Chicken Anxiety

Cooking is somewhat new to me. I love to bake desserts. I am pretty happy with my ability to do that. I can cook just well enough to feed my family, and I am not so happy with that. So lately, I have been stepping outside of my comfort zone and pushing myself to try new recipes and methods.

I have a confession: I am scared of chicken.

I am always afraid of not cooking it enough and making my family sick. I started with cooking boneless, skinless breasts. In the beginning, I would cook them way too long to make sure they were done. My family kindly ate my dry meals.

I think I have mastered pieces of chicken (baked and fried), so it is time to move onto the whole thing! My first attempt was a failure. Well, not completely. I did learn a lot from this demon bird. It looked so pretty, but as I cut into it, I saw it was not cooked through. My heart sank. That was it, I quit!

But I didn't quit, not for long anyway. I talked myself into trying again. And sure enough, when I went to the store, whole chickens were buy one get one free (must bee a sign!). So now I get poultry anxiety times two! Tonight I attempted chicken #1....

Success!! Juicy, tender, wonderfully seasoned, and yes, DONE.....all the way through! I did a little chicken dance in the kitchen I was so happy!

My husband made these awesome green beans (not from a can!) with tomatoes and crumbled bacon.

I made creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes without a recipe (a HUGE feat for me!), and they were awesome!

After dinner I made a quick batch of chocolate chunk cookies and we all got to eat them still warm and gooey!

So, with my confidence boosted, I feel comfortable heading in this new direction with my family. We are slowly trying to change the way we prepare our food, paying attention to what we are putting into our bodies and really enjoying what we are eating. We have a long way to go, but this makes me feel like it is totally doable! 

I think I am falling in love.......with cooking!

Instead of posting a link to the chicken recipe, I am putting a link to a friends blog (which contains a link to the recipe!). She helped me conquer this fear, and I truly appreciate her help and encouragement! Check out her beautiful chicken (the whole meal looks phenomenal!).

http://bartlettadventure.blogspot.com/2012/04/roasted-chicken-dinner.html

I am signing off for now, with a full belly and a happy heart! I hope you all had a glorious evening filled with good food, laughter, and love!