Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

This is one of my favorite recipes that uses fresh lemons. I first had this when we were celebrating my son's high school graduation. We took the family to Brio for lunch.  My daughter ordered Lemon Herb Chicken.  I was expecting her to be served a chicken breast with some sides.  But instead they brought out a whole roasted chicken with a huge knife stuck in the breast as if it were meant for a Viking!  We all laughed at the huge portion, but she did manage to put a good dent in it.  It was delicious!  The secret is to rub some spices under the skin and put a lemon in the cavity of the chicken.  The lemon flavor is not at all over-powering and keeps the chicken very  moist.  And as a bonus, the gravy made from these drippings is killer! 

Be sure to save the left overs for pot pie!

Lemon/Herb Roasted Chicken

By Peggy Fonke – Inspired by Brio

Admittedly, not the best picture!

 

 

  

1 whole chicken – cleaned, and cavity emptied

¼ - ½ cup olive oil

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp sage

salt and pepper

2 TBL sugar

1 lemon quartered

 

In a small bowl, combine olive oil and spices.

In a roasting pan, place raw chicken, breast side up.

In cavity, insert lemon quarters

Brush chicken inside and out with olive oil and spices, including underneath the skin (at the top of the breast, gently separate the skin from the breast, brush oil mixture as far down as you can. )

 

Place chicken, uncovered in a preheated 400 oven for 30 minutes or until skin starts to brown.

Cover and turn oven down to 300 , bake an additional 45-60 minutes  or until meat thermometer reaches  165-170. Or juices run clear.  Remove from pan and immediately wrap in foil .  Let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make gravy out of drippings.

 

Gravy

1-2 TBL flour

½ cup  hot water
1 TBL chicken soup base (I like LB Jamison)

1-2 TBL sugar

 

Use drippings for base.  Be sure to include the drippings created as the chicken rests in foil. 

Remove any excess skin or fat from stock.

In a sauce pan, bring stock to a boil

Meanwhile, blend 1-2 TBL flour, with ½ cup of hot water.   Stir mixture until there are no lumps

Gradually whisk in flour mixture to stock, stirring constantly until desired thickness is achieved. 

Season to taste using salt, pepper, and sugar .

Pair with sides that can wear this gravy proudly!  Potatoes and carrots are my favorite choices.


This is a picture of us at our son's graduation the day we discovered this yummy dish. 

 

Lemon Tree Update

My lemon tree, which sprouted buds back in May is about ready to give birth.  My first lemon of the season is ripe and ready to be picked. 

Because I pruned this year, the tree will only give six lemons, so I will need to use them wisely.  My first lemon will go to a Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken.  Stay tuned!

Sweet and Sassy Deviled Eggs

This recipe has put Deviled Eggs back on the map for me.  Several years ago I was passing by the Chef's booth at our local Schnuck's store.  The recipes they demo are always easy and quick to prepare. This day they were serving these Deviled Eggs.  Oh my, they were amazing!  They are made with Red Devil Sweet Red Pepper Sauce which adds a bit of sweetness and a little spiciness without being over powering. 

They were an instant hit with my crowd and have become a traditional dish served at bridal and baby shower luncheons.  Give them a try!

How hard can boiling eggs be?  Well here are a few tips for successful egg prep.  1.  Use eggs that have been in your refrigerator for at least a week.  They will peel easier.  2.  When cooking eggs, place eggs in water.  Bring to a boil then turn off heat and leave covered on stove top for 20 minutes.  Then drain and rinse in cold water.  This method keeps the yokes yellow and prevents the dark ring that sometimes appears on a hard boiled egg.  3.  peel your eggs once they come to room temperature before you refrigerate them.  They will peel easier. 

okay, now you know my secrets! 

Sweet and Sassy Deviled Eggs

By Schnucks Cooks

 

6 eggs

3 oz cream cheese – softened

¼ cup Sun Zen Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

2 tsp dijon mustard

¼ tsp salt

chives

 

Place eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water . Bring to a full boil.  Cover. Immediately remove from heat and  let stand for 15-20 minutes. 

Drain and rinse in cool water. To cool.

Peel eggs.  Slice in half, long ways.

Remove yoke and place in mixing bowl.

To yokes, add cream cheese, pepper sauce, mustard and salt.

Mix thoroughly with a fork or electric mixer until very smooth.

Fill egg whites and top with chives.

 

Cover and refrigerate until  it’s time to serve.

Gilligan's Island Fried Rice

In memory of the beloved "Professor" aka Russell Johnson, who passed away yesterday, I thought I would publish this little gem!  Without you I would never have known how to deactivate my radioactive vegetables!  RIP!

A few years ago, I was invited to a friend's birthday party.  It was a  Gilligan's Island theme party in honor of my friend Mary, who loved the TV show, Gilligan's Island, and is a reputed GI trivia expert. We were challenged to bring Polynesian-themed food to the party.  This recipe caught my eye in an internet search.  It was a huge hit with the ladies and many went back for seconds. 

I have waited to publish this recipe until I have established credibility with you all.  This is because the secret ingredient is Spam.  Now you don't have to use Spam or any other meat for that matter, however, the recipe tastes significantly better with Spam.  Trust me and try it - It's a winner.
 

 

Gilligan’s Island Fried Rice

Inspired by All Recipes.com

 

 

11/2 cups Jasmine rice

3 cups water

2 TBL Canola Oil

12 ounces of ham or spam – julienne cut (skinny strips)

½ cup of some other goodie you might have in the fridge–       shrimp,  peas, mushrooms, or pork sausage

2 eggs

1 cup shredded carrots

1 can water chestnuts - chopped

1/2 cup chopped macadamian nuts

 

3 TBL canola oil

1 8-oz can of pineapple tidbits – drained but save the juice

3 chopped green onions or fresh chives

Sauce

3 TBL Mirin (chinese sweet wine found in ethnic aisle)

3 TBL soy sauce

3 TBL pineapple juice

 

Prepare rice by bringing water to a boil.

Add rice, cover and cook until rice is tender and  liquid is absorbed – appx 10 minutes

Set aside and cool completely

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat oil

Add  meat and stir until slightly brown (5 minutes).  Set side

Pour eggs in skillet and stir fry until set – set aside

stir fry carrots until tender.  Add water chestnuts and/or nuts and stir fry for 1 minute. Set aside

Add remaining oil to skillet

Toss cooled rice in hot oil until blended  and heated through (5 minutes or so)

Add back meat and eggs,   and other goodies .  toss until blended  (5 minutes or so)

Add green onions – toss 1 minute

Add pineapple tidbits

Add sauce and toss until well blended

Serve immediately

If making ahead of time, save half of the sauce to pour over just after reheating. And just before serving.  

Beer-Simmered Beef Stew

There is nothing like a hearty stew to warm you up on a cold day.  This is a tried and true recipe that I have been playing with for years.  A couple of secrets to share:  1.  once you have browned the stew meat, simmer in beer - the beer does a great job of tenderizing the meat.   2.  For Seasoning, I like to use LB Jamison's Beef Soup Base.  You can find it along side the boullion cubes.  I really like the flavor it brings to the stew.  3.  Give the stew a richer color with Kitchen Bouquet.  It may be trickery, but as stew with richer color tastes better!   Enjoy!

Beef Stew

By Peggy Fonke

 

3 TBL cooking oil

Cook time is 3 hours - worth it!

2-3 lb Stew meat

1 12-oz  can of beer

1 onion - chopped

2-3 large red potatoes

2-3 stalks celery – chopped

1-11/2 cups carrots

1 cup green beans

5-6 shakes Worchestershire sauce

3 TBL sugar

Kitchen Bouquet

Thickening

3-4 TBL flour

1-11/2 cup hot water

2-3 TBL beef bouillon or soup base

salt and pepper

Kitchen Bouquet

In a dutch oven, heat oil.  Add stew meat and onion. Cook, stirring constantly until meat is browned.  Cover meat with beer.  Simmer for 2 hours until meat is tender.

Add potatoes, carrots, celery.  Add water until vegetables are covered.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add green beans.  Simmer an additional 30 minutes or until all veggies are tender.

Combine flour, soup base. Blend in with hot water stirring until mixture is smooth with no lumps, and pourable. 

 

 

 To simmering hot stew, gradually add thickening mixture, stirring constantly, so liquid thickens with no lumps forming.  Continue until desired thickness is achieved.  Season to taste using salt, pepper, sugar, worchestershire sauce and possibly additional soup base.

Add ½-1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet to achieve desired color.

Split Pea Soup

 I first had the courage to try Split Pea Soup while on a date with my now husband, John. We were eating dinner at the Magic Pan restaurant.  The split pea soup was so delicious, that I thought I'd try to make it myself.  I know that not everyone is a fan of split pea soup.  I'm actually not a fan of peas, but this has become one of my favorite delicacies.  A great way to use that Christmas ham bone and a must have on a cold Sunday afternoon.  Enjoy

Split Pea Soup

By Peggy Fonke

 

1 bone-in ham bone (or ham hock)

1 package dried split peas

1 onion - sliced

3 stalks celery – cut in large chunks

2 tsp salt

1 bay leaf

1 cup carrots – frozen or fresh sliced

1tsp pepper

Beef bouillon or LB Jamison soup base

Worcestershire sauce

sugar

Soak and hydrate peas as directed. Rinse peas then place in large pot.  cover with 2" of water.  Boil gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Peas should have smooth consistency.  

In a large pot or roasting pan, place ham bone.  Add water until main part of the bone is covered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add onion, celery, and bay leaf.

 

Simmer on stove for 2 hours until meat pulls away from the bone. Turn off heat and let sit for one hour to continue steaming and so bone is handlable.

 

Remove bones, cartilage, excess fat, celery and onion, and pull meat aside.

 

 

To ham stock, add carrots and simmer for 30 minutes until tender .

 

add meat, hydrated peas, and pepper.

Simmer for 2 hours or more until peas become smooth when stirred.

Soup should be a hearty, yet smooth consistency.  Add more water if necessary.  If too thin, let soup sit for several hours or overnight, then skim excess water off the top.

 

 

Season to taste using beef soup base, sugar and Worcestershire sauce, starting with 1 TBL of each and adding more if necessary.