new mom roasted fennel and artichoke hearts

What is New Mom Food? Think about those first months with a newborn- frequent, long feedings. The feeling of not having time to do much but still having some of that nesting instinct. And if you have other kids? Forget it. There's not enough time in a day. So you need recipes that are good, low prep, and easy.


This is a recipe that I tried today and loved. I found it in Martha Stewart Living- what you see below is my version (because I can never follow a recipe exactly, of course). This dish is one of my favorite types of dishes- extremely easy to make, but can impress because the ingredients are uncommon and it looks pretty when done. Perfect as a side dish or as a dish to bring to a potluck or dinner. People will wonder how you ever had time to prepare such a fantastic dish- you can just shrug and smile. 


New Mom Roasted Fennel and Artichoke Hearts


Ingredients
1 fennel bulb (just the white part, not the fronds), cut in 3/4 inch wedges
1 can whole artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
About 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

new mom roast chicken

I've decided to add a new section to the blog- New Mom Food.

What is New Mom Food? Think about those first months with a newborn- frequent, long feedings. The feeling of not having time to do much but still having some of that nesting instinct. And if you have other kids? Forget it. There's not enough time in a day. So you need recipes that are good, low prep, and easy.

This is a recipe that I used for Christmas dinner. I walked into the coop, saw how much ham was (insane!) and decided that we would have a nice roast chicken instead. Now, I have not cooked a whole chicken for many years, but luckily, we are staying for the next 3 months at my sister's house. As in my sister, owner of a whole wall of cookbooks from all over the world, kitchen with six burners and awesome cookware. I was not worried.

I called her up, and she immediately knew the recipe I should use- Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux, or Roast Chicken for Lazy People (really!). I have re-christened it "New Mom Roast Chicken", because it truly is that easy. I found it in the book Around My French Table: More Than 300 recipes From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, which I fully intend to steal when we leave (just kidding, Z).

Delicious, simple, healthy, easy: This is the new mom's dream. Try it!

New Mom Roast Chicken

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 thick slice bread or 2 slices baguette
1 chicken, 4-5 pounds, preferably organic, at room temperature
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 sprigs each rosemary, thyme and oregano
1 garlic head, cut horizontally in half, unpeeled