He'll ask lots of questions.
Among them?
"Hey, Mom?" "What's that called when a word or sentence is spelled the same forward and backwards?" "Is it a mammogram?"
Then you'll have to explain that its actually called a palindrome, and a mammogram is a special x-ray for boobs that helps to detect cancer.
Then you'll have to explain how they do a mammogram.
Then you'll have to explain how there is no test like that for a penis, so stop worrying about it.
Then you'll realize that the recipe you were working on has taken a wrong turn.
While the kiddo was peeling, I was onto my next recipe from cookbook number 8 of 99....
Back to the Table by Art Smith.
Art was Oprah's personal chef. I must have seen him on her show at some point and liked what he was making. I don't remember it at all, but something must have made me want to buy his cookbook.
It is a beautiful book full of fabulous looking recipes. Only problem is, I don't recall ever making any! I think I have some sort of problem. Is there a 12-step program for cookbook addicts?
Anyway....
I chose Herb Roasted Chicken, another recipe that fits into the 17 Day Diet.
It is a fairly simple recipe, but when you have a child peppering you with questions about anatomy and medical procedures, its easy to mess it up.
Things started off well. I had enough sense to gather my ingredients and take a photo:
There was a lot of chopping involved. This recipe called for a mixture of fresh herbs, so I was getting some practice with my new knife, fielding questions from the kid, feeling like a rock star in the kitchen. I got the herb paste all ready to go, showed the kiddo the raw chicken and all of the nastiness I pulled out from inside of it, and then proceeded to follow the recipe and rub all of that herby goodness underneath the skin and all over the chicken. It was looking fabulous.
Until I realized that the bird was upside down.
And I had rubbed all of the good stuff on the underside of the chicken. Not the breast.
Oops.
Looks good here, right?
You do NOT want to see what it looked like when I turned it over to carve it. Ick. So much ick.
The good news is that it tasted great! I would imagine it is even more delicious with all of those herbs in the right place instead of the wrong one. But that's what you get when you're explaining mammograms to a pre-teen boy.
Here is the recipe. Hopefully you won't be as distracted as I was if you choose to make it!
Herb Roasted Chicken
Back to the Table by Art Smith
One 4 pound chicken
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh marjoram, chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon of oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lemon
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
Preheat oven to 400
Position a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400°. Clean chicken inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Arrange on rack in a roasting pan.
Chop garlic, then mash with salt to make a paste. Transfer to small bowl. Add oil, tarragon, basil, thyme, marjoram, oregano and pepper, and mix. Slip your fingers under the skin of each breast to loosen; rub as much herb paste as you can under skin. Rub remaining paste in body cavity, then place a lemon half inside. If desired, tie chicken legs together with kitchen twine.
Place chicken, breast side up, on rack in a roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes, basting twice. Scatter onions, carrots and celery in pan. Roast about 20 to 30 minutes longer, basting once or twice, or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh, without touching a bone, reads 180°.
Transfer chicken to a platter. Pour pan juices into a small glass measuring cup. (Discard vegetables in roasting pan.) Let juices stand 5 minutes, then skim off any fat from surface. Place pan over high heat on stove. When pan is sizzling, pour in degreased juices and broth. Bring to a boil, stirring up browned bits on bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Strain into a sauceboat. Carve chicken and serve with pan juices.
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