...if you have a backyard and a kitchen, this blog might be for you!

a chronicle of tips and recipes on everything from gardening to canning and baking your produce, even if you're planted in suburbia...in fact, especially if you are planted in suburbia.



Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Not Just for Decoration

or...actually using the pretty bottles of herb vinegar





Now that you have bottled herb vinegar, what can you do with it? Marinades and salad dressings come to mind quickly, but those vinegars have other uses as well. For instance, I used a little with chicken and roasted veggies the other day.





On the cutting board is a day's worth of garden fare ready for use...just the right amount for a roasted vegetable dish. I supplemented with some store-bought carrots (they don't grow well in my rocky soil) and freezer broccoli.




I chopped the veggies and tossed them in a mix of olive oil and the light herb vinegar before adding a layer of boneless chicken pieces. (If I were using beef tips, I'd probably have used the balsamic herb vinegar instead.) Then I sprinkled on a little salt and pepper, set the roaster on 250 degrees and closed the lid for the afternoon.


By late afternoon, the open kitchen window had blown that mouth-watering aroma through the whole house. Combined with the bread on the sideboard--a sourdough French--and a pitcher of spiced Chai tea, that roasted chicken and vegetables made a perfect early autumn meal ready for the serving after minimal effort on the cook's part.

(Have I mentioned how much I love my bread machine and slow cooker?)

Today's sign off: happy savories!

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