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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Mystery

This is a dinner that almost wasn't.
I must have found this recipe last weekend while I was home alone. And I must have gone thru the list of ingredients (mostly all stuff you'd have already in a well stocked kitchen) and ordered what I didn't have to be delivered from Peapod.
Then, this week happened. Stress. Wanting to cry. Feeling like it's my 1st year all over again things are so hard. I forgot all about my planned out dinner.
So when THIS showed up in my grocery bags yesterday I had no clue what it was for.
Fennel seed? What did I buy THAT for?
Quick search thru my internet history and viola, here I am eating now!
What are fennel seeds? Stay with me, you'll see.
Sidetrack - back in day I use to eat fresh, delicious fennel, the taste twin of everyone's favorite candy licorice. LOVE FENNEL!
Food Network allows you the option of printing the recipe in card format. Clearly I did not do that. Note to self: fix printer.
I also really didn't follow the recipe all that much aside from which ingredients to use. Most measurements I eyeballed.
There my friends are fennel seeds. The smell took me back to muddy feet & ladybug days.
The recipe said "coarsely crushed". I laid the knife ontop of the seeds and rocked the knife back and forth. I feel like I learned that somewhere fancy!
Like I said, this recipe is great because it has only a few ingredients and aside from the fennel seed you probably have everything in your kitchen now. Wait, well you may need the basil too. BUT remember last week's recipe? Yup, the basil was still edible so I used the leftovers!
There's a marinade for the chicken which is basically lemon juice, olive oil & the fennel seeds. So simple!
Ah lemon. I love this picture, really. I used the juice from one lemon for the marinade & fake juice for the sauce. Whatever. Also the sauce calls for grated lemon peel. You can slice a thin piece of peel off, just try not to get any bitter white from the fruit. I know I heard that somewhere fancy!!
Here's the second part of the recipe, the basil sauce in the works. Pink Cuisinart I love you long time. I made this while the marinade was doing it's thing.
Here's the finished product on a a pretty plate, ready to be eaten. I added raw baby carrots (please if I ate fresh fennel as a kid you know I love raw veggies) and some slices of Pecorino Romano cheese. This recipe could very easily become a favorite. It's simple to make and tastes SO refreshing.
I have plenty of leftover basil sauce. I think it would be great on pasta with freshly cut tomatoes and some sliced cheese on top. Or possibly as it's own marinade.
One more thing, since all this talk of fennel makes me think of being a little girl, I must point out this beautiful song little sister added to a recent blog post.

I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of a little home for me.
I played pretend between the trees, and fed my houseguests bark and leaves, and laughed in my pretty bed of green.
I had a dream
That I could fly from the highest swing.
I had a dream ~ Priscilla Ahn, Dream

Happy Thursday!


xo,
Michelle

ps- For my husband Tommy, If you could only flip the bird to the corporate world and come home for dinner. Thank you for working so hard for us today & for our future. Don't forget I want a ginormous, amazeballs kitchen in our dream house :) Love you to the moon and back, Your Little Wife

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