I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..

I love to cook.

Correction.. I LOVED to cook.

Lately I am just so bored of cooking (and kind of eating) just about all of the usual suspects.

Nothing appeals to me.

It's kind of like culinary writer's block and it stinks.

So I am off today and I can spend some time cooking and preparing a nice meal. But it's only IF I can come up with something ridiculously delicious that makes me want to start rattling pots.

Tell me your dream meals..

ETA: Recipes are fabulous.. but descriptions of the flavors and textures and maybe some suggested sides that you love with the entree are super helpful to me!

Message edited 5/8/2009 8:21:02 AM.

Re: I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..

This is easy to make, just a bit time consuming to brown the chicken. It's a very rich sauced chicken dish, not garlicy at all (the garlic becomes sweet when you caramalize it). It's a show stopper.

Chicken w 40 Cloves (Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa)
3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Message edited 5/8/2009 8:19:03 AM.

Re: I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..

I love to cook to, but it does get a bit monotonous when I'm the only one doing it! If DH could could for us let's say 2x's a week, I THINK that I would enjoy my time over the stove a lot more! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE coming up with random dishes using ingredients I have, but once ina while I'd like to hear, "Honey, come to the table....dinner's ready!"

ETA: I feel bad though b/c I am out of work at 3 every day and he's never home before 6pm (he leaves BEFORE 6am), so that is why I don't make a big deal about it and never say anything because he works very, very hard!

Message edited 5/8/2009 8:43:44 AM.

Re: I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..

With the Chicken & 40 cloves ... you can serve thick mash potatoes, or white rice (I suggest the mashed to soak up the gravy! LOL)

Re: I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..

Re: I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..

I searched for an older post of mine.....

I made brick chicken last night and it was really good. It is a variation of Guy Fieri's recipe here
I used the spices I normally do (onion, garlic and rosemary powder with paprika and black pepper) as a rub. The chicken was SOOOO juicy inside.

The hardest part was finding a pan that would fit in the other pan. The bricks don't get warm or anything, they are just for the weight. My stove was very dirty afterwards from the grease spitting. After reading the reviews about sticking I used a hot cast iron pan on the bottom and made sure to use a generous amount of EVOO.

Re: I've Lost That Lovin' Feeling..

I am sooo glad you liked it!! I like the way you 'changed' it -- sounds delicious!