Yesterday started off strong, with a lovely roasted chicken recipe. Unfortunately, I'm still getting used to our new oven & stove. It's gas, and cooks so differently from previous ovens. The recipe I was using called for an initial higher heat to crisp everything, then you lower & cook for longer. I made two rookie mistakes. The drippings at the bottom burned on the initial higher heat, and then I used a probe (came with the oven) to measure the internal temperature & trusted it. When we went to cut the chicken... it was not done. This was especially annoying, as I'd made roasted potatoes & brussel sprouts, & the chicken could have easily kept cooking. I was over it, after hours in the kitchen, and whipped up a few other options to go with the potatoes & sprouts (both of which, luckily, turned out beautifully) & kept the chicken in the oven. M sliced it & cleaned up while I showered & cursed the chicken, so not all was lost. But, I hate a kitchen fail, particularly one that takes so much time.
Let's hope today's kitchen adventures are more successful. Here's what's on the to do list today:
- Make cranberry muffins
- Make taco meat for Thursday's dinner (freeze)
- Have the boys call my parents
- Make a video for M's parents
- Mail & package a couple of eBay sales
- Figure out house organization ahead of my parents visit
- Clean garage with M
- Check on vegetable garden (it's been really cold) & see if I need to pick all of the green tomatoes
- Go for a run
- Clean the tiered tray
- Review calendar
- Make plan for the week
- Make workout schedule for the week
- Laundry (always)
Ugh, I feel for you as I do not like a kitchen fail either. I made the Olive Garden Chicken Pasta this week and it was good. Reheating it as leftovers made it dry though. I mixed some sour cream and Italian dressing to give it a little sauce and that really helped to cut the dryness. That was nice of M to clean it up and slice it while you showered. It's so great to have help like that.
ReplyDeleteNice creative save!
DeleteI put two chicken breasts in the air fryer and had bloody chicken. I put it back in and had dry chicken. We ate the vegetables and the chicken later. I did not feel like making anything else like you did. We may have had a cheese sandwich. Now, I hate the air dryer.
ReplyDeleteSorry - it's the worst when your plans fall apart. Hopefully you can get the hang of the air fryer!
DeleteOh we all have those. It is aggravating when you work so hard. My last one was sweet potato fries, over cooked and burned and sweet potatoes are so expensive!
ReplyDeleteSo frustrating, right?!
DeleteI definitely have kitchen fails time and again, and for the most part I can rescue it some way somehow but it's still irritating! It is why I prefer to experiment with two recipes at the same time though. That way surely we still get SOME kind of dinner.
DeleteI'm brain foggy today and exhausted so I don't think there's much on my list other than wrap a present, a couple things on the computer, and rest.
Sorry. Because you had it envisioned as in recipe probably more frustrating. Im sure M's save with your seasoning it was still delicious.
ReplyDeleteThe flavor was good, my attitude, less so ;-)
DeleteI can feel your frustration. So maddening when well thought out plans go awry. Hopefully you have lots of chicken to use for future recipes, even if not for your planned dinner.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this is any help, but going forward, when the legs are at the point where just a gentle tug would separate them off the body, your chicken is done.
Over here we went on a 35 mike bike ride along the beach with our DD and her SO, including a lunch stop. It's a gorgeous 80 degrees, so we will be eating dinner outside, starting with wine. Wine is a food group, right??? 😆
Wine is my favorite food group :-) Thanks for the tip. I'll likely give the chicken another try, but not until I've had more experience with my friend the oven. Or, perhaps I'll choose a lower temp recipe that cooks for longer
DeleteYour bike ride & dinner sounds fabulous!
Your a rookie, I refuse to cook a whole bird. They hate me, even after using a thermometer and poking 6 different places it is either overcooked or uncooked. I spatch cooked a chicken and still wasn't cooked right. I am so bad with chickens I won't buy one from Costco any more because the last one had red juice at the leg and not cooked at the joint. I stick with chick tenders.
ReplyDeleteI've made one before with total success, so I'm blaming the new oven ;-)
DeleteI blame me.
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