It's the Wood One

This weekend Thatboy and I celebrated our Fifth Anniversary.

Kinda. We had so many plans for this weekend that our anniversary was put on the back burner a bit. The fifth anniversary is the "Wooden Anniversary" perhaps to commemorate how solid you are if you've made it this far? We exchanged gifts the night before our anniversary so I wouldn't have to drag the GIGANTIC humidor up to Thatmom's for Thatboy to open on the actual day of. (See, cause a humidor is made of wood, so it fits. And Thatboy certainly loves his cigars). The day of our actual anniversary was filled with another big celebration in our lives - my shower.

Food, family, friends, I couldn't ask for anything more. And the guest of honor, who still has a little over a month to arrive, was properly celebrated. We have spent the past few days unpacking the boxes in the nursery so that there would be room for all the wonderful and generous presents.

Of course this means the boxes in the rest of the place have gone a little neglected, but that's what this weekend is for! Especially since many of those boxes contain books (an OBSCENE amount of books) so they'll be easier to unpack once we pick up a couple bookshelves this weekend.

In a couple of weeks, Thatboy and I will properly celebrate our anniversary, our last trip just the two of us! We're looking forward to beautiful scenery, delicious food, and some quality relaxation time. But until then, I leave you with a fabulous meal you can serve on a special occasion - coq au vin. Coq au Vin is one of those meals I am totally spoiled by. I first had it in Paris years and years and years ago. It is the quintessential French dish after all. And it quickly became my staple for French restaurants on this side of the pond (that's a British phrase isn't it?). And then I started making it at home. And I realized how easy it was and how much better it was. And now I can never order it out. So now it's your turn to make it. A direct translation is "Chicken in Wine." What's not to like?

Coq Au Vin
6 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup pancetta
10 small white onions
2 cloves of garlic, crushed with the back of a spoon
1 sprig of thyme, crumbled
3 sprigs of parsley
2 bay leaves
10 crimini mushrooms
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 Tbsp brandy
1 cup red wine

1. Preheat oven to 275. Melt the butter and oil in large ovensafe pot. Brown the chicken.
2. Add the pancetta, onions, garlic, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, mushrooms, salt, and pepper.
3. This is the most funnest part. Have your spotter ready with the fire extinguisher just in case. Pour the brandy into a small saucepan and heat slightly. Now - LIGHT IT ON FIRE! (I use one of those long handled lighters for jobs like this.) Once that thing is flaming, pour it (still burning) over the chicken.
   
4. Pour the red wine over all , cover, and bake 2 hours.