Roasting Chicken is Easy (and delicious)

What's one of the easiest "home cooking" meals to cook?  Roasted chicken.  It's because it's so easy to cook, I can not understand why more people don't do it.

I'm always experimenting with different rubs for my chicken.  Just rub, roast, and done!  But one thing I never thought of using is honey.  But in the Better Homes and Gardens April issue, they had a recipe for a Honey Roasted Chicken that I finessed and it turned out great.  Here's the recipe the way I cooked it:


Honey Roasted Chicken

Effort Meter (1 to 5): 2

Delicious Meter (1 to 5): 4



Ingredients:

1 whole raw chicken
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP pepper
1 TBSP garlic salt
2 TBSP thyme
3/4 C honey
1/2 C peeled and sliced shallots
1/2 C white wine
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 small lemon, thinly sliced

Instructions: 

Remove giblets and neck from chicken.  Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Put neck in a sauce pan with three cups of water and simmer for up to an hour (you may have to add more water).  If this grosses you out, use chicken broth instead of broth created from chicken parts. Feed the giblets to the dog. Set broth aside.


Pat inside and outside of chicken with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and thyme.  Coat with drizzle of olive oil and massage into chicken.  Tie up legs of chicken. Place in shallow roasting pan. 


Roast uncovered at 375 until chicken reaches 180 degrees (about 1-1/4 hours).  Coat chicken with 1/4C of honey.  Roast for an additional 5 minutes.  Add to pan: shallots, remaining honey, wine, peas, cut lemon, and 1 - 2 Cups of chicken broth.  Roast for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve by removing peas with a slotted spoon.

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Two Killer Turkeyloaf Recipes for Those Who Hate Meatloaf

I HATE meatloaf.  But for some reason, trading out hamburger meat with ground turkey makes meatloaf yummy (and better for you!).

So here are two meatloaf-alternatives that are to die for, and very diet-friendly.  I encourage you to experiment using your favorite meatloaf recipe and trading out for turkey.  You may be surprised at how delicious it is.  Turkey takes on the flavor of whatever you bake it with, so the results are more delectable than beef.

Standard Turkey Loaf

Serving Suggestion: Serve with Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli sauteed in olive oil and garlic salt.

Ingredients:

1 - 2lbs Ground Turkey
1 C Chopped Onion (give or take)
1 C Chopped Carrot (give or take)
3 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs mixed with 1/4 C skim milk to soften
1/2C  Parmesan Cheese
1/4C Ketchup
2 Eggs
1 TSP Salt
1 TSP Seasoning Salt or Poultry Seasoning
1 TSP Garlic Salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Combine ingredients into a bowl and mix well with hands.  Coat a meatloaf pan with oil (I also sometimes make individual portions using cupcake pans). Place meat mixture in pan  and pat down.  Bake for 60 - 70 minutes until center registers 160 degrees.

Southwest Turkey Loaf

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
14-1/2 ounce can beef broth
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 pounds uncooked ground turkey
1 cup frozen or canned whole kernel corn, thawed or drained
1/2 cup bottled picante sauce (I didn't have this, but salsa or enchilada mix will work, too)
1/4 - 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
Shredded Mexican-style four cheese blend, chopped tomato, snipped fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeno pepper


Instructions: 

In a rice cooker, add oil, onions, rice, garlic, and beef broth. Cook until rice is tender. Stir in beans; set aside to cool slightly, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a meatloaf pan baking with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl combine turkey, corn, picante sauce, crushed chips, and taco seasoning. Stir in rice mixture. In prepared baking pan lightly pat meat mixture to a 10x5-inch loaf. Bake for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted near center of loaf registers 165 degrees F.

Let meat loaf stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, tomato, cilantro, and/or sliced jalapeno.

The Perfect Labor Day

This is me, making cinnamon rolls around 5:45am on Labor Day

Yesterday I had a great Labor Day.  It started out a bit strange at first.  I woke up at 3am and couldn't force myself back to sleep.  This has been occurring a lot lately (ok, actually for the last two years) and I blame it on the fact that my two-year-old son still does not sleep through the night.

So instead of tossing and turning in bed, I got up and started reading "The Crying Tree" (very good, actually).  I was mid-chapter when my hubby came down wondering what I was doing.  Instead of us both going to bed, we decided to take advantage of the quiet time and we sat and talked, then decided to make homemade cinnamon rolls...my absolute favorite.  We even took a soak in the hot tub and watched the sunrise while the dough was also rising!

The finished cinnamon roll

I must say, about four times a year, I am actually motivated enough to make cinnamon rolls.  But now, with my Kitchenaide Mixer, making dough IS SO EASY and these were the best ones to date.  So, I think I might make them more often now.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:

1 cup milk

1 envelope (1/4 ounce)  active dry yeast

1/4 cup  warm water (100 degrees F to 110 degrees F)

3 tablespoons  granulated sugar

2   eggs

1/4 cup (1/2 stick)  unsalted butter, melted

4-1/2 to 5 cups  all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon  salt

Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick)  unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup  granulated sugar

1 cup  packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon  cinnamon

1 cup  coarsely chopped pecans

  

Glaze (optional - I don't use this)

2 cups  confectioners' sugar

1 to 3 tablespoons  milk