Author Archives: j

sunday supper

the arugula became lunch and the lemons became lemon bars for dessert:

i also made roast chicken using a new recipe: thomas keller’s recipe, to be exact. there are quite a few out there.

  1. First, let your chicken come to room temperature before you roast it. Take your chicken out of the fridge at least 45 minutes before you start roasting it. If it’s still refrigerator-cold when you put it in the oven, your cooking time will be longer, and your chicken won’t be as tender.
  2. Don’t wash your chicken. Rinsing your chicken just spreads gross raw chicken germs all over your sink. If you cook the meat to the proper temperature (165 degrees), any dangerous germs or bacteria will be killed anyway.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  4. Dry your chicken REALLY WELL on the outside AND on the inside.
  5. Next, sprinkle kosher salt and pepper inside the chicken cavity. (N.B., we use 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of chicken.) The salt that you sprinkle in the cavity will get absorbed into the meat from the inside, meaning that all of the meat will be flavorful, not just the outside surface.
  6. Then you’re gonna truss your chicken: Cut a piece of butcher’s twine that’s about 24 inches long and lay your chicken on a cutting board, breast side up with the legs facing away from you. Put the center of the twine under the tail. Cross the ends then loopback under around the legs and pull the string tight to bring the legs together. Flip your chicken over. Bring the twine around the sides, tucking in the wings. Pull the twine tight and tie a knot at the neck, but loop the string through the knot twice (this is called a butcher’s knot). Then tighten. Trim the excess twine with scissors or your knife. Flip your chicken back over, and you’re trussed!
  7. Season the outside of your chicken with lots of salt and some pepper. A 4-pound chicken will need about a tablespoon. Don’t just pour salt out of a container; use your hand to sprinkle salt all over the chicken to ensure that it’s evenly coated.
  8. Place the chicken breast side up on a rack over a roasting pan.
  9. Put it in the 450°F oven for 50–60 minutes.
  10. No flipping, no basting, no checking on the chicken unless smoke starts pouring out. First of all, opening your oven while the chicken is cooking will decrease the oven heat and increase cooking time. Flipping your bird is unnecessary when you’re roasting on a rack, since the heat is hitting all sides of the bird evenly. And basting? It can actually make the skin of your chicken soggy, since you’re likely basting with not only fat but also liquid.
  11. Your chicken is done when its internal temperature is 165 degrees. Insert your thermometer right between the breast and the thigh; this is the thickest part of the chicken. If you cook the chicken past 165 degrees, it will start to dry out and won’t be as flavorful as it could be.
  12. Let your chicken sit on a cutting board for 15 minutes before removing the twine and carving.

second harvest

kale spinach brussels sprout leaves

more kale, spinach and brussels sprout leaves

i combined this batch with the first harvest and juiced them all. whoa – bitter! i added 4 oranges from our tree, 2 lemons from our tree, 6 carrots, and 2 apples and it was better but not perfect. i finally added another 2 apples and 4 carrots – much better.

i also picked my first batch of arugula today.

arugula

arugula

garden update 2

planting garlic

garlic is just one of many things that help prevent pests and disease for peach trees. i didn’t realize it was so simple: just break off the cloves of a bulb, soak them in a diluted baking soda solution, and plant them root down. i wasn’t supposed to have garlic for weeks, i didn’t even lay down the top layer of mulch, and i’m not sure this is well-draining soil but the garlic is super happy.

owl butt cream

owl butt cream, you say? yes, it’s sparkly lip gloss that you apply by lifting the lid on its butt. compliments of irene. it has a blue sibling perched in the bathroom. the perfect lighting on this cute little owl caught my eye.

owl butt cream