Thursday, September 30, 2010

Recipe #4

Well, Recipe #4 was a keeper. I kept it simple and roasted a chicken. Which was perfect because yesterday was a very cool fall day in the south.

I used a recipe from my Today's Kitchen Cookbook (if you are new here, cookbook links are in cookbook name and if I link a recipe or a blog it will be in the name)

Perfect Roast Chicken

1 6lb roasting chicken
1 lemon
1 large onion *peeled
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 c white wine (I just used cooking wine)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Clean and rinse chicken, drain well, and pat dry.

Cut the lemon in half, crosswise, and squeeze the juice directly onto the chicken skin, rubbing it in as you squeeze. Cover all the skin with lemon juice. Place the onion and rosemary into the cavity of the chicken.

Place the chicken on a rack in a heavy roasting pan. Pour the wine into the roasting pan and place in preheated over. ROast for 30 min. Lower the heat to 375 and continue to roast for another hour or until the chicken skin is golden-brown and crisp, thigh meat is soft to the touch, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the oven and let stand 5 min. Carve and serve.



We loved this. I seasoned my bird with pepper and garlic salt. The rosemary added a nice flavor to the bird. It was an easy recipe and very quick and easy.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Recipe #3

Not every recipe can be a keeper right? And it is OK to have an epic fail in the kitchen right? I keep telling myself this. Dinner last night was horrible, to say the least. I could not even eat it. Jay finished his, said it was edible. I read the recipe wrong and used three times the amount of lemon I was suppose to . It was so lemony that is tasted acidic. Not a good dinner. Oh well. Dessert was awesome.

I was in the mood for something fallish . And I had apples. So I went to www.foodnetwork.com. I just searched apple. And this is what I decided on.

Apple Strudel

It was so good. Oh so good. I didnt use caramel with mine, but Jay did. Also, I luckily read the comments first and made 2 full strudels and one small one. It was so much topping and the sheets were small. The last little I made for a friend and picked out the raisins in hers. I liked what the raisins added though.

It makes A LOT of glaze, so I recommend cutting that in half. Also, I drained my raisins after sitting as the comments said to do.

I will be making this again soon. It was so easy and good.


Monday, September 27, 2010

Recipe #2

This recipe was compliments of a friend. She posted on facebook. It looked good, so we tried it. Two thumbs up.

No Bake Tamale Pie

Easy Skillet Meals Good Housekeeping Favorite Recipes

We tried a new recipe tonight and really liked it so I thought I would share.



Ingredients:

4 teaspoons vegetable oil (I use Olive Oil)
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 log (16 ounces) precooked polenta, cut crosswise into 8 slices
1 jar (16 ounces) medium hot salsa
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds.

2. Stir in ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with side of spoon, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, and salt; cook 1 minute.

3. In nonstick 10-inch skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add polenta slices, and cook until golden on both sides and heated through, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, add salsa and grozen corn to meat mixture; cook 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro.


5. Spoon meat mixture into deep-dish pie plate or shallow 1 1/2-quart casserole. Arrange polenta on top.

We enjoyed this. I added cheese and some sour cream to mine . I found it spicy , but I have a wimpy spice level. Jay said it did not taste to spicy to him.


Recipe #1

From Sunday - Thursday I will be making a new recipe.

Day one came from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast : Slow Cooker

Sorry, no picture , I forgot. Oh well.

Sauerbraten with Red Cabbage

Boneless beef chuck roast 3-4 lbs
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
2 chopped yellow onions
1 cup beef broth
3/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 head red cabbage , thinly shredded
12-15 gingersnaps, finely crushed (I used my food processor)

Season the chuck roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with ginger and pat the seasonings into mear. Place roast in slow cooker and add the onion. In a small saucepan over high heat combine the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil.Add the brown sugar and stir until it dissolves. Pour the liquid over the roast and add bay leaf.

Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 7 hours. Add the cabbage , using a spoon to push into the liquid. Sprinkle the cabbage with 1 tsp salt and continue cooking for 1 hour.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and the cabbage to a serving bowl. Stir enough of the gingersnaps into the liquid to form a thick gravy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice the meat across the grain . (note - mine just fell apart when touched). Divide the meat and cabbage among plates. Spoon the gravy on top and serve.


My review- This was so good. I served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. We really enjoyed it and went back for seconds. This will be made again and I cannot think of anything I would do different.

A Week of New Recipes


Fall is coming. The temperature is slowly falling. Yes, I live in the south so a temp of 80 is a drop.

I recently ordered a bunch of cookbooks and plan to starts using a bunch of new recipes . I will share the really good ones, of course. All the cookbook names will have a link to the book in it.

I love the Today show so I really wanted to get this book Today's Kitchen Cookbook.

I am trying to use my slow cooker more, with fall coming I like to have heartier meals. And on Tues and Thurs we have to eat late so we have been eating not healthy lately on those days. So, by using the slow cooker we can eat healthier .

Williams - Sonoma Food Made Fast Slow Cooker


The Gourmet Slow Cooker
. This one looks very good, a lot I want to try.

And to add to my Williams- Sonoma addiction a few more cookbooks

Food Made Fast Small Plates


New Healthy Kitchen Desserts



New Healthy Kitchen main dishes


I have a few more cookbooks on the way and have seen a few more from Williams-Sonoma I may need to buy . Along with a new bookshelf to house them all.