Received my FRESH PLATE kick-starter box on Friday 9/8/2017. Had a real busy weekend and was unable to cook my first meal until Sunday.  Here is my first meal THE RICOTTA STUFFED CHICKEN WITH TOMATO PANZANELLA. I would say all in all it took me about 2 hours from start to finish. It was delicious and I would order it again

Here is the stuff I added, salt, pepper, olive oil, and a small bread roll

Here's the stuff I left out the "CIABATTA" (sorry it was hard as a rock)

The paper bag 

The paper bag had ricotta, tomatoes vinegar, garlic, rosemary and basil

CHICKEN

outside the bag was the lemon and shallot. 

Make sure to wash and dry all your produce/herbs, and pat dry your chicken.

Special equipment needed was the zester/juicer.

Heated my oven to 425 degrees and cut my roll into 1" pieces tossed it with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Placed it in a cast iron skillet and toasted it for 8 minutes. 

finely chopped my rosemary and garlic

In a small bowl I mixed the zest, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and ricotta

Placed the ricotta mixture under the skin of the two chicken breasts.

Placed the chicken in the cast iron skillet with some salt and pepper.Went into the oven for about a half hour. meanwhile... 

Halved the tomatoes chopped the shallot and basil

Made a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper

Here is the panzanella salad. 

Here is the chicken. 

Here is my lovely dinner. 

I really want this startup to work, so if you live in Washington state you can order some 

freshplatenw.com

Crock-pot Rosemary, White Balsamic, Date and Shallot Chicken

Slow Cooker Rosemary, White Balsamic, Date and Shallot Chicken

2 Large Chicken Breasts cut in half
Olive oil
1 Very Large Shallot
10 pitted dates
5 sprigs of rosemary
1/4 cup of white balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Bouillon cube (optional)

For Christmas I received an awesome crock-pot.

You can set the removable pot on your stove, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to brown the salt and peppered chicken. when the skin is crispy remove the pot to the slow cooker and set timer on low for 6-8 hours. Slice the shallot and dates throw them in. Pull the rosemary off one of the sprigs chop and sprinkle it on top of the chicken. Lay the other sprigs on top. Add the bouillon to the balsamic vinegar to dissolve and pour over chicken. Put the lid on it. and cook.

Destroy all evidence that you got the idea from PaleOMG!

Thanks Lillian and Norman for my awesome Christmas present.

Snow Day 2/6/17 Scenes from the Backyard (I think I'm trapped in a Snowglobe)

It's already February and I thought I'd be doing more post this year. I still have stuff from January to show off but for now I will show you scenes from my backyard. Can't or won't leave my house today.

Why 2016? Why?

I'm mystified by all the weird, wild occurrences of  the past year, but to me the most bizarre, more than having a reality show celebrity elected president is the senselessness I felt at the death of my cousin Ruben. I felt he was like me, smart, sassy, and never quite fit in. I don't recall the last time we talked but, I remember he always made me feel like the wild child I always thought I was.  When we were kids we used to run around town thinking we owned the place, I felt he always understood the desire to run out of the smallness of my world like no one else. I want to recapture some of that go-luckiness I used to have. So, in honor of all that have passed in 2017(especially my Ruben), I resolve to find a little of the wicked, wild me of the late 80's early 90's.

Warm wishes from our home to yours. Happy NEW Year 2017!