For lunch I made Matt and I egg salad sandwiches. I hard-boiled 4 eggs then mixed in Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, red bell pepper, celery seed, garlic powder, salt and pepper then put it on two slices of toasted whole wheat bread. It was the perfect late afternoon lunch!
Right after lunch I started making dinner. On the menu for the evening was a whole roasted chicken with roasted vegetables and then Individual Dark-Chocolate Pudding Cakes.I never, ever thought I would be able to cook a whole chicken. Growing up I used to watch my parents cook whole turkeys and chickens and thought it was disgusting! You want me to do what with a whole bird?! No thank you. Give me indistinguishable shapes to cook with please! It really wasn't that bad! It was easy, delicious and there are leftovers for chicken salad sandwiches!
Whole roasted chicken
Veggies before roasting. If I remember correctly they were yellow beets and watermelon turnips from Boston Organics. Aren't they beautiful?!
Photo of the final assembled dinner plate
Accompanying dinner and dessert were lots of cocktails. Matt decided to play mixologist at our home restaurant for the night. Pre-dinner cocktails, red wine with dinner and a glass of champagne with dessert. Here is a picture of the pre-dinner drinks. A gin martini for me and a vodka soda water for Matt.
After dinner I started making dessert. Here is a picture of the pudding cakes right out of the oven. Sorry the photos are a little fuzzy, it was after a couple of cocktails.
Then again after I scooped them out of their hot bowls and topped them with vanilla ice cream and Valentines Day themed sprinkles.
Roast Chicken Review
Matt's Review: It was delicious. Our own, homemade rotisserie chicken.
Lauren's Review: It was good and easier than I thought it would be.
Final decision: Keeper
I have no idea where I got this recipe from but here it verbatim to the little piece of paper it is on.
Roast Chicken
Ingredients
1 small whole chicken 3 - 3.5 lbs
McCormick Season Salt
Black pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
1 quarter of green pepper and 1 quarter of small onion placed inside cavity
Directions:
Wash chicken
Season chicken inside cavity and outside.
Bake at 450 for 1 hour and 45 minutes. (Believe me it will be done)
Rest for 10 minutes.
Serve.
*450 was too high for our oven. I turned it down to 400 for the last 45 minutes and I think the chicken was still overcooked. *
Individual Dark-Chocolate Pudding Cakes
Matt's review: Yum!
Lauren's review: They weren't what I expected them to be. They weren't as moist or as "pudding" as I expected them to be.
Final decision: Trash
Individual Dark-Chocolate Pudding Cakes
Ingredients
Batter:
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 t baking powder
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 T unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c sugar
1/4 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 c whole milk
1 oz white chocolate, chopped into 3/4-inch pieces (~ 1/4 c)
Topping:
2 1/2 T granulated sugar
2 1/2 T packed light-brown sugar
1/4 c unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 c boiling water
vanilla ice cream, for serving
Make the batter: preheat the oven to 350, with rack in center. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
Stir together butter, sugar & vanilla in another medium bowl. Stir in flour mixture & milk, then the chocolate.
Make the topping: Stir sugars in a small bowl, smoothing any lumps. Sift in cocoa powder; stir to combine.
Place 3 ramekins (each 3 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches deep) on a baking sheet. Pour in batter. Sprinkle with topping. Pour 1/4 c boiling water into each. Bake until set, 25 - 28 minutes. Top with ice cream; serve immediately.
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