In honor of the weekend and indulgence...Butter! Food of the gods!
"Is there anything better than butter? Think it over, any time you taste something that's delicious beyond imagining and you say 'what's in this?' the answer is always going to be butter. The day there is a meteorite rushing toward Earth and we have thirty days to live, I am going to spend it eating butter. Here is my final word on the subject, you can never have too much butter." (Julie/Julia) Never a truer statement has been said.
Now how about we reread the above quote, except replace margarine with butter, they're interchangeable right?. "... any time you taste something that's delicious beyond imagining and you say 'what's in this?' the answer is always going to be MARGARINE?" Doesn't have the same ring to it does it? Somehow if life were ending I don't think I'd be grabbing my tub of Parkay for comfort.
I can see you all jumping up and down going Cayla! I thought you were a healthy non-hippy type. I am. I said I wasn't going to talk about tofu and quinoa and so far I haven't. I also said I love food. Good food. And dishes made with butter are good, no make that great food. It certainly didn't do France any harm. You'd think the entire nation including the Eiffel Tower would keel over with a heart attack, but amazingly they don't. Viva la France!
I do believe in all things in moderation. I don't like to cut food groups and such. I wish I could eat in moderation, that would be cool, I'd be thinner. But I have not been able to find that discipline on a consistent basis as of yet. I do indulge every once in a while with butter. Sunday morning breakfast consisting of butter melting on a hot piece of toast topped with 'dippy' egg is simplistic and heavenly to me. Or going out for breakfast and ordering Eggs Benedict (my all time favorite) made with real hollandaise sauce, not 'our own cheesy sauce'. Nothing says summer like fresh corn on the cob glistening with melted butter... and a beer. I could go on, but honestly I think I'm gaining weight just talking about it. So let's just say this, like bacon - everything tastes better with butter.
There is a lot of debate over which is healthier, butter or margarine. Really when you get down to it neither are. Birthday cake isn't good for you either, but no one should celebrate a birthday without a piece of birthday cake. It's just not right. I remember my mother-out-law who used to feed us a huge meal, then a 1/4 of a homemade pie and THEN bring out the birthday cake. We'd all look at her cross eyed and in shock and she'd say "What? This isn't dessert, this is Birthday Cake. It's totally different!" True story, but I digress.
Here's the thing, if i am going to indulge in the wondrous taste that is butter, I'm going to choose the real natural product and not a man made substitute that says something like "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". Simulated. I don't like simulated anything. I want the real thing thank you very much. So, I take out a loan and buy myself a 1/2 lb of organic butter. It lasts me a long time and I enjoy every creamy, buttery bite.
OK - so if I was on reality TV the morality police would come in and check my fridge. I'm guilty. They would in fact find a tub of margarine. Hold on now though, I've had it for an awful long time. I'm cheap remember? I got it on sale in a weak moment, and I can't seem to just throw it out. So, I feed it to my husband when I'm mad at him. At the rate he's going we should be through the tub by the end of the year.
In honor of glorious butter I am going to share a chicken recipe. (That doesn't even make sense). It is really tasty and quick to prepare. When I make this for dinner, my daughter says "You mean that really good chicken that you make?" I smile and say yup. "Yay!" she says, "I love that chicken!" - she's 20. Young ones will love it too. It really is quite good. It's great cold the next day. Must be the butter.
Curry Chicken Thighs (not a strong taste of curry)
Pre-heat oven to 375F
6-8 Chicken Thighs, skinless and bone in (or more if you like)
4 Tbsp Butter
1/2 c Honey
1/4 Mustard
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Curry Powder
Melt butter in oven proof pan (like your handy cast iron frying pan).
Add remaining ingredients and give it a whisk.
Add chicken thighs to pan turning to coat with sauce ending with chicken what would be skin side up (if it still had skin on it)
Put in the oven and bake for an 45 mins to 1 hr (depending on size of thighs...not yours the chicken's)
You can baste them every 15 mins or so or leave it alone. I leave this up to you.
I serve this with brown basmati rice. I place the chicken on a bed of fresh spinach. Pour the heavenly sauce over the rice and chicken. The spinach slightly wilts with the heat. Delish!
If you make this and cut the butter portions please don't tell me because and "here is my final word on the subject, you can never have too much butter."
Now how about we reread the above quote, except replace margarine with butter, they're interchangeable right?. "... any time you taste something that's delicious beyond imagining and you say 'what's in this?' the answer is always going to be MARGARINE?" Doesn't have the same ring to it does it? Somehow if life were ending I don't think I'd be grabbing my tub of Parkay for comfort.
I can see you all jumping up and down going Cayla! I thought you were a healthy non-hippy type. I am. I said I wasn't going to talk about tofu and quinoa and so far I haven't. I also said I love food. Good food. And dishes made with butter are good, no make that great food. It certainly didn't do France any harm. You'd think the entire nation including the Eiffel Tower would keel over with a heart attack, but amazingly they don't. Viva la France!
I do believe in all things in moderation. I don't like to cut food groups and such. I wish I could eat in moderation, that would be cool, I'd be thinner. But I have not been able to find that discipline on a consistent basis as of yet. I do indulge every once in a while with butter. Sunday morning breakfast consisting of butter melting on a hot piece of toast topped with 'dippy' egg is simplistic and heavenly to me. Or going out for breakfast and ordering Eggs Benedict (my all time favorite) made with real hollandaise sauce, not 'our own cheesy sauce'. Nothing says summer like fresh corn on the cob glistening with melted butter... and a beer. I could go on, but honestly I think I'm gaining weight just talking about it. So let's just say this, like bacon - everything tastes better with butter.
There is a lot of debate over which is healthier, butter or margarine. Really when you get down to it neither are. Birthday cake isn't good for you either, but no one should celebrate a birthday without a piece of birthday cake. It's just not right. I remember my mother-out-law who used to feed us a huge meal, then a 1/4 of a homemade pie and THEN bring out the birthday cake. We'd all look at her cross eyed and in shock and she'd say "What? This isn't dessert, this is Birthday Cake. It's totally different!" True story, but I digress.
Here's the thing, if i am going to indulge in the wondrous taste that is butter, I'm going to choose the real natural product and not a man made substitute that says something like "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". Simulated. I don't like simulated anything. I want the real thing thank you very much. So, I take out a loan and buy myself a 1/2 lb of organic butter. It lasts me a long time and I enjoy every creamy, buttery bite.
OK - so if I was on reality TV the morality police would come in and check my fridge. I'm guilty. They would in fact find a tub of margarine. Hold on now though, I've had it for an awful long time. I'm cheap remember? I got it on sale in a weak moment, and I can't seem to just throw it out. So, I feed it to my husband when I'm mad at him. At the rate he's going we should be through the tub by the end of the year.
In honor of glorious butter I am going to share a chicken recipe. (That doesn't even make sense). It is really tasty and quick to prepare. When I make this for dinner, my daughter says "You mean that really good chicken that you make?" I smile and say yup. "Yay!" she says, "I love that chicken!" - she's 20. Young ones will love it too. It really is quite good. It's great cold the next day. Must be the butter.
Curry Chicken Thighs (not a strong taste of curry)
Pre-heat oven to 375F
6-8 Chicken Thighs, skinless and bone in (or more if you like)
4 Tbsp Butter
1/2 c Honey
1/4 Mustard
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Curry Powder
Melt butter in oven proof pan (like your handy cast iron frying pan).
Add remaining ingredients and give it a whisk.
Add chicken thighs to pan turning to coat with sauce ending with chicken what would be skin side up (if it still had skin on it)
Put in the oven and bake for an 45 mins to 1 hr (depending on size of thighs...not yours the chicken's)
You can baste them every 15 mins or so or leave it alone. I leave this up to you.
I serve this with brown basmati rice. I place the chicken on a bed of fresh spinach. Pour the heavenly sauce over the rice and chicken. The spinach slightly wilts with the heat. Delish!
If you make this and cut the butter portions please don't tell me because and "here is my final word on the subject, you can never have too much butter."
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