I am currently working on an exciting writing opportunity and need your help. I’m interested in hearing about your experiences with dinner parties, whether as hosts or as guests. The worst, the best, the weirdest, the raunchiest, the funniest – you name it. If you have a story to tell (or you know of someone who does), I’d appreciate hearing from you. If I use your story, full credit will be given to you or you can choose to remain anonymous. If you’d like more details don’t hesitate to contact me but in the meantime I look forward to hearing about your adventures in dining. Send me your story at thecookscompanion@sympatico.ca

February is definitely the month of romance and love. But forget lingerie and roses, food has become synonymous with the perfect romantic moment. I for one am pretty happy about this seeing as roses make me sneeze and lace is too scratchy and itchy for my taste!
Everywhere you turn there are restaurants advertising their Valentine’s Day menus featuring foods that are often thought of as romance enhancers, like oysters, champagne and chocolate. Grocery store flyers are filled with specials designed to tantalize the senses through plump red strawberries and succulent seafood. They seem to be telling us that with the right food, you have a better shot at love. And it just might be true. When I think back to all the romantic or love filled moments in my life, the one thing that comes rushing back to me is what or where I was eating.

I may not be able to remember the name of my date who took me to my first “fancy” French restaurant (a bad handlebar mustache comes to mind though) but I can recall with clarity the juicy, garlicky escargots I had.

For my wedding (not to the handlebar mustache guy!) I was adamant that I didn’t want a sit down meal but food stations that featured a different chef and cuisine at each area. Didn’t give a hoot about the flowers or invitations but I was a Bridezilla when it came to the food!

When my husband I moved to Australia and were working together, it is the quaint local restaurant that we frequented every Friday night for the first few months and Fire Gully red wine that helped keep our romance strong in times when we could easily have come to blows; anyone who has worked with their partner will know what I mean!

Even when I feed my family, love is always at the forefront. Why else would I bother taking the extra time to make their favourite home made applesauce instead of opening a jar or spending 45 minutes stirring risotto on a busy Tuesday night but to see their faces light up with pleasure and to hear their little boy voices say, “Thanks mom, you’re the best cooker ever.”

So after 15 years of marriage, I’ll tell my husband to save his money on the French Maid’s outfit and flowers. Instead we’ll splurge on sweet crab legs with champagne dipping sauce and a chocolate soufflé. But hey, if he wants to throw in the odd diamond ring, who am I to spoil his fun!

I was at the gym the other day puffing away on the ecliptic machine when tragedy struck….my ipod ran out of juice. It’s a tragedy to me because although I like to exercise there is always an ongoing battle in my mind about how long I’m going to keep at it. The music helps to tune out the angel/devil conversation going on in my head and feed my closet Jackson 5 habit at the same time. So with no distraction other than club muzak or Jerry Springer, I was forced to listen in on the neighbouring conversation between two women (shameful I know but I needed something to overshadow my demons!).

The one woman was commenting on how she feels she doesn’t need a dining room anymore let alone a kitchen table because she doesn’t have the time or the desire to do anymore “formal” dining. And if and when her family (I learned through my nosiness that she has 3 kids) sits down to a meal together it’s only ever at someone else’s house or a special occasion. Now don’t get me wrong; I understand that because cooking and entertaining is my business I can perhaps throw together a meal a bit easier and faster than others but to formally rule out family time around a table one night a week at the very least to me is robbing your whole family of a special time together. By sitting down together in the dining room, I learn more about my kids then spending the whole day with them. It’s a time when we don’t answer the phone, toys are banned from the table along with the adult “blackberry” ones and we spend 30 minutes actually enjoying our food instead of gulping it down. Plus the kids eat so much better when we all sit down together. Yes, there are times when milk is spilt on my good table and peas get ground into the rug but my children are learning important skills such as how to make conversation and improve their table manners.

Maybe this woman’s retreat from family dinner time is partially responsible for the atrocious table manners that so many adults seem to have these days. And for those of you who are mumbling, “Sure it’s easy for her to say.” It’s not easy for me. I still have two small children to raise, a household to run, a business to operate and numerous other responsibilities but I think it’s too important a time not to concentrate on. So important that when we moved into our new house last year I changed what was the formal living room to a formal dining room. It’s roomy, has a fireplace, sitting area and a table to seat 14. And best of all my family and friends are so comfortable in this room that we have spent more quality time here talking, laughing and sharing meals than ever before…no one ever wants to leave the table or go home!

But I’m also not spending hours in the kitchen to get this family time either because that would defeat the purpose. A roast chicken is the easiest and stress free meal you can put together for your family. It’s a one stop, one pan satisfaction meal that can be ready to put in the oven the minute you walk in the door or even prepared the day before and reheated closer to serving. Take time at least one day a week to sit down with your family with no distractions and enjoy a meal together around a table. And if for some reason you still don’t think you have time to cook then go out and purchase a rotisserie chicken but serve it on your best dishes and enjoy the time you have together. It goes by way too fast.

Here’s a roast chicken and vegetables recipe that will help you get started enjoying family time around the table. Chicken thighs are used to help shorten the roasting time and make preparation a little faster. Enjoy!

Roast Chicken with Vegetables
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Notes: This dish can be roasted the day before and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350F oven until warm (roughly 20 minutes). The garlic in this dish will soften and become sweet adding a wonderful mellow flavour. Feel free to substitute vegetables of your liking such as sweet potatoes, squash, Brussels sprouts, turnips etc.

Ingredients
500g (small) red potatoes, unpeeled and each cut in half
2 large carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges
12 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 medium chicken thighs, skin removed
1 medium red pepper, cut into 6 wedges
1 medium green pepper, cut into 6 wedges
125ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In large roasting pan, toss potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover roasting pan; roast vegetables 20 minutes.

2. Remove pan from oven; uncover. Add chicken thighs and pepper wedges; toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast, uncovered, 20 minutes; stir vegetables and chicken to brown evenly.

3. Roast 10 minutes longer or until vegetables are golden and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife.

4. Remove pan from oven and add 125ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock, stirring to loosen brown bits from the bottom of the roasting pan. Serve.