People!! I went to the butcher for the very first time this weekend!

I usually go to the shop and get frozen ready-cooked meat, but my friend said that he went to our local butcher’s, and the quality of the meat was great, as well as being really really cheap!

It was a lot of fun; I went in and at first, I was really put off by the stinky meat smell and actually seeing dead animals freshly laid out everywhere and guys in blood stained aprons… I remembered why I was a vegetarian for those three whole months… !!!

But, anemia has driven me back to meat, and it’s a very good thing. I read that if you eat one portion of meat a day (so, the size of your fist) or every other day, that is a good amount to strive for. Apparently, meat used to be an every-once-in-a-while thing, so it’s better to get fresh ingredients.

OK, back to the quaint little butcher’s shop on my road… I literally had NO idea what I was looking for. I just wanted some chicken I guess? I wandered around inside for a little while, looking at GIGANTIC fish with the heads and eyes still on, and all manner of herbs and spices (I might need those later when I figure out what the heck to do with spices…)

So, I stepped bravely up to the counter and ordered three chicken thighs. And the man behind the counter said they don’t do chicken thighs. So, instead, I asked for three chicken breasts. And I got handed the most gigantic, fresh cuts of meat I’ve ever handled.

So, I took that chicken home and this is what I did:

1. Cut one chicken breast into bite-sized pieces

2. Put the cut up chicken breast in a pan

3. Drizzled some olive oil over the chicken breast

3. Sprinkled spices on the meat (uh, just whatever was on the counter top– salt, pepper, some random Jamaican BBQ spices, and paprika)

4. Turned the oven on (Gas mark 7… i think?!)

5. Put the chicken inside

6. Every once in a while, (maybe every 20 mins) I checked to see how the chicken was getting on. For example, I turned the pieces over when the tops looked kind of brown, and I also stuck a fork in them to see what color the juice was. (If the juice is milky white, the chicken isn’t done yet. If it’s clear, the chicken is completely cooked.)

People!!!! The chicken turned out wonderfully!!!! It was tender, juicy and delicious! OMG! I ate it with some lettuce, blue cheese and tomatoes. I can’t hardly believe it.

So, the next day (Sunday) I went back to my old ways, and I bought a ready-made chicken pie. I popped it in the oven for an hour and, unfortunately the top got burnt and the bottom was gummy and undone. Go figure.

love,
Naimah.