Attention lovers of garlic and olives

Last week at Publix I tossed a whole chicken in my grocery cart because it was on sale, but had no real plans for what I would do with it. Then, a few days later I watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen in which viewers were basically lambasted for roasting anything but free-range and/or kosher birds, because apparently the general supermarket variety will inevitably turn out dry and tasteless. I've had plenty of dry and poorly roasted chickens, and I'm not sure if that has more to do with the quality of the bird or the skill of whomever is roasting it, but I wasn't about to take my chances.

So, I immediately ran to the fridge to check my bird because I could have sworn the packaging had some "free-range-type" claims on it ... and I was wrong. There was nothing free or kosher about my bird, and after Christopher Kimball's tirade, there was no chance I was throwing my de-feathered friend in the oven.

I turned, then, to my copy of How to Cook Everything and found a recipe for Chicken and Garlic Stew that looked promising, mainly because it required very few ingredients and had one of my favorite foods (not chicken) in the recipe title.

It turned out to be FABULOUS. It was even worth the disgusting endeavor of cutting the raw chicken into parts before poaching. The chicken was so moist and absorbed all the flavors of garlic, parsley and cinnamon and the garlic cloves softened in form and flavor, easily eaten on their own or smeared on a piece of crusty bread.

Then, last night we had Smitten Kitchen's version of pasta puttanesca, bursting with all the splendid saltiness of olives, anchovies and capers. Even better, you wilt arugula into the sauce at the very end, adding just a little bit of pepperiness (is that a word?) to counter all the salty ingredients. YUM.

Sadly I did not photograph either dish, and I don't like blogging without photos, so I suppose a photograph of our happy eater will have to suffice.

Grocery love

I do a lot of grocery shopping. Sometimes I go to Greenlife Grocery three days in a row and in my embarrassment I avoid certain clerks who now know me and Emery well (yesterday one seemed surprised that Emery was wearing pink, because she said "doesn't she always wear green?" ...  as if she sees her every day!) because I don't want them to think I literally visit their store almost every single day.

I think I'm a little embarrassed because I don't want to be perceived as mindless shopper. This isn't just frivolous spending, this is serious work for me! I get a limited amount of cash in an envelope each month for groceries, and when that cash begins to dwindle, well, my visits to the store actually increase in frequency because I'm terribly afraid of the envelope being empty, so I only buy just what I need for the next meal or two, waiting for inspiration to hit me for what Thursday night's budget dinner will be.

But I realize that's only part of the reason why I go so often. Deep down, I think I really just need to own up to the fact that I love grocery stores. Some people like shopping malls, I like supermarkets. I really do. I would be so sad if I didn't get to do my own shopping or peruse sale fliers. I adore wandering around and look at the cheeses, meats, produce and baked goods, even if I have no intention of buying any of it. This means I'll often get a "can I help you with anything?" from whomever is restocking the dairy case, and my answer is always "no, I'm fine!" Can't a girl just window shop?

So I don't know where all this leaves me, which means I'll close with an adorable picture of our little ham (and no, not one I got at the grocery store!)

Good thing I didn't go all out

for Emery's birthday, because she seemed more mystified than interested in her birthday chocolate cake.

Then, when I put a few Cheerios in front of her, she warmed right up and got to working on those.

It's also a good thing we celebrated her birthday a day early so that Matt could participate.  That way, if she didn't have fun (and there were times when she most definitely didn't), no big deal, not her real birthday anyway!

She almost started crying for no apparent reason after opening Auntie Shannon's lovely gift.

While on the hike, she whined for almost an hour solid in the backpack before surrendering to her confinement and falling asleep.

Yesterday, though, brought more smiles and excitement. There was a new riding toy to sit on (and fall off of).

A tea set that talks - oh so fascinating!

New books and a very hungry caterpillar to devour.

A beautiful day to sit in the park and eat Cheerios.

And a trip to the toy store!

It's cliche, but it's so hard to believe that a year ago she was this small!

Happy, happy birthday Emery - we love you!

Life is good,

especially when you get a few days of vacation in Annapolis!  Sometimes I feel like all I do at home in Chattanooga is scurry around trying to create order (how come all of the child-rearing books say that at this stage, your child will be fascinated by taking things out of containers and putting them back into containers. Putting back does not seem to be a skill my child shows any signs of mastering or even being interested in), and so getting away and having no responsibilities other than consuming all things chocolate and getting out every once in a while for a walk, shopping excursion or jog is sublime.

Emery is having a pretty good time, too!

Now I never have to wonder

In the New York Times this Sunday, there was an article about marital disagreements on whether or not food has gone bad or is safe to eat. Well, the article might just as well have been about me and Matt, because I am that woman and he is that man.

I like rules, so I like expiration dates.  I know, I know, I know that the milk doesn't go bad as soon as the clock hits midnight on whatever date the carton reads it's expired. But, we have to draw the line in the sand somewhere, so why not just follow the rule on the package?

I was thrilled to see that the article included a link to a site that has all the answers to any food safety questions you could ever have.

Is the site's advice a bit extreme and overly cautious?  Yes, so I'll try to use common sense, too.  But I'm extremely happy that now I have a go-to resource whenever I'm wondering whether I should pitch or dig into whatever item of food is in question.

PS:  Matt, you would be proud, though, that I have been flirting with danger on a carton of half and half that said "Sell by 3/5/11."  It's now March 9 and I might even just put it in my coffee tomorrow, too.

Miscellaneous

Here's a sampling of what we've been up to lately!

A hike at Lula Lake Land Trust - Shame on me for not getting a good picture of the stunning waterfall, but believe me, we saw it. 

It might have been that I was a bit distracted by Emery's discontent. Turns out the Ergo Baby Carrier may not be the ideal mode of transportation for longer walks with a nearly 12-month old.

A dinner of (partially) homemade thin crust pizza with bacon and onion - We almost always have pizza on Friday nights and usually buy it. Last night, though, I made a version of this plus this (with store-bought dough) and we might not be doing take-out again for a while. I loved how easy it was to whirl the sauce together in the food processor and the crust wound up being really thin, just how I like it.

Having tea parties - Emery's favorite thing to do in the kitchen is take out all the tea bags and strew them everywhere. Putting them back isn't my favorite thing to do, but it sure is nice how much they entertain her.

Groovin' to the music - I really need to take a video of Emery dancing ... whenever she plays with musical toy, she starts rockin' her shoulder to the beat. She's thrilled with these drums I got for $2.50 at America's Thrift Store, not as thrilled with the 38 cent tambourine, but for that price, who cares!

Keeping Emery away from cords - No matter how,

Determined,

She is to play with them!

3 Things

1. Emery is crawling.

So I am babyproofing.  And not blogging much.

2.  This salad, Shaved Brussel Sprouts with Fresh Walnuts and Pecorino is delicious. And easy!  And great for those nights when a regular old salad just doesn't sound that good or the lettuce is lousy at the grocery store.

3. Emery is about to pull herself up on the coffee table.  She has already demonstrated she can do so in her crib.

 So I must end this blog post now!