Fancy Schmancy Cooking

For Christmas this year, Mom and Dad got all of us kids our very own "Set It....And Forget It!" Chicken Rotisserie Cooker. There are 2 words that best describe the results of cooking a chicken with this fancy schmancy gadget- "FREAKIN' AWESOME!" Check out the video- hear that a sizzlin' and a poppin'? Those are the succulent, delicious juices dripping off the chicken while it slowly cooks to perfection. You're supposed to cook the chicken 15 minutes per pound, so after 45 minutes, this is how it looked when I took it off the rotisserie spits:

Yes, that tasted every bit as good as it looks!

Another handy dandy cooking utensil I got for Christmas was a cutting device called a Mandolin.

You take whatever vegetable or fruit you want to cut, and run it across the blade. Talk about FAST! I cut this half a red cabbage up in about 26 seconds. One downfall about this fantastic tool- it is UNBELIEVABLY SHARP!! As in, I'm half way scared to use this thing because it is so sharp. I watch the cooks use one of these on Iron Chef (my favorite Food Network show) and they go so fast with it- I have to look away because I'm too scared to watch! So while I love and use this wonderful little gadget, I have a very healthy respect for it.

To go along with the chicken (did I mention how moist and juicy and crispy and tender and delicious this was, by the way?), I made a warm cabbage slaw.

I know that sounds kind of weird, but it was different and delicious. I quartered a red and a green cabbage and shredded them with my mandolin. Then I sautéed 2 cloves of minced garlic in some olive oil. After that cooked for a few minutes, I added some apple vinegar, honey, soy sauce, and a splash of Tabasco. I then added the cabbages and let them soak up all that tangy goodness. While that was cooking, I again used my mandolin to cut up half an apple. I also added that to the cabbage, and let it cook another minute. It turned out to be very complex and interesting- the sweet and sour sauce, combined with the crunchiness of the apple and the tenderness of the cabbage- it was very good! I'm glad I made enough to have left overs tomorrow!

My tip of the day: Go out and buy a "Set It and Forget It" Rotisserie Cooker. Trust me. You need one.

And some cabbage. It's cheap, healthy, and it tastes delicious :-)

Thanks Mom and Dad! What a great Christmas gift!