Yes, sadly the matzo balls didn’t come out so hot last night!  I’m convinced it was because I used this other brand of matzo meal.  I followed the same recipe I always use – but I usually use Streit’s or Manischewitz – this time I used some organic Israeli brand I picked up at Whole Foods.  Big mistake.  They didn’t turn out as light and fluffy as they normally do.  Everyone was kind – they all said they like their balls denser and slightly chewy (yes, we had a rather comical conversation over dinner about how we prefer our balls).  The denser style seems to have a nostalgia factor – I guess mothers have been screwing up matzo balls for decades. 🙂

Anyway, other than the matzo balls, our meal was fantastic!  Amie made the most incredible roast chicken I’ve ever had.  The recipe came from the book A Bird in the Oven and Then Some by Mindy Fox.

A Bird in the Oven and Then Some - by Mindy Fox

It was a roast chicken with green olives, fennel seeds and thyme.  It was incredibly flavorful!  I don’t usually like recipes that use olives (even though I love olives), I think the olive flavor tends to overwhelm – but this was PERFECTION!  I’m totally buying the book.  It has a bunch of different roast chicken recipes, along with recipes for sides and then finally – recipes for meals to make with your leftover roast chicken.  Brilliant.

Amie also made a side dish from the book – warm snow peas with sea salt and olive oil – totally delish!  You flash-boil the snow peas for two minutes until they turn this gorgeous bright green and that’s it!  Crisp, fresh and sweet… drizzle a little good olive oil on top and a sprinkle of sea salt and you’re good to go.  I made some roasted butternut squash with butter and brown sugar and then I threw some Shitake mushrooms in the oven with some garlic, olive oil and sea salt and roasted them up and they were spectacular – super meaty and full of flavor!  I’m having a new love affair with mushrooms lately.  I’m obsessed.  And Adam used to hate mushrooms, but now that I’ve been cooking them up all yummy, he’s a fan too.

So, the bad news is, I was so concerned with finishing up my dishes and getting them to the table, that I completely forgot to take pictures before everyone started chowing down (it might have been the wine too)!  We realized when we were about three-quarters into the meal.  So I have ZERO pictures of the food.  I didn’t think you’d want to see a photo of our picked over roast chicken – right?  Oh well.  Next time!  I did however take funny pictures of Adam and Brett (Amie’s brother).  People always say they look alike.  So we did a test:

Adam.

Brett.

Funny right?