Ina's redemption

I was in Austin for a couple of weeks with my daughter and granddaughters. Food? Yes! I got to eat at my favorite restaurant in the entire universe--Fonda San Miguel--and had Chiles Anchos Rellenos de Picadillo de Pollo (Ancho Chiles Stuffed with Chicken Picadillo). Lord, forgive me for loving food so much. Surely it must be sinful. I actually have the recipe for this dish, directly from the chef at Fonda San Miguel. But I'm afraid to make it. I'm afraid that I won't do it justice, that the perfect tortillas and the funky art and the margaritas at Fonda are what make the experience so wonderful and I won't be able to re-create it at home. I brought home matchbooks from the restaurant as if that could comfort me. Sigh.

However, while in Austin I did try Ina Garten's recipe for lemon roasted chicken with croutons. Doggone good. So I tried it again today at home, just to make sure it was really that good. Yep, it's really that good. I needed to purge my recent negative Ina Garten experience, needed to erase the look and taste of that dreadful meatloaf recipe of hers. The mere thought still makes me queasy. But now my house smells like roast chicken and burned onions. It's fabulous. I wonder if some random eligible male walking down the street might follow the aroma to my house and propose marriage on the spot. And look at how beautiful the chicken looks--perfectly roasted! Should I refuse such a proposal?

You can find Ina's recipe on the Food Network at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-chicken-with-croutons-recipe/index.html. Make it!