Swanky Chicken. And the beginnings of

Here's my story behind this dish.  It was September/October 2007 right after my first son was born.  I am not sure why, but my son would actually sleep better when the cooking channel was on TV.  So, when he'd nap, I would just watch The Food Network with him in my arms.  I decided I was going to start cooking, but I had zero skills in the kitchen.  In my mind, a knife was a thing you used to spread peanut butter on bread, and a pan was the thing you used to make Hamburger Helper.  At least I could follow directions, but even still, my Hamburger Helper NEVER turned out right (my husband never understood this anomaly).

So, I'm watching these chefs go at it, making everything look so easy.  And I got this idea in my head.  "OOO, that looks neat, I want to give this a shot".  So, I go online and I find the recipes that were featured that day on the website.  I found a dish I could so make, but I didn't understand ANY of the language they used.  How do you sear something?  And what the heck is a minced garlic clove?  I was in a load of trouble already, but I was determined.

I talked to my mom about it and she explained everything and it made perfect sense.  I wish I still had the original recipe I printed off, because there were more notes made by me than there were ingredients and instructions provided by the chef (or whomever).  My mom thought I was rediculous, but off I went.  I got the ingredients after searching high and low (I didn't know what garlic looked like as I had never used/seen it) but I managed to come out with all of the ingredients!  YAY ME!

I brought them all home and studies my list very carefully!  And I started cooking.  I was actually enjoying this and really hoping this turns out well!

So, my husband comes home later and my mom takes my baby boy (its ok I trust her) and we had a "candlelight date" at my own kitchen table.  Our first date after monkey was born.  

The dish, you ask.  Its from Gaida called Chicken Vesuvio

It turned out amazing.  My husband couldn't believe for the life of him that I made this.  He said it was better tasting and looking than most fancy restaurants he'd ever been too!  He isn't a complimenter (one of his funny flaws) so when he compliments something, you just know he's being serious.  So, I'm all proud of myself that I had succeeded at something totally fun and what started this whole "I'm gonna be awesome in the kitchen" thing.

The only complaint that does come from my husband's mouth is "man, when you cook this dish, you make a huge mess".  Not kidding, this time around, there was oil covering the stove, lima beans (I used instead of artichokes) were sprawled on the table, and I used about a thousand dishes.

The messier the cook, the better the taste :).