Food for Thought

After enjoying a very temperate summer for SoCal, we are in the throes of a heatwave. I'm completely unmotivated to even take pictures of knitting in this weather so I'm switching gears to another topic near and dear to my heart. Food.

We all have a favorite restaurant where we live. Someplace that locals know about but is not widely known otherwise. It doesn't have to be fancy but good food is key and its nice when it also has an appealing atmosphere whether quirky, quaint, or elegant. Literally nestled into the canyon side, the Inn of the Seventh Ray is just such a place in Topanga, California.



In the entryway is a bookstore that looks like it leapt from the pages of the The Hobbit. But, since this is Topanga, it sells "new age" music, crystals and incense. If it were up to me it would be filled with yarns, teas, mystery books, and chocolates. How much nicer that would be!



Steve doesn't often make an appearance on the blog, but I've caught him here looking very relaxed having finished his meal. He is traveling so much these days it's a treat when I have him to myself and we can enjoy an afternoon together.



Here I am looking woefully under dressed. Sometimes we pop down at the last minute and brazen out the casual attire. Speaking of attire, since this is Topanga you see everything from A to Z which makes people watching part of the fun. But, it's the food that brings us back. I'm not that impressed with the regular menu but the Sunday champagne brunch is out of this world. Everything is very fresh and the salads are exotic and colorful; the hot dishes are savory and unique; and the desserts are beautiful and delicious. Yes, the brunch is the only way to go.



But, since most often we eat meals at home, I'm going to share with you a delicious savory meal that doesn't require going anywhere (truth be told, the type of meal Steve and Mr Puffy prefer).

This is a wonderful recipe that I found online. It is Tyler Florence's Herb Roasted Chicken with Wild Mushroom & Marsala and here's a link to a video which shows him making this dish:

Tyler Florence's Herb Roasted Chicken With Wild Mushrooms & Marasala (as slightly modified by me to better suit our tastes. Original recipe can be found here:



Ingredients:

Organic or free-range chicken (regular chickens have too much juice to work well with this recipe)
1 rounded Tbs. Fresh Rosemary
2 Tsp. dried Thyme
1 Clove Garlic crushed
Cremini mushrooms or assorted wild mushrooms
1 large sweet onion cut into rings
1/2 Cup chicken stock
1/2 Cup sweet marsala wine
Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Wash and dry chicken. Combine herbs and garlic into a paste and push mixture under skin of chicken around the breast and cavity area.

3. Arrange mushrooms and onion around chicken and pour chicken stock and Marsala Wine into baking dish. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle chicken and mushrooms with sea salt.

4. Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until done. Remove chicken and mushrooms/onions from the pan and place on serving dish. Place pan with juices on oven burner and cook over high heat stirring with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens. Pour thickened pan juices over chicken and mushroom.

5. I like to serve this dish with mashed potatoes.



Oh yes. Since I'm having the summer doldrums I've joined a swap to perk me up! Yep, I've taken the plunge. I've signed up for A Vintage Halloween Swap which is hosted by the delightful Heidi at Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly.



Finally, on a sad note, Chan has lost her little dog Mugsy. Through Chan's blogging at Chan Knits I had gotten to really know this little guy and will miss him.