I always tell the girls...A Friendship Fairytale Dinner

My friends and I decided to all cook together last night. Usually I am horrific at letting anyone help me cook because I am quite particular about how I like things prepared. Sassy Indie in the kitchen. You don’t know how to mince like I want? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

However, “too many cooks in the kitchen” didn’t describe our night. We all divvied up the menu and everyone helped prep. I didn’t even try to hit anyone with my wooden spoon once. Promise. C’mon wine is a sedative dears. And I may have used dry minced garlic to avoid mincing massacres.

My contribution to this affair was the entrée. I determinedly decided the delicious mangos atop the crates at the store needed to marry a spiced, garlic chicken. I wanted to keep it simple, as nobody wants to be in the kitchen while the gals gossip gleefully on the patio while basking in the warm summer breeze. Glass of wine or not.

The soiree was that of a friendship fairytale. We indulged on light appetizers al fresco and soaked in the night. My friend Lauren complimented the chicken effortlessly with a mouthwatering medley of a side salad encompassing arugula and spinach melting into crisp veggies and light balsamic. Utter perfection.

**To my dear girlfriends, you are my soulmates.**

Roasted Garlic Chicken with Mango Salsa

This recipe takes very little prep time and is perfect for a night you want to catch up with the girls. Or just don’t want to fuss with a neurotic cook such as myself. The mango delightfully compliments the spice and punch of the garlic and sea salt.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Dried minced garlic
• Sea Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 3 mangos, diced
• 3 small vine tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat the chicken with olive oil, and thoroughly cover with the garlic, sea salt and pepper. Go a little more heavy handed on the garlic. Trust me.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour. Let rest for 10 minutes.

While your chicken bakes, prepare the salsa. Dice the mangos and tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add 1 tbs olive oil, and 2 tsp sea salt. Optional: Add diced avocado or red onion. Toss and set aside.

Plate your chicken and heap the salsa on top.

Now get your bum on the patio with the girls and revel in the delightful evening!

Cheating France

If the French knew what I did to one of their traditional recipes I would most likely be hanged. But I live in America where making everything beyond easy is the norm. Just don’t tell the French.


Friday night was deemed movie night and “Midnight in Paris” was on the menu. As I let French music trill into my kitchen I pondered what to make for dinner. My pots and pans were screaming for a French meal. However my crockpot won. French gourmet in the crockpot. Coq Au Vin in the crockpot. Oh yes, you read that right.

I thought I was outsmarting the system. I thought it would be a cinch. I thought I wouldn’t be sweating over ingredients, furiously dicing over the flames. I thought wrong. The French haven’t knotted my noose but they sure did leave some bacon grease burns on my poor hands. I have also verified that my smoke detectors work very well. Very. Well. Do you have an amusing mental picture yet?

Bacon burns aside, I would say this first foray in crockpot gourmet was successful. I promise you would have never guessed that it was cooked in a slow cooker. Plus you only have to slave for say 30 minutes instead of 3 hours. Just make sure your smoke detectors have fresh batteries for lovely background music. My Parisian music apparently wasn’t cutting it.

Crockpot Coq Au Vin

Ingredients

• free range cut up chicken
• 10 pearl onions, peeled
• Half pound cremini mushrooms
• 2 cups cabernet sauvignon
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt, pepper
• Bacon
• Bay leaf
• 1 cup chicken broth

Directions

In your skillet cook bacon over medium heat until browned. Place on a plate of paper towels and blot dry.

While the bacon cooks (and hopefully doesn’t spit at you) add your mushrooms, bay leaf and onions to the crockpot.

Toss chicken in salt and pepper and brown all sides in the bacon fat. I had to do this in a couple batches.

Add chicken into your crockpot. Pour wine and broth over the chicken, and add your bay leaf and garlic.

I cooked on high for 2 hours, low for 4.

Make sure to remove the bay leaf before serving!
Bon Appetit!

Salsa Dancing

I was telling my co worker about my crock potting mission and he suggested this Salsa Chicken recipe! I looked it up online and found out that it was actually pretty low in calories (the canned soup part scared me so I had to make sure). Of course I had to substitute the g-free canned soup but other than that it was a cinch! I added a couple things to his recipe just to boost the nutrition.


Yellow rice made a delicious dancing partner in this salsa dance. I think next time I will add some fresh avocado slices on top and make it even more delectable.

Ingredients

• 1 cup salsa
• 1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
• 1 can organic black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can gluten free reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

Directions

Add chicken, beans, and corn to the crock pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken followed by the soup and salsa. I cooked on low for 7 hours, then turned it off and added the sour cream. Throw over a bed of yellow rice and this dish will dance on your taste buds.