Whole Baked Chicken

Here's the chicken rubbed with olive oil and seasoned....

And here's him half eaten because I forgot to take a picture before we dug in!

Here's a great idea for dinner, super easy, inexpensive, and perfect for family and friends. It takes a while to bake, so you have to be ready in advanced, but once it's cooking, you are good to go!

Ingredients:

whole chicken

olive oil/grapeseed oil

s & p

garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Cut away packaging, wash chicken well, remove gizzards from inside the chest cavity and lay the chicken on some paper towels. Pat the chicken dry and place it in a roasting pan or broiling pan. Massage some olive oil/grapeseed oil all over the chicken, and sprinkle with s & p and garlic powder. Pop it in the oven for 1-1.5 hours. The internal temperature should be 160 degrees and juices should run clear. Cut and enjoy with a salad, veggies, or another side dish!

Sauteed Swiss Chard

So here's raw Swiss Chard... I prefer the white stemmed verses the red or multicolored, but feel free to try them yourself!

Here's what it looks like once it's sauteed, simple and delicious!

OK, so this weekend, I had quite possibly some of the best meals in my life while celebrating a dear friends Birthday weekend, one of which was a New York steak served over a bed of sauteed Swiss Chard and Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes!!! YUM! So it reminded to post one of my favorite veggie dishes- Sauteed Swiss Chard with Balsamic Vinegar. It only takes a few minutes and it is packed with vitamins and flavor!

Ingredients:

1-2 batches of swiss chard 

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

2 TBSP water

Directions:

Wash your swiss chard leaves and then chop them into strips length wise. You can use the white stems, but I pass on them because I am not wild about their flavor. Add about 2 TBSP of water to your frying pan and your cloves of garlic. Let that heat up, then add in your chopped chard (which will have some water on it from rinsing, which is a good thing). Let it sautee uncovered until it cooks down (just a few minutes, then add a small drizzle of olive oil and mix it up with a pair of tongs. Remove it from the pan onto a plate and then drizzle balsamic vinegar over top and enjoy!

Meal Plan for Aug.31- 5th

So, this week's plan is going to be a little different than normal due to some things we have going on in the evenings, but switch around the days to work it for you!

Monday- Baked Penne Pasta

Tuesday- Left Over Pasta

Wednesday- On the BBQ-Steak, Grilled Veggies, Portabella Mushrooms

Thursday- Pear Salad with French Bread

Friday- Lime Chicken Soft Tacos

Saturday- out!

**I will use the same veggies in the pasta as I will on the grill (like the mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash) so keep that in mind while shopping. 

BOTM SEPTEMBER 2009

...is ready for pick-up!
When you come to pick up your beers there will be a sheet for you to sign which outlines our new policy on late pick-ups.

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

New Stuff

1. Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
2. Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter
3. Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA
4. Drake's IPA
5. Drake's Imperial Stout
6. 21st Amendment IPA/Watermelon Wheat (in packaging that doesn't instantly fall apart when you pick it up!)
7. Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
8. New Belgium Hoptober
9. Elysian Avatar Jasmine Ale is back!


cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Harvest Grains Blend

ATTENTION: This is an idea, not a recipe, the recipe is a free-be on the back of the package!!!!

 

I just had to post this, because for the past 6 months this has been our families grain of choice. We love it, the kid loves it, friends love it- it's about time it makes it to the blog!!! It is an awesome blend of couscous, red quinoa, orzo, and baby garbanzos. It is so chewy and fluffy and high in protein, we love it as a side dish to anything! AND if all that wasn't good enough, it cooks in 15 minutes or less with just some chicken broth (I recommend broth verses water for the flavor) and you can add a TBSP of butter if you want, but it's not necessary. If you have kids, you will love this, because it stays kinda clumpy so it is easy for them to scoop up and eat! Give it a whirl, you know where to find it if you read this blog--- TRADER JOE'S!!! ** Follow the measurements on the package.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

1- 1.5 pounds red potatoes

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP coarsely chopped rosemary

S & P ( I prefer sea salt)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Wash and cube your potatoes, you choose the size, the smaller they are the faster they cook. (I usually cut mine in 4ths or 6ths). Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, rosemary, s & p and then pour them out onto a roasting pan or cookie sheet (I put parchment paper down first for faster clean up). Make sure they are in a single layer for best cooking results. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown, turn them once half way through the cooking process. Enjoy!

NOTE: I have made them without rosemary before, you can substitute it for fresh garlic (2 cloves) or garlic powder if you don't have fresh- but fresh is so good and so good for you!!! I also have added garlic WITH the rosemary and that is yummy too!