How to Roast a Chicken

I know plenty of people are scared of whole birds. I don't, however, know why. They are simple & easy to roast. Let me show you the most simple roasting plan I can...

Take 1 whole bird, chopped celery, chopped carrots, 1/2 a chopped onion, 1 tbs salt, 1 tbsp pepper, 1 tbsp onion salt, 1.5 tbsp fresh garlic, & 1/2 cup of butter (I used non-dairy butter, you could use margarine, but butter is always better).

I like to put the chicken on a plate, in the sink, for ease of clean up. This can get messy.

Clean out the cavity of the bird. If you're buying from a grocery store, there's usually just a little bag to pull out, they've done the work for you. Most non-store bought birds (ie local farm birds or organic birds from your grocery/specialty store) you'll have to feel around & remove the giblets & kidneys.

*If you bought a yellow-ish bird (most grocery store birds are yellow-ish, with a really thick skin), I recommend soaking it in a salt water bath for about 10 minutes, then scrubbing it inside & out with salt & thoroughly rinsing it.

Once you have a clean bird, run your hand under the skin on the breast & thighs. Try not to rip the skin (as I did on this one), but try to loosen as much of it as possible. Then, rub the garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder & half of the butter under the skin, everywhere you can reach (todl you this would get messy!). Next, rub all the remaining seasonings & butter all over the cavity & outside of the bird (top, bottom, & sides!). Then, completely stuff the cavity with the carrots, celery, & onion.

Some people truss (tie) the bird, some people don't. If the cavity is stuffed full & you have something to tie it off with, go ahead & truss it. I didn't have any twine, so I used cheesecloth to improvise. It worked really well, so there's an idea if you need one. (Just make sure you using something heat & food safe to truss the bird with if you're improvising, please.)

Put the bird on a rack, breast side up, in a roasting pan & stick it in a pre-heated oven.

Bake at 350* until done. A 3 lb bird takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to cook completely. ((NOTE: your roasting time is going to depend on the weight of the bird - cook to an internal temp of 165, the heat will produce carry-over cooking that will get you past 170 before it's all said & done)).

Every 20 minutes, take a baster or a brush (or, a spoon if it's all you got!), and pour the juices back over the bird.

Here's my super secret trick, it helps add the moisture & keeps from over-browning the skin: after the 2nd basting, I flip the bird upside down for 15 minutes & then flip it back over & baste again.

Now, look at this GOLDEN bird.

To finish it off, take this pan of juices...

add flour, a little chicken stock, & some milk. I couldn't tell you the measurements, I truly just guess. Just add enough flour that it's as thick as you like it & enough milk that it's as creamy as you like.

You'll have this when you're done:

How's this for a perfect lazy-day lunch (or dinner)? Mashed 'taters, corn, green beans, carrots, roast chicken & pan gravy. Dig in! -But give the bird at least 15 min to rest before you carve it, please.

Hobo Packs on the Grill

12 Simple Ingredients:

3 small/medium Squash (zucchini if you prefer) (diced)

A heaping handful (or 2) of cherry or grape tomatoes (cut in half)
A handful of grapes (cut in half)
3 ears of corn (cut in 4 pieces)
1 onion (large dice)
1 bell pepper (large dice)
1 meatless patty and/or 1 boneless chicken breast

Olive Oil (a dash)

Seasoned Salt
Italian Seasoning and/or Chili Powder
(Salt & Pepper to taste)
(This will easily feed 2 adults, a picky toddler, and still provide left-overs for lunch the next day!)

Prepping the Goodies:
(You will probably just want to stick with one version, unless you're an over-achiever like me. ha!)
Combine squash, tomatoes, grapes, corn, onion, & bell pepper in a bowl.
Add about 2 tbsp olive oil.

Add 1 tbsp of seasoned salt.
Add 1 tbsp of either Italian seasoning, or chili powder.

Add salt & pepper to your liking.
Combine well.

Meanwhile, place the chicken (if you're using chicken) in a Ziploc bag & pound it with a meat mallet, rolling pin, spoon, your hand... Whatever you got! (The Ziploc will keep the juice & bits o' meat from flying all over your kitchen. Feel free not to use it, I just prefer a salmonella-free home. lol) I prefer *really* thin meat. It cooks faster & seems to absorb flavor better. And, when I say that I prefer really thin meat, I of course mean that I prefer to serve it really thin, I'm not eating the stuff. ;)

Making the Packs:
Cut 2 longish pieces of aluminum foil. (Or, if you're doing 2 meals, like I did, cut 4 pieces.)
Lay 1 piece of the foil out on the counter.
Pile the veggie mixture on the foil, spreading it out a bit.
Place the meat on top of the veggies.

Take the 2nd piece of foil & lay it on top of the mixture.
Fold the edges on all 4 sides up really well. Make sure there is no place for steam to escape!
Now, On To the Cooking!:
Place the packs on the grill, over medium-high heat.
Cook for about 40 minutes - no peeking or you lose your steam!
(You can cook it in the oven if a grill isn't available. My guess would be 35 min at 350*.)

How to Eat:
You can serve it straight out of the pack. (Great for outdoor parties or camping!)
Or, you can be a bit fancier & serve it on a plate, like I did. ('Cause I'm REAL fancy.)
Serve it with some bread that you butter & grill... Yumm-o!

Luke's response? Heck, I made this like a month ago, I don't remember. (Yes, I know, I've been busy. Toddler people - toddler. -and if you've never had one, then no, that word doesn't mean anything to you.) I want to say he actually skipped the BBQ sauce this night though - that says A LOT. I remember the chicken was soooo moist, it was just falling apart. Steam really is a great thing. I really think fish is the best meat for hobo packs, but there's not a lot of fish eating in my house.

Meat-lover Variation:

Um, what? You got meat this time. Duh. ;) Really though, if you like fish, this is the perfect kind of recipe for it!

Easy Spicy Grilled Dinner

I'm baaaaaack. At least for now. ;) Here's a quick, easy, flavorful dinner idea for you.

13 Simple Ingredients:
Olive Oil (as needed)
Lime Juice
Garlic Salt
Cayenne Pepper (optional - not recommended for kiddos)
Chili Pepper
Paprika
4 tbsp Butter

Chicken breasts (or other parts) - 1 portion per diner
2 Ears of Corn on the Cob (halved & cooked in boiling water for about 8 min)
2 Squash (cut in equally thick pieces, long ways)
1 Zucchini (cut in equally thick pieces, long ways)

1/4 Large Red Onion (cut in equally thick pieces)
Flat Bread (1/2 piece per person)

Prepping the Goodies:
Marinate the chicken over night in a mix of chicken broth & lime juice. If you're like me & decide to make this at the last minute, splash 2 tbsp of lime juice on the chicken & defrost it in the microwave. :)
Then beat the crap out of it. Okay, let's just say - flatten it out pretty well, being careful not to tear it into a million pieces.
Now, sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic salt (LOTS of it!), cayenne (Go easy on it, I've seen bad things happen with ppl & too much cayenne - think hospital trip. Seriously.), chili powder, and paprika.
Brush the veggies all with enough olive oil to keep 'em from sticking.

For the butter:
(You will need to make more if you're serving more than 4 people.)
Soften (NOT melt), 4 tbsp of butter.
Add 1/2 tsp lemon juice,
1/2 tsp garlic salt,
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 paprika
(Throw in a pinch of cayenne for heat if you want to.)
Mix all of that up really well.

Now, on to the Cooking!
Now, put it ALL on the grill. It will all stay there on medium heat for about 20 min. Be sure to turn it after about 10 min.

(Once everything is cooked, throw the flat bread on the grill for a few minutes to warm it up.)

How to eat:
Cut the squash, zucchini, & onion into bite sized chunks.
Throw them in a serving bowl.
Add 1/2 of the butter mixture.
Stir.

Take remaining butter & spread on corn & 1 side of each piece of flatbread.
I added a dollop of sour cream for the chicken 'cause... well, why not?

Luke's response: it's pretty good. When asked if I could make it again ('cause it's SO easy) he said yes. That's a good sign from a man that wants BBQ sauce on all chicken. haha!
My thoughts? The veggies are wonderful! I didn't add cayenne to the butter 'cause I really hoped the kiddo would eat some. He didn't & I would've liked more spicy flavor on the corn personally. (The veggie mix was fine 'cause the onions added a kick.)

Meat-lover Variation:
You have got to be kidding me. That's more than enough meat for anyone! ;) But, some crumbled bacon would add a good dimension to the veggie mix.

Cheesey BBQ Chicken & Veggie Stuffed Sourdough

I knew I wanted to do something w/BBQ for the chicken 'cause Luke ALWAYS wants BBQ sauce on his chicken, as for the veggie stuffed sourdough... I figured it was just crazy enough to be good... and it is!

11 Simple Ingredients
Chicken Breast (I used 1 HUGE breast & cut it in half)
app. 1/4 c. BBQ Sauce (I used Stubbs: Smokey Mesquite)
1/4 Red (Purple) Onion, chopped finely
1 Roasted Jalapeno, chopped finely
2 Ears of Corn, boiled about 10 minutes
Sourdough Bread, I cut a portion off, you could stuff an entire loaf though.
2 Tomatoes (Roma for me again), chopped finely
2 Yellow Squash, roughly cubed
1 c. Spinach, chopped finely
3/4 c. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Avocado, sliced or chopped (use as desired)
(S&P & butter to taste)


Prepping the Goodies:
(As pictured below.)

Heat oven to 350.
Optional: Marinate chicken overnight in veg (or chicken) broth that has a splash of BBQ sauce added.
Beat chicken VERY thin.
Place chicken in baking dish & cover w/ BBQ sauce, then top w/a desired amount of onion & roasted jalapeno (see directions below).
Wrap corn in foil to bake in oven w/everything else. (If you like, you can add butter, S, & P before putting in the oven.)
Hollow bread.
Put tomatoes (reserve about 2 tbsp for chicken), remaining onions, roasted jalapeno (if desired), squash, & spinach in casserole dish & sprinkle w/S&P & splash with water (app. 1 tbsp.).


*Jalapeno prep:
To roast the jalapeno, either hold over open flame (on a gas stove or on a grill) for about 5 min, or broil in your oven (as close as possible to the broiler) for about 8 minutes. It should be black all over, and tender to the squeeze.Next, place the jalapeno in a bowl & cover with plastic wrap. Let it sweat about 5 minutes.Then, gently scrub all of the skin off with a towel & rinse briefly.Chop the jalapeno into fairly small pieces.

Now, on to the cooking!:
Put veggies & corn in the oven. (They will cook a TOTAL of 25 min.)
5 minutes later, put chicken in the oven. (It will cook a TOTAL of 20 min.)
15 minutes after adding chicken to the oven:
Add 1/2 c. cheddar cheese to the veggies & stir well.
Sprinkle remaining tomatoes on the chicken, then sprinkle 1/4 c. cheddar cheese on top.
Bake an additional 5 minutes (this now = 25 min for the veggies & corn & 20 min for the chicken).
Stuff hollowed bread w/finished veggies, wrap in foil & warm in the oven (2 minutes for single serving, app. 8 minutes if you did an entire loaf).

How to eat it:
For the chicken, it's ready to go! Add butter to the corn if you like & grab a piece of buttered sourdough if you don't want to try the stuffed kind, and dig in! :)
For the stuffed sourdough, grab a knife, add the fresh avocado & enjoy.




I can't believe it... Luke's response was "it's good". It MUST be good to get something beyond "it's okay". Yay me! :) I *loved* the stuffed sourdough. OMGosh, it was just perfect I think.


Meat-lover variation:
hmmmm, I think cubed turkey or chicken might work if you just have to have that meat in the stuffed sourdough.