Well, blogging over the winter has been a MASSIVE FAILURE. Believe it or not, I did in fact cook Winter Warmers every week. They were delicious. And warm. Did I write posts about them after Week 7? No. (Face palm).
I don’t typically talk about work on any kind of social media, so let’s just say that we’re working on a huge project, I work a lot of hours, and the LAST thing I have wanted to do is spend more time staring at the screen if I don’t have to. My eyeballs are like raisins and I’m pretty sure I’m going to jump up two more clicks in my add (bifocal) power. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel (fingers crossed) and spring is here, so we’re movin’ on! That brings me to my next topic: Spring Fling!
For our Spring cooking adventure, we’re having a “fling” with two of our cookbooks. Jarrod and I each picked a book and we’re going to focus on alternating between the two of them and making more than just one or two things; so I have dubbed this our Spring Fling. The books we chose are Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman (my pick) and Heart and Soul in the Kitchen by Jacques Pépin (Jarrod’s pick). So without further ado…
Spring Fling Week 1: Poulet a’ la creme with Wild Rice
This is not a new one, Jarrod has made this dish before, I think back during French Fall. It’s a keeper for sure! Tender chicken with mushrooms and creamy sauce served up with the wild rice, yum! We love anything Jacques Pepin does. If you haven’t watched any of his shows (with Julia Child are my favorites) do yourself a favor and watch a few. If you don’t have time for that, at the very least look him up on YouTube and watch him make an omelet, and also chop/mince garlic. Both things are mesmerizing! The chicken recipe could also not be easier and there are no out-of-the-ordinary ingredients. Chicken thighs are magical. If you always use chicken breasts, give the thighs a try. The only thing I altered: I didn’t have tarragon so just used some parsley to finish.
For the rice, I didn’t use a recipe. I sautéed a finely diced shallot and two cloves of garlic in a couple of tablespoons of butter, then added in 1 cup of wild rice. Let the rice toast in the butter for a couple of minutes (this step is worth it!). Add 2 cups of chicken broth, salt to taste, let it come to a simmer. Turn down the heat and cover, and let it gently cook until the liquid has cooked out and the rice is soft, it will take 20-30 minutes. Could not be easier! Or more delish! While my rice was cooking, I started the chicken. (And I may have poured a splash of wine into the rice too.) Once they were both ready, I spooned them into pasta bowls. The only thing I would have added is a little crusty bread, but I’m down 10 lbs. and trying to watch the bread intake. But yeah, the bread would have been lovely to soak up the sauce… mmm bread.
Anyway, I’m going to do my best to get some more frequent posts written! We’ve both had our first vaccine, second one is scheduled in about a week and a half, and hopefully life is going to slowly return to normal! But until then, we cook! Stay safe friends!
Cheers! ~ Jen
