Now, for my next trick….Best Ever French Beans (pg.222) and Crunchy Garlic Chicken (pg.241). First of all, not to give the ending away, but this dinner was a huge hit with everyone! There are a few things I’d adjust in the recipe next time but I would definitely make this again and I think my family will even request it. First, the crumb recipe for the chicken was awesome and so easy to make. Jamie even suggests using it to also cook pork or cod. The mixture is garlic, lemon zest (very happy to use gadget #47–lemon zester– for the first time), butter, parsley, crackers, salt and pepper. Proportions seemed a tad off. Jamie only calls for 6 crackers (the recipe serves 2), I doubled it using 12 crackers and still needed to add a handful more. I’d also be interested in finding the crackers he suggests, Jacob’s. We had Ritz crackers on hand and I think it would be fun to try other kinds. He also calls for 4 sprigs of parsley and my sprigs must have been extra big because it was A LOT of parsley. We actually had green chicken and I kept thinking this would be a great recipe for St. Patrick’s Day! Everyone helped pile things in the food processor and watch it whiz around. The recipe calls for bashing the chicken a few times with the bottom of a pan to flatten it, I used a rolling pin so I didn’t scare the kids. Everyone helped to set up our little assembly line and I floured, egg dipped and “crusted” the chicken, then threw it in the oven. Jamie says you can bake or fry and we picked baking.

The chicken reminded me of a recipe my mom taught me once. She came to visit me at my apartment in the city about a year after college. The state of my pantry and refrigerator must have horrified her because I remember coming home to a stocked kitchen. She had bought lots of good things, yummy fresh cherries come to mind, and all of the ingredients to make a bachelorette version of crusted chicken. I think we named it “Mom’s Funky Chicken.” I made it lots of times!

While the chicken is cooking, I worked on the green beans. Now, Jamie says these are the “Best Ever.” That seems like a tall order but then I realize that they are oozing in melted parmesan cheese, how could anything not be “the best ever” prepared like this? I boil the beans and pat myself on the back because the pot does not boil over…yay me! After they’ve cooked, they go in the colander, I throw some olive oil in the pan and cook up some garlic, throw the beans back in and coat with the oil and then add back some water, the cheese and lemon juice. YUM! My daughter is amazed that they look just like the picture (unlike the green chicken). Husband and daughter throw together a salad and we sit down to a nice Sunday dinner complete with lots of “This is really good!” and “Hey, its like a real dinner with no short cuts! and a “good” from the toddler. Amazing!

Now…the one downside to this yummy meal says husband….clean up. Oozy Parmesan Cheese does not clean up very easily!

I think my mom would be proud of my grown up version of “Funky Chicken!”

Recipes cooked: 5
Recipes left: 168
Days left: 356

My family loves having breakfast for dinner. We do it about once a week or every other week at least. For some reason it makes us all happy. Breakfast for dinner usually falls on our busiest night of the week and last night was that night. The fact that there is even a recipe for scrambled eggs and smoothies in Jamie’s book reminds me that this “mission” of his is to get people to do more of their own cooking. When I first looked at the book, I was a tad relieved to see these recipes, knowing that it would be something easy to check off my list. I can already make scrambled eggs and smoothies. Usually my husband and I tag team this and he does the eggs and I do the smoothies but last night I did a little more of the work (notice I didn’t say all of the work.) Even though this is already a constant in our cooking repertoire we still enjoy reading Jamie’s method and suggestions. He doesn’t add milk. Interesting. I usually do. He talks a lot about the temperature of your pan and cooking over a slow low heat, stirring constantly. This is good for me too since as I’ve wrote before, I’m an impatient cook at the stove. One of his suggestions is to add fresh parmesan cheese, I’d never done that, so we give it a try. This dinner did make me feel like maybe I’m not a complete idiot in the kitchen, I CAN make scrambled eggs. And, like I said, breakfast for dinner makes us all happy. I poll the family at the table while we enjoy our dinner, well, the ones that can talk at least, to ask why they like breakfast for dinner. The kid says, “Its different.” The hubby says, “Its easy.” I imagine the toddler would say, “It involves smoothies.” I think I like it because on a hectic Wednesday it reminds me of the weekend. Scrambled eggs and smoothies also reminds me of two of my favorite people. My dad is the king of breakfast cooking. He makes the best everything with love and gusto when it comes to breakfast. Smoothies remind me of my sister, its one of her specialties. Our happy dinner also reminds me of something my good friend told me this past week when she checked in with me to make sure I wasn’t doing this blog for all of the wrong reasons. “Amy, you know the fact that you get SOMETHING on the table every night and that your whole family is around that table is a HUGE accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself.” She’s right and she’s really reiterating what Jamie’s book is about. Having your family around the dinner table makes every meal happy no matter what’s for dinner.
Recipes cooked: 3
Recipes left: 170
Days left: 360

I made my first recipe! I decided to start with “Mini Shell Pasta with a Creamy Smoked Bacon & Pea Sauce” on page 52 if you’re following along at home in your book (or you can find this recipe on Jamie’s website, although its in UK measurements). I decided to start with this one because in his description he says that this is one of the dishes he cooks for his kids. I read through the recipe quickly before I rushed off to the store. Because of a scheduling conflict, I’ve had to adjust our schedule and make this for lunch and I’m running behind to get food on the table before the kids get impatient for lunch. My two hiccups at the grocery store are that there is no fresh mint unless I buy a whole plant, so I buy the plant, and there are no mini shells! This one sends me into a bit of panic because that is the whole point of the recipe! I quickly calm myself down, in the interest of time, and pick up some mini wheels instead and pat myself on the back for being flexible. I rush home, throw some water on to boil for the pasta and get going on the sauce. The toddler is at my feet in front of the stove taking everything out of a nearby cabinet. He is hungry and won’t leave my side. Neither my daughter or husband can pry him away and I yell inside my head, “This is why I don’t cook.” We put him in his highchair and give him some pretzels to snack on. My daughter volunteers to pick mint off of the plant, yay! I chalk this up as a victory in the “cooking as a family” department as the baby sits nearby and asks for some “Mooooo” (chocolate milk) to go with his pretzels. Once 1/3 of the leaves are picked she bails. Sigh. I cook the bacon, toss in the peas, add some cream and the now chopped mint (using a new Pampered Chef gadget this is super easy and I applaud myself for using one of my gadgets).
Now, don’t laugh, but I’ve always had trouble boiling water. I’m impatient. I’ve remembered this and put my water and pasta in a very large pot to try and compensate for this but as I add the mint to the sauce, the pasta pot boils over. Seriously? I can’t boil water? I clean up my mess, add the few final ingredients along with the now al dente pasta and voila…my first Jamie meal!
My daughter likes it, hubby likes, I think its super yummy…the baby rejects it but hey, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad?
I’m super happy and know that this will definitely be a new staple recipe in our house.
Thanks, Jamie!
Recipes cooked: 1
Recipes left: 172
Days left: 363

Inspired by the movie, Julie & Julia, I will complete the 173 recipes in Jamie Oliver’s book, “Jamie’s Food Revolution,” in the next 365 days.

So, I figure the next step is to open this book. So many of my cookbooks go unopened for years, unless it is to look at the pictures. I remember getting for a wedding present a subscription to a popular cooking magazine. The first issue came just a month after we were married. I really loved this magazine! I was working from home at the time, didn’t have kids yet and I read that first issue cover-to-cover and made ALL of the recipes in it. But that was it. I made a few recipes in the issues that came over the next 5 years and then finally let the subscription run out.

Uh-oh. I’m nervous. I’ve posted this blog, told the world and haven’t even looked inside this book! Time to get moving!

“Jamie’s Food Revolution. Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals.” (Sounds good so far.) “By Jamie Oliver.”

The opening pages are done on old wallpaper patterns. I glance quickly over the Contents, “Twenty-minute meals,” “Quick Pasta,” “Comforting Stews.” Exhale. Okay, I can do this.

Jamie’s introduction speaks to me just like the back of the book grabbed me in the bookstore. He asks for “a favor,” that he needs help with a food movement he’s started. Okay, a bit dramatic but I’m on board. He goes on to explain his inspiration and also the person to whom he dedicates this book, Marguerite Patten. She was a woman that worked for the British Ministry of Food during WWII and she motivated her countrymen to eat well, even during the war. She taught them that even with their food rations, they could eat healthy and provide for their families. They began to cook smart, healthy meals and the movement even crossed the ocean where Americans started Victory Gardens. Then he talks about the modern-day war of bad health and the rise of obesity. His plan is a “pass it on” pledge where you learn just one recipe from each chapter of the book and teach it to at least two more people. Hey, this blog can do that! So I turn to page 15 in my book, sign the pledge and also go to Jamie’s website to sign the pledge too. While I’m at his website I see that his show starts on Friday, March 26 on ABC.

I’m pumped! Now, it’s time to start thinking about some deadlines.

Deadlines due TOMORROW.

Did you know its National Procrastination Week?

It really is!