Okay, so apparently I needed that two week hiatus. Preparing for Easter and then recovering from it is all consuming and I've missed blogging. We've got a lot of catching up to do. I can't say that there has been much cookin' going on here except for the past twenty four hours. I'll admit that passionate cook that I am, I am prone to dry spells and lack of inspiration. I was beginning to wonder what term you would give to a food blogger who has kitchen fatigue mixed in with a little bit of writer's block. Hmmn, I'll have to work on that.
But what reignited my pilot light (so to speak) was a coupon to purchase Lidia Bastianich's new book from Barnes and Noble and her appearance today (at the Erie Blvd store) to sign books. I had purchased her latest book on Thursday and decided to try one of the recipes out on my students. So, while I worked on my sermon I found myself stirring up the most heavenly scent of Hunters Chicken with Rosemary (a version of chicken cacciatore) this was about 2:00 in the morning--but don't worry, the recipe only took about an hour and half from start to finish. I went to bed at 3:30, woke up at 7:00, preached two services, led a three hour meeting and then raced to the bookstore to stand in line for an hour to meet Ms Bastianich and to have her sign my copy of Lidia's Italy. Then, home I raced to reheat said, Hunters Chicken, and then off to campus for another service and dinner. Phew! Just another day in the life. And by the way, the dish was an absolute hit.
I have to confess though, that it was the thought of sitting down to this chicken dish that kept me going. I mean, when a pot of chicken simmering in San Marzano tomatoes makes you swoon at two in the morning, it is something special. It is the perfect Sunday meal--one pot, a few simple ingredients, easy to prepare, and over the top sensually delicious--I didn't know I could lick my fingers so completely. I'll post the recipe tomorrow but if this dish is any indication of the other delights to be found in this cookbook then it gets my highest recommendation. I'll also add that if you are the type who enjoys taking cookbooks to bed for nighttime reading, this knowledgeable and intimate tour through Lidia's Italy is the book for you. More later, time to catch up on some sleep.
Archive Alert: This date last year I officially came out of the closest...as a priest!
Though I can hardly contain my excitement about the Alice Waters/Judy Wicks lecture coming up at Syracuse University on October 9th, I'm slowly coming to realize that there are a lot of people who don't know who either of them are. I'm often surprised by this especially since Alice Waters has been on the national and international stage for a while now. 
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