Gastronomie

Chicken Under A Brick

I've long been intrigued by the idea of cooking chicken "under a brick". I was never inspired to try my hand at it, however, until I realized last night that it was 6:30pm, we were both starving, and roasting that Rocky Jr. in the fridge wouldn't get us to the table until at least 8pm.

Necessity being the mother of invention and all that, I proceeded to rummage around the kitchen and deck looking for a weight heavy enough to pull this off. The two pieces from my Le Creuset Multi-Pot, nestled inside my 4.5 quart Dutch oven, worked nicely.

As I was pulling the chicken out of the oven (40 minutes, people, 40 minutes!), the doorbell rang, and my awesome, wonderful neighbor J was standing there with a bowl full of tomatoes and peaches she'd picked earlier in Brentwood. As the bird rested, I threw together what turned out to be an incredibly delicious salad -- wedges of peach and heirloom tomato, chopped basil, good sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, drizzled lightly with olive oil.

Summer never tasted so good.

Chicken Under a Brick

• 1 3lb bird, the fresher the better, and free-range is best
• 4T + 2T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, slivered
• 1 clove garlic, minced fine
• 1t sweet paprika
• Several sprigs fresh rosemary, half of them de-stemmed & chopped fine
• Several springs fresh thyme, half of them de-stemmed & chopped fine
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees*.
2. Butterfly the bird by removing the backbone, and pressing flat. Cut off the first two joints of the wings, and the last joint of both drumsticks to prevent burning.
3. In a large, flat pan, heat the first 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the onion. Allow to cook a few minutes as you season the chicken.
4. Make a paste of the remaining olive oil, garlic, paprika, chopped rosemary, chopped thyme, and salt & pepper.
5. Rub all over the bird, on both sides, coating well.
6. Tuck the remaining sprigs of rosemary and thyme under the skin, being careful not to tear it.
7. Turn the stove up to medium-high, and when good and hot, set the chicken, breast-down, in the pan. Set a heavy weight atop the chicken to press it flat.
8. Cook for 10-12 minutes -- you'll know when it's ready because the smell from the kitchen will cause your husband to begin drooling.
9. Move the pan (with weights) to the lower rack of the oven, and allow to cook for another 15 or so minutes.
10. Carefully remove the weights from the chicken, and gently turn it over.
11. Continue cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 160 degrees. Alternately, look for the juices to run completely clear. The skin at this point should be a gorgeous golden-brown, and exceedingly crispy.
12. Remove chicken from the oven, tent with foil for 5 minutes, and cut into quarters (this will be very easy to do).
13. Serve with salad or roasted potatoes, as you choose.

Tags: Recipes, Chicken, Summer, Food, Food & Drink, Salad, Oakland, San Francisco

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Thoughts on my first BlogHer

When I signed up for BlogHer 2006, and even convinced a good friend to attend with me, I had no idea that I'd walk away with such incredibly strong feelings about the event. I thought it would be a great way to connect with the owners of the dozens of non-food blogs I read, learn something about the way other communities in the blogosphere work, and maybe even forge a few new friendships.

Instead, I left San Jose feeling a little alienated, though perhaps a bit more educated as well. Before proceeding however, I feel like I should give you a bit of background. This post is one of the most personal I've ever written, so I hope you'll be patient with me.

I am a child-free woman by choice and I married a man who doesn't wish to be a father. Ergo, we have a DINK marriage that is highly likely to stay that way. I hate using the term "childless" as it implies that I'm "missing" something, whereas "child-free" indicates a choice. I most certainly don't disparage any other woman for choosing parenthood, and in fact, see them as fiercely strong people.

So, it really saddened me when I left BlogHer yesterday feeling as though I'd inadvertently attended a Mommy-Blogging conference, and not a conference for all women. Throughout most of the day, I was surrounded by a derisiveness and cliquishness that sent me a message loud and clear: "Motherhood is the only choice".

To say that I already feel marginalized by many women who think that there is "something wrong with me" for not wanting to be a mom is an understatement. I just didn't expect to find that attitude at a conference filled with women who are participating in a world-changing  new medium.

I think of myself as a fairly outgoing person. I smile a lot, especially around people I'd like to meet. I haven't felt so bewilderingly "shot down" as I did yesterday in a very, very long time.

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One of the really lovely ladies I met  yesterday (in the food & wine "roundtable") is a fellow foodie who is also a mom.  We'll use her first initial to preserve her anonymity. "M" filled me in on some of what she'd heard coming out of the "Mommy-Blogging" session. It seems that the working moms felt like the whole discussion had been pre-empted by the SAHMs, of which there were many. It shocks me that, even between mothers, there is this "us against them" attitude.

She also told me that, last year, it was the mommy-bloggers who'd felt marginalized by the non-moms. That there were few sessions designed for them. So they all went back and wrote about BlogHer on their blogs. They created a "call to arms" of sorts, and banded together to get what they wanted and needed out of BlogHer 2006.

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So, tell me, what would you do?

Part of me wants to write to each and every woman I tried to make small talk with, and who failed to respond with even a glimmer of a smile -- sure, I know some of you are "A-list Bloggers", as it were, but you came to this conference for a reason, and I hope that reason wasn't to feed your egos. So why the cold shoulder?

Another part of me wants to create my OWN call-to-arms, and descend upon BlogHer 2007 with a contingent of food and wine bloggers. And, of course, volunteer for the planning committee to create relevant topics for us.

Because that's the other thing about yesterday -- even in the closing keynote with such luminaries as Arianna Huffington and Grace Davis, the damn discussion kept turning towards the implications (and applications) of blogging to motherhood. So much so, in fact, that one woman finally stood up and called the panel on it.

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OK, I've vented enough. But I just had to get this out, and where better to do that than in my beloved Blogosphere? I don't regret attending BlogHer for one moment, and I know I'll go back next year.

Call me an overachiever. Or a glutton for punishment.

Tags: BlogHer, Motherhood, Parenting, Food, Women, Huffington, Blogs, San Francisco, San Jose

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An Open Letter to Sam

Sam... you are a trooper... a behemoth... and an angel.

Your ability to channel your passion and voice into something truly impactful knows few bounds. Not only did you spend 24 hours posting every 30 minutes in a Blogathon to raise funds for Food Runners, but you ACTUALLY spent part of that day WITH the Food Runners themselves.

On top of this, you are perpetually there to lend a hand, an ear, a pot of food, whenever one of our friends is in need, emotionally or physically.

You are amazing human being and an inspiration, and I am extremely proud to call you my friend.

Photo courtesy of Sam Breach. Protected by Creative Commons License

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Technorati Tags: Sam, Blogathon, San Francisco, Food Runners, Becks & Posh

Live From BlogHer 2006: Heather Armstrong...

Is as adorable and funny in person as she is on Dooce.

Oh, and as tall as you THOUGHT she is?  Yea, add 6 inches.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.

Technorati Tags: Food | Food & Drink | BlogHer | San Francisco | San Jose

Live From BlogHer: So many food blogs

I feel like I spend a LOT of my time looking at blogs -- most of them food and/or wine blogs.

How is it, then, that I have discovered several blogs today, many of which have been around for a fairly long time?

Be sure to check out the BlogHer site in the coming week for Kalyn's recap of who joined our Birds of a Feather roundtable.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.

Technorati Tags: Food | Food & Drink | BlogHer | San Francisco | San Jose

Live From BlogHer: Been There

Do you know the story of Been There?

Talk about grass roots.

Two moms, 6 kids between them, decide to help connect people who have stuff to donate to Katrina victims to the people who need them.

Practically overnight, they go from a couple hundred to tens of thousands of visitors per day.

Now, these two incredible women are running a nation-wide clearinghouse, and growing it by leaps and bounds.

Check it out: http://www.beenthereclearinghouse.com

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.

Technorati Tags: Food | Food & Drink | BlogHer | San Francisco | San Jose

Live From BlogHer 2006!

Thanks to the loverly folks at Qumana, who sponsored my attendance today, and Shuna, who sponsored my transportation, I am sitting here in a very ordinary hotel ballroom listening to some extraordinary women speak about their lives and blogs.

I'll be posting throughout the day, as we go through the different sessions.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.

Technorati Tags: Food | Food & Drink | BlogHer | San Francisco | San Jose

Tacubaya: Dona Tomas' Not-So-Little Sister

In a VERY odd, and extremely unexpected coincidence (redundant, no??), Sam today wrote about her latest purchase from Sur La Table.

She titles her post "Dumb Design". So, you can probably guess how much she loves it. On the other hand, my very favorite kitchen tools are my collection of wooden spoons from SLT. I buy them by the half-dozen for about $2 apiece, and I always have a fresh new one for the random dish that doesn't want a seasoned spoon.

But why is this a coincidence? Because we stopped in to Sur La Table on Berkeley's Fourth Street this afternoon after a tasty lunch at Tacubaya.

One Last Doggie Post... I Promise!

This weekend, Stella scratched her cornea (on what, we have no idea!).

So now she's wearing an Elizabethan Collar, which is one size too big for her body because her neck is so damn big (16.5", if you care) compared to her compact little body.

She hates it. I mean HATES it. Won't go potty with it on, so we now have puppy pads all over the house (which she's more or less using, according to C). And we have to hand-feed her because if we take the collar off, she makes it impossible to put back on.

The things we do for our dogs.

Anyway, last night, C sent me this video (I'm in Denver again), and it brought a smile to my face, so I thought I'd share. Make sure you hold out until the very end for some choice Frenchie snuffling.

(Click on the image below to launch)

Not So Weekend D-O-G Blogging

The Frenchies have been particularly photogenic this past week, so I couldn't help but take part in a bit of non-food-related canine bloggery.

This is what happens when Stella the Bull decides you're played on the idiot box (aka the Laptop) quite long enough. She literally sat on C's laptop and proceeded to watch television over the top until he closed it and put it away.

And this is what an afternoon nap with Bogart looks like. Not the most flattering photo of me, but who cares when you have the love of a Bo?

Certainly, it would be terribly unfair of me not to share this wonderful phot of Bo's dental beauty. This, you see, is what happens when you put the right number of teeth in a wrong-sized mouth. Seriously, where's a dog gonna put all those teeth when he doesn't have a snout???

And, finally, read on to see what TRUE LOVE really looks like.