07 May 2017

It's good to be home! After a month of renovations on One Britt to refinish all of the floors and paint the interior, we were finally able to move back on Thursday. Of course it was pouring rain and a Council meeting day, but nothing would deter us from returning home. After a thorough cleaning on Wednesday, the moving and restoration company did a great job and had all of our belongings back in place by 1 o'clock in the afternoon. They even folded our t-shirts, towels, and linens. Slater Floors did an amazing job on refinishing the hardwood and painting. I had a very particular finish in mind, and Richard Slater and his team kept working until they achieved the desired result. They ended up mixing a custom stain of two parts ebony with one part true black, and this created the perfect "brack" hue. I really love the deep dark chocolate color, and the woodgrain is still visible and lovely. The new floors give the house a totally different feel, and the paint is my favorite neutral color, China White by Benjamin Moore. We really appreciate everyone's kind comments as they followed our progress on social media. It was a fun way to document the process, and it was nice to get some outside perspective. Most of all, thanks again to our dear friends, Cory Wilson and John Clark, who allowed us to live in their basement apartment. It was nice to feel perfectly at home, and the hospitality was warm and inviting.

It was a busy weekend with getting settled back in and one of my favorite events of the year, Derby Day at the Rock Barn. This party is the largest annual fundraiser for the Cherokee County Historical Society. In addition to the ticket sells, they have a silent auction, pony pull and special Bourbon tastings. As always, Event Wise catering did a wonderful job with the derby-inspired food, and the CCHS Staff and Board are to be commended on one of their 14th Annual Derby Day – the best one yet!

Sunday was all about cooking the first Sunday Supper in the "new" house. After reading several articles on buttermilk roasted chicken, I decided to give it a try. I have wanted to cook this in the past, but I never remembered the chicken has to marinate in the buttermilk brine for 24 hours. While this requires patience, the outcome is totally worth the effort. The chicken has an excellent flavor with an
incredible caramelized color, and the brining keeps the chicken moist while roasting. To accompany the chicken, I sliced some fingerling potatoes in half and roasted them, along with some garlic cloves and thyme, for the last 30 minutes under the chicken in the roasting pan. This allows the potatoes to absorb all of the chicken flavor, and they are delicious. This is probably my favorite way to roast potatoes, other than frying them in duck fat, but the chicken fat is the next best thing. I also roasted some fresh Spring asparagus with some minced garlic, olive oil and a teaspoon of onion powder.

Even though we have been out of the house for a month, we went over every day to check on the work and to care for our plants. Jeff has worked hard to grow some organic arugula and radishes in our raised bed, and it was time to celebrate our move in with a fresh salad from the garden. The arugula was at its prime, and I added some of the young radish greens, thinly sliced radishes and a red apple to the salad. I made an apple cider vinaigrette dressing, and the combination was perfectly balanced with a undeniable taste of Spring. There is nothing more satisfying than picking fresh greens, produce or fruit from your own backyard and using them in your Sunday Supper.

There really is no place like home, especially when your home is located in Canton, Georgia! I hope your weekend activity and run for the roses was equally satisfying. Now, stop reading this blabber, and start marinating that chicken in some decadent Southern buttermilk!


The Menu:

- Buttermilk Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Thyme

- Chicken Fat Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

- Asparagus with Garlic

- Garlic Bread

- Grilled Fresh Pineapple Rings Marinated in White Wine and Honey


The Recipe – Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

Ingredients: 

One 4-pound chicken 

3 cups buttermilk

1 Tbs honey

1 Tbs hot sauce

1/3cup vegetable oil

2 Tbs fresh thyme or rosemary, chopped

3 cloves garlic,  crushed

1 Tbs crushed black peppercorns

1 Tbs sea salt

Directions:

1. Spatchcock the chicken by placing it breast side down and cut along both sides of backbone to remove. Turn chicken over and open it like a book. Press down with gentle pressure to flatten the chicken.
2. Put chicken in a large plastic storage bag then add buttermilk, oil, honey, hot sauce, garlic, herbs peppercorns, and salt. Seal bag and refrigerate for 24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then remove chicken from marinade and let excess buttermilk to drip off. Line a roasting pan with foil, then place chicken. Drizzle with 2 more tablespoons oil. Roast for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce heat to 325. Continue roasting until well browned and until juices run clear, about another 20 minutes. Check chicken with instant read thermometer in thickest part to ensure it reaches 165 degrees.
4. Remove chicken to a carving board and rest for 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces. Drizzle each serving with pan juices from roasting pan.