Germany Steals Potatoes from the French

Setting: Tis past weekend was a special treat. My memphis family came to visit on Thursday, and Max stayed with us all the way through Sunday morning. We had a great time. Plus, this was my first opportunity to share a Julia meal with someone other than Lori. Having just suffered my first football loss of the season (auburn: 23, arkansas: 44), I must admit that I was a little sad. What better way to put your mind on something else than to dive into another great meal in the kitchen?

okay... I worded that weird. I just got a mental image of myself diving into a giant pan of risotto. Let's try that again.

*rewind* What better way to put your mind on something else than cooking a great dinner for your family (much better)?

Task: Supremes de Volaille a Brun (Chicken Breasts Sautéed in Butter), Petits Pois Frais à l'Anglaise (Buttered Peas), and Pommes de Terre Sautées (Potatoes Sautéed in Butter).

I'm wondering if it would be more cost effective for me to churn my own butter. This time I used nearly an entire box of stick butter for only three recipes (two of which were vegetable recipes).

This meal was fairly simple and much more relaxed than my last meal. The peas simply had to be boiled and then blended with spices. The potatoes (new potatoes) were cut into slices and then cooked with butter in the skillet. The chicken breasts were also cooked in the skillet with butter after being salted and rolled in flour. Afterwards a lemon butter sauce was made to pour over the meat.

Verdict: The meal turned out really well. The most important thing is that everyone seemed to enjoy the taste (Always a plus!). There were a few lessons learned that I will share below:

1. Out of season - Green peas are not in season right now. Julia went into a long explanation of how to choose the right peas. I was very excited when I showed up to Kroger because I felt so educated; however, I was greeted with a nice "the joke's on you" once I realized that I had picked a vegetable that grows in the spring. Solution: frozen peas. Boooo!

2. Hi! my name is Broken Record - Yes. I had a problem with the chicken AGAIN! Julia must have like "super chickens" or something. Every time she tells me that it will take __ amount of time, it ends up being 2 to 3 times longer. Oh, and I think I might yell at the cookbook if I have to read "springy to the touch" any more. Okay, #2 has transitioned into Hi! My name is Soap Box.

3. Potatoes = Amazing - The potatoes were sooooooooo good. i would love to share the details of this recipe with anyone who is interested because they were delicious and simple to cook. They reminded Lori and I of the potatoes that we often eat at a German restaurant in Madison, Alabama. I'm not sure why French food reminded us of German food, but hey...at least both countries are next to one another on the map.

4. Where's the camera? - I forgot to take pictures this time. I don't know how it happened. I like to think that I was so caught up in the "Joy of Cooking" (yes, i realize the reference is cheesy) that I simply could not break my concentration to take snapshots. The truth: I did not remember to do it.