New Favorite Toy: Dutch Oven

I love my newest kitchen toy. Basic, multi-purpose, last a lifetime good: it's a dutch oven. It takes up a lot of space, that i really don't have in this apartment kitchen, but it's worth it!

Remember that delicious bread i baked the other day? That was all thanks to my dutch oven! Mimicking the environment of a super hot bakery oven, my bread turned out as good or better than that fancy artisanal bread you find at the store for $5.00 or more.

Do you remember my mentioning my inexperience with cooking meat? I no longer have to think and can bust out the MOST DELICIOUS roasts and other meaty/veggie dishes with ease and minimal effort. Just toss meat, veggies, some herbs and wine into my dutch oven and bake low and slow to enjoy with minimal dishes or time spent in the kitchen. I think i about crawled INTO the dutch oven to lick up every last bit of this pork shoulder roast. The fresh hedgehog mushrooms from The Mushroomery didn't hurt either.

I'd like to say that i got my new dutch oven at the thriftstore where i work, but i actually got this oven new from Wayfair.com. I did get a set of two cast iron pans, one with a lid passed down from my step-dad for Christmas that i have been loving equally. So now i'm set! I found a few Revereware pots and pans from work, and have begun removing all the non-stick pans and pots from my drawers. I'm so happy to get away from those chemical lined pieces, and back to good old fashioned (and really functional!) cast iron and copper lined stainless steel. The nonsticks were great when they were new, but one use of a pizza cutter or immersion blender in those pots and pans chipped up that coating and cooking with them fills me with malaise.

How about you? Do you love nonstick cookware, or are you a fan of cast iron/stainless steel?

"Shake and Bake" Chicken

No, this is not the recipe that you are thinking of. No preservatives, boxes, pre-packaging or styrofoam was harmed in the making of this meal. And let me tell you, I have found my absolute favorite way to prepare chicken! Easy, quick, wasteless and delicious. What's better than that???

Although we can't afford to buy pastured, organic chickens from our local farmers, i have committed myself to never purchasing packaged chicken that's already been 'convenienced.' This means no buying "chicken breasts" or boneless, skinless anything. I buy Foster Farms whole chickens at the local market... I'm sure FF isn't the most humane, ( but maybe it is? ) but it is affordable and grown quasi locally, sourced from Oregon or Washington farms. By purchasing a whole chicken, i'm skipping the packaging (plastic wrap, styrofoam, etc) otherwise found in pre-butchered chicken, plus i get the whole bird, leaving me bones and giblets for making stock or feeding Pocket.

Sustainability aside, buying a whole chicken does add an element of work, but really not much. I have a nice meat cleaver that i sharpen often, so hacking the thighs and wings off is easy, as is shaving off the breasts. Pocket always gets the wings, but the breasts and thighs are saved for the humans of the family. I often roast the chicken whole, but chicken grease is just too delicious to not be eaten with gusto, and we usually eat it all in one sitting, rarely leaving the sandwich meat leftovers originally planned for. While searching for a better 'diet friendly' option for cooking chicken, i've tried curries, bakes, casseroles and anything else you could think of... but now i've found my absolute favorite, and it's the easiest to make of all!

Shake and Bake Chicken - Scratch Made

• 1 chicken/ 2 thighs and 2 breasts, fat and skin mostly removed (i like to leave just a bit of skin covering the large side of the thigh, and some of the breast
• a ziplock or grocery bag
• Flour mixture: crushed dried bread crumbs, 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper, seasonings to taste: pick a theme and go with it: cajun, italian, mexican, etc    - i used mustard, paprika and sage
• 2 potatoes

Mix the flour mixture in a bag and toss each chunk of chicken, one at a time until coated. Before tossing, preheat the oven and a large cast iron pan (or pyrex baking dish if you're sans-cast iron) to 425-450. Once pre heated, take out the hot pan, melt a bit of butter in it and place the tossed chicken pieces in, skin side down. Enjoy the popping sear sounds! Place a potato or two halved, face down in the same cast iron, nestled in between the chicken parts. You may also wish to toss the liver and gizzrds in the seasoned flour and add to the the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, flip chicken parts (leave the potatoes) and bake another 20.

Easy. Tastes like fried chicken. Stays juicy. Isn't greasy.   = new favorite.

What's your favorite way to eat a whole chicken??