Monday Night Dinner

It is known in my house that I am not the primary cook, more of a sous-chef, if you will, superseded by my superhusband, who is a chef extraordinaire and spoils me daily with scrumptious home-cooked meals that rival the fanciest restaurants I’ve ever been in.

I frequently refer to myself as a “gong-show” in the kitchen, and get easily frazzled; things end up boiling over and my timing is always off. Many meals eaten in stages (or, more “courses” if I’m pretending I intended it that way) while the chicken strives to reach a less... pink... internal temperature... Furthermore, my disdain for measuring (rules shmules!) and lack of preparation never helped. So, lucky for me, I rarely have to inflict my gastronomic failures and kitchen chaos on anyone.

Now, I shouldn’t give the impression that nothing I make turns out. I actually am quite skilled at making four things: soups, quiches, muffins, and Earl Grey shortbread cookies. Yup, I make a mean butternut squash and rosemary soup. Or carrot-ginger. Or squash-apple. Yum. Oh, and risotto! I make a mean risotto. Excellent, but I would like to be able to say that I can count on TWO hands the number of things I have mastered in the kitchen.

However, despite my few successes, I was discovering that I was increasingly intimidated by the thought of having to prepare food, and aware that I was losing what little cooking abilities I may have had. So I made the decision to take back the kitchen, and discussed with Mark which day he was willing to give up: Mondays.

In the almost 2 years that we’ve had the house, I’ve gotten over my fear of the gas stove, and now adore it. Things cook fast, and you have so much control. Really, the main obstacle to my success in the kitchen was organization. Preparation is the key. I’m the kind to be in the middle of making muffins and realize I’m out of eggs. (Thankfully I have wonderful neighbours willing to trade an egg or two for some of the finished product.)

For my first meal I made Coriander Chicken with Wild Rice and Vegetables from Joshi’s Holistic Detox (not that we’re detoxing, just because it sounded good). I don’t enjoy handling, preparing, or otherwise acknowledging raw meat, but I think if you’re going to eat meat, you need to know where it comes from, and how to prepare it. Or become vegetarian. No more being a squeamish meat eater!


The chicken took a little longer than the rest of the dish, but when it was done, it was nice and tender and moist, having been cooked with the skin on, allowing the herbs to infuse into the meat. Delicious.