Armed with a steaming mug of java and an insulated cooler stuffed with leftovers, I was ready to sling drugs all night long. Hunkered in the hospital pharmacy, I snacked on two hard-boiled eggs and a big square of dark chocolate, and at three in the morning, I popped open my box of leftover sous vide wild king salmon and sauerkraut. Lunchtime!
In the blink of an eye, the sun shot up over the horizon – the signal it was time to vamoose. Upon arriving home, my hubs reported that when Lil-O had been searching for me all over the house. After having me around for five weeks, I guess my little guy had forgotten that I actually work. And frankly, it’d kind of slipped my mind, too.
Still, I knew that my return to work meant I’d have limited time to prep dinner in the evening. So even though I wanted nothing more than to fall face-first into my pillow, I quickly threw together the marinade for Damn Fine Chicken – albeit a shortcut version using Penzeys Spices’ Sunny Paris Seasoning instead of fresh onions and herbs.
Next, I trimmed away the extra flaps of skin from some fresh chicken thighs with a pair of kitchen shears…
…smooshed the chicken into the marinade…
…and stored the poultry parts in the fridge.
The rest of the morning was a haze. I’m pretty sure I shuttled Big-O to school and accompanied the little guy to gymnastics class before I collapsed into bed.
In the late afternoon, I crawled out of my blanket cave and was rewarded for my efforts with a couple of cool gifts on my doorstep. The fine folks at USA Pears (hi Cristie and Brittany!) sent me a box of Star Crimson pears…
…and Daren of Itsumo Ahi Tuna Jerky sent me a couple of samples of their new cooked tuna pouches packed in coconut oil.
Despite the overwhelming temptation to tear into both packages, I knew I had to get our supper on the table.
Sigh.
First, I arranged the marinated chicken on a wire-rack-topped tray and shoved it in the oven.
Then, I chopped up some assorted alliums….
…and trimmed a head of cauliflower for a new pressure cooker variation on my mashed faux-tatoes recipe.
I sautéed the onions and garlic in butter before adding the florets, a splash of homemade bone broth, salt, and pepper.
Once the pot got up to high pressure, the cauliflower softened in just 7 minutes. Speedy!
Meanwhile, I flipped the chicken…
…and stir-fried a pan of chard leaves and beet greens with some minced garlic.
As soon as the chicken was finished roasting…
…I pulled out my stick blender…
…and puréed the cauliflower mash with a big pat of grass fed butter.
This was one of the rare dinners that got a rave review from Lil-O. “I LOVE CHICKEN! I LOVE CHICKEN!” he chanted with his mouth full.
By the way, did you hear that Melissa Joulwan, Holly Woodcock, and I are combining forces for a special Paleo seminar in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado at the end of the month? Tickets are $50 each ($80 for two). And for an additional ten bucks, the chef at the YMCA of the Rockies will offer you a buffet of recipes from Mel’s insanely terrific cookbook, Well Fed, including Chocolate Chili, Cinnamon Beef Stew, Rogan Josh, Shepherd’s Pie, The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat, raw veggies with Moroccan Dippin Sauce, and fresh berries for dessert. I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy Mel’s cooking, and believe me: Her recipes are mind-bogglingly good.
I’ll be doing a presentation (and some cooking!) at the event, and l may even bring with me some super-rare, sold-out Nom Nom Paleo socks from my secret stash. Details and registration information are over here.
Who’s coming to hang out with us?
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