My friends just had the cutest little lady in all the world. She’s an 8 pound bundle of curly-haired yumminess. As all of us mommies know, it is IMPOSSIBLE to hold the fort, diaper a baby, be a food supply and still maintain our sanity every day when we are trying to adjust to this crazy new world called parenting. So on Friday we Terenyis packed up dinner, piled in the minivan and did what any “good” friends would do – we invaded. Why not. Heck, four kids under the age of 4 in a 2 bedroom apartment is exactly what two brand-new-sleep-deprived-half-starved-parents need! But hey, we are good company and that baby loves her some Gazi (that’s me…short for my Kenyan name Shangazi – meaning “Aunty”).
Want to know what I made? It was good! I made Cilantro Lime Chicken, mashed potatoes and creamed zucchini. Oh, and I made homemade rye bread – but I forgot it…at home :(

~Serves 6~

Food Stuffs:
Whole Roasting Chicken
1 Carrot – Quartered
1 Red and Yellow Pepper – cubed
1 Onion – Cubed
5 Cloves of Garlic Skin still on
1 Stick Butter
1 Bunch Cilantro
3Limes – Wedged
3Tbs Sea Salt
1/2tsp Cumin

5Lbs Gold Potatoes
1Stick Butter
Milk

3Zucchini -shredded
2Summer Squash -shredded
1Lg Tomato – Chopped
1 Med Onion – Chopped
Sea Salt, Pepper, Garlic Power, Heavy Whipping Cream, Parm Cheese

Ok, the bird gets to go first. Preheat your oven to 350. Grab that big pot that you make your noodles in. Now take the chicken and a sharp knife. Put the chicken in the pot breast side down. CAREFULLY slide the knife between the skin and the meat(hiney-end first)…DO NOT CUT INTO THE MEAT!!!!  OR THE SKIN!!!! You just want to separate the skin from the meat with out removing it from the bird. We are just trying to make a pocket to stuff our cilantro filling in. Ok, now that we have that finished, wash your hands and lets move on.
In a bowl, mash 3/4 of the cilantro, 1 squeezed lime, 1Tbs sea salt 1/2tsp cumin 2/3stick butter. Once its all mashed together, stuff and spread it up under the skin. This will be messy and a little gross. You’ll wash.
Now, take the first set of vegetables and mix them together in a bowl. Combine 2Tbs of sea salt and remaining 1/3 stick butter. Stuff as much as you can inside the bird and evenly distribute what you cannot around the outside of the bird. Sprinkle cracked pepper on top of the chicken and cover with a lid. Pop into the oven for about an hour and a half. Now Remove the lid and let the skin get nice and crispy!! Should take about a half hour. Your total cooking time should be 2 hours at 350 degrees.

Peel and cut the potatoes. Boil in salted water  (1Tbs sea salt) until they are fall off the fork tender. Drain and add one stick of butter about 1 cup of milk..maybe more depending on how you like your potatoes. Whip them up in a KitchenAid.

So, in a large skillet saute onions and tomatoes with a little olive oil. Add salt and garlic about a tsp of each. Once they have browned add in the zucchini and squash. Let them cook until they are tender and the water has cooked out. Add about a 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and let simmer for 2 minute. Add in 1/2cup parm cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. You may need to play with the garlic. I noticed that I needed to add a little more this last time.

When the Chicken was finished, I pulled it out and carved it up. I scooped out all the veggies(discard the limes and the garlic) and set them next to the meat. I left the juices in the pan and turned on the heat. I took a Tbs of flour and a little water and mixed up a slurry and slowly added that to my juices to make a gravy. It was very good and I recommend you do the same. The mashed potatoes went in a big a bowl on the table as did the zucchini and we all enjoyed a quiet (well as quiet as 4 kids and 4 adults can be) meal.

My friends aren’t wine drinkers and we had to drive so no wine this time. I would love to hear your suggestions! Hope you all enjoy this!
Dedicated to:
Our friends, Kelly and Wale O. – Congrats Guys!

Welcome To Our World Beautiful Baby 'O'!