Recipes

Recipe: Roasted Buttermilk Chicken

Today we’re mixing it up with something a little different — a recipe!  Woot!  Yes, I should probably have taken pictures but I forgot and then my kid and husband wolfed down the food so — next time.  For now, suffice it to say that my very picky eater enjoyed the meal.

ROASTED BUTTERMILK CHICKEN

PREP: 5 minutes
SET: 8 hours to overnight
COOK: 2 hours, 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 whole chicken, around 3 pounds
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 1 TBSP thyme if fresh, 3/4 tablespoon if dry.
  • 2 TBSP salt
  • 1 TSP black pepper
  • 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • a few TBSP flour**

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Grate the zest from lemon to measure around 1 teaspoon. Set this lemon aside. Combine buttermilk, olive oil, 4 smashed garlic cloves, chopped thyme, 1 TBSP salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a large plastic freezer bag. Seal bag, and shake it to evenly mix. Add the whole chicken to bag and seal. Place the bag, breast side down, in the refrigerator and chill 8 hours or up to overnight, shaking the bag occasionally to evenly marinate.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle of oven. Remove chicken from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Discard marinade.**
  3. Season chicken with remaining 1 TBSP salt, using some salt in the cavity as well. Stuff the cavity with thyme sprigs, the zested lemon cut in half, and remaining 2 smashed garlic cloves. Tie legs together with kitchen twine, and tuck wing tips under to prevent over crispiness.
  4. Transfer to a large cast-iron skillet. Place a sheet of parchment paper over chicken. Top with 2 large sheets of aluminum foil, and crimp around edges of skillet to seal.
  5. Bake chicken in the oven for one hour and 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers around 150°F degrees (it’s okay if it’s over this temperature).
  6. Remove chicken from oven, and discard parchment paper and foil. Increase oven temperature to broil; let oven preheat 5 minutes
  7. Baste chicken with pan juices. Return chicken to oven, and broil until skin is dark golden brown, about 10 minutes. You may baste it once halfway through if you desire.
  8. Let rest 10 minutes. (Internal temperature will continue to rise to 165°F.) Carve chicken, and drizzle pan drippings over sliced meat. Garnish with thyme leaves if desired.
  9. **Some marinate may be kept and brought to a boil in a saucepan for 5 to 7 minutes. reduce to a slow simmer, add flour, and stir until thickened. Serve as a gravy over the chicken.

Recipe: Garlic (You Win This Round) Broccoli

A tangy and light side dish that you will crave long after it is gone!

Ingredients (8 servings)

  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Mix salt and mustard together in a small bowl
  2. Saute the garlic in the olive oil
  3. When garlic just begins to turn brown, add red wine vinegar and broccoli
  4. Add mustard mixture and toss every few minutes until broccoli is finished.
  5. Coat with Parmesan cheese immediately before serving

It’s a really easy side dish to make if you don’t have much time.  It’s delicious and a great way to get in your veggie requirement for the day!  Even I could make it on the first try…which is saying something!  Also, it only takes one pan and a tiny mixing dish or clean-up is a breeze!

Nutrition Information (per serving)

Calories: 126     Total Fat: 10.9g      Sodium: 591mg

Carbs: 4.2g         Cholesterol: 6mg

Protein: 3.6g      Fiber: 1g

Recipe: Decadent Peanut Butter Cheesecake

My mom is cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year (the hard part) and I’m making dessert (the easy part).  I’ve decided to make a peanut butter cheesecake and I’m sharing the recipe with everyone!

Ingredients (6 servings)
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
  • 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 (12oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
  • 1 prepared chocolate pie crust
  • 1 (11.75oz) jar of hot fudge microwaveable ice cream topping, divided

The finished product!
Directions
  1. Beat together 1 cup peanut butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a medium bowl until well combined.  Gently mix in 3 cups whipped topping until thoroughly combined.
  2. Spoon mixture into pie crust and smooth edges with a spatula.
  3. Reserve 2 tablespoons of fudge topping into the corner of a resealable plastic bag.  Microwave the remaining topping on HIGH for 1 minute.  Stir and spread topping over entire peanut butter layer.  Refrigerate until set.
  4. Spread remaining whipped topping (1 1/2 cups) over hot fudge layer being careful not to mix the two layers.
  5. Cut a small corner from the bag containing the fudge. Squeeze bag to dribble topping over pie.  Place remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in a resealable bag.  Cut a small corner in the bag and drizzle peanut butter in the opposite direction from fudge.
  6. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

The ingredients are really simple and the directions are simpler!

This is very IMPORTANT!

It is really important to use MICROWAVABLE hot fudge topping!  No cutting corners here!  I found this out the hard way when I tried to use chocolate syrup.  It didn’t taste as good nor did it harden…ever…not even in the deep freeze.

Nutrition Information (per serving)

                  Calories: 963     

Total Fat: 62.5g      Sodium: 625mg

Carbs: 86.9g              Cholesterol: 41mg

Protein: 19g               Fiber: 5g

Recipe: Basil Noodle Goodness
I got all domestic tonight and made dinner for my man (yes, I can cook, mostly).

Ingredients (2 servings)

  • 4 ounces pasta (any kind)

  • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped

  • Shredded Parmesan cheese, to taste

  • 4 Tbsp salted butter

  • 1 Tbsp white wine

  • 2 Tbsp garlic, minced

  • 1 ½ tsp dried basil

  • ½ tsp dried oregano

  • ¼ tsp dried thyme
Directions
  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente, about 7 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, melt butter and saute garlic, basil, oregano, thyme. Add wine and chicken. Stir frequently.
  3. Drain pasta. Add to sauce mixture and toss.
  4. Sprinkle with Parmesan with cheese to taste, serve and enjoy!

    Basil is one of my favorite spices!
I was CRAVING something with basil and butter this week.  I wasn’t sure where to start exactly so I popped over to AllRecipes and found a recipe I liked and I modified it to my liking.  It was delicious!

Any kind of pasta will work with this recipe!

Nutrition Information (per serving)

                  Calories: 286     

Total Fat: 24.3g      Sodium: 205mg

Carbs: 13.4g         Cholesterol: 62.8mg

Protein: 3.7g      Fiber: 2.2g

Recipe: Black Bean and Artichoke Burritos
A new flair on burritos that is super easy and surprisingly delicious!

Ingredients (8 servings)

  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans

  • 1 (10 ounce) can artichoke hearts (drained and sliced)

  • 1 medium onion

  • 1 large tomato (diced)

  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

  • 8 (10 inch) flour tortillas

  • 3 cloves garlic (crushed)

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions

  1. Pour the beans into a large iron skillet, and bring to a boil.
  2. Cook at a hard simmer until they become pasty and begin to resemble burrito beans in texture.
  3. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat.
  4. Stir in artichoke hearts, onion, and garlic; cook until the artichokes become golden brown.
  5. Place tortillas in a dry skillet over low heat to warm.
  6. Spoon beans and artichoke mixture onto each tortilla, and top with cheese and tomato.
  7. Fold in ends, and roll up serve and enjoy!

It’s a really easy dinner to make if you don’t have much time.  It’s delicious and a great way to have burritos if you or your friends are vegetarians.  Even I could make it on the first try…which is saying something!  Also, it only takes two pans so clean up is a breeze!

Adjust your portions and ingredients on allrecipes.com!

Nutrition Information (per serving)

Calories: 159     Total Fat: 11.1g      Sodium: 393mg

Carbs: 6.7g         Cholesterol: 30mg

Protein: 8.7g      Fiber: 1.8g