Lemon Herb Roast Chicken like Tastspotting

Here is my chicken...drum roll please!!

It is such a wonderful golden color. Perfect for eatting.

Lemon Herb Roast Chicken

The instructions here are for one chicken. If you’re smart like we are, roast two. If your oven has the space, go crazy and roast three.

1 chicken can serve 4 for dinner. Or one person 5-6 successive meals. You choose. Of course, with two chickens, you don’t have to.
Ingredients

1 whole chicken, giblets removed, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels
about 2 tablespoons salt
black pepper
2 lemons, cut in halves
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Generously sprinkle inside chicken cavity with about 1 tablespoon salt. Place lemon halves, garlic cloves and fresh thyme inside cavity. Truss the chicken, loosely closing up the cavity and tying the legs together.

Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the rest of salt (more if needed) and a few hard turns on the pepper mill. Place the chicken breast side up in an oven proof pan, and roast for about 1 hour, or until juices from the thigh run clear (or until a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh registers at about 175°F).

Remove pan from oven and allow chicken to rest/cool for about 10 minutes.

The chicken was so good that when i attempted to pull the chicken leg off the chicken and the bone. Cooked to perfection.

Salsa and Strawberry Ice Cream

My boyfriend love's salsa. Recently he wanted me to make some. He remembered a friend of his made the best salsa, of course, he also remembered his friend would make it in a blender, and we don't happen to own a blender, But thankfully I was able to find a recipe....

Barbecue Salsa Dip 
4 large tomatoes coarsely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
½ teaspoon salt
½ red onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 green chiles, seeded and finely chopped
It’s really this simple. Mix together all the ingredient and stand for in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator, give it a stir and enjoy!

Here is the link to the original recipe.

With that what could be better than Strawberry Haagan Daaz ice cream...

It is so sweet and so yummy. I love the strawberry chunks buried in their ice cream.

Talk about yummy in my tummy.

Until next time.

Cassandra

Bistro Chicken and More Writing on the Homefront

I made a new Chicken recipe -- Bistro Roast Chicken and Thyme. I do not know where I found the recipe but I found it totally enjoyable.  It is from "150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken and 50 Ways to Roast It" by Tony Rosenfeld, $14.95). This recipe is made with fresh lemon zest and thyme.

You know what comes next is this instance. You mix on the ingredients and you let the chicken rest for 24 hours in the refrigerator -- and yes I couldn't believe this -- uncovered.

The next day you combine thyme, butter and lemon zest in a bowl. This you will with dabbing all over the chicken. Put half a lemon in the cavity of the chicken while you hold onto the other half.

The big thing is when you serve it you are suppose to use the juices from the chicken and lemon juice from the other half of the lemon.

It tasted fabulous and was nice and juicy.
Here is the recipe.

BISTRO ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND THYME                 Serves: 4

Prep: 10 min (plus overnight standing time)                   Total : 1 hr, 30 min

1 chicken (3½ to 4 pounds),	1 lemon, cut in half
rinsed and patted dry with paper towels	3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2½ teaspoons salt	1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper

Sprinkle 2½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper all over chicken, including cavity.

Place rack in a pan and put the chicken on top. Let it sit for 24 hours uncovered, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Set an oven rack in the middle position. Finely grate lemon zest and set it aside.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, thyme and lemon zest. Using a brush, dab butter between the skin and breast meat, taking care not to break the skin. Spread remaining butter all over the bird and inside the cavity. Push a lemon half into the cavity. Reserve the remaining half.

Set chicken breast side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. Roast until the breasts are nicely browned, about 25 minutes. Gently flip the bird (using tongs to clutch the inside of the cavity and side) and cook  until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 to 170°F, about another 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest 5 to 10 minutes, breast side up. Carve and serve with a drizzle of accumulated juices and a squirt of lemon juice.

From "150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken and 50 Ways to Roast It"  by Tony Rosenfeld (Taunton, $14.95). 539 calories (60% from fat), 36 grams fat  (13 grams sat. fat), 2 grams carbohydrates, 50 grams protein, 152 mg  sodium, 179 mg cholesterol, 33 mg calcium, 0 grams fiber.

I wrote an article which a continuation on Being on Humira: Part 2 from my experience in hopes that it will help some people; and an article on Ice Cream By the Pint and why I enjoy buying them buy the pint. The one article I couldn't resist writing about was Ten Inch Hero, which stars Jensen Ackles of Supernatural, which I feel is a definite keeper and I feel I have to get it for my DVD collection along with The Invention of Lying. 

Until next time,

Cassandra

Grilled Pork for the Whole Family

Growing up I always liked to watch the Chefs in the kitchen preparing meals. I loved to watch two shows in particular, Martin Yan and The Frugal Gourmet -- Jeff Smith. I bought nearly all of the Frugal Gourmet cookbooks.

Cover via Amazon

The recipe I am sharing with you today comes from The Frugal Gourmet Whole Family Cookbook which came out in 1992.

Here is the recipe from page 183 of the cookbook. I should note that I do not have a grill, so in making this recipe I broiled the pork instead of grilling it.

I mixed all the ingredients in a small bowl and then trimmed the pork and put the pork in a glass pan so that I could marinate the meat.

You pour the ingredients you mixed in a bowl of the pork -- ground cumin, lemon, dry white wine, garlic cloves, salt and pepper.

Then you put the pork in the refrigerator for an hour -- don't forget to turn the pork every once in a while to pick up all that wonderful flavor.

This is the time you would preheat the grill of course, then I preheated the broiler in the oven.

Put it on the grill or broil like I did and baste frequently on both sides while it is cooking.

Here is the finished product - nice and juicy. If you are able to grill it - it will have those lovely grill lines that everyone likes to see.

It tastes really yummy!

Cassandra