Birthday Dinner for the birthday boy....Chicken, artichokes and mac and cheese



I split these large ones in half. Easier to handle and you can really get at the choke.  You can see there is a good pile of waste with these.  I have already trimmed the stems and outer leaves.





cleaning out the choke I use a grapefruit spoon.



cleaned artichoke



stuffing  recipe is in a previous post. This easy stuffing was just italian seasoned bread crumbs, diced fennel, diced Fontina, olive oil and a bit of cream to moisten it all.

stuffed and ready to bake. Make sure that you keep the trimmed artichokes soaked in acidulated water (lemon juice) to keep them green during the process. I topped them with a bit of olive oil. Add a bit of water to the pan and cover to steam them. About an hour at 350.   

stamps rising with the dough, I love these little shower caps to cover the rising dough. Remove the stamp carefully so you don't deflate the rise.

post stamping / pre baking. Nice crisp stamp that will survive the oven.

Nick would like some old favorites today for his birthday. Stuffed artichokes, smoked gouda mac and cheese and grilled chicken. Sounds like a winning combo to me. Gotta get to the store to pick up a few things.

Prosphora was of course the order of the day and was baked to perfection yesterday.

Don't forget to brine your chicken breasts, especially if they are boneless. 1/4 c salt and 1/4 c sugar to 4 cups of water. Soak them for a few hours. Drain them and douse with a bit of oil to keep from sticking...grill away.