Roasting a Chicken… or Two

Freeze space is a hot commodity in my kitchen. I had 2 large whole chickens staring at me when I opened up my freezer and decided to make room in my freezer by roasting them both. What I’m going to do with 2 roast chickens, I’m not sure… but the possibilities are endless. I’ve deboned the chickens and will probably use the meat in various ways for when I’m short on time.

For lunch today, we just enjoyed the legs with some roasted jalepeno potatoes and corn on the cob. Simple. Satisfying. As for the recipes, I kept it as effortless as possible:
Here’s my recipe for roast chicken:

1 whole chicken
1-2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
2-4 tablespoons spice/rub seasoning of your choice
(today I used Montreal Chicken Seasoning)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse and pat dry your chicken.
Drizzle oil over the chicken.
Sprinkle the seasoning all over the chicken until you have it completely covered. Add more seasoning if needed.
Place your chicken on a rack, set inside a roaster pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 3o minutes, or shorter/longer depending on size of your chicken. Bake until juices run clear.

** You could also stuff the cavity with lemons, limes, onions, garlic, etc… just use your preference for additional aromatics. I chose not to stuff the cavity since I didn’t want additional flavor into the chicken. I haven’t yet decided how I want to use the chicken so keeping it neutral and simple was my intent.

Here’s my recipe for rosemary jalepeno diced potatoes:

1-2 potatoes, diced
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
salt & pepper to taste
1 jalepeno, seeded & finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drizzle oil on a baking sheet.
Place potatoes on a single layer and toss in the oil.
Sprinkle the rosemary, salt & pepper & toss to coat.
Add jalepeno and toss.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until browned & crispy.

Honey Rosemary Chicken

The follow recipe was shared at my Balsamic Vinegar Tasting Event. You can read and view links to other recipes that were featured HERE.

Honey Rosemary Chicken
shared at the event by Joelen
recipe from here

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup basalmic vinegar
1-2 tbsp dried rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
6 skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix honey, vinegar, rosemary and oil. Place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Pour in mixture. Seal and turn the bag over to coat the chicken. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken in a 9×13 baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. ake for about one hour, basting occasionally with marinade.

Leftover Turkey never tasted so good!

After a cold day out in the snow and battling crowds of shoppers and tourists, I wanted nothing more than a good hot bowl of soup! I’m currently trying to use up as many ingredients as I have on hand to avoid a grocery trip out in the cold weather. So fortunately, I had all I needed for cream of turkey, rice & mushroom soup! Using the leftover Thanksgiving turkey I had froze after our party, it came out wonderful and hit the spot.Here’s my recipe for Cream of Turkey, Rice & Mushroom Soup…

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups leftover cooked turkey
10 oz sliced cremini (baby ‘bellas) mushrooms
2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
4 quarts chicken broth
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon rosemary seasoning (optional)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil and add onions and garlic.
Cook until onions are translucent.
Add mushrooms and turkey & cook until mushrooms soften.
Add uncooked rice and stir to coat.
Add broth and stir, cooking over medium heat.
Add rosemary seasoning (optional)
Allow it to cook until rice is cooked & absorbs the broth.
Continue to add more broth or even water until you reach the consistency you prefer.
Season to taste.
Add whipping cream and stir.
Turn off heat and allow soup to thicken slightly.
Serve hot and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Sausage Apple Dressing

Tonight is focused on my Traditional fare menu and some desserts. Everything is set for the most part… and I approached it as if it were just one of my cooking class events where everything is prepped and ready to assemble. Here are recipes of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes on my menu.

Sausage Apple Dressing:

with a few of my adjustments below

1 roll pork sausage
2 applea chopped
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste
1 package white melba toast, roughly crushed
1 package wheat melba toast, roughly crushed
1 package boxed stuffing mix
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary seasoning mix
3 cups chicken broth
½ stick butter

In large pan, cook sausage, onions and garlic & seasonings.
Place crushed melba toasts and packaged stuffing mix in large bowl.
Add sausage mixture and toss in chopped apples.
Combine chicken broth, butter and rosemary seasoning mix and butter in measuring cup and pour over toast.
Place in casserole dish and bake at 350 for 20 -30 minutes.

Rosemary Herb Turkey

Rosemary Herb Turkey

For the Rosemary Herb Turkey, I have to confess that we decided to purchase a cooked turkey from a local supermarket. I still have my cast on (which doesn’t get taken off until November 29th) and I surely couldn’t make my turkey one handed – the weight of the turkey alone is too much for me! Secondly, my husband was really nervous about making a turkey under my direction for a house full of foodies. So, this year we opted for a cooked turkey to make it easier and less stressful. It was super simple only because the bird just needed 2 hours to warm up! However to add some personality to our bird, I did brush it with melted butter and sprinkled some rosemary herb seasoning for extra flavor.

Clean out the fridge… It’s time for Pot Roast!

Last night I defrosted what I thought were beef shanks. While on my way home, I decided to do an asian twist on a beef osso bucco. However when I went to get started, I realized I defrosted some beef chuck instead! It worked out great because it’s been awhile since I had made a pot roast and I had some leftover veggies from my recent fondue party.The pot roast came out wonderful! The use of fresh herbs my friend Dan gave me definitely added some amazing flavor and aromas. I served this savory beef & veggies over some pappardelle pasta.Here’s my recipe for Rosemary & Basil Pot Roast:

2 lb. beef chuck roast
salt & pepper to taste
onion & garlic powder to taste
olive oil for browning
2 cups beef broth
1 onion, quartered
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 handful fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon rosemary herb mix
1-2 cups baby carrots
1-2 cups parboiled red potatoes, quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season roast with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder.
Dredge roast in flour.
In a dutch oven, add olive oil to hot pan to coat bottom.
Brown roast in oil on both sides.
When browned, add beef broth to pan to deglaze.
Add remaining ingredients to pot.
Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1.5-2 hours, until beef is tender.

Braisin’ Beef

Tonight I was in the mood for a rich fall meal… and had some leftover port wine to use. So to hit the spot, I made braised beef shanks in a port wine sauce. Here’s my recipe for port braised beef shanks…

4 beef shanks
salt, pepper, italian seasoning to taste
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
miripoix: 1/2 cup each carrots, celery, onions diced fine
1 cup port wine (I used Jonesy)
1 cup beef broth
2 springs fresh rosemary
4 springs thyme leaves
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a dutch oven, brown beef shanks in olive oil on both sides.; remove from pot.
In the same pot, add the miripoix and garlic. Stir until softened.
Return the browned beef in the pot.
Add port wine & beef broth.
Stir in fresh thyme & rosemary leaves.
Reduce heat, cover and let it simmer for 2 hours.
Just before serving, add frozen peas and stir.

I served this over steamed brown rice.

Cheddar Herb Beer Bread

Savory Breads

fresh out of the oven:

We made the following bread during my Quick Bread Cooking Class, which you can read & view pictures of HERE.

Cheddar Herb Beer Bread
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz. beer
1 teaspoon chili or cayenne powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients.
Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

Love From My Oven…

With the cooler weather slowly approaching, I’m getting anxious to bake more often. One of my fave things to bake are breads… particularly beer breads. I have quite a few recipes that are versatile and fool proof. In fact, here’s one I made today for my Rosemary Garlic & Sundried Tomato Bread:3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 -3 tablespoons rosemary garlic seasoning blend
1/4 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
1 (12oz) can or bottle of beer
cooking spray to grease loaf pan

Lightly grease loaf pan with cooking spray.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all remaining ingredients except beer in a large bowl.
Pour beer into the mixture and stir thoroughly – don’t overmix!
Pour bread bater into greased loaf pan.
Bake 50-55 minutes in preheated oven.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing.

Serve with your favorite dip, with cheese or cut in cubes & bake for herbed croutons.

Peruvian Fish

Peruvian Fish

(adapted by Randy Nufer – exact measurements not provided)

1 lb tilapia, defrosted
1 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bag fresh spinach
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tomato, sliced thin
whole milk
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp nutmeg
fresh basil
1 spring rosemary
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil
butter
balsamic vinegar or white wine
1/2 lime juice

par boiled rice
clove of garlic
olive oil
water

Saute garlic & onions in butter.
Create white sauce by combining 2 oz cold water in a glass with 2 teaspoons flour.
Stir and add to pan with garlic & onions.
Add salt & pepper.
Slowly add milk to create sauce until smooth and creamy.
Add 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, crushed pepper, rosemary, & sour cream.
Add vinegar or white wine.
Stir in parmesan cheese.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a shallow baking pan, coat bottom with olive oil.
Place fish in one layer over oil.
Place blanched spinach over fish.
Pour white sauce over spinach.
Top with chopped red pepper.
Top with sliced tomatoes.
Sprinkle top with black pepper & fresh basil.
Cover dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
During the last 20 minutes of baking, remove foil to allow top to brown.

Prepare rice by placing olive oil in the bottom of a rice cooker.
Add minced onion and garlic.
For every 1/2 cup of par boiled rice, add just under 1 cup of water.
Cook rice as directed in your rice cooker.
To serve, spoon rice onto plate and place fish with sauce over rice.