Nothing fancy this time, just back in the saddle again.....

I must apologize to you all for my lack of posts!  After finishing up a 2 year position with the Jesuits, I had a week off to reboot, recharge and refresh before I start out on the next chapter of my life... a new job at the Roxbury Latin School.  I was able to travel to Cincinnati with my daughter to visit some wonderful friends.  While there, I was brought to a place called Findlay Market.  Inside this market was a booth called Colonel De.  The Colonel had a long counter piled with glass jars full of spices, flavored salts and sugars, and a million other things to smell and taste!  I think we spent an hour there, talking with the Colonel, smelling spices and learning a lot!

I figured my first meal ought to use some of my delicious purchases, so I picked out a spice mixture called Baharat.

This mix reminded me of a middle eastern spice, probably because of the cinnamon and cardamom.  Couldn't think of anything else to put it on but chicken, so I took some thighs and legs, sprinkled sea salt and Baharat all over, sprayed a little Pam on them, and popped them in the oven.

You wouldn't believe how amazing they smelled as they cooked!  Next up, I decided to make some ginger Jasmine rice.  This rice is so different from regular rice....it almost has a sweetness to it that, paired with freshly grated ginger, comes out delicious!

2 cups of chicken broth, some butter, probably a couple of tablespoons of freshly grated ginger, and the rice.  When it's done, I fluff it up, and add some additional chopped ginger.  I have to tell you, with both the chicken and rice cooking at the same time, everyone in this house came in to find out what I was cooking this time!  The aroma was unbelievable!

No meal is complete with the veggies, right?  So I decided to grab my favorite brussel sprouts.  After washing and cutting them, I spread them out on a pan and sprinkle with olive oil, white wine, sea salt, and another one of my new spice mixes:

 

This was not like your usual lemon pepper you buy at the store, probably because it had fresh lemon zest and lemon verbena.  I roasted these, stirring a few times on their way to perfection.

So there you have it.  What made this meal fancy was the flavors in each dish!  I highly recommend visiting the Colonel's web site (www.colonelde.com), just to see what I am talking about!  So cool...

I am now trying to think of what to make for dinner tonight... I have 3 pots of fresh basil just waiting to be planted outside, once the rain goes away, which isn't supposed to until the end of the week!  My poor furniture is getting soaked, but the honeysuckle is thriving as you can see!

Sooo.... fresh basil, arugala, pasta, and some sort of protein.  Stay tuned to see what comes out of my new kitchen next!