valentines day and chicken!

I hope that you had a fantastic Valentines Day!

I certainly did. Me and the missus (after she finished taking a test at school) cooked a deeeeeeeelicious supper, and I'll post the recipe.

I got a pair of excellent books for Valentines presents, which I'll talk about later.

Anyway, we hung out, cooked food, drank wine, played Carcassone Castle and enjoyed each others company. Good times.

Also, Maddie cut all her hair off, and now sports a haircut that would make Alyssa Milano grind her teeth with envy.


Baked Chickenw ith Apricots and Olives
Two chickens (3 to 4lbs), cut into 8 pieces each
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 to 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 bayleaves
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dry white wine

Rine and dry chicken, then season with salt and pepper. Double two one-gallon resealable plastic bags and combine remaining ingredients in them,. Add chicken and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator overnight (or at least 2 hours), turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large roasting pan or two 9 by 13 inch pans, arrange chicken and sauce in a single layer with skin side up. Bake 1 hour, basting frequently during second half hour. If chicken isn't golden brown, place under broiler. Transfer chicken, apricots and olives to serving platter. Put remaining juices in small saucepan, skim excess fat and cook over medium-high heat until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Pour over chicken. Refrigerate if not serving immediately. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 10 to 12.
(recipe comes from http://www.weekendmag.com/)