Getting Organized - Simple Ways to Calm Problem Areas

Do you have any guilty secrets in your home?

No, not skeletons in your closets, silly!  I'm referring to those areas so terrifically terrible that you fear someone will discover them.  Or those places that, despite you best efforts, you never seem to be able to tame.  Or maybe it's simply a place once blissfully organized that, over time, has disintrigated into a messy, confusing place that you just can't stand to be.

We all have them, at least once in a while.  I find that the winter months are particuliarly hard times to keep my house neat.  I blame it on the extra layers we have to wear that never seem to find their way into the closet, on the snow that comes in on our dogs, and on the lack of sunlight to give me the motivation and energy to clean clean clean!  I also find there's a bit of a let down between the holiday season and spring cleaning; there's really nothing to prepare for in January and February so it's easy to let things slide a bit.  Indeed, I remarked to my husband the other day that the house seemed easier to keep tidy two months ago when every inch of it was "be-decked" and there were two Christmas trees taking up space!

In my home there are a few places in particuliar that drive me nuts, and this week I concocted a plan to tackle them.  After all, Nesty is about leading a better life through simplified living; nothing derails simplified living faster than disorder and mess.  I'll be sharing my progress with you. Some are my own ideas, while others are inspired by magazines and blog posts.  With so many great resources out there, there's really no excuse for not getting it all together!

My first project was the kitchen "junk drawer".  I'd been inspired by the latest issue of Real Simple magazine, which included an article called "Streamline Your Supplies."  The article detailed what essentials you need in order to organize your medicine cabinet, utensil drawer, tool kit, desk drawer, and cleaning cabinet.  I decided to tackle the desk drawer; with my kitchen "junk drawer" standing in a for desk drawer.  I realized that, scattered throughout the house, I had all the items I needed for a neat and tidy startionery center except mechanical pencils and stamps (which are on my to-buy list). 

Sometimes when you get an idea from a blog or magazine, it's easy to think that you don't have all the nifty stuff they're suggesting.  What you have to remember is that they're just that, suggestions.  Around your home you probably have equivalents to what they're suggesting.  Here's what Real Simple's experts suggested, along with my two cents or substitutions:

• Forever Stamps (In Canada I believe we call them fixed rate stamps; but basically they are stamps that don't lose their value even if rates change)
• Personal Stationery (I don't have personalized stationary, so I used a set of notes and envelopes my mom sent in a care package.  You can find adorable note card sets at stationery and office supply shops, as well as department and dollar stores).
• Permanent markers in black and silver for regular and dark papers (check and check!) plus a highlighter (I like pink)
• Correction Tape
• Sticky notes, large and small (I only had large so small go on the list; they're great for leaving notes in cookbooks!)
• Mechanical Pencils
• Titanium Scissors (I have a lot of non-titanium scissors so a pair of those went in the drawer.  FYI, apparently titianium scissors stay sharp a really long time)
• Paper clips
• A weighted tape dispenser (a real time saver when wrapping gifts, but you could use a roll of tape if that's what you have.  Weighted dispensers are surprisingly economical, however)
• A classic stapler
• A box of your favorite pens (I often buy pens by the box but I have so many pens right now that I really couldn't justify purchasing another box.  I do have my own favorite, a Papermate retractable, medium tip, blue ink, rubberized barrel, in pink because for some reason pink pens don't seem to wander off.  I wonder why?)

I added a Moleskine accordion file notebook to hold reciepts and important stuff, as well as a box of self-adhesive security envelopes. 

Here is a picture of my lovely new stationery drawer.  Thanks, Real Simple!!

I realised as I was editing this picture that my paperclips and tape dispenser are making a run for it.  In the interest of proving that I can keep it real, I did not re-take the photo! 

Now of course all the "stuff" that was in the junk drawer had to go somewhere!  I'll be detailing my progress over the next few weeks.  Next week I'll be sharing how I tamed a really bad problem area in my home - my cosmetics drawer.  Oh, the horror!!!!

I'll see you on Friday for the Christmas Calmdown!

Kitchen How-To For You - Spiced Bean Tagine

Winter is the perfect time to enjoy tasty stews.  However, by now you may be getting a tiny bit tired of heavy, gravy rich meat and poultry stews.  The Moroccan tagine, with it's fresh, sunny flavours and spices, is perfectly hearty but not a bit heavy.  Served over brown rice, and topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, you'll almost forget all about the snow!

I discovered this recipe years ago on the President's Choice website (You can find the original President's Choice recipe here.  My how-to follows their recipe fairly faithfully, with just a few changes.  If you need more detailed cooking instructions, be sure to hop over to their recipe.)  Over the years I've made adjustments, and in our house we fell into the habit of serving it over brown rice and topping it with a dollop of sour cream, or, more recently, Greek yogurt.  It's the perfect recipe to jump start a clean eating campaign; it's so hearty that you don't feel deprived, and the amazing combination of lemon, olives, veggies and spice makes it feel like a real treat!  

I also love how fast and easy this dish is to prepare, yet it sounds, looks, and tastes totally exotic.  If you're hosting a dinner party and need a meat-free entree, look no further than this terrific tagine!

Here's the How-To!

What You Need

Olive Oil

2 Cups of Chopped Onions

2 Cups of Sliced Carrots

1 796 ml (28 oz) Can of Diced Tomatoes

1 540 ml (19 oz) Can of 7 Bean Mix

1 170 g bag of Baby Spinach (or a few good handfuls)

1/4 Cup of Sliced Green Olives

2 tsp Finely Grated Lemon Rind, or a Splash of Lemon Juice

1 tsp Chinese Five Spice

How To

1. Prepare carrots and onions

2. Heat oil over medium heat

3. Cook the onions until they begin to soften

4. Add the carrots and cook until the carrots are almost tender.

5. Add the tomatoes, with juice, and the beans.  

6. Bring the tagine to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until it starts to slightly thicken up.

7.  Add the spinach and stir until it's wilted.

8.  Add the olives, the lemon juice or rind, and the spices

Serve over brown rice (or grain of your choice) and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Enjoy!

Festive, Fast, & Functional Champagne Magnet!

Well, friends, we are well on our way to mid-January.  This weekend I packed away Christmas, we ate the end of the baking, and tomorrow I am buying a healthy, clean eating grocery order.  The "Christmas Hangover" is over and we are settling comfortably into the New Year.  And I must say, it feels good.

What's a "Christmas Hangover?" you ask?  Not what you think it is...but more on that in a future post.  

After a much needed break, I am starting to feel creative again.  The hand knit gifts (which you will see in the not too distant future) were much loved and appreciated, but yowzers my hands were sore by Christmas Eve!  But now, now I feel like making stuff!

The first urge came on New Year's Day.  I was tidying the kitchen and I found the cork from our NYE champagne hanging out on the counter where it had been left the night before.  As I was heading for the garbage I took a look at the cork and paused.  I've always loved champagne corks; I find them rather fascinating.  There's the excitement that comes with removing it, of course, champagne is a celebratory drink and it's always fun to stand around and watch someone work that cork out.  So much the better if it overflows, or if you have to duck to avoid a flying cork.  In the calmer light of day, the cork itself is a little marvel of science, design, and ingenuity.  How do they get it in there?

So, after a few moments with the cork, I realized that I was starting to get sentimental about it.  I am trying to stop doing this; we recently did a "purge" of our belongings and swore to each other that we would stop keeping every little thing that had "meaning".  (Rest assured, I threw away a lot of NYE paraphernalia from previous years.) But this cork, it was just so neat!  So special!!  Surely there was something it could do...

And then it came to me...it would make a really funky fridge magnet!

Turning to the fridge, I found what I was looking for; a plain circle magnet that had fallen off the back of another magnet a few weeks earlier.  I'm not one to toss something functional just because it doesn't look pretty anymore, and so my plain 'ol magnet was earning his keep on the fridge, holding stuff up.  Today, however, luck was smiling on my old, chipped magnet 'cause...it was makeover time!

Sixty seconds in my craft room plus time for drying and we were finished!  As soon as I saw it on my refrigerator I knew I would have to share this no-brainer craft with you.  The best part is that it is almost completely made of repurposed items (although if you don't have a spare magnet lying around, you can buy them).  Here's a tutorial:

First the fun part, drinking your champagne!  We got Henkell Trocken, 'cause I'm a classy chick.  Okay, okay, it's a sparkling wine, not champagne. Picky, picky, picky...

Next, get the cork.  Isn't it pretty?  Depending on the level of frivolity at your celebration, you may have to go looking for the cork.  May I suggest under the sofa?  Oh, and also depending on the level of frivolity at your celebration you may be about to have a whole collection of champagne magnets.  Good for you!  Cheaper by the case anyway!!!

Magnets don't stick to cork all on their own, so go get the glue.  I used Aleene's Tacky Glue; I find it's good for adhering different kinds of surfaces to each other (like cork and magnet).  A little tip; apply glue to both surfaces and let it sit for a minute before attaching them.  This will make the glue tacky and will aid in adhering the surfaces.

Now, let the glue dry.  I didn't take a picture of this because I mean, come on.  A picture of glue drying?  Really?

Be patient and let it dry well.  Leave it alone for a few hours.  This is the hardest part of the craft!!!  We are all adults.  Leave. It. Alone.

  

Hey look, it's dry!  I must say, that's one classy magnet!  And that's a mighty cute dog!  He was one of my Christmas presents.  They called him "Rodney" in the feature but the shelter workers were actually calling him "Rod Stewart."  And he lived at the shelter for, like, five months, so he really thought he was Rod Stewart...

"Have I told you lately that I love you?"

 There is a resemblance, no?  Five pounds of love there, folks.  Anyhoodle, the neighbors think we're wacky enough; yelling "Rod Stewart!" out the back door wasn't going to help our image so he became Max.  I loves him!

Good luck with your magnets!  If you don't have your NYE cork anymore, what luck!  Valentine's Day is right around the corner!

Friday is a Retro Recipe...and it's a goodie!!!  See you then!

A Very Nesty Christmas - Pattycake Manners Guest Post Mini Album Tutorial

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, 

and try to keep it all the year."

~Charles Dickens

Hi Everyone!  Sorry I've been missing for a day or so...I've been busy getting my Nest ready for the holidays and so I decided to give myself a day off!  However, to make up to you for missing yesterday's post, today I have a special treat!  My cousin Ainsley from Pattycake Manners is guest posting today and she has prepared a wonderful tutorial for a mini album that you could prepare to give as a gift, or keep for yourself.  Either way, it is a perfect way to "honour Christmas and keep it in your heart" all the year long!  I know I can't wait to make a few and I think it will be the perfect project to fill the quieter days after the holidays! Take it away, Ains!

"Hi folks! Ainsley here, from Patty Cake Manners. 

Kim and I have been playing with the idea of me popping over 

and guest posting on Nesty for a while now. We knew we wanted 

it to be something a little crafty, and since scrapbooking is kind of 

my thing, we thought I might go that route. Enter the arrival of the 

Christmas season, and there was no question as to what I 

wanted to share with all of you. I designed this little 

accordion album last year, while trying to figure out a unique
way to send some "cute kid" photos to my Mom.  Since then, 

this album has taken on a life of its own. I've made oddles 

of them for gifts, and have done them in a number of 

themes. I've used it in my paper crafting classes, and have 

passed on the "recipe" to family and friends. 

And now I'm happy to be passing it on to you during my visit
to the Nest!

1.  Gather your supplies. You'll need the following.
 
1 sheet of 12 X 12 cardstock
2 or 3 sheets of 8 1/2 X 11 cardstock in co-ordinating colors
scraps of patterned paper
embellishments ( buttons, fancy brads, rub-ons, stickers etc)
brads
ribbon
inks and stamps
paper trimmer
scoring blade
paper piercer
adhesive
scissors
 

2.  Cut two 4" X 12" strips of cardstock for the base of your 

album.  Score each strip at 4" and 8" and fold at creases. 

Overlap two ends and adhere, to create a 5 page accordion 

album.
 

3.  From co-ordinating cardstock, cut four 3 3/4" squares, 

and four 3 1/2" squares. For best results, alternate colors 

as shown.
 

4.  From patterned paper, cut four 3 1/4" squares.
 

5.  Layer your patterned paper squares, your 3 1/2" squares, 

and your 3 3/4" squares on top of each other with a bit of 

adhesive. I like to offset them just a bit.
 

6.  Adhere your finished "layers" to pages 2,3,4, and 5 of your

 album, leaving page 1 for your title. (Make sure your title 

page is folding towards you, NOT opening like a book)
 

7.  Embellish one corner of each page with buttons, fancy 

brads, etc.
 

8.  Pierce holes in the remaining 3 corners of each page, and

use small brads to secure your "layers" to the album base.
 

9.  Your title page can be made in the same fashion as your 

other pages, using coordinating cardstock in 1/4" increments,

 scraps of patterned paper, and brads.  Embellish your cover 

with more buttons, brads, rub-ons, stickers etc, and stamp

 a sentiment if you wish.
 

10.  Cut a 16" length of ribbon and adhere to the back of 

your album, centering the ribbon top to bottom and left to

 right. This can be used to tie your album closed with a little

 bow in the front.
 

11.  Add four 2 3/4 photos to pages 2 to 5.
 

You now have a lovely little scrapbook, perfect for sharing

 photos with a loved one, or for keeping just for you!
 
* For information about any of the supplies used in this 

project, please visit my Stampin' Up! website!

What an awesome project, Ains!  Once again, thank you!

This should go without saying, but if you are going to share

Ainsley's design on another blog, PLEASE do the right thing and

give credit, and a link, where it is due!  Thank you one and

all for keeping Blogland a friendly and ethical place to 

share our great ideas!  

Happy Thanksgiving, Again!

Hey there American friends!  You have a very big week coming up!  If you're anything like me, you'll be spending a lot of this weekend planning for next week's festivities.  To help you along, today I'm listing my Thanksgiving posts from a few weeks ago:

• Apple Turkeys make a fun craft and are a traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece in my family.  I've included an easy to follow tutorial, complete with pictures!

• Need to bring dessert to a Thanksgiving potluck?   Turtle Pumpkin Pie is sinfully delicious and beyond simple to make.  But shhhh!  Let them think you laboured in the kitchen all day!

• Turkey time doesn't end with the feast!  Hang on to that frame and make Homemade Turkey Soup!

• A few hours of "me-time" is always something to be thankful for!  Why not do some scrapbooking?  Check out this adorable Bo Bunny Pickin' Pumpkins album kit I found at our local scrap-book store.

• Sweet Potato and Pumpkin and Maple, oh my!  Fall has the very best flavours, so why not serve them all up at An Autumn Coffee Party!

• Curious why I celebrated Thanksgiving last month?  Click here for an explanation AND a recipe for Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust.

• And of course, in the midst of all the fun, don't forget to reflect on what you have and what you love, and give thanks.

Have a fun, wonderful week!  Safe and happy travels to all of you who are on the road this holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving Apple Turkeys! - A Tutorial

Thanksgiving weekend is finally here!  (Confused about why I'm celebrating this weekend?  Click here for an explanation!) To me, Thanksgiving is the "launch party" for the holiday season, and it really gets me in the spirit to start planning for Halloween, Christmas, and New Years.  From now until January 31, I'll be buzzing along on a celebratory high, crafting and cooking and planning away.  And let's not forget the decorations!

For almost as long as I can remember, one Thanksgiving decoration has been a constant - The Apple Turkey.  My recollection of its origin is fuzzy, so, as I do with many things I can't remember, I called Mom.  She confirmed my hunch that we had first made Apple Turkeys as a Sunday School Project.  She thinks that perhaps she found the idea in a magazine, maybe Country Living, but even she wasn't sure.  That's enough of an explanation for me, and I hope it will suffice for you!   

Regardless of the Apple Turkey's mythical origins, one thing is for certain; it wouldn't be Thanksgiving in my house without one!  After that first Sunday School lesson, every Thanksgiving my sisters and I would craft what quickly became our family's traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece.  Even as teenagers, university students, and adults with homes of our own, each year someone would remember to make an Apple Turkey.  Eventually, a new generation of Apple Turkey craftspeople took over, and now they are being crafted by young relatives across Canada.  However, I still have to make my own (the dogs try, but without opposable thumbs, they find it hard).  Last year, the Apple Turkey made it's Kitimat debut at a Thanksgiving Dinner potluck we attended at a friend's home, and I'll be taking another along this year. To the uninitiated, Apple Turkeys are a charming absurdity, but to me, they are familiar and remind me of home.


If you would like a charmingly absurd Apple Turkey of your own, here is a handy dandy tutorial to guide you through the creative process.  If you are like me and tend to get obsessive about things like wing placement and the perfect beak, please bear in mind that this craft was designed for five year olds and approach it as such (read - relax, this is supposed to be fun!)

Step One

Assemble Your Materials

You will need:

Glue

Scissors

Paper in pretty colours

Toothpicks

A pencil or marker

Step 2

Make Your Turkey Some Feathers

And a Head

Turkeys enjoy having feathers and a head, so you don't want to skip this step! 

Take your pretty paper and from it, cut out feathers for your turkey.  You can use a stencil, a die cutter, or draw them freehand; it's up to you.  This is a GREAT opportunity to use up your scrapbooking stash!

Cut out a turkey shaped head as well.  Draw on eyes (so your turkey can see what's going on).  I sometimes like to add a contrasting beak; the design details are really up to you!
Once you have all your paper cut, glue toothpicks to the pieces. Let the glue dry (See, I told you this was easy...)

Step 3

Turkey Assembly

Take a deep breath, this is about to get complicated!

Find the prettiest side of your apple and make sure that side is facing up, with the stem of the apple facing you.  Using the picture as a guide, take two toothpicks and insert them into the bottom of the apple as feet.  Then, place the turkey's head on the top of the apple toward the front.  

 

I was just joking, this isn't complicated at all! 

 Don't worry if your turkey is a bit roly poly, that's just part of their charm!

Turkeys need wings, so go ahead and put them on either side of your apple.

Next, arrange your remaining feathers at the back of the apple for the turkey's tail. Turkeys are especially proud of their beautiful tail feathers, so go to town and use all your best colours; your turkey will thank you!!

See, I told you this was easy!

Step 4

Sit Back and Enjoy Your Apple Turkey!

All that's left to do it put your Apple Turkey to work decorating your home.  They really like hanging out in the middle of your dining room table during Thanksgiving Dinner, but in the meantime, use them to decorate all around your house!

Remember that they are made of fruit, and will drip a bit of juice, so make sure you put them on a safe surface.  Apple turkeys get embarrassed when they ruin your stuff!

I hope you've enjoyed this little tutorial as much as I've enjoyed sharing this fun little family tradition with you!

Before I sign off for the weekend, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving, an a wonderful weekend!  

As well, this week Nesty is a featured blog over at the link party Friendly Friday!  Friendly Friday is hosted by The Frugal Novice, Thanks, Mail Carrier, and Healthy Home Blog. I'd like to thank the hosts of Friendly Friday so much for this feature, and for the lovely write up of my blog!  Please take the time to go and visit Friendly Friday (you'll find some great blogs!) as well as the host blogs. 

Today I'm linking to:

What Leftovers?

We've continued to enjoy beautiful, sunny, warm days here in Kitimat, and at our house, we're taking full advantage!  The grill has been going every evening, and we're having tons of fun coming up with new creations.  Sometimes, it's new spins on old favorites!

One of the best things about barbecue season?  Delicious leftovers!  Rummaging through the fridge for a midnight snack is so much more fun during grilling season!  Not to mention how easy it is to pull together a quick lunch or speedy supper.  Like tonight, for example; we enjoyed one of our favorite meals, Barbecue Chicken Pizzas.

Now, normally when we enjoy this dish, it requires quite a bit of preparation, or a phone call to the local pizzeria!   And to be perfectly frank, in this weather, I wouldn't be turning on the oven.  However, since we had grilled a chicken the night before (butterflied, over apple wood chips, and finished with sweet chili sauce), we were half way there.  I knew that I would use my charcoal grill to cook the pizzas, so there was no need to turn on the oven.  But what about the dough?  I like to make my own pizza dough, but tonight I was looking for something a bit less fussy.  What to use?  And then I remembered....the three Naan bread that were in my freezer!  After defrosting on the counter for a few hours, they were thawed and ready to go!

I was able to use ingredients that we already had on hand for the majority of the recipe.  Picked banana peppers are a staple in our house, and we had a large bottle of President's Choice Tequila Habenero Barbecue Sauce that served as the sauce.  I opened new packages of cheese, but cheese is another staple that we always have in the fridge.  Another leftover served as our started; I had prepared a bowl of Greek salad the night before.  The tomatoes, cucumber, feta and olives had been marinating in a bowl of Greek vinaigrette and were delicious served over a bed of crispy greens.  

Leftovers sometimes (well, a lot of the time!) get a bad reception, but I think they're great!  There's so many ways to bring leftover food to life again, aside from popping it in the microwave!  Here's the recipe that I (loosely) followed:

Charcoal Grilled Barbecue Chicken Pizzas

1 barbecued chicken breast, shredded

3 Naan bread

Prepared barbecue sauce

Pickled banana peppers

Grated cheese (I used a combination of cheddar & mozza)

Olive Oil

Light charcoal in the grill and allow to reach a "high warm" temperature.  Brush both sides of the naan bread with olive oil and heat over the grill until lightly toasted. Spread sauce on bread, and then top each bread with chicken, peppers, and cheese.  Close the lid and allow to cook, checking occasionally, until the cheese is melted and the pizza is heated through.  Enjoy!!!

My next challenge will be to actually make the dough from scratch and cook it on the grill.  I've been doing some research on this and I'm sure you'll be seeing the results soon!  

I've also been looking into grilled desserts (in fact, I'm field testing one tonight!) and I'm looking forward to sharing the results of my "study" with you in the near future!

Have a great week, and I'll see you on Friday!

Lemon Fresh and Oh So Cute!!!

I have a confession to make.  I'm a fool for packaging.


It's true!  I try to control it, and most of the time I do quite well.  However, every so often, a product makes its way into our home solely on the merit of its packaging.  Which is how a bag of lemons made its way home from the wholesale warehouse with us a few weeks ago.  One look at the adorable Mr. Lemon on the label, and I was sold.  So to the Bee Sweet lemon company, a hearty BRAVO!  Put a little lemon puppy on them next and I'll be buying them by the caseload:

Who could resist?  Luckily, I had plenty of recipes that called for lemons, so I made the following:

• Lemon Coffee Cake
• Lemon Salad Dressing
• Lemon Pepper Roast Chicken
• Lemon Basil Roast Chicken
• Gimlet Au Naturel Cocktails (a tasty little cross between a gimlet and a G&T that we came up with)

And while they were waiting to be consumed, the lemons looked quite pretty hanging out in a lovely blue and white china bowl. 


As I was unwrapping the lemons, I set aside the wrapper.  The scrapbooker in me said "save it, it's fabulous" while the woman who's been purging her belongings snapped "throw it out!"  This time, the emotional scrapper won, although I did neatly trim one incidence of the repeating pattern from the label and threw the rest away.  I put the scrap in my junk drawer (dangerous, I know).  Several times over the next few days, I would see it and think that I should just toss it, but one look at those big lemony eyes and back in the drawer he'd go.  I just knew he had a purpose!  And one day, while cleaning the kitchen counters with my homemade lemon cleanser, inspiration struck!

Here's how my lemon cleanser looked before inspiration struck:

Nothing wrong with it, but other than the "L" scribbled in Sharpie on the bottom, there's really no way to differentiate between the lemon, the cinnamon, or teatree scents.  But now...

This should barely qualify as a craft, it's so simple.  All I did was position the scrap of label on the bottle (hold it in place with some double sided tape if you need to) and then I neatly placed strips of clear packing tape over it until it was completely covered.  That's it!  I have no idea how long it will last, but the bottle cost a dollar and the label was free (since I used the lemons, it doesn't count as a useless impulse buy.  My blog, my rules!)  So if it wears off in a few months, oh well!  The label is plastic-y, so it will probably last longer than if it were paper.  Plus, it's a great bit of free advertising for the Sweet Bee company!  Anyone who makes labels this cute deserves a plug!  Now I'm on the lookout for labels for my other scents!


This may have been the quickest turn-around of any bit of ephemera I've saved in the name of scrap-booking.  If you don't think this is a big deal, ask any scrapper about their "stash" and you'll quickly understand!


Today I'm linking to Trendy Treehouse's Creative Share!


Have a wonderful week!  See you on Friday!

Butterfly Chicken How-to...For You!!!

I recently tried something new in the kitchen, and I was so delighted with the results that I decided to share it with you in a "how-to!"  

As I've mentioned before, I'm a fan of Rachel Ray and her magazine, Everyday With Rachel Ray.  It's the one magazine I make a point of buying every month.  I like the lighthearted, down-to-earth feel of the magazine, and I really like that the publication team makes an effort to use ingredients that are accessible to almost everyone.  As well, the magazine encourages readers to be creative by telling cooks to "eyeball it" for some measurements, and to substitute ingredients if necessary (in fact, they often suggest substitutions.)  All in all, I've been really pleased with the recipes I've tried, and several of them have become household favorites.


In this month's issue, which was all about grilling, there was an article on butterflying chicken, and using "pastes" to flavour the birds before cooking.  I was intrigued.  Of course I'd heard of butterflying chicken before, but I hadn't tried my hand at it personally.  As luck would have it, we went to Terrace for groceries a few days later, and at the wholesale club there were three-packs of fryers for sale, so we bought a pack, froze two of the chickens, and butterflied one for that night's supper.  We used a prepared sweet Thai chili sauce to glaze the bird before roasting, and it was delicious.  So much so that I decided to try the technique again this week, this time using a homemade paste as suggested in the magazine.  I made up my own lemon pepper paste, and I was quite pleased with how it turned out.  One of our favorite chicken dishes is a lemon-rosemary roast chicken, and this paste delivered a flavour that was reminiscent of a lighter, zingier version of that favorite dish.


The purpose of this tutorial is not to walk you through the process of cooking the chicken (although I will share with you how I prepared mine).  Rather, I wanted to show you, step-by-step, how to butterfly the bird.  Many people are afraid to attempt to do anything with a whole bird other than stuff it and roast it, but this really isn't hard at all, and it looks so great!  Also, butterflying the bird allows it to roast evenly so it cooks in a much shorter time.  So, let's get started!

Once you finish this stage, how you proceed is up to you.  Also, if you aren't using a paste, you could skip step seven.  I roasted my chicken in the over at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes and it turned out great!

See?  Delicious!  However, this is apparently a great way to prepare a whole chicken for grilling on the barbecue, so by all means fire up the grill!  Just remember, always be sure that chicken is cooked thoroughly!!  As well, if you have a large enough platter, you can "flatten" the chicken out to show off your butterflying skills!


I served our Lemon Pepper Roast Chicken with mashed potatoes, dipping sauce, and a yummy new salad I came up with that I'll be sharing in another post!

I also found a great, really short video on how to butterfly a chicken from Bon Appetit on YouTube.  (I'm not sure how we learned to do stuff before YouTube.)

So there you go!  Have a great Monday!  The countdown to the weekend begins now!