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Chef’s Notes

While I made my way to the gym, this chef prepared a delicious dinner!

Here is he looking very pleased with himself (and he should be – it was very tasty!!)

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Glazed Whole Chicken, Pumpkin Spiced Kale, Roasted Butternut Squash

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The chef is very much into reductions: three for three nights in a row!! See notes below on his mix.

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Chef’s Notes: Chicken

  • Cut the whole chicken into breasts, thighs, drums, and wings
  • Season with salt and herb rub and let sit for 3 hours
  • Preheat oven to 350
  • Sear the chicken on the skin side for 3 min in a stainless steel pan, then flip and sear for 1 more min
  • Pour 4-5oz of beer in the pan, and then put the entire pan in the oven
  • Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until internal temp hits 165*
  • When chicken is done, pour the liquid from the chicken into a separate sauce pan and bring to a boil
  • Reduce the sauce until thick and syrupy, and then pour over the chicken at serving time

[KERF NOTE: The reduction was REALLY salty! And look how small this breast was! That’s a traditional local chicken for you. (And my thumb is not fungused – that’s gold polish!)]

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Chef’s Notes: Kale

  • Steam for about 5 mins, until tender but not mushy
  • Put in a bowl, poured a mixture of EVOO, pumpkin balsamic, and sea salt to taste (maybe a tsp. of each, a little more vinegar)

[KERF NOTE: That would be the new Boston Olive Oil pumpkin balsamic and it rocked!!]

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Chef’s Notes: Squash

  • Slice a small butternut squash lengthwise and remove the seeds
  • Cut into half-moon discs
  • Put in a bowl and then add 2T melted coconut butter, 1t kosher salt, a dash of cinnamon and fresh grated nutmeg
  • Place on a sheet pan and bake at 400* for 40 minutes, flipping once in the middle

[KERF NOTE: I love squash. I ate the skin. Hope my intestines are OK with that!!]

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Yummmm!

I biked to the gym around 5 when the sun was just setting and did a nice round-the-world. Total indoor jungle gym tonight! A short circuit through the Freemotion equipment, 20 minutes on the bike next to Karen, who I stumbled upon, another short circuit with free weights, 20 minutes on the Stairmaster, 5 minutes of abs and foam rolling. Nice! Biked on home in the dark, which was scary despite my lights and defensive driving. I need to go back to daytime workouts…

In other news….

WE SIGNED OUR GREAT HARVEST LEASE TODAY!!!!!!

We have a location. [Still feel weird writing the address on the blog. Give me a week. We’re moving onward with plans!! HOPING to be open for business in April. Lots to do in the meantime.

I finished Dragon Tattoo last night. It was good! But I need an uplifting book to follow before I start in on #2 in the series (which I am going to read). I also want to watch the Swedish movie! Maybe I’ll do that tonight with a big mug of tea. Just ate a Biscoff to set the mood!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Hope says

    Congrats on the lease! How exciting!
    You’re so lucky to have a hubby who produces such balanced beautiful meals! I know if I let my hubby loose in the kitchen, we’re end up having sausages with mashed potato and gravy every night of the week!!

    Reply

  4. Dee says

    Kath, I HIGHLY recommend reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I read a lot and this has been my favorite book of 2010. It’s very imaginative and triumphant! You’ll find yourself falling in love with some of the characters (and despising others).

    Reply

    • Kath says

      I tried reading Water For Elephants last year (I think someone in the middle of organic chem?) and couldn’t get into it so I gave the book away. Guess I should try it again sometime!

      Reply

      • CathyK @ www.1970kikiproject.wordpress.com says

        i didn’t really enjoy this one, either! i made it to the end…but it just was not my thing. glad i am not the only one for whom it did not appeal, because this book has been such a bestseller! i felt like i must have missed something??!

        Reply

      • JENNA says

        funny i tried to read water for elephants last year too. it just could not hold my interest.
        i just got half way through travelling with pomegranates by sue monk kidd….i’m on page 171 (almost finished) and I just really really want to stop reading it. I hate doing that with books though i feel like once you start you have to finish them.
        congrats on the great harvest lease! 🙂

        Reply

  5. RhodeyGirl says

    Just please don’t forget it’s all subtitles! I watched it while recovering from something 2 months ago not realizing I would really have to pay attention and read really small letters! And it is way more graphic then what your mind pictures while reading the book, at least for me!

    Reply

  6. Michele @ Healthy Cultivations says

    Congratulations on your lease!!

    And pumpkin kale — this sounds so intriguing. I’ve never even seen pumpkin balsamic. Sounds like it would certainly be good.

    Reply

  9. Kori says

    Awesome to everything! 🙂 So excited that you now have a location! My sister and I are DEFINITELY planning to make a road trip next spring to visit the bakery. 😉 Yay!

    Reply

  16. Susan Mc says

    Congrats on your milestone, finding the location now opens the doors to your next adventure! Can’t WAIT to watch it come together, we will have to do a family trip to celebrate (and expose the boys to some history!)

    Reply

  17. Angie @ Musings of a Violet Monkey says

    Congrats on the location!!!! That is very exciting!

    Heading to my local GH tomorrow for my weekly bread fix! Gotta love it. 🙂

    ~

    Reply

  27. Amy says

    I CAN’T WAIT to hear where your location is!!! I am going to want that pumpkin chocolate chip bread in my life every day …

    Reply

  29. Amy at TheSceneFromMe says

    Congratulations on signing your lease today! That’s great news. I’ve been wondering when you were going to open.
    I love the orange color on the walls in your dining area. What color is that exactly?

    Reply

  33. mariaeatsbeets says

    Congratulations on your new Great Harvest lease! Can’t wait to see what good things come out of the bakery. Very happy for the both you!

    Reply

  34. laine @ beets, butter and mountaintops says

    Congratulations!!

    I have 3 local chickens in my freezer – they were “dispatched” on a Monday and my sister brought them to me from Maine the next day. Talk about fresh! And they are so tasty.

    Reply

  35. Lisa @ Fit in the Midwest says

    A huge congrats on signing the lease! Must feel nice to have that behind you.

    I watched the Swedish Dragon Tattoo movie (after I had finished the book) and liked it. My husband was confused because he hadn’t read the book.

    Reply

  39. mary-jo says

    great news about the lease!!!

    the ‘dragon tattoo’ made me decide to comment. i flew through the first book, then watched the swedish movie as soon as it came out. this is strictly my opinion, but the movie completely turned me off to the rest of the series. i had intentions to read the second book (had it in my possession, actually), but after i saw the movie, i realized i couldn’t handle any more of the graphic sexual violence. i wish i still want to read the other books, because i love lisbeth’s character (i read somewhere she is the modern day pippi, except with piercings and tattoos ~ which made me understand why i like lisbeth so much since i was pippi longstocking every single character dress-up day in elementary school!). long story short ~ i feel the movie was much more graphic and disturbing than the book.

    Reply

  40. faith @ gracefulfitness says

    Congratulations! That is so exciting.
    We had an exciting turn of events with the clinic building this week but I want to tell you about it in person.

    Reply

  41. Kim says

    I honestly got so excited when I read you got your location and will be announcing it soon! I lived in cville as a dietetic intern and will definitely be back to visit the town (I miss it tremendously) and now Great Harvest! Congrats!

    Reply

  43. julia says

    Hi Kath, Congrats on the lease. I have been following your blog for a month or two and I have to say that I don’t really understand what “Great Harvest” is. I understand it is part bakery, but is this some sort of chain and you are opening one in Charlottesville?

    I enjoy your musings and your photos! Thank you 🙂

    Reply

    • Kath says

      It is a chain! But more like a co-op because each bakery owner has complete freedom of creativity and operations. There are 200+ locations and it started in Montana. The breads are all made-from-scratch and range from deliciously sweet to super crunchy whole grain. Check out http://www.greatharvest.com

      Reply

  44. Michelle (The Runner's Plate) says

    My husband cooked for us last night too! It is so nice to have a spouse who helps out with the cooking!!

    Reply

  45. Jen says

    Congratulations on the lease!! Uplifting read: Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald. The Help was also amazing (I think the author is Katherine Beckitt?)

    Reply

  46. Judy says

    Congrats about the lease – fyi, the movie is a bit hard to watch at some parts and made too many parts that were really hard to read seem real! My husband liked the movie, but I am skipping the rest of the films.

    Reply

  47. jayne says

    Congrats on finding the bakery location! This is my first time leaving a message but I’ve been enjoying your blog for about two years now. It’s great to see such healthy food jazzed up and balanced with some sweets, bread, and alcohol!! Just wanted to chime in on the Dragon Tattoo discussion. The swedish film is very good and was quite suspenseful. Best of all was the Scandinavian style of cinematography with cool colors and beautiful landscapes. My only problem with the film was the sexual violence which is quite intense and disturbing, even for someone like me who has seen many violent films. I highly recommend the film but I recognize it is not for everyone and if you have any reservations about seeing sadistic-style violence in your movies then I would skip this one.
    Can’t believe they are making an American version…gahh!!!

    Reply

  48. Honey B. says

    AMAZING how small the chickens are when they are local/organic ones! It makes me a little frightened about the ones I used to eat in the past. Anyway… dinner looks delish and, wow, nice presentation!

    Reply

  50. Rachel S. Gerber says

    Congrats on the lease! I worked for a GH in Denver awhile back and loved the ethos of the company. I am looking forward to having another store nearby (we currently live in C’ville)! Was wondering…as I’m now gluten-intolerant, if your store will be offering gluten-free bread? I know some GH stores are and think this would be AMAZING to have accessibility to fresh bread. Just curious…hope all your transitions go well!

    Reply

    • Kath says

      Hey Rachel, While we’d like to offer GF bread from the start, ensuring there is no contamination is a HUGE process and we probably won’t open with it. I’m not sure if it’s even possible since we mill our own flour on site and are open 6 days a week, but it’s definitely on our radar.

      Reply

  51. Kath says

    @mary jo
    @jayne

    Just watched the movie. I thought it was a pretty good adaptation of the book, although I have no idea why the completely cut out Anita’s role?? So weird. Those scenes were pretty graphic, but having just read the book, I was mentally prepared. I do think I will move on to book #2 (i’ve heard it’s better) because I’m curious what happens next. I’m sure that creep of a guardian is coming back… scary.

    Reply

    • Susan says

      I thought it was a pretty good adaptation, too. Since it was long and had lots of characters and back story, I was afraid it would be a mess. I finished reading the third book and I’m waiting for that movie to come on Netflix. I wish they weren’t remaking the movies here.

      And for a lighter read, I recommend “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris. You will be laughing out loud.

      And congrats on the lease!

      Reply

    • kimmy says

      I have actually seen all three movies (and read the books), and I really enjoyed them. Out of the movies I think I like two the best.

      Reply

  53. Maria says

    Congrats on signing the lease! I’m trying to get my parents to franchise a Whole Foods. My mom was recently diagnosed with celiac’s disease and the closest Whole Foods to them is 45 minutes away! They live in a pretty upscale/health conscious suburb, so I’m sure it would be a hit!

    Reply

  54. [email protected] says

    Thats so exciting about the lease!!! Congrats 🙂 All that food looks amazing! When I eat my squash I usually leave the skin on too….its too much of a pain to cut it off, besides its filled with nutrients!!

    Reply

  56. Vanessa says

    Ooohh! How exciting!! You will have to give hints to the location! A very close friend of mine lives in C-Ville and I come up to visit often (living in Charlotte now, I love Great Harvest. I have an addiction to the cinnamon chip bread!!). We both love Great Harvest and I’d love to support such awesome people 🙂 Best of luck!!

    Reply

  57. Alaina says

    What great news about the bakery! There used to be a Great Harvest near where we live. Want to bring your store up to MA? 😛

    Reply

  63. Erica D says

    Congratulations! One day, I will get around to visiting Virginia again, and you can bet that I will be taking a special trip to your GH!

    Reply

  64. Juliana says

    Hey Kath,
    congrats from Germany too. Hope you’ll be open until April because I’ll be in the States around that time and would love to visit your very own bakery!

    I am currently reading The Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman – a wonderful book with original recipes and lots of laughter!

    Reply

  66. Caitlyn (A Spoonful of Life) says

    HURRAY!! What great news! I have never been to a Great Harvest, though every time you show the bread you get from there i drool!! I must find one!

    Reply

  67. Lauren says

    Wow, go Matt. You should consider adding a small restaurant to this Great Harvest branch. 😉 Congrats to the both of you!

    Reply

  69. Cailin @ Stir Crazy says

    I am so impressed with that meal! Maybe your Matt can teach my Matt a few lessons 🙂
    Congratulations on the lease!!

    Reply

  71. Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says

    That’s awesome news! Congrats! I can’t wait to hear about things as they move forward. 😀

    Reply

  72. Katie says

    Yay! Congratulations on the lease! I’ve been reading ur blog 4eva & if i’m ever in Cville I will be stopping into your Great Harvest for sure!! 🙂

    Reply

  73. M. Carter @ the Movies says

    I’m always happy to find another Stieg Larsson fan (even if we Americans did “discover” the trilogy far later than the Europeans). Though I loved the Swedish film — enough that I was disgusted with the American “remake” casting choice for Lisbeth — I will say that it is very dark, and there are scenes of violence that are not sugarcoated and are VERY hard to watch.

    Three cheers on signing the lease!

    Reply

  74. Lauren says

    My husband needs to take some “notes” from Matt! What a delicious & gorgeous meal.

    I haven’t prepared butternut squash this way, but will definitely try it out – it works with sweet potatoes, so I bet it’s awesome with squash!

    I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of either the Dragon Tattoo books or Swedish movies. I know they are a huge hit, but for some reason I couldn’t get into them nearly as much as with other books & movie versions. I have yet to read the third book in the series, but I’ve heard it’s the best of the three. I guess I’ll have to read it and see for myself ;).

    Reply

  77. Lina says

    If you haven’t read it yet, you should definitely read “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” by Aimee Bender! It is excellent, it’s about a little girl who can taste emotions in food.

    Reply

  78. Lee says

    Congrats!

    Have you read The Art of Racing in the Rain? I read it over the summer and it was the best book that I’ve read in a while. (it’s not about running like the title might suggest)

    Reply

  80. Heather says

    Congrats on the lease!!!!!! Coming from a family business, I know how stressful it can be so a victory is a thing to celebrate 🙂

    And you are NOT going to be able to put down the next book in the Dragon series. It’s WAY better than the first! I’m still waiting to tear into #3.

    Reply

  84. Holly @ Food, Makeup, Hair says

    I loved Dragon Tattoo!! I watched the Swedish movie right after also, it is SO GOOD. You don’t even realize you are reading the subtitles, it just kinda flows with the movie. I’m now reading Played With Fire – it’s really good also!

    Reply

  88. Allison K says

    I recently found myself in a rut with books, not knowing what to read next. If you go to Jenna’s blog, she has a blog post where everyone commented with their favorite book. I put all of her comments in to word document, and it’s my new “to-read” list!

    Reply

  91. juli says

    I just bought some kale and acorn squash to make roasted squash with coconut butter and kale chips with ketchup. What kind of ketchup do you use? Your plates always look so good when you sit down to eat. It’s all about presentation. I read your blog every day and I envy that your hubby eats those things with you, mine just gives me strange looks when I make a big veggie plate, but I love fruit and veggies.

    Reply

  92. Christa @ O, Cake! says

    I looooovvvvved the books and the movies – I actually thought they were very good book-to-film adaptations. Glad to hear you liked it. And congrats on your lease!!! Exciting times!

    Reply

  98. missy says

    Congrats on signing!

    I’d never heard of GH before I started reading KERF and luckily we have one in our town. We were just there today and picked up 3 loaves – spinach feta, sundried tomato and swiss, and caramel pecan. Yum!!

    Reply

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