attribution. But this is a relatively quick and inexpensive meal that looks great and tastes even better.

Sesame Chicken
(Serves 8, or in our case, 9)

1 cup flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 pounds bloneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds*
1 bunch green onion stem, cut into 1-inch slices
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or skillet. Combine flour, garlic powder and paprika. Dredge small chicken chunks in flour. Fry pieces in oil until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, in another pot, bring ingredients for the sauce to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the chicken in the skillet or wok and mix together. Top with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. We like it served with hot rice.

*If you don't have pre-toasted sesame sauce, you can toast the regular kind by tossing them in a hot, oil-free pan for a few minutes over medium heat until they begin to turn golden brown.

Tandoori Chicken

The name of this recipe is a little bit misleading since we do not, in fact, have a tandoor. We do have a nice outdoor grill, which seems to make an acceptable substitute. This is the overall family favorite for Indian food. It's also fairly healthy as long as you use low-fat or non-fat yogurt and trim the chicken.

The original recipe called for adding a bit of red food coloring, which does make the dish look more like something you would get at an Indian restaurant. We don't usually color our food unnecessarily, though, and we like the way it looks without the coloring.

As this recipe has evolved, we have started finishing the chicken in a vegetable basket that is designed to grill vegetables. We put the onion slices under the chicken. Both the look and the flavor of the onions when we do this is unbelievable. Unfortunately, we forgot about this innovation until the chicken was already in the house, so the photo shows the original cooking method.

Tandoori Chicken

Marinade

1 teaspoon dry ground ginger

2 large cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 1/2 teaspons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until it's well combined.

Chicken

2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, well trimmed

Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat the chicken thoroughly. Seal in a plastic bag or container, refrigerate, and marinate for at least four but no more than 12 hours. Turn the chicken at least once to ensure that it is evenly coated.

Heat the grill and lay the chicken pieces on the grill about two inches apart. Cover the grill.

After about five minutes, remove the grill lid and turn over the chicken pieces; they should look slightly charred. Replace the lid and continue cooking for another five to seven minutes. Uncover the chicken, turn it over, and leave it uncovered while you cook it for another 2-3 minutes. Test for doneness; the meat should feel firm when you press it.

Garnish (This is our favorite part of the recipe)

1/2 mild onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 lime, cut in wedges

Transfer the chicken to a large platter. Arrange the onion, cilantro and lime wedges over the chicken and seal the platter with foil. Let the chicken rest for ten minutes to absorb the garnish flavors. We also like to squeeze the lime juice over the chicken before serving.

Roast Chicken, Simple Yet Exquisite

Whole chickens are regularly on sale at a very good price. At Costco, they're always cheap. We've used them in the past for a number of favorites, like chicken noodle soup, chicken and dumplings, and a chicken and rice dish that we all really like.

We've tried roasting chickens before, but temporarily gave up after we encountered some persistent problems: one, the grease splattered all over the oven and made a horrible mess which we relived through smoke every time the oven was on. And two, cooking the chicken thoroughly without drying it out was a challenge.

This post is more about cooking method than it is an actual recipe. There are endless improvisations on this theme. But it's a classic technique that you'll use often after you've tried it.

One of the secrets to roasting chicken is to make the oven hot--preheat it to 450 degrees. Another secret is to make the chicken as dry as possible. I hold the chicken under the tap in the kitchen sink to wash the cavity out thoroughly, but then I also dry the inside and outside of the chicken completely with paper towels. I also usually let it air dry for a few minutes while I'm assembling all of the other ingredients and utensils I need to prepare the bird for baking.

I've seen people fill the bird cavity with lemons or onions or other flavorings. I believe that the drier you can keep the chicken, the more it will roast instead of steaming. Hence, the more succulent and tender your meat will be. I sometimes put some fresh herbs in the cavity, though--washed and well-dried, of course. Last night's selection included thyme and sage because they've taken off early out in the garden.

Once the chicken is dry, it should be trussed. I won't go into a lot of detail here about how to truss a chicken, but there is plenty of help on the internet if you haven't done it before. It basically involves tying up the legs and tying the wings in back so that there are no flailing appendages. This makes for a prettier chicken, and also helps it to cook more uniformly. I've checked at every supermarket in the area, and none of them have butcher's twine. I'm pleased to report that, while it's probably not the most budget friendly option, dental floss works quite nicely.

Finish preparing the chicken by rubbing it with a couple of teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil. Then sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Finally, to keep your oven relatively clean during the roasting process, slice a couple of potatoes in the bottom of your roasting pan. They don't have to be especially nice potatoes. You're not going to want to eat it after the meat is done. The potatoes will absorb the grease that would otherwise splatter all over the place. Put a rack in the pan and place the chicken on the rack.

Bake the chicken for 60 to 70 minutes (for a 3-4 pound bird). Let it rest for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven, and then carve. When we cut our chicken for dinner last night, it was so juicy that we actually had a bit of a flood on the cutting board and had to sop it up with paper towels.

Here's what the finished product should look like, and it smells and tastes even better than it looks!

Chicken Tikka Masala

I was first introduced to Indian food when the first Indian restaurant, Bombay House, opened in my town a couple of decades ago. I was immediately hooked.

I've sampled Indian food all over the US, in the Middle East and Europe (and even in India). On my first date with my husband, we discovered a mutual love for Indian food, and we had dinner at the Bombay House the night we became officially engaged.

My cravings for Indian food are strong enough that learning how to cook it seemed like the practical thing to do. After a little experimentation, I've come up with several receipes that are good imitations of what our favorite Indian restaurants serve. Although the rest of the family tends to prefer Tandoori Chicken (which we cook on the barbecue grill since we haven't yet managed to install a tandoori oven in our back yard), my favorite is probably Chicken Tikka Masala. I'll post on Tandoori Chicken another day.

First, you make the marinade for the chicken. We usually use about 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, because they tend to taste less dry than breasts. But breasts also work. Cut them into bite-sized pieces, and then marinate in a gallon-sized ziploc bag

I usually start the marinade about four hours before dinner time.

Prepare the other ingredients before you start cooking. Just a note about garam masala, wich is included both in the marinade and in the sauce. Garam masala is a general seasoning that is included in many Indian dishes. Think Italian seasoning for Indian food. It's possible to make your own, but it's easier just to buy a bottle. It's quite expensive at my neighborhood supermarket, but is about 1/3 as much at WalMart.

Cook the chicken until it's cooked through but not brown.

Take it out of the skillet and cook the other sauce ingredients. Cook the sauce ingredients in the same pan. Add the chicken back in for the last ten minutes. Here's what the finished product looks like, accompanied with our own version of naan (Indian flat bread) and basmati rice.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade and meat
2 cups plain, non-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspons garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tespoon ground ginger
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large green pepper, very thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
dash cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

In large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, cayenne, black pepper, ginger and salt. Pour over chicken pieces in a gallon zip loc bag and refrigerate for one to four hours.

Cook chicken pieces in small amount of oil in a large, hevy skillet, turning to cook on all sides. Remove when cooked through (but not brown). Remove chicken from the skillet, set aside.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic, pepper and onion for one minute. Season with garam masala, cayenne, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add chicken and simmer for ten minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh cilantro.