Herb Roasted Chicken

This week's chef for the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge was Emeril. I wish Emeril had come at a different week because there were so many recipes of his that I would have liked to try, but I had to find something that would fit into my weekend menu because I knew I was leaving for holidays and I wouldn't be doing much cooking. I ended up finding this recipe for herb roasted chicken and decided to make it for our Christmas dinner.

I am sure Emeril would be disappointed because I used dried herbs rather than fresh. But I had to. It would have been a huge waste to buy fresh herbs, knowing that I was leaving for holidays and wouldn't get a chance to use them up.

The chicken was very flavourful and tasty. However, we didn't really feel like it fit in with our Christmas dinner - the taste just didn't meld well with the gravy, stuffing and other fixin's. But definitely a good chicken rub to try another time when we're making some roasted root veggies on the side (as Emeril recommends).

Herb Roasted Chicken - From Emeril
1 small chicken (or a variety of chicken pieces)
Salt
Pepper
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lemon

1. Wash chicken and pat dry. Place in small roast pan.

2. Season with salt and pepper on both sides (or inside and outside of cavity if using a whole chicken).
3. In a small bowl, mix together garlic, thyme, sage, parsley and EVOO.

4. Rub all over chicken (inside and out).

5. Cut lemon in quarters. Squeeze over chicken and place rinds inside (or around chicken). Place bay leaves in as well.
6. Cover and roast at 350 for about an hour, until chicken is no longer pink.

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

The fabulous dude and I celebrated Christmas together at our home today, before getting ready to leave for the holidays. We started the day off right by indulging in some ooey gooey homemade cinnamon buns, complete with cream cheese frosting. Both recipes are listed below

Cinnamon Buns
1 1/4 cups warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp dry skim milk powder
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
2-4 tablespoons butter
2-4 tablespoons brown Sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans, optional

1. Place ingredients into bread pan in the order listed. Select dough cycle. When cycle is complete, turn dough out into lightly floured surface. Knead gently and roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness.

2. Spread butter over entire surface.

3. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Top with nuts if desired.


4. Tightly roll dough lengthwise.

5. To avoid smooshing your cinnamon buns, use a piece of string to cut the roll into 12 pieces. It was hard to get a picture to show what I mean, since I need both hands to do the string cutting - hopefully these pictures will demonstrate the instructions okay. Place the string under the dough, cross the ends together and pull to detach the roll.

6. Place pieces all snug and cozy together in a deep dish buttered pie pan. If you want gooier buns, you can also sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon into the bottom of the pan.

Cover and let rise for 45-60 minutes (OR ... you can cover loosely and put them in the fridge over night and they will be ready for you bright and early in the morning - this is what I do.)

7. Bake at 375 for 15-25 minutes, until brown on the top. If they are browning up too much and yet not cooked through the center, you can loosely cover them with foil and continue cooking.

8. Slather with cream cheese frosting (recipe below) and enjoy!

Makes one dozen cinnamon buns.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz cream cheese
1/8 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.

2. Add vanilla.

3. Gradually add powdered sugar until well combined and soft.

**You can definitely double, triple or quadruple this frosting recipe for cakes, cookies, or other yummy treats that would require more frosting. But this amount is MORE than adequate for one batch of cinnamon buns.

This recipe is being linked at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday.

Green Bean Casserole

Here is another one of those "let's de-healthify some good ol' veggies" recipes. I was first introduced to green bean casserole a number of years ago and since then, I believe that it has become a staple on the Thanksgiving and Christmas table of many many families. I am sure you all have your variation on this recipe and most are probably similar to mine but because I made it earlier this week to send with FD to his work potluck, along with yummy cheesy carrots, I thought I'd post my version of the oh-so-popular green bean casserole. I have listed the amount of some of the ingredients fairly flexibly because it can be adjusted to taste, depending on how many beans you are using.

Green Bean Casserole
4-6 cups fresh or frozen green beans (or 2 cans)
1-1 1/2 cans mushroom soup
1/2-3/4 can milk
1 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can French's fried onions.

1. Cook the beans if using fresh or frozen. No need to cook if using canned beans. Drain and place in 9x13 baking dish or large casserole dish.

2. In a medium bowl combine soup, milk, pepper and mozzarella cheese.

3. Pour over beans and stir to combine. Add 1/4-1/2 of the can of French's fried onions and mix in. I like to use less of the onions in the casserole and save more to go on top. I also *sometimes* snitch a few to eat just as is. I seriously love those things!

4. Cover and bake in a 350 oven for 25-30 minutes, until heated and bubbling. Remove from oven, uncover, top with remaining onions and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until onions are browned.

Enjoy! Makes 8 servings.

This post is being shared at the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Cheesy Carrots

There is nothing better than taking some delicious, hearty, good for you vegetables and covered them with butter and cheese, right? No? This is a recipe I gathered a number of years ago and is one we've come to love. It is definitely one of those 'once a year' type recipes. OR, you can also do like me and make it up for your husband's Christmas potluck and send it away so people can enjoy it but you don't have to be tempted to eat your weight in cheesy carrots. Believe it or not, I've actually reduced the original amount of butter, cheese and cream soup. So, while this may not be on my family's regular rotation of side dishes, it makes for a nice, rich treat for the holidays.

Cheesy Carrots
Carrots, coarsely chopped (how many you use is up to you - the sauce makes enough to cover a lot of carrots. I think I usually use about 15-20 carrots to fill a 3 L casserole dish.)
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cans mushroom soup
1/2 can milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs, optional

1. Peel, cut and cook your carrots. I just boil them. Drain and put into large casserole dish.

2. Peel and chop one onion.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft.

4. Add 2 C grated mozzarella cheese to the butter mixture.

5. Add soup and milk.

6. Stir and cook until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

7. Pour over carrots and stir to mix.

8. Top with bread crumbs, if desired.

9. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until bubbling.

Makes 8-10 servings.

This recipe is being linked at the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash: Christmas Recipes.

You and Me Chicken Pot Pie

This was probably my most successful week yet in the Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge endeavor. The chef for the week is Ellie Krieger and she has a ton (I mean, a ton) of great looking recipes. It was difficult to choose just one, but I was looking for something that I could make the very next day without having to make a trip to the grocery store and so this recipe fit the bill. It is a deliciously wonderful comfort meal! It definitely being added to our list of favourites! Now, I just need a way to use up the remaining phyllo - I am taking suggestions!

I made a few minor changes - I used pre-cooked, chopped turkey from a turkey I had bought and cooked a few months ago instead of using uncooked chicken breasts and cooking them before the veggies. I used a regular onion instead of leaks. I added carrots. I swapped corn for peas. And I used shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese instead of parm, because I needed to use it up. Other than that, I did exactly as she instructed. Hm, after re-reading that, I realize it sounds like I totally changed the recipe. But I really didn't, I promise.

You and Me Chicken Pot Pie - adapted from Ellie Krieger
2 cups cooked and chopped chicken or turkey
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup frozen green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn (I actually used more like 1 1/2-2 cups, I was at the end of the bag and didn't think there was enough to be worth leaving)
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
Grated mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 4 individual-sized baking dishes with cooking spray (I used french onion soup bowls and actually ended up needing 5 and could have possibly even stretched it to make 6 dishes).

Heat 2 1 T of the oil in a large skillet or electric frying pan. Add onions, celery and carrots to the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, green beans, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add the milk to the pan.

Stir the flour into the chicken broth until dissolved and add to the pan.

Cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, corn, parsley, and thyme.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dishes.

Put the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil into a small bowl. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut it into quarters.

Place a quarter sheet on top of each baking dish and brush with olive oil. Repeat with remaining 3 baking dishes.

Tuck the edges of the phyllo into the dish rim.

Top each pie with cheese.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Sausage and Potato Chowder

This delicious chowder came as a result of three things. 1. I got a brand spanking new slowcooker from my MIL for Christmas and I was dying to try it out. 2. I had some cooked sausage leftover from when I made Christmas Morning Casseroles for the FD's family Christmas. And 3. I have a ton of potatoes in the cold cellar!

Sausage and Potato Chowder
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
4 cups beef or chicken stock
1 cup water
1/2 lb sausage, cooked and crumbled
2 C milk
1/4 cup flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Parsley, for garnish

1. Combine all vegetables in slow cooker. Season with garlic, salt and pepper.

2. Add broth, water and sausage.

3. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until vegetables are tender.

4. Whisk flour into milk, until dissolved. Stir into soup. Add cheese. Stir.

5. Cover and continue cooking on low until cheese is melted and soup is heated through.

6. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Makes 8-10 servings.

This recipe is being shared at Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tuesday's at the Table. Head over there to see some great recipes and thank the lovely ladies for hosting such great blog carnivals!

Mom Saver Breakfast Casserole

When I became a part of the Cramp family, I was introduced to Breakfast casseroles as a part of Christmas. His mom makes two different varieties - a meaty one and a blueberry one (which I have never made). The reason we call this Mom Saver Breakfast Casserole or Christmas Morning Casserole is that it can be put together the night before which means that "Mom" (or wife, or aunt, or dad, or whoever) only has to pop it into the oven in the morning. It makes for a much more relaxing Christmas morning, that's for sure!

For his family Christmas this weekend, I made two breakfast casseroles. One I did the traditional way that his mom make and one I spruced up a bit with some veggies.

I wasn't able to get any pictures. My camera batteries were charged in preparation for the weekend when I was putting it together and well, although it might be the Mom Saver Casserole because it allows you to get the most of the work done the night before, it is not that big of a saver and I was still going crazy trying to get everything ready in the morning. Hence, no photo. Except one of my FD enjoying the finished product.

Mom Saver Breakfast Casserole AKA Christmas Morning Casserole
5-6 slices whole wheat bread
1 lb sausage
1-2 tsp dried mustard
1 cup grated cheese (a mixture of mozzarella and old cheddar is the best)
6 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
Pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Optional:
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped

1. If using, sautee mushrooms, onions and peppers until soft. Remove from pan and set aside

2. Remove casings from sausage. Crumble cook until no longer pink. Remove and set aside.

3. Cut crusts off of bread. Arrange in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan OR grease 18 muffin tins and cut bread to fit individual muffin cups.

4. Spread sausage evenly over bread. Sprinkle with dry mustard.

5. Top with sauteed vegetables, if desired.

6. Sprinkle cheese over top.

7. Combine remaining ingredients (eggs, milk, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce) and pour over casserole.

8. Chill for up to 24 hours. Bake at 375 for approximately one hour, until eggs are set (baking time is reduced to 20-25 minutes if using muffin cups).