Slow Roasted Chicken with Cilantro-Lime Butter

If you want some delicious chicken, this recipe is totally worth the time it takes to make it.  It takes a little time for the basting, but we cleaned this chicken up.  It was great. 

From For The Love of Cooking

5 lb free range chicken
1-2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Zest of one lime
1 clove of garlic, minced + several more cloves for stuffing
1/2 a sweet yellow onion quartered
Handful of cilantro including stems for stuffing
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Clean chicken and pat dry. Mix the chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and lime zest with the butter, mix well. Place the chicken on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Spread a bit of the butter mixture over the back of the chicken. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from one half all over the back of the chicken. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper then flip the bird over breast side up. Carefully, lift the skin over the breasts and rub some of the butter mixture directly onto the breast meat. Then rub the remaining butter mixture over the skin of the bird. Squeeze juice from the other half of the lime over the skin. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place the lime halves inside the cavity along with the handful of cilantro, onion, and garlic cloves.
Place the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Roast uncovered for 3 1/2 - 4 hours until the meat thermometer reads 180 degrees. I start basting my bird after 2 hours and repeat every 1/2 an hour after that. My chicken turns out sticky and slightly crispy. If you want crispy skin then don't baste for the last hour and turn the heat up to 350 degrees for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven and let the bird rest for AT LEAST 10 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Pork Skewers

These were awesome!!!  My little ones couldn't get enough.  I usually don't like pork chops, but I would eat these all the time.

From Eat It Up

Ingredients:

1-1.5 lbs. pork chops cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil

BBQ rub:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Glaze:
1/4 cup fresh or refrigerated lime juice
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of cayenne
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
limes for garnishing
skewers

1. Mix oil and dry rub ingredients together in a shallow dish. Toss pork chunks into dish and mix with spices until all the meat is coated. Preheat grill to med-high heat. Skewer your pork onto water soaked skewers.

2.Combine all your glaze ingredients together. Put your skewers on the grill and after they have been cooking for about 5 minutes start basting pork with glaze. Baste every couple of minutes to really enhance the flavor. After about 12-15 minutes check your meat for doneness and remove from grill when cooked through.

Kansas City Sue's Chicken

This was easy and good.  I like it because it was quick and ready at dinner time. 

Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup low-sodium beef broth

Put the chicken in the slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Whisk well. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

Lemon Herb Chicken Bake





I found this recipe today on Yummy Fun while I was trying to plan my weekly menu.  I really liked it because I had everything I needed to make this minus the lemon juice.  I really liked this dish.  It took longer than 40 minutes to make it but that may have been because of the size of my potatoes and chicken.  My kids ate it up.  Orrin doesn't eat peas unless threatened, and he said his peas tasted really good!  I think the sauce was the best part of this dish.

6-7 chicken breast thawed and trimmed  (I diced up my chicken)

5-6 med red potatoes - quartered
1 C peas (frozen)

In a sauce pan combine the following and let simmer for 3-5 minutes
1/4 C butter
3 T. lemon juice
3 T. minced dried onion  (I used fresh onion)
1 T. Rosemary blend spice (I just used and italian seasoning blend)
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. sugar
2/3 Cup Half and Half  (I used skim milk because it was what I had)

Sprinkle on right before baking

1/2 C fresh Parmesan cheese

Place chicken in baking dish, cover with red potatoes and peas and pour sauce over the chicken and vegetables and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake uncovered 400 approximately 40 minutes until bubbly and potatoes are browning.  
 
**It took about 60-70 minutes for mine to cook.

Oven Fried Chicken Chimichangas

I found this recipe on Food.com.  I thought it looked good, but was concerned with how heavy it might be.  These were delicious and really not heavy at all.  Port even commented that these might be his new favorite.

2/3 cup picante sauce or 2/3 cup your favorite salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped with some tops (about 1/4 cup)
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)
Cooking spray
shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
chopped green onion, for serving
picante sauce, for serving

Mix chicken, picante sauce or salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides over filling.  Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Spray a light coating of canola cooking spray over the top if you want. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden.  Garnish with additional cheese and green onion and serve salsa on the side.

Cheesy Skillet Chicken and Rice with Green Beans

I saw this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe and it looked really good.  I have been avoiding one dish meals because they sometimes get a litle heavy.  This one was great.  I didn't think it was heavy.  I love recipes that are easily adaptable without changing the flavor of the dish.  It was really flavorful and my kids each went back for seconds. 

Adapted From My Kitchen Cafe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
8 ounces white button mushrooms, brushed clean and quartered or sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 ½ cups long grain white rice
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ pound frozen or fresh green beans
1 cup shredded sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper.  In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until it is rippling and hot. Carefully lay each chicken breast in the skillet and cook until the chicken is well browned on the first side, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken with a pair of tongs and let it brown on the second side, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Drain all but about 1-2 tablespoons oil from the pan.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, scraping the browned bits off the bottom and edges of the pan, until the mushrooms begin to soften and start to brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add the rice and continue to cook until the edges of the rice turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken to the pan and cover, reduce the heat to low and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the rice is mostly cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken and shred. Stir the green beans into the skillet, stir the mixture well, cover and continue to cook on low until the beans and rice are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese and shredded chicken.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cincinatti Chili

It has started to feel like fall around here and I have started to crave warm things.  Awhile ago we watched a Diners, Drive-In, and Dives show where Guy was eating Cincinatti Chili.  I figured since I won't be going to Ohio anytime soon, I would try and recreate it.  This was really good.  I love the mound of cheese and the noodles! My kids liked it because it didn't have beans in the chili, but could be added later.

From Foodnetwork Magazine

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (I didn't have this so I left it out)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
Kosher salt
1 6-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped unsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper
12 ounces cooked spaghetti
1 19-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound grated cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add half the chopped onions and the garlic and cook until soft, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, allspice, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and cloves. Cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the beef and cook the mixture, stirring, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon salt.

Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, bay leaf and 1 1/2 cups water; simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thicker. Add the chocolate, vinegar and Worcestershire and cook until the mixture is thickened but still soupy, about 15 more minutes.

Discard the bay leaf and season the chili with the freshly ground pepper. Divide the spaghetti among bowls and top with the chili, beans, remaining onion and cheddar. 

The Best Coconut Cake

Recently, I was reading a novel called, Let Them Eat Cake, by Sandra Byrd.  It takes place in a French bakery.  The main character loves to cook and try new recipes.  The fun part of the book is that the author actually put recipes in the book to go along with the story line.  I saw this recipe and immediately wrote it down because it sounded so good.  I tried it this weekend and it was so awesome!!!  I loved the denseness of the cake and the frosting.  It definitely doesn't leave you wondering what kind of cake it was!  It was a coconut explosion!

1 box yellow butter cake mix
1 small instant coconut cream pudding
3 eggs
1 1/3 C.  Coconut milk  (one of my favorite ingredients!)
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 stick butter, softened

Mix together cake mix and pudding until combined.  Add the eggs, coconut milk, coconut extract, and the butter.  Blend for about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 5 with a handheld.  (The batter is thicker than a normal cake batter.)  Spread into 2 8" round, greased and floured cake pans.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until cakes are just set and barely pulling away from sides.  Let cool completely.

Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
4 C.  powdered sugar
1/8 C. milk  (I used probably a 1/2 C., but you just have to look at the frosting consistency)
1 tsp. coconut extract

Beat all the ingredients until fluffy.  Level cake tops and then add a thin layer of frosting to bottom layer.  Stack on top layer.  Frost entire cake with frosting.  Toast shredded coconut in oven on broil.  Watch it closely because it goes from being fine to burned in seconds!  Cover cake with toasted coconut.  Enjoy!

Parker House Rolls

This recipe is on a million blogs and in a million cookbooks.  It is a quick and easy roll recipe.  I recently made it for a Young Women's activity.  I doubled it and it made close to 5 dozen rolls.  It takes about two hours from start to finish.  They are delicious!

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup oil
6 – 7 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/4 cup butter, melted, for shaping rolls

Add hot water to sugar and oil and beat with electric mixer. Add eggs and salt; beat well. When mixture is lukewarm, add yeast and keep beating. Add flour until a soft dough forms. Do not knead. Let rise in covered, oil bowl for one hour.

Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness and cut circles with round cutter, about 3 inches in diameter. Hold dough circle by the edge and dip both sides into melted butter. Fold in half on baking sheet and pinch edges together to seal.  Arrange folded dough in rows in pan, each nearly touching the other. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter.