What did you eat today?

[indysteel]

I made a delicious roasted chicken (whole) in my Romertopf clay pot on Saturday, and so I've been eating alot of chicken! I made it with herbs, onions and potatoes from my garden, carrots, beer, and a whole organic chicken that I bought from a friend who raises them. It's so delicious and will last me a week. Then I will make stock for soup! Love the Romertopf.

I'm not a big chicken person, but roasted chicken is my favorite dish, if done well. I fell in love with it in Paris, where is it is (mostly) executed so perfectly. DH proposed over the first roast chicken I made him! So now we call it Engagement Chicken. I'll have to look into a Romertopf clap pot. Does the skin get crispy with this method?

[Owlie]

Mm... roasted chicken! I still haven't perfected it, but I've come pretty close.
Indy, we used to have a Romertopf, a long time ago. My dad hated it, though I can't remember precisely why. I don't remember that we ever cooked chicken in it, though.

While we're on the topic, which method do you use to cook it? Short times at relatively high temps or a long time with low temps? Foil or no?

[limewave]

B: eggs and toast and bacon (THE breakfast of Champions!)
MS: Green Smoothie
L: mexican black bean salad
AS: Greek yogurt & raisins
AS take 2: almonds
AS take 3: An author brought in cookies today . . . it would be rude to refuse.
D: Ultrameal shake and a salad

[indysteel]

Mm... roasted chicken! I still haven't perfected it, but I've come pretty close.
Indy, we used to have a Romertopf, a long time ago. My dad hated it, though I can't remember precisely why. I don't remember that we ever cooked chicken in it, though.

While we're on the topic, which method do you use to cook it? Short times at relatively high temps or a long time with low temps? Foil or no?

I've only tried a couple of recipes. My first and favorite so far is Cook's Illustrated's recipe for crispy skin chicken. You basically separate the skin from the meat on the breast side. On the other side, you punch holes through the skin and flesh. From there, you sprinkle a mixture of kosher salt, pepper and baking powder. It's then placed in the fridge for 24 hours. The thought is that the skin dries out prior to roasting so that it crisps up.

You bake it at a fairly high temp for a relative short time, flipping it breast side up halfway through (you use a V rack) and then blast it at an even hotter temp for 15 minutes or so until it's golden brown.

Assuming you've used a good chicken (organic preferably), the results are delish. My quibble with this method is that it takes advanced planning and makes my kitchen so hot that I'm sort of over it by the time it's done. I only make it in fall/winter.

My other favorite chicken dish is coq au vin. It's time intensive but the results are so yummy. I make it for New Years as a special treat.

[Crankin]

Ah, Spokewrench, I went on my honeymoon in Oak Creek canyon. It was Dec., we rented a cabin, and it was such a long time ago, there was NOTHING to do in Sedona for entertainment. We decided to drive to Flag to see a movie, got caught in a snowstorm and our rear wheel drive car ended up in the center median of I-17. We went home early!

Today:
B: non fat Greek yogurt, blueberries, dried cranberries, almonds, 2 slices of turkey bacon, coffee
S: nuts and cranberries
L: salad with lettuce, tomatoes,ham, chicken, cheddar, balsamic vinegar, an apple
S: Luna bar
D: spicy Mexican style soup with chicken, chilis, tomato, baked tortilla strips with chipolte powder, avocado, 2 squares chocolate

[ultraviolet]

I don't usually participate in this thread, but the roasted chicken talk caught my attention. I use a super simple Thomas Keller recipe that I found on Epicurious a while back...high heat, little adulteration, perfect yummy chicken every time. I probably do one of these a week when cooler weather sets in. The "recipe" (if you can really call it that) can be found at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...Chicken-231348

And in the spirit of the thread, I actually do track my food. I take pictures of my food every time I eat and post it to a blog that no one but me ever looks at. I mostly use it to remind myself of what time it was when I last ate something.

[spokewench]

Ah, Spokewrench, I went on my honeymoon in Oak Creek canyon. It was Dec., we rented a cabin, and it was such a long time ago, there was NOTHING to do in Sedona for entertainment. We decided to drive to Flag to see a movie, got caught in a snowstorm and our rear wheel drive car ended up in the center median of I-17. We went home early!

Today:
B: non fat Greek yogurt, blueberries, dried cranberries, almonds, 2 slices of turkey bacon, coffee
S: nuts and cranberries
L: salad with lettuce, tomatoes,ham, chicken, cheddar, balsamic vinegar, an apple
S: Luna bar
D: spicy Mexican style soup with chicken, chilis, tomato, baked tortilla strips with chipolte powder, avocado, 2 squares chocolate

Oh, for people out of state, ending up in the median on I 17 in the winter is a holiday experience! We have some of the worst winter driving experiences in the country and they are the most surprising because all of a sudden you are in winter country!

[spokewench]

shredded wheat, 1% milk, strawberries, coffee
granola bar
leftover bowl of beef vege soup
eggplant and zucchini sauteed layered with a tomato sauce cooked with turkey sausage, layered with mozzarella cheese, parsley and basil baked served with brown rice, 1 glass white wine

[Crankin]

Yea, well, I wasn't from out of state then, just from Tempe. My DH was bragging how he learned to drive in the snow in PA, but I am pretty sure he had snow tires or chains there! And the way AZ handles snow is different than in the east; here the roads are plowed and down to the black top in minutes (hours). It seems like in AZ they minimally plow the main roads and just close the other ones! I am sure that may have changed since the last time I was in in Flagstaff, in a blizzard in Feb. 1990.

[shootingstar]

B- cornflakes with fresh blackberries, blueberries, skim milk. Tea with milk

later more B at my desk at work- wheat toast with peanut butter, coffee with milk

Snack- peach, another coffee and tea

After work snack cycled with dearie for- cream puff filled with mango creme

Supper- herbed spaetzle, koh rabi sauteed in white sauce with dill and thyme, ricotta cheese on side (He's making this meal.)

[Crankin]

B: egg white omelette with goat cheese, 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, blueberries and peaches, coffee
47.5 mile hilly and fast (for me) ride, one Luna Bar 1 bottle of water/Nuun, half a bottle of plain water
L: low salt ham and cheese sandwich on whole wheat, apple

D: refried black bean and veggie crumble tostada on a baked whole wheat tortilla

small chocolate frozen yogurt ice cream cone

[spokewench]

Breakfast: wheat chex, strawberries, 1% milk, coffee
thai restaurant - flat noodles with veges yum
D: salmon, few roasted potatoes, salad vinaigrette

[tulip]

I'm not a big chicken person, but roasted chicken is my favorite dish, if done well. I fell in love with it in Paris, where is it is (mostly) executed so perfectly. DH proposed over the first roast chicken I made him! So now we call it Engagement Chicken. I'll have to look into a Romertopf clap pot. Does the skin get crispy with this method?

Soak Romertopf for 30 minutes in cold water. Put garlic slivers under skin of chicken. Put veggies (I used onions, potatoes, carrots) and herbs (I used whatever is in my garden: thyme, sage, Rosemary, garlic chives) in the soaked Romertopf. Put the chicken in, pour 2 cups of beer (wine would work, too). Cover. Put into COLD oven. Turn oven on to 480F for one hour. After 1 hour, remove cover, baste, put back in oven for 10-15 mins to brown chicken.