Our Weekend

This weekend was pretty busy, and felt like it flew by. 

Friday night my oldest had a Masquerade Dance at his middle school. I had offered to help him make his own mask, but he just wanted to purchase one at the door. He mentioned to me several times that he wanted to slow dance with a girl. Apparently at the last dance, he didn't get to do that. So he was really excited about the night. He wanted to dress up, and smell good. He borrowed some of my husbands expensive cologne, and put on his tie. I think he's handsome. What do you think?

While we were all waiting for him to leave to the dance, I caught a snapshot of all three kids. It's rare, it seems, to have them all together for a picture. I love how little Miss B is peeking around from the chair, and big sister is proud of playing the guitar. 

He had an amazing time. Said he slow danced with 3 different girls that night. He's always had a way with the ladies. What a cutie!

Saturday morning we got around to do some much needed grocery shopping at the Commissary. And right before we got out the door, my curious toddler somehow managed to trap herself under her highchair. We all thought it was hilarious, but of course she was mad. Really mad.

With a little help from Mama and Big Brother, she made it out just fine. But then she turned around and tried to get right back under there. lol. What a stinker!

The Commissary is always a busy place on Saturday. And ours is so small. I really wish they could build on and add more variety, but it is such a money saver. We were able to stock up on a months worth of groceries. We probably would have paid double if we shopped anywhere else. 

About a week ago I was watching Giada at Home on Food Network. I absolutely LOVE her style of cooking. Everything is so fresh and not over processed. And on this particular episode, she showed how to make several meals out of one roasted chicken. So Saturday evening I wanted to recreate this chicken, but for some reason I couldn't find the exact recipe online. I tried to remember what all she had used, so I improvised. This is what I did:

Herbed Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 roasting hen, fresh or thawed

4 Tbsp butter, softened

Lemon Pepper

Thyme

Mint

Salt

Garlic Powder

1 medium onion, quartered

2 cups Chicken Broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and pat dry the roasting hen and place in a roasting pan. Rub chicken with softened butter, inside and out, and even under the skin, then rub with the above dry ingredients. I cant say exactly how much I used. I just sprinkled until I thought it looked right. Place 1/2 of the onion inside the chicken cavity and the other 1/2 sprinkle around the pan. We will use this part of the onion for gravy later. Pour chicken broth into the pan and place in oven. My chicken took about an hour and 20 minutes to cook. Be sure to cook until the juices of the chicken run clear. And the skin should be crispy and browned. 

I remember that Giada had also used cooking Sherry, lemons, and oranges. I think those would go great with the flavor of the mint, but I didn't have any. Next time I want to try stuffing the chicken with slices of lemon and orange and squeezing the juice over the chicken...just to add a bit of acidity. Yum!

But here it is! Even without the citrus fruits, it turned out amazing. Oh, and I cook my chickens upside down, so the breasts stay moist.

Sunday evening I still had some pieces of the chicken left, so I whipped up some oven roasted veggies, boiled some quinoa in the broth I had made from the carcass, chopped a fresh tomato, and added some fresh picked cilantro from our garden. Yes, it is still growing over the winter. And it smelled so great! I love cilantro!

I don't know what to call this dish....... maybe Roasted Chicken and Veggie Quinoa Fiesta? I have no clue. But my husband ate 2 whole bowls full, which means he loved it. I always know I did a good job if he goes back for seconds. 

Not much going on today, on this dreary Monday. I'm just catching up on laundry, and hoping to get some of the baby things out of the attic today. They are also in need of cleaning, with all that dust up there. I shouldn't be much longer until they are put to use once again. 

You all have a great day!