Eat, Read, Rant!

Maple Bacon Biscuits

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here we go with the cute food again. Damn that Adrianna! For the record, I cooked these biscuits exactly 2 1/2 months ago. Don't ask me what I was doing with my time in between then and now, because I surely couldn't tell you, though I know for a fact that lots of bourbon was involved. And yes, I'm aware of the irony of this post following my lambasting of our nation's favorite diabetic, butter loving, cigarette smoking, foul-mouthed grandmother. But I wouldn't advocate eating biscuits like these, or of any variety really, more than two or three times a year. This sort of indulgence, in addition to the labor that goes into to making good biscuits, lands them squarely in the "special occasions category". I'll step off my soapbox now, as my hands are covered in butter and bacon grease, and I'm hungry. #damnitfeelsgoodtobeagangsta

While the details of the last few months seem some what hazy, I can tell you that on one lovely and lazy Sunday morning in November, I woke up and decided to make these maple bacon biscuits. And what a glorious Sunday morning it was!

I'm a Skinny Bitch & Paula Deen has Diabeetus!

2012-01-25T20:40:00.000-05:00

*Disclaimer* If you hadn't guessed by the title, there's some choice profanity sprinkled throught this post. You've beeen warned.

So I’m a skinny bitch, Paula Deen has diabetes, and neither one of use are having the best week ever! Unless you’ve been trapped underground for the last 7 days, you’ve probably heard by now that Paula Deen publicly announced last week that she has Type 2 Diabetes. This should come as a surprise to no one. If you’re my friend on Facebook, you may or may not have seen a really bitchy status I posted two weeks ago, in response to a “plus size” girl calling me a skinny bitch. She meant it to be funny, but I was not amused. I’m sure you’re wondering what my inability to take a joke has to do with Paula Deen but I assure you, I’ll get to that.

So let’s go back to 2 weeks ago, when I saw some bullshiggity of epic proportion on my Facebook feed. A friend posted a rant about his frustration about hearing that his women friends have been told they need to be a normal weight, and questioned what exactly a “normal weight” is. I briefly responded, leading with my public health credentials, that there is in fact a such thing as a “normal weight”, and seeing as how this nation is facing an epidemic of overweight and obesity—which are the biggest driving forces behind the skyrocketing costs of healthcare—obviously far too many people don't fit into that normal category [pun intended]. A third party then responded to the thread with, and I quote,

“I always hear it from my doctor; "Miss Iliketowearshinygoldleggings, you are healthy and strong as an ox....but maybe you should consider more exercise and diet because at your age and height....bla...h blah blah". I'm healthy, no joint issues, everything is where it should be.....so what's the problem???? I look damn good and I don't wanna be a skinny chick. Research shows that people with more body fat tend to be happier as far as personality goes. Why? (MoNique voice) Skinny bitches are evil! They hungry all the damn time!! Lmao”
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Salt "Crusted" Leg of Lamb

2012-01-19T10:28:00.000-05:00

Leave it to me to blog about the star of my family's Christmas dinner four weeks after the fact. But considering the fact that when I showed up at my mom's house two days before Christmas she didn't even have a tree, hence making my super extra last minute christmas eve shopping that didn't even get started till after 3pm due to a shortage of vehicles and competing interests, even more ridiculous than necessary, I guess you shouldn't be all that surprised. True story.

But really, it wouldn't really be a true "Nigerian Last name" family Christmas without a ridiculous amount of last minute scrambling, although this year we really out did ourselves. For the first time in our family history, we literally put up all the Christmas decorations, tree included, on December 24th. Additionally, my mother decided to instill a new tradition of each one of us bringing/cooking a new dish we've never made or shared with the family before. Hence this dabble into bread making for me, a pomegranate guacamole [not pictured, my bad] courtesy of my six years younger and six inch taller sister [really God? REALLY THOUGH? *tart face*] ridiculously delicious vegan collard greens [also not pictured, when, ever, will I learn that as a food blogger, I'm supposed to document all eatings at all times?] from big sister, and a turkey day repeat, by adamant request, of German Apple Cake from my mom [I think I tweeted this pic]. Hence, the reason for that hammer and nails on the kitchen table as I'm chopping herbs, in case you were wondering, is because my mom was in full decorating and/or fixing things mode while I was prepping the lamb, and everything had to be done in one night.
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F***K SOPA & PIPA

2012-01-18T14:16:00.001-05:00

Soo...I kinda forgot about the whole protesting SOPA/PIPA Internet blackout day. MY BAD. But there's no time like the present to stand up for what you believe in, and what I don't believe in is Internet censorship.

Read up on this pending legislation here (info graphics are awesome) and here (wikipedia is also awesome).

¡Viva la resistencia!

A Modest Teaspoon for the Generous Tablespoon

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

"In my case I have been known to substitute a modest teaspoon [of butter] for the generous tablespoon.

Finally, I do think the way to a full and healthy life is to adapt the sensible system of "small helpings, no seconds, no snacking, and a little bit of everything." Above all--have a good time!

What a happy task you have set for yourself! The pleasures of the table are infinite. Toujours bon appétit!"

-Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking

I am LOVING my new cookbook! It's the gift that keeps on giving.

¡Hasta Luego!

Garlic Parmesan Top Knots

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about cute food. Now if you know me well, or in any capacity really, than you probably know that"cute" is probably the last word I would use to describe food. As far as I'm usually concerned, guys who are attractive, but missing that oh so important x factor and/or look like 12 year old boys are cute. Puppies are cute. Some babies are cute. [Yeah, I said it!] But food...food is flavor, and texture, and color, and plating and all things awesome, but generally not cute.

Or so I thought.

That darn Adrianna over at A Cozy Kitchen, she's turned me onto the wold of cute food. Maple bacon pancakes, biscuits of the same name, scones, crostinis, sandwiches, glitter nails, you name it! This girl knows her food, loves glitter, and knows how to cute things up. I kind of love her. Hence these garlic knots. There's garlic, and, Parmesan and butter, oh glorious butter, #yum. They're chock full o' cracked wheat and made with wheat flour which makes them good for you, #awesome. But it wasn't until I was tying the dough into double knots that I realized how cute they are. Too f**kin' cute! #bonuspoints

Christmas Swag

2011-12-29T14:09:00.000-05:00

A Merry Christmas it was indeed. Hope everybody had a Merry ChristmaHanuKwanzaaKah. [even if Kwanzaa if the Milli Vanilla of Holidays]. My mom got me everything I asked for, and more! I've already put my new digital scale to use, and plan on spending my day off tomorrow curled up with Julia! Be prepared for involved french recipes, coming to this blog real soon.

And as for the "and more"...

Perfecting Perfection

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Meatless Monday will be back once I stop eating EVERYTHING. 'Tis the season to be greedy, am I right?!

Speaking of the holidays, guess what's baaaaack! Brownies and Blondies! You may remember that several months ago I ventured into selling these treats on Etsy. I made a few sales, learned a few things and my life went a bit hectic and trying to get my little brownie business off the ground had to take a back burner. Well that is no longer the case. Things have settled and I'm back in business. During my time "off" I did some thinking about my core product, my piéce de résistance, my Beurre Noisette brownies. To date, the recipe that I use is awesome, regardless of if I flub the execution or not, the brownies are always slap yo' mama good. But as a very small business trying to make an name (and some cash) in the big world of Etsy, I realized that there is always room for improvement, and that even perfection can be perfected.

Now I'm no fool, when it comes to baking, I know there's very little room for change in measurements and proportions. Well actually, that's not true, because it took one "failed" batch of brownies [my roommate and I still ate them, trust!] to really learn not to play around with the measurements. Instead, I've learned to upgrade my ingredients. A brownie may be a humble confection, but even the humble deserve a luxury upgrade. And by luxury I mean Valrhona cocoa powder, Kerrygold Irish butter, and toasted walnuts. And I have to say, the upgrades were worth the investment!

And in the spirit of giving, I'm offering 25% off any purchase in my Etsy shop, Browned Butter Sweets to my blog readers with the promo code EatReadRant. I'm in the process of revamping all of my recipes and photos, so I'll keep you updated on that progress. The above promotional code doesn't expire, and I have to say these brownies make great gifts!

NomNom, folks. And happy shopping!

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Meatless Monday: Purple Cabbage & Green Onion Slaw

2011-11-28T00:47:00.001-05:00

So Thanksgivng has come and gone, and if your holiday was anything like mine, then you're probably wishing you had packed more macaroni and cheese and ham in your "to go" Tupperware while simultaneously regretting your decision to eat half your body weight in meat, mac n cheese, stuffing and 3 types of cakes during the last 72 hours. And you may or may not have eaten the skin off of half the turkey all by yourself. I plead the fifth!

If there's one thing I've learned in my 25ish years of Thanksgiving gluttony, it's how to pace myself so that I don't overeat to the point of hating myself and everything around me. Why it took me that long to learn that lesson is beyond me. However, it's also taken me 25 or so years to learn that when it comes to the holidays, and Thanksgiving especially, that I am inevitably and unabashedly going to eat nothing but meat, cheese, bread and sugar, for at least 3 consecutive days. It's just a fact of life.

When did that happen?!

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

You know how you take a break from blogging one day, and 21 days later you still haven't blogged? What about when you go on weekend trips, and start off taking pictures of everything with the intention of blogging about your trip, but then you drink 6 or so mimosas at brunch and fear that you're too drunk to safely handle your expensive camera, thus taking 0 pictures after the first few hours of said boozy brunch? How about when you share your absurd 30 before 30 list, and want to talk about some of the progress you've made only to have very little photographic evidence of such progress? And don't even get me started on the back log of recipes to blog about. No really, don't get me started, there aren't that many recipes backlogged, I've been suffering from serious foodie's block. Add to all of these things a big move and new roommates and what you've got is ME!

But you know how it goes, some days you feel like a nut, and some days you feel like drinking a bottle of wine with your new roommate. ¡Salud! There is much to be said about change, especially when it's change for the better, but why talk when I can show. If you will, here's my life in pictures, I promise some of these things I will get around to blogging about it...eventually.

Finally trying the famous Woodberry Kitchen for big sister's birthday. It lives up to all the hype and then some. I must return!
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Meatless Monday: Chickpea Patties with Yogurt Sauce

2011-10-31T13:49:00.002-04:00

Chick Pea Patties. They're kind of self explanatory, right? Ok, they're really not, but it seems my creative writing skills seem to be on hiatus at the moment. So sadly, I have no quippy vignette about my life, no cynical musings about the state of our society, no absurd commentary on why I think veganism is quite possibly a cult--I got nothing for you.

Well except for these chickpea patties, of course. And while they were in fact quite tasty, I could never suggest that they are adequate meat replacement, in the way several recipes that I came across during my research called for. I mean, c'mon, veggieheads! Pulverized chickpeas formed into a patty form and served between two pieces of bread does not a burger make. That's just a slap in the face to all the sacrificial cows and corresponding meatheads who reaped the delicious benefits of their sacrifice! I'm just sayin.

Ginger Peach Pinojito

2011-10-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

"Whose leg do I have to hump to get a dry martini around here?"-Brian Griffin, Family Guy

My sentiments exactly, except I want peaches ~~and a wet, vodka martini~~. Organic peaches to be specific. And I want them to be availalbe all gotdamn year. But sure enough, finding organic peaches in Maryland during the perniciously short season of the peach is like trying to find a pot o' gold at the end of a rainbow--and then paying damn near a ransom sum for it. So that brings me back to Brian's orignial sentiment. Whose leg do I have to hump for an organic peach that doesn't cost an arm in addition to the leg?? Why the hell are peaches only availble (in Maryland) for like two freakin months? And why do I never have the time to buy a bushel of peaches and make any and everything peach to my heart's desire? Why as ask you? WHYYYYYYY?!

These are questions that will haunt me until the day I die. Or move to Georgia. Which will never happen because I am not physically/mentally/emotionally capable of living any further south of the Mason-Dixon Line than I already do. And I can't live in a Red State either. Guess that takes the option moving back home to Jersey off the table, indefinitely. Shrug.

The Most Interesting Woman in the World

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

The Dos Equis Man may very well be the most interesting man in the world, but where is his female counterpart? Actually, during my pre-move, "must clear off my DVR before I move marathon" of Oprah Presents Master Class [among other shows], I concluded that Condoleezza Rice is a strong contender for that title. While I almost entirely and vehemently disagree with her politics, I still find her to be profoundly fascinating and, dare I say it, an inspiration. That revelation acted as a tipping point of sorts. You see, throughout this 2xth year of my life, I've been pondering "what the fudge have I done with my life?" and "~~how exactly am I going to take over the world?~~ what am I supposed to do with the rest of it?" ad nauseam. Damnit, it was suppposed to feel good to be a gangsta! But I've been feeling neither good, nor like a gangsta. What happened to me??! But Condy's riveting story and life lessons planted a seed in my head, and gave me the push I needed to acknowledge what I do want out of life, and then to go for it, full steam ahead.

The Pig & the Goat Pizza

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

So a pig and a goat walk into a bar....and wouldn't you know I googled pig and goat bar jokes and came up with nothing remotely funny? I suppose that doesn't matter because this pizza itself fills the void of a good raunchy joke any day. Besides, is it even appropriate to make a raunchy joke when talking about food? This isn't a rhetorical question, someone really needs to answer that question for me.

Even if I could somehow come up with a funny pig and a goat in a bar joke, it wouldn't apply here because the pig was the sacrificial swine that pretty much makes this pizza worth eating in its entirety [let me be clear, pizza is always worth eating in general, but not always in its entirety by 1 person in 1 night] so the goat would've been on his own, therefore ensuring whatever joke could result would most certainly be too raunchy for a food blog. So I guess I just answered my own question. Rauchy jokes+food=no bueno.

Peach Rum Stunner (Cheers to The Freakin' Weekend)

2011-10-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

So the move came and went, and such is my the way of my life, there was drama with the movers. Go figure.

I'm still very much not unpacked. But today is Friday, and rather than spend my weekend digging through boxes, spackling drywall, or scrubbing tar out of the carpet, at exactly 14:45 I'm boarding a Bolt Bust and heading to NYC for the weekend to leave my troubles behind catch up with some of the loves of my pre and post blogging life. Liz, Maddy, Ellen, Tifi, and all others, please prepare yourselves for tomfoolery, shenanigans, and the strong possibility of public ~~ratchetassness~~ drunkeness.

What better way to kick off the weekend than with a deliciously simple potent potable? Allow me to introduce you to the Peach Rum Stunner. Beware, this drink is dangerous, in the best way possible of course.

And the song goes a little like this:

Peach Rum Stunner
Print Recipe

2 parts dark rum
1.5 parts peach nectar
Bunch Fresh Mint leaves, bruised
Ice

Shake it all together. Strain the ice. Drink your face off. S L O W L Y.

¡Salud!

Life, meet Plans. (Cue $h!t Storm)

2011-09-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

So remember like two months ago, when I poured my heart out, and talked about my plans to move to Sevilla? And do you remember how I mentioned that I didn't have an explicitly clear plan, in lieu of the inevitable fact that life happens when you busy yourself making plans? Well my friends, I was right. Boy oh boy, was I right. Life is what happened ALL damn summer, which invariably prevented me from focusing long enough to eat, blog, or plan for my future in Spain. But as of Tuesday evening, I can finally breathe a little easier, sleep a little sounder, and finally start working on my "plan". But in the meantime, let me fill you in on everything that happened...
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Ginger Lime Chicken and the Past Days of Summer

2011-09-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Say it ain't so, the last days of summer are upon us. *Can we have a collective a moment of silence in observance of the passing of this cherished season.* Dear summer, I'm sure going to miss you, especially since I squandered most of the season of the sun literally running around like a chicken with my head cut off, toeing the line of sanity and reason, having little time rest nor blog. 'Till the next time we meet, I shall be waiting, and I'll be ready.

Anon.

As you would imagine, all things involving ginger and citrus=good summer eats. Throw in a copious amount of pestle-ground black pepper, as I am prone to do, and what you end up with is the start of something wonderful, and the perfect grilled chicken for a hot summer's day picnic the Reggae Wine Festival.

Meatless Monday: Roasted Pepper & Onion Pizza

2011-09-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

Do you know what I love about pizza? Well aside from the obvious reasons [cheese, crust, CHEESE]. It's the fact you can make a pizza with just about anything so long as you have a some form of crust and bountiful cheese [do you see a pattern here?]. Seeing as how pizza has been a recurring theme on this here blog, it should come as no surprise that I've created yet another pie of epic deliciousness, and literally with everything that was inside my refrigerator which somehow turned out to be vegetarian.

Really it all started with some green peppers that I bought at the farmers market and then forgot about, even though they had been sitting in plain sight for a whole week. Well it's not so much that I forgot about them, as that I had no time to cook, what with all the simultaneous car shopping and apartment hunting that was wreaking havoc on my life for a few weeks.

My Fast Likes Winning!

2011-09-08T16:45:00.000-04:00

Hola lovers! I'm back! I'm sure you're thinking, where the EFF have I been? Or why the EFF am a week late announcing the giveaway winner? And I'm sure you're definitely thinking you don't want to hear about another damn rabbit hole for as long as you live and blog. Am I right? I know I'm so tired of falling down rabbit holes, I could vomit. But you know, life happens, and it turns out, I'm not as good at multitasking as I thought I was. But no worries, I'm here now, and I've got news! For starters, the winner of the oh so colorful kitchen set is Noelani from Mon Petit Chou Chou! Congrats lady, inbox me so I can snail mail you your gift :-)

And for my news....
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From Spain with Love

2011-08-25T04:00:00.000-04:00

I carry Spain in my heart. Every. Single. Day. This much, you know is true. Do you know how I know that you know this about me?

Because more than a few people have told me that whenever they hear or see some reference to Spain, they think of me. That makes me feel loved. And I need a lot of love these days. Lots of it. And I need a car. And a roommate. And a place to live. But I literally don't have the energy to talk about that sh*tf*ckery today. Ugh.

But back to you knowing me and my Spain.

So my friend and fellow epicurean blogger (and fellow Blue Hen, go UD!) Keeley over at My Life on a Plate totally put me on to my newest food tv obsession, From Spain with Love. It comes on the Cooking Channel, which is by and large 8 bajillion times better than the Food Network. The moment she told me about the show (and that it reminded her of me) I added it to my DVR. Because I DVR food shows all the time. That's totally normal, right?? *nervous laugh* This past weekend, the first in which I was not contractually obligated to be reading a Harry Potter book and/or celebrating a Leo's birthday, I finally had the chance to watch the show. And sure enough, I LOVE it. But there's a twist to this story. You see, I don't actually have the Cooking Channel on my satellite ~~f*ck comcast!~~ package. When Keeley told me about it, I just happened to have a free preview of it for a few weeks. And then one day, like Kaizer Soze, the Cooking Channel was gone and I was left destitute and alone with only the Food Network to sustain yet not entertain me. Whatever is a Jersey girl, who is going to move to Spain, and totally obsessed with watching good food television to do?! Well it turns out, I can simply do laundry at my sister, Odichi's house and watch it there, because she also thought of me when she saw it, and promptly added it to her DVR! Now that, my friends is love. Hermanas rock!

{Source}

Meatless Monday: Fire Roasted Corn Salad

2011-08-22T04:00:00.000-04:00

S U M M E R T I M E

and the livin' is easy....

If only that were true. I love summer, but even if the livin' were easy, it would still most certainly be busy, almost to the point of absurdity, especially for a sun worshiper like me. You see, during late fall through early spring, I suffer from a mild form of Seasonal Affective Disorder, otherwise known as the I hate everyone and everything because the sun went down at 4:30pm and I have to walk home and then walk the poodle when it's 25 degrees outside not counting the windchill, it's too cold to anything fun and tomatoes are out of season, when the EFF is it going to be summer again?! blues. Then, after I spend the better half of a year wishing for summer, it finally arrives, and before you can say sunscreen, I'm practically running around outside waving my hands over my head, shouting Ke$ha lyrics at strangers because ~~THIS PLACE'S ABOUT TO BLOW-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH~~ it's summer! During the 90 glorious days in which sunshine pours from the heavens in copious quantities, I make it my personal mission to eat, drink, laugh, splash, and frolic my way into summer bliss at any and every given opportunity. Yes, it's that serious.

So I decided that the epicurean-focused portion of my quest for summertime bliss could not and would not be complete without a fabulous picnic at the Reggae Wine Festival. That's right, reggae bands+wine+bougie picnic=Awesome. Naturally, I felt that my fabulous picnic spread would be nothing less than uncivilized without a fantastic summer salad, and thought it nothing less than divine intervention when I came across a video of Chef Marcus Samuelsson making a roasted corn salad, and then found the perfect recipe from Williams-Sonoma.

It's Saturday, What?!

2011-08-20T14:15:00.000-04:00

Hola guapos! It's Saturday, and I've finally broken my blog posting silence, and that can only mean one thing: my adventurous journey into the magical world of Harry Potter has come to a fantastic close. At approximately 4:10 this morning, I stood by Harry, Ron, and Hermione until the very end. I must say that I've never been so captivated by fictional characters like this in my life. For those of you who have read Harry Potter, I'm sure you understand, and I'm glad to say that I'm now part of the club.

Now we all know I've been really absent this summer, and for that I apologize. But I'm back now, and I have so much to share with you guys. I actually wanted to mark my comeback with a bang, and by bang I mean gifts, and by gifts I mean a giveaway. BUT I haven't read a single one of your blogs in over a week, and I think I'll start there. But know this, I'll be back, bright and early Monday morning!

Until then..

¡Besos!

This Woman is Ruining My Life!

2011-08-05T12:17:00.000-04:00

Talented heifer!

Do you know what I just did? I left work, with a big pile of "$hit to get done" on my desk, and ran to the library to return book 5 and check out book 6. I just got back to my office. There's sweat in my hair, I'm slightly winded and I'm also precariously behind schedule on that $hit that needs to get done in time for my meeting at 2pm. But I don't care, because I got book 6, which is mercifully short at 652 pages, and I'm that much closer to knowing how it all ends! I'm obsessed. I'm tired, and I definitely had to talk myself out a panic when I heard something go bump in the night just after I finished book 5 around 1am this morning. I'm not even going to pretend that I'm going to blog until I finish these books. And while I've fallen behind on your blogs before for less legitimate reasons, please know that I'll be back to your blogs as soon as I finish this quest, because at this point I can't stop myself. This is all I have time to say, gotta get back to my real job now!

Merry Friday!

Meatless Monday: City Girl Coleslaw

2011-08-01T07:00:00.010-04:00

¡Sin mayonesa, por favor! In addition to, "Si, soy Americana, y yo no voté por George Bush" and "¿Donde está el baño?" I am absolutely certain that these will be the most important words of my Spanish lexicon to ensure both a smooth and happy transition transition to my future life in Spain. You see, the Spanish are really into mayonnaise, and for as long as I've been alive, I have harbored a pure and unadulterated hatred toward mayonnaise that was the cause of many b!tch fits/food tantrums in my childhood. In an outright defiance of the expectations of the maturation of the palate from infancy to adulthood, it seems that my disdain for this condiment has actually gotten worse. No longer can my taste buds ignore the presence and rancid taste of mayonnaise in classic dishes like coleslaw and potato salad. No more will I subject myself to forcibly ingesting portabello sandwiches that would otherwise be perfect had they not been smeared with "garlic aoli" because the owners of Soup's On refuse to make a yogurt based garlic spread per my telepathically demanded, though never verbally submitted requests. NO MORE! Today this city girl takes a stand! Today, I declare my war on mayonnaise! Whose with me?!

Now that I've amassed an army formidable enough to take on the evil mayonnaise empire, the first matter of business is this 1000% awesome, though hardly original, mayonnaise-free coleslaw, fit for city girls and mayonnaise haters alike.

Pan Roasted Dijon Chicken

2011-07-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Chicken. Oh how I don't hate it, but don't love it either. I'm kinda on the fence about chicken, which obviously flies in the face of the ridiculous stereotypes that revolve around black people and chicken. Now before you start inching your cursor closer to that little "x" in the corner of your screen, I promise I'm not about to launch into some rant about racial stereotypes or race relations. I'm hardly motivated nor smart enough to write such a rant in a sensical manner, especially not after the two glasses of wine I just had with dinner. I would just like to state for the record that the stereotype annoys me because as far as I can tell from the absurd amount of food focused television that I watch (and DVR), chicken is universally popular amongst most meat-eating cultures, and I'm utterly flabbergasted as to how we got singled out for it in such a ridiculous way. And that's all I have to say about that.

My problem with chicken is that I suck at cooking it. It's not that I don't know what I'm doing, it's just that I find myself making chicken dishes with the same flavor profiles over and over and OVER. This redundancy is largely due to my lack of natural creativity as well as my absurd level of pickyness that's so ridiculous in fact, that I'm amazed I can even call myself a foodie. However, in recognition of my shortcomings, I have increasingly turned to others by way of food blog stalking and a subscription to Food & Wine magazine for culinary inspiration. Which is where this dish comes along. And for the record, it was amazing.