Ok, so don't ya'll fall off your chairs - yes, I am alive - feeling much better and I FINALLY have my voice back! It was very, VERY quiet around here for a few days! Thanks to those of you who called to check on me - Love ya guys!
Anyway, here are a few chicken recipes that I hope you enjoy - If any of you make the recipes - please post and let me know - and any changes you might have made to fit your families likes so that I can make notes and give them a try too!
Chicken Fried Rice - serves 4
1 1/2 C. white rice
2 1/2 C. water
1 onion, chopped
2 C. cooked chicken, cubed
2 T. olive oil
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. toasted sesame oil
3 egg
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 C. green onion, green only, chopped
Cook rice in water for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork. Spread in thin layer on foil lined cookie sheet and refrigerate. Gently break up clumps of rice and mix with onion and chicken. Package in Ziploc. To serve: Thaw rice overnight in refrigerator. Heat oil in large skillet or wok. Stir-fry rice in oil until heated through; push to one side of pan. Pour beaten egg into cleared into skillet/wok. Cook eggs until set but still moist. Stir eggs into rice/chicken mixture. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, pepper and green onion and serve immediately.
Chicken Divan Soup - serves 4
2 BSCB (boneless, skinless chicken breast) cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped*
2 T. olive oil*
3 C. chicken broth
1/8 t. pepper
1 can broccoli cheese soup
10 oz. frozen chopped broccoli
1 C. Swiss cheese, grated*
*I use pre-chopped garlic in oil and reduce oil to 1 T.
*I use whatever cheese I have on hand if I don't have Swiss - we've even tried pepperjack!
In large saucepan, cook chicken, onion and garlic in oil until veggies are crisp-tender. Add broth, pepper and soup; stir well. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 - 15 minutes. Cool. Place in Ziploc bowls. Measure cheese into ziploc. Place cheese and package of broccoli into larger ziploc, label all and freeze (that way no one stills the broccoli or cheese for a different purpose!) To serve: Thaw everything overnight in the refrigerator. Place soup and broccoli in saucepan and heat over med-low until soup simmers. Add cheese and stir for 2 - 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Cheesy Chicken Supreme - serves 4
4 slices bacon
4 BSCB
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can cream of mush. soup*
1/2 C. milk
1 C. Cheddar cheese
6 oz. package couscous
In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Add chicken to drippings in skillet, cook 2 - 3 minutes per side. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 4 - 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Combine soup and milk; add to skillet. Simmer until chicken is cooked through. Cool mixture. Crumble bacon and place in small ziploc. Place cheese in ziploc. Place cooled chicken mixture into ziploc. Place all these ziplocs in a larger labeled ziploc and freeze. To make: thaw kit in refrigerater overnight. Place chicken mixture in skillet and heat 10 minutes or until hot. Add bacon and cheese; cover, cook on low 5 - 6 minutes. Serve over hot cooked couscous.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
Okay, so I was surfing online yesterday and on one of the email lists I am on they were raving about this dessert cheese ball. Now, I am really not one for cheesecake but I have to say this is delish! So here is the recipe and at the bottom I will make some notes about the info in some of the reviews to help it all come together better!
Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball - makes roughly 2 cups
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving. Serve with graham cracker sticks - either honey graham, chocolate graham or both!
Okay, so that is the recipe as I got it in my email yesterday. It was reported to have come from www.allrecipes.com but there were some wording differences but I did go there and read a dozen or so of the reviews to see what others were saying.
The recipe calls for the ball to be rolled in finely chopped pecans but others were saying they rolled theirs in additional mini choc. chips (which is what I did!), crushed graham cracker crumbs, crushed oreos or crushed Heath bars.
There were reports that if you didn't use the full fat cream cheese or REAL butter that it would not form a ball and personally I think if that getting it into a ball isn't a big deal to you then by all means use the lower calorie substitutions and put it in a bowl and it will still be a big hit!
Now for the sad part - calories - as figured directly from the recipe (using a program called Mastercook to figure the calories) there is 100 calories in 1 tablespoonful! and that is not counting the graham crackers! I then went in and figured it using neufchatel cheese and light butter and making it that way has 80 calories but remember it won't set up firm enough to make a ball!
Anyway, this is delicious and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we are!
Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball - makes roughly 2 cups
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving. Serve with graham cracker sticks - either honey graham, chocolate graham or both!
Okay, so that is the recipe as I got it in my email yesterday. It was reported to have come from www.allrecipes.com but there were some wording differences but I did go there and read a dozen or so of the reviews to see what others were saying.
The recipe calls for the ball to be rolled in finely chopped pecans but others were saying they rolled theirs in additional mini choc. chips (which is what I did!), crushed graham cracker crumbs, crushed oreos or crushed Heath bars.
There were reports that if you didn't use the full fat cream cheese or REAL butter that it would not form a ball and personally I think if that getting it into a ball isn't a big deal to you then by all means use the lower calorie substitutions and put it in a bowl and it will still be a big hit!
Now for the sad part - calories - as figured directly from the recipe (using a program called Mastercook to figure the calories) there is 100 calories in 1 tablespoonful! and that is not counting the graham crackers! I then went in and figured it using neufchatel cheese and light butter and making it that way has 80 calories but remember it won't set up firm enough to make a ball!
Anyway, this is delicious and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we are!
Monday, November 12, 2007
OAMC - Soups!
Here are a few OAMC soup recipes that I make - with the colder weather looming out there it's a great time to get these going! I double - sometimes triple these recipes depending on what cooker I pull out - I have a 4 qt. and two 6 qt. slow cookers and an 18 qt. roaster that I put into action on occasion - by doubling/tripling the recipe I am able to feed my family that night and then put some in the freezer for another day! Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 cans rotel tomatoes
2 can corn
2 cans beans (any combination)
1 can water
1 medium onion - chopped
1 package taco seasoning
Mix all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low 6 - 8 hours. Shred chicken. If freezing, let cool and package at this point. Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. Adjust to your taste.
Vegetable Beef Soup
1 lb lean ground beef
16oz can diced tomatoes
16oz can tomato sauce
16oz package frozen mixed vegetables
1 package dried onion soup mix
2 TB sugar
4 cups water
potato – 1 or 2 diced
Brown beef, drain. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer for an hour or so or put in crock pot to cook on low all day.If freezing, I would wait and add the cubed cooked potato when ready to heat and serve. You could add some cooked elbow macaroni to the soup when serving in place of the potato.
Slow Cooker Taco Soup – serves 8
1 onion chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
6 halves chicken breasts
8oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth
20oz cans tomatoes with green chiles
sour cream
tortilla chips
grated cheddar cheese
Put onion, through tomatoes in crock pot. Add taco seasoning and stir well. Put chicken breasts on top of mixture, pressing down to just cover the chicken. Cook on low for 5 hours.Remove chicken from pot, cool slightly, shred, put back into soup. Cook 2 hours more on low. Cool,package and freeze at this point if desired. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and chips if desired.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 cans rotel tomatoes
2 can corn
2 cans beans (any combination)
1 can water
1 medium onion - chopped
1 package taco seasoning
Mix all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low 6 - 8 hours. Shred chicken. If freezing, let cool and package at this point. Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. Adjust to your taste.
Vegetable Beef Soup
1 lb lean ground beef
16oz can diced tomatoes
16oz can tomato sauce
16oz package frozen mixed vegetables
1 package dried onion soup mix
2 TB sugar
4 cups water
potato – 1 or 2 diced
Brown beef, drain. Add rest of ingredients. Simmer for an hour or so or put in crock pot to cook on low all day.If freezing, I would wait and add the cubed cooked potato when ready to heat and serve. You could add some cooked elbow macaroni to the soup when serving in place of the potato.
Slow Cooker Taco Soup – serves 8
1 onion chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
6 halves chicken breasts
8oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth
20oz cans tomatoes with green chiles
sour cream
tortilla chips
grated cheddar cheese
Put onion, through tomatoes in crock pot. Add taco seasoning and stir well. Put chicken breasts on top of mixture, pressing down to just cover the chicken. Cook on low for 5 hours.Remove chicken from pot, cool slightly, shred, put back into soup. Cook 2 hours more on low. Cool,package and freeze at this point if desired. Serve topped with cheese, sour cream and chips if desired.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Did Ya Think I'd Fallen Off The Planet?
Okay, so I know it has been awhile since I posted and then finding that one loving friend gently prompted that I needed to get an update out *thanks Dana* :-) I'll save you the drama of my life by summing it up to... MIL, doctors appointments for MIL and myself (one of which ended with a minor surgical procedure for me), kids, cats & spouse!
With all that said - I thought today I would share some OAMC side dishes - it is easy enough to throw some chicken in the oven with some seasonings but then the next question is what to put with it when it is done!
Broccoli Cheesy Rice - serves 12
Note from Jenni - I usually divide the mixture between 2 ziploc and use an 8 x 8 pan instead of the 9 x 13.
1 small onion
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 can cream of whatever soup
1/2 soup can of water
8 ounces Cheez Whiz (or similar cheese product - I use the cheddar sauce from Sam's)
1 1/4 C. quick cook rice
20 oz. broccoli florets, thawed
Assembly Directions: Sauté onion in butter in a skillet or saucepan until tender. Add soup and water. Turn heat to low. Heat jar of Cheez Whiz in the microwave without the lid for 30 seconds to make it easier to get out of the jar. Add Cheez Whiz to the saucepan or skillet. Stir to mix, until cheese is melted. Set aside to cool.
Freezing and Cooking Directions:
To Freeze: Freeze cheese mixture in a freezer bag. Keep broccoli in the freezer with the sauce mixture.
To Serve: Thaw bag of cheese sauce and bag of broccoli overnight in the refrigerator. Combine sauce, broccoli and rice in a large bowl, stirring until well mixed. Dump mixture into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve hot.
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes - serves 12
This will be a little watery after it thaws but bakes up great everytime!
3 - 3 1/2 pounds potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped - I practically puree it in a food processor!
16 ounces sour cream - any type works fine
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Assembly Directions: Peel and cube potatoes. Put cubes in a saucepan. Fill pan with water until cubes are covered. Boil for 20 minutes. Drain water off. Put potato cubes in a large bowl and beat/mash with your mixer. After the potatoes are mashed, add the onion, sour cream and butter. Beat until well mixed. Add first amount of Cheddar cheese and mix again. Add salt and pepper and mix until all ingredients are evenly combined. Set aside to cool.
Freezing and Cooking Directions:
To Freeze: After mixture cools, scoop it into freezer bags. If you will serve it all at one meal, in a 9x13 pan, put it in a 1-gallon freezer bag. If you will serve it at two meals, put it into two 1-quart or two 1-gallon freezer bags. (The quart bags will be stuffed! But that’s what I use.) Freeze the remaining 1 C. Cheddar cheese in a freezer bag, if you’re serving it at one meal. Divide it into two 1/2 C. bags if you’ll be serving it at two meals. Seal, label and freeze.
To Serve: Thaw freezer bags of potato mixture and cheese overnight in the refrigerator. Put the potato mixture in a container, or double bag it, so it doesn’t leak. Butter a 9x13 (or 8x8) dish and pour the potato mixture in the dish. Top with remaining 1 C. (or 1/2 C.) cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. An 8x8 dish may take less time… bake it until the cheese on top melts and the edges are bubbly.
Glazed Carrots - serves
1 lb carrots
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine in a freezer container and mix. Seal, removing as much air as possible. Freeze.
Defrost. Pour into small saucpan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until your carrots are tender. Add cornstarch, stirring constantly. Simmer 2 minutes longer or until sauce thickens.
If cooking for small children or other picky eaters, leave out the dill and add a bit more sugar.
Hope you all enjoy these - Look for some soups on Monday! Have a great weekend!
With all that said - I thought today I would share some OAMC side dishes - it is easy enough to throw some chicken in the oven with some seasonings but then the next question is what to put with it when it is done!
Broccoli Cheesy Rice - serves 12
Note from Jenni - I usually divide the mixture between 2 ziploc and use an 8 x 8 pan instead of the 9 x 13.
1 small onion
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 can cream of whatever soup
1/2 soup can of water
8 ounces Cheez Whiz (or similar cheese product - I use the cheddar sauce from Sam's)
1 1/4 C. quick cook rice
20 oz. broccoli florets, thawed
Assembly Directions: Sauté onion in butter in a skillet or saucepan until tender. Add soup and water. Turn heat to low. Heat jar of Cheez Whiz in the microwave without the lid for 30 seconds to make it easier to get out of the jar. Add Cheez Whiz to the saucepan or skillet. Stir to mix, until cheese is melted. Set aside to cool.
Freezing and Cooking Directions:
To Freeze: Freeze cheese mixture in a freezer bag. Keep broccoli in the freezer with the sauce mixture.
To Serve: Thaw bag of cheese sauce and bag of broccoli overnight in the refrigerator. Combine sauce, broccoli and rice in a large bowl, stirring until well mixed. Dump mixture into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Serve hot.
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes - serves 12
This will be a little watery after it thaws but bakes up great everytime!
3 - 3 1/2 pounds potatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped - I practically puree it in a food processor!
16 ounces sour cream - any type works fine
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Assembly Directions: Peel and cube potatoes. Put cubes in a saucepan. Fill pan with water until cubes are covered. Boil for 20 minutes. Drain water off. Put potato cubes in a large bowl and beat/mash with your mixer. After the potatoes are mashed, add the onion, sour cream and butter. Beat until well mixed. Add first amount of Cheddar cheese and mix again. Add salt and pepper and mix until all ingredients are evenly combined. Set aside to cool.
Freezing and Cooking Directions:
To Freeze: After mixture cools, scoop it into freezer bags. If you will serve it all at one meal, in a 9x13 pan, put it in a 1-gallon freezer bag. If you will serve it at two meals, put it into two 1-quart or two 1-gallon freezer bags. (The quart bags will be stuffed! But that’s what I use.) Freeze the remaining 1 C. Cheddar cheese in a freezer bag, if you’re serving it at one meal. Divide it into two 1/2 C. bags if you’ll be serving it at two meals. Seal, label and freeze.
To Serve: Thaw freezer bags of potato mixture and cheese overnight in the refrigerator. Put the potato mixture in a container, or double bag it, so it doesn’t leak. Butter a 9x13 (or 8x8) dish and pour the potato mixture in the dish. Top with remaining 1 C. (or 1/2 C.) cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. An 8x8 dish may take less time… bake it until the cheese on top melts and the edges are bubbly.
Glazed Carrots - serves
1 lb carrots
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine in a freezer container and mix. Seal, removing as much air as possible. Freeze.
Defrost. Pour into small saucpan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until your carrots are tender. Add cornstarch, stirring constantly. Simmer 2 minutes longer or until sauce thickens.
If cooking for small children or other picky eaters, leave out the dill and add a bit more sugar.
Hope you all enjoy these - Look for some soups on Monday! Have a great weekend!
Monday, October 29, 2007
OAMC Monday
Thought I would take a few minutes to post a few recipes that are favorites from www.30daygourmet.com
French Toast Casserole - serves 12
1 pound french bread loaf
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C. sugar, divided
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 C. pecans, chopped, optional
4 egg
2 C. milk
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. butter, melted
Assembly Directions: Cut bread into one inch cubes (about 14 cups). Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 9x13 inch-baking pan. Place the cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl or measuring cup. Cover the container with plastic wrap and cook on 100% power for 30 seconds. Stir it with a spoon, cover again and cook another 2 minutes. It should be completely melted. Stir half of the sugar and all of the extract into the cream cheese. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the bread cubes (it will not completely cover them). Sprinkle the nuts over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining bread cubes. In a bowl, beat the remaining sugar, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and melted butter together. The egg and milk mixture will make about 3 cups for each recipe.
Freezing Directions:Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread cubes. Slide the pan into a labeled two-gallon freezer bag, seal and freeze.
Serving Directions:Thaw the casserole completely. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until browned. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or so before cutting.Serve with warm syrup or purchased or homemade fruit toppings.
Home Made Fruit Syrup
1 2/3 C. Fruit, canned, frozen, or fresh (drained of liquid)
1 C. sugar
1 C. corn syrup or honey
1/2 t. vanilla or almond extract
Assembly Directions: Chop fruit into pieces no more than 1/2 inch square. Combine fruit, sugar and corn syrup or honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the extract. Serve warm over the French Toast Casserole (also good over pancakes, ice cream, waffles, ice cream, pound cake, ice cream, etc.)
Jenni's Note: This has a become a Christmas morning tradition as I make the topping the night before and nuke it while the casserole is sitting for the required 5 minutes - I throw the casserole in the oven just before we start unwrapping presents and it/we are generally both finished about the same time!
The following is a recipe I got from http://snider.mardox.com/OAMC.htm
Roast Sticky Chicken (from busy cooks)Servings: 6
Spice Mix for 1 Chicken
4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 large roasting chicken -- as big as you can find
1 cup chopped onion (I never use the onion and it is still delish!)
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in a shallow baking pan. Roast, uncovered, at 250 degrees for 5 hours (yes, 250 degrees for 5 hours). After the first hour, baste chicken occasionally (every half hour or so) with pan juices. The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown. If the chicken contains a pop-up thermometer, ignore it. Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.
To Freeze.. This can be frozen with just the spice rub on before cooking, but I prefer to make several of these and cook them completely and freeze fully cooked. Simply bag and freeze. Warm in the microwave before serving.
Jenni's note: This chicken just falls off the bone! I throw this in the oven just before we run out the door to church and by the time we get home it has got some good juice going and I just bast from there - never fails - delicious, juicy chicken!
Anyways, I hope you enjoy these recipes - let me know what you think as you try them!
French Toast Casserole - serves 12
1 pound french bread loaf
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C. sugar, divided
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 C. pecans, chopped, optional
4 egg
2 C. milk
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. butter, melted
Assembly Directions: Cut bread into one inch cubes (about 14 cups). Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 9x13 inch-baking pan. Place the cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl or measuring cup. Cover the container with plastic wrap and cook on 100% power for 30 seconds. Stir it with a spoon, cover again and cook another 2 minutes. It should be completely melted. Stir half of the sugar and all of the extract into the cream cheese. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the bread cubes (it will not completely cover them). Sprinkle the nuts over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining bread cubes. In a bowl, beat the remaining sugar, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and melted butter together. The egg and milk mixture will make about 3 cups for each recipe.
Freezing Directions:Pour the egg and milk mixture over the bread cubes. Slide the pan into a labeled two-gallon freezer bag, seal and freeze.
Serving Directions:Thaw the casserole completely. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until browned. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or so before cutting.Serve with warm syrup or purchased or homemade fruit toppings.
Home Made Fruit Syrup
1 2/3 C. Fruit, canned, frozen, or fresh (drained of liquid)
1 C. sugar
1 C. corn syrup or honey
1/2 t. vanilla or almond extract
Assembly Directions: Chop fruit into pieces no more than 1/2 inch square. Combine fruit, sugar and corn syrup or honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the extract. Serve warm over the French Toast Casserole (also good over pancakes, ice cream, waffles, ice cream, pound cake, ice cream, etc.)
Jenni's Note: This has a become a Christmas morning tradition as I make the topping the night before and nuke it while the casserole is sitting for the required 5 minutes - I throw the casserole in the oven just before we start unwrapping presents and it/we are generally both finished about the same time!
The following is a recipe I got from http://snider.mardox.com/OAMC.htm
Roast Sticky Chicken (from busy cooks)Servings: 6
Spice Mix for 1 Chicken
4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 large roasting chicken -- as big as you can find
1 cup chopped onion (I never use the onion and it is still delish!)
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a resealable plastic bag, seal and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions, and place in a shallow baking pan. Roast, uncovered, at 250 degrees for 5 hours (yes, 250 degrees for 5 hours). After the first hour, baste chicken occasionally (every half hour or so) with pan juices. The pan juices will start to caramelize on the bottom of pan and the chicken will turn golden brown. If the chicken contains a pop-up thermometer, ignore it. Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.
To Freeze.. This can be frozen with just the spice rub on before cooking, but I prefer to make several of these and cook them completely and freeze fully cooked. Simply bag and freeze. Warm in the microwave before serving.
Jenni's note: This chicken just falls off the bone! I throw this in the oven just before we run out the door to church and by the time we get home it has got some good juice going and I just bast from there - never fails - delicious, juicy chicken!
Anyways, I hope you enjoy these recipes - let me know what you think as you try them!
Monday, October 22, 2007
A few OAMC tips
Okay, there was some interest in this so.....
1. If you have small children - it is easiest if you arrange to have a sitter the day you are planning on cooking. When my kids were younger I had a group of ladies that I cooked with that we would rotate cooking days. i.e. They would shop on Monday, I would babysit on Tuesday while they cooked. I would shop on Wednesday and they would babysit on Thursday. OR I would get a sitter that would sit for 3 - 4 meals in lieu of $$$$ letting them choose from the meals I was making that session.
2. At one point I was also in a meal cooking group - several of us got together one day a month - we were all assigned a group - beef, chicken, vegetarian, sides, etc. - we all brought recipes we were interested in cooking and we agreed or made SLIGHT adjustments to the recipe - i.e. if the recipe called for onion and we had a child who refused to eat onion - it would be noted on the top of the recipe to substitute onion powder for the diced onion, etc. - we would all shop for and cook our assigned meal(s) and then meet back on a certain day with coolers in tow and exchange meals. It worked out really well - sometimes the meals were a little more costly than other months but in the end it worked out pretty even - we always rotated who got the chicken month, beef month, etc.
3. On both shopping day AND cooking day it is important to wear comfortable, supportive shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking back and forth and your feet will really thank you for that.
4. Shop early in the morning on the first day and then spend the rest of the afternoon dicing, chopping, shredding, etc. I personally spend the extra few cents on the preshredded cheese at Sam's simply because the price difference, in my opinion, is worth the saved time that it would take to shred the cheese and then clean the food processor or if you are still using a hand shredder all the time it would take to shred the 5 pounds (give or take) that you might be using.
5. Use disposable pans when possible - I know there is some concern about tomato based products in aluminum pans - I don't make this suggestion lightly as I have a brother in law who is an Alzheimers researcher at the Univ. of Wis. - he states that as long as you aren't storing the sauce in the pan long term that it poses very little risk - having said that - I found that the disposable pans I use fir right down inside my glassware ones so I freeze the layered items in the disposable pans, freeze overnight and the following day I pop out the meal and seal it in freezer wrap, a Ziploc of use my Foodsaver and seal it.
I hope some of these tips are helpful. I will post more ideas/recipes here next Monday and if there is enough interest - sometime after the first of the year - when the holidays are over and life calms down a bit - I would be glad to have you over as a group to discuss ideas and you can look at the recipes I have.
1. If you have small children - it is easiest if you arrange to have a sitter the day you are planning on cooking. When my kids were younger I had a group of ladies that I cooked with that we would rotate cooking days. i.e. They would shop on Monday, I would babysit on Tuesday while they cooked. I would shop on Wednesday and they would babysit on Thursday. OR I would get a sitter that would sit for 3 - 4 meals in lieu of $$$$ letting them choose from the meals I was making that session.
2. At one point I was also in a meal cooking group - several of us got together one day a month - we were all assigned a group - beef, chicken, vegetarian, sides, etc. - we all brought recipes we were interested in cooking and we agreed or made SLIGHT adjustments to the recipe - i.e. if the recipe called for onion and we had a child who refused to eat onion - it would be noted on the top of the recipe to substitute onion powder for the diced onion, etc. - we would all shop for and cook our assigned meal(s) and then meet back on a certain day with coolers in tow and exchange meals. It worked out really well - sometimes the meals were a little more costly than other months but in the end it worked out pretty even - we always rotated who got the chicken month, beef month, etc.
3. On both shopping day AND cooking day it is important to wear comfortable, supportive shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking back and forth and your feet will really thank you for that.
4. Shop early in the morning on the first day and then spend the rest of the afternoon dicing, chopping, shredding, etc. I personally spend the extra few cents on the preshredded cheese at Sam's simply because the price difference, in my opinion, is worth the saved time that it would take to shred the cheese and then clean the food processor or if you are still using a hand shredder all the time it would take to shred the 5 pounds (give or take) that you might be using.
5. Use disposable pans when possible - I know there is some concern about tomato based products in aluminum pans - I don't make this suggestion lightly as I have a brother in law who is an Alzheimers researcher at the Univ. of Wis. - he states that as long as you aren't storing the sauce in the pan long term that it poses very little risk - having said that - I found that the disposable pans I use fir right down inside my glassware ones so I freeze the layered items in the disposable pans, freeze overnight and the following day I pop out the meal and seal it in freezer wrap, a Ziploc of use my Foodsaver and seal it.
I hope some of these tips are helpful. I will post more ideas/recipes here next Monday and if there is enough interest - sometime after the first of the year - when the holidays are over and life calms down a bit - I would be glad to have you over as a group to discuss ideas and you can look at the recipes I have.
Monday, October 15, 2007
OAMC
One of my passions is OAMC (Once a Month Cooking). You shop and chop one day and assemble recipes the next. Since the weather is cooling and my springtime OAMC is nearing the end of its offerings - I have been putting together the recipes for my next session. A common question I get is "Isn't it lots of casseroles?" - yes, it can be a lot of casseroles but NOT every meal is a casserole. Personally, I would rather feed my family a casserole every night if necessary, than go to say, McDonald's - at least I know the casserole is fresh!
Anyway, tonights dinner consists of Teriyaki Chicken, brown rice and broccoli.
Teriyaki Chicken - serves 4
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oil
1 small garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup rice
4 cups broccoli flowerets
Mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic and ginger to make marinade. Freeze chicken in marinade in 1 gallon Ziploc squeezing out as much air as possible. To serve, thaw chicken mixture. Pour chicken and marinade into a baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 35 minutes. Serving ideas: rice and stir fry veggies or broccoli.
Anyway, it is a lot of work - but only for 2 days - and then all you do is take it out to thaw (preferably the night before) and it really frees up time every evening. Maybe I will post a new recipe every Monday - anyone interested? Or do you want some OAMC tips first to make things go a bit smoother? Oh, and you really don't need an auxillary freezer - your fridge freezer can accomodate meals too!
Anyway, tonights dinner consists of Teriyaki Chicken, brown rice and broccoli.
Teriyaki Chicken - serves 4
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oil
1 small garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup rice
4 cups broccoli flowerets
Mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic and ginger to make marinade. Freeze chicken in marinade in 1 gallon Ziploc squeezing out as much air as possible. To serve, thaw chicken mixture. Pour chicken and marinade into a baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 35 minutes. Serving ideas: rice and stir fry veggies or broccoli.
Anyway, it is a lot of work - but only for 2 days - and then all you do is take it out to thaw (preferably the night before) and it really frees up time every evening. Maybe I will post a new recipe every Monday - anyone interested? Or do you want some OAMC tips first to make things go a bit smoother? Oh, and you really don't need an auxillary freezer - your fridge freezer can accomodate meals too!
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