Monday's Blue Plate Special - Spice Bowl

I obviously have some catching up to do after our Christmas in Camden Maine which was  free from the irreverent stampeding hoards rushing to get that last pair of Air Jordans. But before I try to do justice to our submersion into the decadent fare of the Camden local inns, this post is a nod to what I hope becomes a regular on Crumb Brulee, Monday's Blue Plate Special.
I call yesterdays dinner "Spice Bowl" since both were my muse.

The two and only wonderful gifts I got for Christmas this year were from my Mother and Sister Jacqueline. I am not a consistent gift buyer or card giver so I take no offense when I am not on the receiving end. It's usually mood or inspiration that strikes me into action. So to say my Christmas giving this year was not stellar is a colossal understatement.
Then there are the gracious people in my life who never forget a birthday, holiday, anniversary or recognition for your dog passing her good canine test.  My Mother and Sister Jacqueline are two of these special  people and last night I used their gifts in my dinner. 

Spice

Penzeys Spices, AKA my new best friends.
Really now I swear this is the first time I've ever had Penzeys Love to Cook - Cook to Love spices in my hot little hands. The package arrived  on Saturday about 10 minutes before we were headed out the door to Camden. I decided they needed to come celebrate with us so I stowed them in the back seat to await Christmas Morning.


With Christmas over we returned from our trip and I realized there wasn't a ton of fresh food in the house.  I'd have to make due with the bone in chicken breasts, butternut squash, leeks and whatever else I could find since going back  out to the store was out of the question. Dressing the chicken up for dinner was going to be a breeze and I fancied myself the culinary equivalent of Rachel Zoe who knew just the thing to style those perky breasts in:
33rd & Galena and Forward spices mixed with softened butter and sea salt would do the trick.  Cooking tip, dry your breasts after they are rinsed in the shower sink. The butter will stick to the skin and not slide off or stay on your hands. Paper towels work well as depicted here:

Towel Time: Dry your breasts...

because butter sticks better  to them when you do!

Time for the butternut squash, leeks, baby bella mushrooms dusted with....yes you guessed it more spices. This time Ceylon Cinnamon and Mural of Flavor would make this already eye-catching dish even more appealing.

One

Two

Three

The Bowl
My mother has been adding to my china set for the last 20 years.  (Yes Mom it's been 20 years)  Back in the 90's I fell in love with Botanical Garden by Portmeirion. The china stood the test of time and grew into familiar and comfortable companions at my dinner table.  For my new bowl I chose a tomato & cucumber, dressed with lemon juice, sea salt-n-pepper. Simple ingredients which happened to be the only fresh food I had left.

Portmeirion Rose Bowl

My computer kept me company as I plowed through three more episodes of The Tudors. Finally dinner was ready and I lifted a silent thank you to my Mother and Sister for their generous gifts which I was happy to put to good use.

Monday's Blue Plate Special

Yum!