*Restaurant Remix: Boston Market

This is the first of a series of recipes I plan to work with that I'm fondly calling "Restaurant Remixes". For me its important to come up with meals that are satisfying comfort foods for my family, but also equally important is that its inexpensive and flavorful. To me going out to eat isn't exactly the epitome of a treat but somewhat of a nuisance. Its really nice on occasion, but its a fairly long drive to the nearest decent restaurant which means theres often long waits and a good deal of noise thats bothersome. My oldest son Riley is hearing impaired and loud situations are often quite stressful for him, for me the crowds make me anxious, and to top it off I find that typically theres a long wait for cold or mediocre food. Its never consistent and with a family of four its never cheap. Thats not to say that I don't absolutely love some of the foods I come across but this series of recipes is meant to replicate those comforting familiar flavors at home, without the drive, without the wait and without dropping a huge chunk of change.

The introduction to this series of recipes is Boston Market. I've never been a big fan of them necessarily but as a teenager it was a fairly popular chain and it allowed quick easy meals. One thing that I just could not resist on their menu was the tortellini salad. I absolutely adored it! The other memorable menu items for me were the macaroni and cheese and corn bread. The chicken I always considered mediocre at best, its always greasy and heavy, with a strange flavor. When you make it at home, I assure that wont be the case. I always love home roasting chickens because it allows me to utilize the leftover chicken in meals later on in the week and sometimes I use the bones for soups as well. This particular meal was prepared for a Sunday dinner. In my home Sunday comes around and its understood that there will be a big family dinner with no shortage of food, even though I'm typically only feeding the four of us its a huge affair. For me its an absolute necessity to sit down and have a family meal throughout the week, unfortunately fairly often busy schedules get in the way. Sunday is a time when we can reflect on our week and de-stress before the following week arrives to wreak its havoc. I cherish every sunday dinner like its Thanksgiving every single weekend. Its one more memory of my children, savoring the time with them before the school week, and time spent with my husband before his work week starts. Wether its a simple roasted chicken dinner or steak au poivre Sunday meals are special. I hope this encourages someone else to try making their restaurant favorites at home because I was truly inspired by this idea and thankful for how much BETTER it is home made.

Dearest Regards,
Cat