23 May, 2010

Birthday Dinner



It's my birthday and I'll cook if I want to.

After last week's miss of a good Sunday dinner, I cooked dinner tonight, even though it was my birthday. Oh, and I also was the one who got out of bed with the girls in the morning too. And cleaned up after dinner.  Let the record state that I only wanted to cook dinner.

Dinner tonight was a simple roast chicken. I adore roast chicken. It is about one of the easiest things you can make. I mean that, it is so damn easy.

1. Take chicken out of plastic.
2. Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry.
3. Fill chicken cavity with garlic, fresh herbs of any variety, and fruit (lemon, apple, grapefruit - cut in quarters).
4. Drizzle chicken with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, or a spice blend.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes per pound in a 350 degree F (preheated oven).
6. When the leg moves freely and the juices run clear when the skin is pierced near the wing the chicken is done. Let rest for 20 minutes. Eat.

Tonight I roasted my chicken with garlic, rosemary, and a grapefruit. (We're out of lemons.) And I rubbed the skin with an Ethiopian Berbere spice blend that Aimee gave me. Oh, yum. Served with a pile of Gull Valley tomatoes tossed with Fairwinds Farm Goat Feta and the first of the Edgar Farms asparagus it was an easy, tasty, and ridiculously local dinner.

Good food aside, it is my birthday, so cake was necessary.  Hubby was willing to bake a simple chocolate cake, but I convinced him to pick up something at the market today. A Caramel Chocolate Tart from The Bakery at the Calgary Farmer's Market. Love the Wacky Cake, Hubby, but that tart was definitely better.

So the drama of split milk and singing Happy Birthday later, we finished the night with the first backyard fire of the season. 

Now that's a Sunday dinner!

6 comments:

Julie said...

Happy birthday!! Glad it was a great one. I have a present for you in my dining room.

gwendolyn said...

That tart looks fantastic and there is something so comforting, so lovely about roast chicken. Hope your birthday was fantastic!

Miss Pre said...

I hope you had an amazing birthday :-)
BIGBIG HUGS!
e

p.s. Your kid is adoraBLE

Phiddy said...

I felt the same way when on Saturday I was cooking my own birthday dinner. Being almost vegetarian, I opted for a big steak, eek! But, boy oh boy, was it good. I'd do that again in a heartbeat!

elle said...

Happy Birthday, Cheryl

Jenny said...

Happy birthday! It's good that your hubby was willing to do cake. Mine has me pick up my own cake.