Julie and Julia, My Way

Oct
1

Post by community member:

Last February I picked up a copy of Best of the Sunset Cookbook, 101 Top Recipes.

sunsetcookbook-1

As I thumbed through it and saw all the delicious looking dishes, I thought to myself “I could make every recipe in this magazine.

I decided to do just that. I would make the recipe, post a blog entry about it, and review the recipe. I gave myself one year to complete the task. I did the math and realized that I could get it done if I made two recipes a week.

Well, I have fallen behind and now have to make three recipes a week if I want to finish on time. What I have also realized after working on the project–there are some funky recipes in this magazine. I seem to be saving them for a rainy day. My husband probably doesn’t realize that a time will come when he finds tofu, gazpacho and octopus on his plate all in the same week! Right now he says it’s fun coming to the dinner table and finding something new. Be careful what you wish for, Michael.

Along the way we have found some of the recipes to just be outstanding and I thought I would share two of those with the CITR readers. The combination of the two would make a superb dinner.

The main course is Grandmother’s Chicken or Poulet Grand-Mere as the French would say. It is so good and so flavorful. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the vegetables so rustic and hearty. Make this recipe and don’t change a thing!

grandmotherschicken-1-2

How to make Grandmother’s Chicken: Printable

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken (4 to 5 lbs.), cut into 6 pieces (2 bone-in breast halves, 2 bone-in thighs, and 2 bone-in drumsticks)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen pearl onions
6 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and halved
3 slices thick-cut bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/4-in.-wide pieces
1 pound cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed and cut into quarters
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed 4- to 5-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add skin side down to pot. Cook until skin is crispy and deeply browned, about 12 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.

Pour off all but 2 tbsp. cooking fat, reduce heat to medium-low, and add onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, then add potatoes and bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is well browned, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but a thin layer of fat.

Add mushrooms and chicken stock, bring liquid to a boil, and cook until liquid is reduced by one-quarter. Arrange chicken, skin side up, on top of vegetables.

Transfer pot to oven and bake, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.


If you want the perfect dinner roll to go along with your Poulet Grand-Mere, I wholeheartedly suggest this recipe for Squash Dinner Rolls. Made with pureed winter squash, these rolls are just about the most delightful thing I have ever tasted. Because I can, I used my food processor to puree the butternut squash and my bread machine to make the dough. We also didn’t let these cool before eating them as the recipe recommends. Who does that? Nope, you want that butter to melt.

Squash Dinner Rolls2

How to make Squash Dinner Rolls: Printable

1 1/2 cups warm milk
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup puréed squash or canned pumpkin
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for pan
2 teaspoons poppy or sesame seeds

In a large bowl, combine milk with yeast, sugar, and salt. Let stand 5 minutes, then add egg and beat well to combine.

Add squash and shortening; mash with a fork until shortening is in small pieces. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well with a wooden spoon. Gradually mix in more flour by the cupful until dough collects around spoon and pulls away from sides of bowl (you may not need all the flour).

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead 2 minutes. Put dough in a greased bowl; cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400° and butter a large baking sheet. Punch dough down, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead until dough is smooth and supple, about 7 minutes. Cut dough into 4 balls; cut each ball into 6 pieces.

Roll each piece into a round and arrange rounds on baking sheet so they barely touch. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds; cover with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes.

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then pull apart to serve.

These are so good you deserve another photo of the whole pan.

Squash Dinner rolls1


I hope you make these recipes and enjoy them as much as we did. As for me, I am off to make Salt-Crusted Beets with Avocado, Lavender, and Thyme. Lavender, really? Who does that?

Mary blogs at Buck ‘N Run Ranch.

Do you have a recipe post or kitchen-related story to share on the Farm Bell blog?
See Farm Bell Blog Submissions for information, the latest blog contributor giveaway, and to submit a post.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.

What can you enter to win this month? Click here.




Comments

  1. kellyb says:

    Mary,

    It’s 7:30 in the morning and I just called my husband and told him to bring a chicken home for dinner. I’m drooling already! I also just happen to have butternut squash rehydrating in the fridge. Were you peaking in my windows? These recipes look fantastic and I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing. Great post I look forward to more.

  2. CindyP says:

    Great post, Mary!

    Really interesting that you’re making ALL of those recipes! Cannot wait to hear how Michael’s week goes with that menu 😉

    Wondering if the lavender helped with the beets at all? I really don’t like beets, but I love lavender. I can’t see lavender helping them much though! LOL!

  3. Mary says:

    Thanks Cindy,

    I made the beet salad but had to omit the culinary lavender as it was no where to be found. My neighbor grows it but doesn’t bloom this time of year. I would have had to order it online. The golden beets I had searched for were not going to wait for that so I just left it out. The beet salad was delicious but the 3 pounds of wasted salt bothered me.

  4. Liz Pike says:

    Oh my Mary, these sound absolutely delicious! My mom just called to tell about a special on chicken at our favorite grocery store. Will now have to add butternut squash to the grocery list so we can have both recipes this weekend!

  5. Mary says:

    Hope you like them Liz!

    Thanks to Suzanne for allowing me to guest post, to everyone for the kind comments, and to all the CITR readers who visited my blog today. I had my busiest day ever! Imagine what could happen if I buy a cow!

Add Your Thoughts



Search Farm Bell Recipes

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
All Recipes
Appetizers & Snacks
Bagels
Bean Soups
Beans
Beans, Grains & Rice
Beef
Beverages
Biscuits
Blog
Boiling Water Bath
Bread Machine
Breads
Breakfast
Brownies
Budget
BWB Condiments
BWB Fruits
BWB Jams, Jellies, Butters & Preserves
BWB Marmalades & Conserves
BWB Other
BWB Pickles & Pickled Stuff
BWB Salsas
BWB Sauces
BWB Tomatoes & Combos
BWB Vegetables
Cakes
Candy
Canning
Casserole
Casserole
Casserole
Cereals
Cheese
Cheesecakes
Chilis
Chowders
Cobblers
Coffee Cake
Cold Remedies
Condiments
Cookery 101
Cookies & Bars
Cream Soups
Crisps
Crock Pot
Crowd-Size
Crusts
Cupcakes
Cure & Smoke
Dairy
Dehydrating
Desserts
Diabetic
Dips
Doughnuts
Dressings
Egg Dishes
Eggs
Entertaining
Fat-Free
Featured
Fermenting
Fillings
Fish
Food Photography
Freezing
Frostings & Icings
Frozen
Fruit Breads
Fruit Cakes
Fruit Salads
Fruits
Gift Basket Goodies
Giveaways
Gluten-Free
Goat Cheeses
Gourmet
Gravies
Griddles
Grill-Outdoor Cooking
Hard Cheeses
Herbs & Spices
Holiday
Homemade Cheese
How To
Ice Creams
Ingredients
Ingredients & Mixes
Jell-O
Jell-O Salads
Kid-Friendly
Kitchen Gadgets
Kosher
Lactose-Free
Lamb
Leftovers
Lettuce & Greens
Low-Carb
Low-Fat
Low-Sodium
Main Dish
Marinades
Meat Salads
Meet the Cook
Muffins
Non-Dairy
Old-Fashioned
One Dish Meal
Other Breads
Other Breakfast
Other Condiments
Other Dairy
Other Desserts
Other Main Dish
Other Salads
Other Side Dishes
Other Soups & Stews
Other Special Diets
Pasta
Pasta
Pasta Salads
Pastries
PC Beef
PC Chicken
PC Meats
PC Other
PC Poultry
PC Soups & Stews
PC Veggies
Pets
Pickling
Pies
Pizza
Pizza Crusts
Pork
Potato Salads
Potatoes
Potluck
Poultry
Presentation
Preserving
Pressure Canning
Pressure Cooker
Puddings & Custards
Recipe Requests
Relishes & Chutneys
Rolls
Rubs
Salads
Salads
Salsas
Sandwiches
Sauces
Scones
Seafood
Side Dishes
Soft Cheeses
Soups & Stews
Sourdough
Special Diets
Special Occasions
Steam Juicer
Stocks
Stuffings
Substitutions
Syrups
Tarts
Tips & Tricks
Tortillas & Pitas
Using FBR
Vegan
Vegetable Breads
Vegetable Salads
Vegetables
Vegetarian
Wild Game
Yeast Breads


If you would like to help support the overhead costs of this website, you may donate. Thank you!





Thanks for being part of our community!