Cooking With Court

Carrabba's Scotty Thompson Appetizer Recipe

2012-01-14T21:31:00.001-06:00

I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians.

Elton John

Cinque Terre, Italy

The above quote is exactly how I feel about Italy. I went to Italy about 3 years ago and I think I fell in love. I too love the way of life, attitudes and people, but most of all I love the food. I loved the way they used really fresh ingredients to make really high quality meals. Ever since I went I've been in love with a freshly baked bread dipped in great olive oil, a caprese salad drizzled with a balsamic glaze and most of all a really good tomato sauce. Since then, I love to try these basic flavors in any kind of recipe. Along with loving to make Italian food, I also love to eat Italian food. My current favorite restaurant is Carrabba's and whenever the husband and I get a chance to go we always order the "Scotty Thompson" appetizer. You won't find it on the menu but any Carrabba's will make it if you ask for it. It is basically a fresh tomato sauce with slices of goat cheese on top of it served with grilled garlic bread....mmmmm Recently I decided to use my tried and true tomato sauce recipe to attempt to make this appetizer and it turned out so simple and great I had to share! Buon appetito!

Carrabba's Scotty Thompson Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (or make the sauce under the pasta al pomodoro recipe click here to see recipe)
1 sleeve of goat cheese (about 4-6 ounces)
1 loaf of french bread
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Directions:

slice french bread into single servings

brush sides of bread

grill until each side has slight char lines

rub garlic cloves over each side (this will give a faint garlic taste)

In a small serving dish pour heated spaghetti sauce

top with sliced goat cheese and serve immediately with bread for dipping

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Easy Turkey Pot Pie - Cora's first cooking lesson

2011-12-19T20:47:00.000-06:00

Babies are such a nice way to start people

As I mentioned yesterday I am currently at my friend Amanda's house who just had a cute little girl about 3 months ago. Today we spent the better part of the day putting together some dishes that she could freeze and then cook for a quick meal. She had leftover Thanksgiving turkey that she had frozen that we really wanted to use and fortunately we were able to come up with some really creative recipes including white turkey and spinach lasagna, turkey pot pie and turkey and stuffing bake. We also had the best sous chef ever her new little girl Cora. I just had to post some pictures...

I'm ready to cook!

Cooking is so fun!

Now I'm getting a little bored... time for a nap

We must do this again when I'm old enough to eat the food!

And now for a recipe that is a perfectly easy way to use up some leftover turkey this holiday season.

Easy Turkey Pot Pie:
3 cups chopped turkey
1 can of turkey gravy
2 pie crusts (or 1 pie crust and 1 can of biscuits- that's what we had)
1 package of frozen veggies
1 tsp thyme

In a saucepan mix together turkey, gravy, frozen veggies thyme. Cook until frozen veggies are slightly heated

In a 1 1/2 quart dish prepare crust by greasing dish with butter.
Stretch one pie crust to fit the bottom and sides of dish.

Fill dish with turkey gravy mixture
Top with additional pie crust or biscuits.
Cook in a 350 degree oven until crust is crispy and filling is heated through.
Enjoy this warming meal!

Tomato Basil Soup - A recipe I can't wait to try...

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting.

Abraham Maslow

I love tomato basil and tomato bisque soups, but just like my coffee I'm kind of a snob about them. My favorite is Crispers Tomato Bisque soup, I think if I didn't know how many calories one serving packs (not to mention the fat content) I could live off of their tomato soup. I've tried finding a good recipe I can make at home that is healthier but I'm so picky that I haven't found any that I like. Recently I turned to Pinterest to look up some ideas for the best Tomato soup. While this one isn't the healthiest I've seen I think I'm going to try it out in the near future. I thought I would pass it on in case you need a good soup to warm up your winter season. Since I'm in Florida I won't be making it to warm me up but rather just because my waistline doesn't need anymore Crispers :-) enjoy!

Tomato Basil Soup (from Jenny Steffens blog)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes
2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned
parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the crushed tomatoes. Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up. Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes.
To finish, reduce the heat to low and stir in heavy cream and basil.

Pumpkin Dip with Gingerbread Chips

2011-12-18T14:58:00.003-06:00

"I have the biggest sweet tooth. After the holidays, I gotta start working out."

The above quote is so true for many of us... including myself sometimes. However, I recently stumbled upon a recipe that's healthy, tasty and festive. I'm currently at my best friend Amanda's house (you may remember her from 2 prior posts here and here) and she had some of the Stacy's gingerbread pita chips which are amazing!!! She had read about a recipe for pumpkin dip on Pinterest (we're slightly addicted to that site). So we decided to experiment and try it out for ourselves. The result was an amazing, quick and cheap dip that's perfect for the holidays. Not only will it save you some calories but it will also save you some cash to spend a little more on that someone special. While the dip was good we did say it would also be great if you cut the cool whip in half and added a block of cream cheese instead. As is it is a little sweet (great if you're looking to satisfy the sweet tooth) but the cream cheese might help balance out the sweetness. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cool Whip Dip

1 can of pumpkin (15 ounces)

6 oz of cool whip (we used light)

1 package of vanilla pudding mix (we used sugar free)

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients well and serve chilled with cinnamon sprinkled on top

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

2011-12-16T14:57:00.001-06:00

"It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted." -Linda Conway

It has almost been over 2 months since I posted last!!! Now that this was officially the last day before Christmas break I can now post!!! After one of those days where you are so busy you can't even find time to get up to go the bathroom this is what I decide to do to relax... blog again :) I can't believe I've stayed away for so long. Starting teaching has been rewarding and overwhelming all at once. I love teaching and haven't regretted the decision to change from the job I had planning events for the last 4 years to teaching around 90 high school students every day. I love the fact that after class students come to me to ask questions other than science questions, so many of them are truly looking for advice which is interesting because us "older people" often look down on them as if they won't listen to us... they listen way more than you know. It has been exhausting and overwhelming though. I went from my job I was well adapted to, to teaching 5 new classes and having to make everything from notes to tests. Plus grading - oh my goodness I had no idea how much grading you do! I literally stay up until about 10 PM every night catching up on grading and planning. So thank you to all the teachers I had in my life I totally took you for granted!!! That being said I finally found some time a few weekends ago to try out a new recipe - and a baking on at that! For those of you following the blog for a while you know I'm more of a cook than a baker. I often feel like I can't experiment as much with baking but when I came across this recipe I knew just the tweak to make. This is a Cooking Light recipe for a made over hummingbird bundt cake. For those of you in the south you probably know what a hummingbird cake is but in case you don't it's basically a cake with pineapple, pecans and bananas in it. The recipe originally called for a Bourban Glaze but I honestly think you can't have Hummingbird cake without cream cheese so I substituted a cream cheese glaze instead but it would probably be wonderful either way. The recipe also made them in mini bundt pans which I did. I think this would make a beautiful dessert for new years, or an nontraditional Thanksgiving dessert. I won't keep you any longer since I'm sure you're salivating thinking about the yumminess... here's the recipe!

On a side note another recipe to come soon - homemade cinnamon chocolate chip biscottis that one of my student's brought to class the other day!

Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze (makes about 7-8 small cakes)
(adapted from cooking light)
Baking spray with flour (really important that it has flour so it doen't stick)
3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup chopped ripe banana
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

Glaze:
1 stick of cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
milk (add to appropriate consistency)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat 18 mini Bundt cups with baking spray.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Place granulated sugar and 12 tablespoons butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Fold banana, pecans, and pineapple into batter.
Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans
Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out with moist crumbs clinging
Cool 5 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans.

To make glaze:
In a mixer combine cream cheese and powdered sugar until fully combined
add vanilla and lemon juice
add milk until glaze reaches the perfect consistency
drizzle over cakes
serve - they are delicious!

Anyone can make Tiramisu

2011-10-07T02:00:00.000-05:00

Origin of TIRAMISU

Italian tiramisù, from tirami su!, literally, pull me up!

Are there certain foods that intimidate you? I know for me I have several. My current fear is Indian food, which I'm trying to muster up enough courage to get over. I have learned from the past those I'm most intimidated to try cooking are ones I end up falling in love with. For the longest time I was completely at loss for how to even begin cooking Greek food. Then I experimented with a few recipes and fell in love. Another past fear was Tiramisu. I loved it in recipes but had no clue how to start making it. Then I began looking online and found quite a few simple recipes. I took what I liked from all of them and put together an amazing recipe that I use over and over again. This is a great one to make in advance and take to a friends home. It does need to sit at least 4 hours to overnight so it is a great dish to make for parties the day before. I can't wait to share it with you and hope you love it as much as I do!!!

Easy Tiramisu
makes about 8-10 servings

Ingredients

6 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pound mascarpone cheese (you can find this in your specialty food case)
1 1/2 cups strong espresso, cooled
2 teaspoons dark rum
1/2 angel food cake (I use a pre-made one from Publix)
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate - grated

Directions

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Do not try to shortcut this step. How well you beat your eggs will determine how well your final product holds together.

Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso and mix until thoroughly combined.

Using an electric knife thinly slice the angel food cake.

In a small shallow dish, add remaining espresso and rum.Dip cake into espresso for only 5 seconds. Place the cake peices on the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish.

Spread evenly 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the cake. Arrange another layer of soaked cake and top with remaining mascarpone mixture.

Cover tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 8 hours.

Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Popcorn

2011-10-05T20:14:00.001-05:00

drizzled choc. popcorn

"What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate." - Katherine Hepburn

Well I had planned to attempt to make the caramel popcorn the other night and got home from the grocery store only to realize that I had forgotten corn syrup. So I attempted another one of my favorites… chocolate drizzled popcorn. This is something I tried the first time I went to NYC and fell in love. When I went back the store that had sold it had closed down and I haven’t been able to find it since. I will admit Target carries a pretty amazing white chocolate/cinnamon popcorn but it still didn’t compare to the chocolate drizzled popcorn. So I made my own chocolate drizzled and sprinkled with sea salt. It was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. I was surprised by how incredibly easy it was to make and couldn’t wait to pass it on!

Chocolate Sea Salt Popcorn

Ingredients:

¼ cup of popcorn kernels

3 tbsp oil

¼ cup of chocolate (whatever kind you like semi sweet, dark, white, milk)

Sprinkling of sea salt

tossed choc. popcorn

In a pot (with a lid)

Heat 3 tbsp of oil over medium heat

Add popcorn kernels and shake while heating

Once they start to pop continue shaking without stopping

Once the popping slows to about 2-3 seconds in between remove kernels to a large bowl (careful they will be hot)

In a double boiler melt chocolate

After chocolate is melted pour over popcorn cernals and toss to coat (you can also drizzle on top if you’d like)

While still hot pour popcorn onto a sheet of parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with sea salt

Allow to cool until hardened

Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

A recipe I can’t wait to try – Caramel Corn!

2011-09-26T21:06:00.000-05:00

I'm someone who believes the only way to see a movie is in a big theater, on a big screen, with a big bag of popcorn.

Dan Glickman

If you asked me to pick my favorite food my response would probably surprise you. Granted my favorite foods change a lot but one that has always stayed is popcorn. I absolutely love popcorn, any kind of popcorn. From microwave, to movie theatre, to chocolate drizzled, I love them all. However, most of the time I have to buy whatever kind of popcorn I want because I don’t know how to make creative kinds of popcorn. However, after seeing this recipe I’m hoping that will change and I will be posting many new creative popcorn recipes. My hopes are high for this recipe… can’t wait to try it!

Secretly Simple Caramel Corn

From Real Simple (www.realsimple.com)

Ingredients

nonstick cooking spray

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Heat oven to 300° F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with the cooking spray.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover, and cook, shaking the saucepan constantly once the kernels begin to pop, until there is a 2- to 3-second interval between pops, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles and lightens in color, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Pour over the cooked popcorn and, with a rubber spatula, toss to coat.

Spread the popcorn mixture on the prepared baking sheet and bake, tossing once, until deep amber, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, toss, and let cool on the baking sheet. (The popcorn will crisp as it cools.)

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Life Changes = Cooking Changes

2011-09-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

When you are through changing, you are through. ~Bruce Barton

For those of you who don't know me personally I've had a huge job change recently. So I apologize that I have not posted on here in a while. Almost a month ago I took a job teaching high school science. So far it has been a wonderful experience in which I've been able to use my college degree. However, for those of you who are not teachers I had no clue how much work a teacher puts in to their job. I now appreciate every teacher I had and the 12 - 15 hours a day they would sometimes put in to teach me. With this job change I've also lost a lot of my free time in the evenings. The times I would use to cook before are now spent grading papers and making lesson plans. So along with this job change I've also had a change in my cooking. I have gone from spending two hours cooking each night to learning to throw together quick meals. So my posts will also reflect this from here on out. Some of you are cheering because you also need quick easy meals and others of you may be a bit disappointed because you love the challenge that an involved meal brings with it. I agree with both of these sides, I love the challenge of an involved meal but I definitely need the convenience. So while most of my weekday posts will be quick convenient meals I am still making meals that involve a little bit more of a challenge on the weekend. I hope you'll follow along with me in this adventure of cooking and teaching. I can't wait! Here's my first super simple crockpot recipe below.

Easy Slow Cooker Inside Out Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

1 can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup

1 can of chicken broth

1 cup of uncooked brown rice

1 small bag (or box) of frozen peas

Dump all ingredients in a crockpot and stir together

Cook on low for 6 hours

Shred chicken in crockpot and stir until mixed

Serve warm (also heats up great if you want to make on the weekend and use later in the week)

Easy Summer Berry Cobbler

2011-08-03T14:05:00.001-05:00

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.

Erma Bombeck

Vintage Butterprint Pyrex

I thought the quote above was cute. I am one of those people who cannot keep desserts in my house. I honestly will eat them until they are gone. There might have been an occasion ~~or more than one~~ during our first year of marriage when my husband held up an empty dish in shock to ask if I had ate all of the brownies, because he had only had 2. I try to practice willpower but when it comes to brownies it's just like everything else goes out the window. That is why I try to give away any desserts I make. My waistline and running time cannot afford to have dessert every night (especially if I eat the whole pan). I also hate going over to someones house to hang out and not bringing anything. S0 a lot of times I'll bring a dessert along. That way I get to bake some, I get to have some and I get to leave it there to tempt them (evil laugh). In all honesty though I do like to bake I just try not to do it too often. However, this past weekend when we were going to a friends house I realized I had no butter, no cake mix, no brownie mix, nothing just a few bags of frozen blueberries I'd picked a month ago. So I tried mixing a little of this and a little of that and I had an amazing cobbler result from all that experimenting. I had to share it because summer is the perfect time to make berry cobblers as the berries are so fresh. I also think these would make great mason gar desserts. Mini cobblers in Mason Jars topped with vanilla ice cream... sounds like a perfect southern summer dessert to me! Speaking of berries, thank you to everyone who filled out the survey last week. It showed that the overwhelming majority considers cherries their favorite summer fruit! I completely agree!!! Enjoy your summer dessert, don't eat too much!

Summer Berry Cobbler

Ingredients:

Berry Mixture:

4 cups of berries (fresh or frozen) (I used blueberries and sliced strawberries)
2 TBSP white sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt (super small amount to bring out flavors maybe 1/16 tsp)

Stir In after berries cook: 1 TBSP corn starch

Topping:
1 1/4 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup half and half

Cobbler Filling

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix together berry mixture and place in a small sauce pan
Cook until berries start to become tender
Remove from heat and stir in 1 tbsp corn starch
(your berries will look like the picture to the right)
Remove and pour into a greased square Pyrex pan
Mix together topping ingredients
Pour over berry mixture (covering all)
Bake for about 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean when poked into topping
*may need to cover with foil if the topping starts to get too brown

Cute Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcakes

2011-08-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcakes

Babies are such a nice way to start people.

This past weekend I had the privilege of hosting my best friends first baby shower! For the shower we had a pink theme (I'll try to get photos from her later). I was in charge of dessert and decoration and wanted to come up with a really cute dessert. Last week on twitter I noticed a picture someone had posted of a cake in a Mason Jar and I go the idea for Strawberry Shortcakes in Mason Jars. If you've been to any major chain restaurant in the past year you've probably seen the cult obsession with dessert shooters, but what I loved about the mason jars was that it was just a little bit larger so it allowed for a more impressive and filling dessert. It was such a simple process that turned out amazing and I just had to share it with you! They were simple and quick to make. To make them a little more festive I printed out labels with a little baby graphic and cute baby sayings and stuck them to the front of the jars. For some other cute "dessert shooter" recipes that you could easily make into mason jar treats check out Pillsbury's dessert shooter recipes here or Betty Crocker's recipes here. I'm thinking my next attempt at making up another recipe for mason jar treats will be cobbler mason jars with layers of cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream and a crumb topping... YUM!

Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcakes

Ingredients

With Label

1 angel food cake

1 lb strawberries

1 large tub of whipped cream

a few cherries (or other topping)

10 Mason Jars (Jelly Jar Size)

Cut angel food cake into bite sized pieces

Slice strawberries

In a mason jar layer some of the angel food cake

Then layer some of the strawberries

Top with whipped cream (*see tip below)

Top off with a cherry

*if you place whipped cream in a sandwich bag and snip off one end it allows you to "pipe" the whipped cream in which allows for great presentation

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Fun Summer Recipes to Try Out

2011-07-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that summer is getting closer and closer to being over!!! In such a short time it will be fall! Can't belive it! Summer is a great time to try out some new recipes especially if you have the summer off. Want to try out some of my favorite recipes this summer? Here's a link to my top 10 favorites so far! Just click on the name to take you to the page with the recipe!

Pasta Al Pomodoro This has turned into one of my favorite go-to recipes. I have no need to buy sodium-laden canned pasta sauce when this one only takes me 30 minutes! Try it out!
Baked Goat Cheese and Chicken Two of my favorites, goat cheese and chicken, can't get much better than that!
Roast Italian Chicken A spin off from the regular roast chicken I used to make. This is now a staple in my house!
Grilled Mediterranean Veggies Perfect for cooking summer veggies like zucchini and squash on the grill!
Feta and Sundried Tomato Biscuits Un-healthy but simply delicious! A must try!
Sara's Pot Roast Great for one of those busy days. Throw this in the crock pot and come home to wonderful cooked dinner.
Greek Tzatziki Sauce A light refreshing dip... perfect for summer!
The Easiest Lasagna Ever Want an easy quick dinner that will feed a crowd? Find it here!
Healthy Muffins Now you don't have to feel guilty for just grabbing a muffin and heading out the door. These are packed with the good stuff!
Cake Balls Since everyone needs to splurge every now and then why not do it in style with cake balls? Fun to make and delicious!

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Slow Cooker Black Beans and Rice

2011-07-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

“Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook”

For those of you who know my husband (Shale) and I, you probably know that both of us have a passion for those who are non-Christians and/or struggling with extreme poverty. We both have friends in India that are missionaries and we get updates weekly on some of the extreme situations there. In fact one of my friends recently told me there are more orphaned and abandoned children on the streets of Bombai, India than there are people in the city of Tampa. That means approximately more than 340,000 children on the streets of one city. I can only imagine what that is like. I tell you all this to share with you an idea that we recently came up with. He was talking about how the people of India mainly eat rice and beans every day (cheap) and how we could also do that one night a week so that we might be able to have a little more money in our budget to share with those in need. It was a great idea and to be honest you can easily make a pot of rice and beans to feed 6 people that doesn't cost you any more than $5 total. Plus if you use brown rice it is a healthy, protein and whole grain meal. So my goal is to try out different rice and bean recipes each week which I will also share with you along with a quick update from some friends in India on their different needs. I know there is such extreme poverty over there they could definitely use our prayers and thoughts, since we have all been so blessed in the US. So here's the first recipe it is a super simple black bean and rice recipe that is delicious!

Slow Cooker Black Beans and Rice

Servings: 8-10+

Cook Time: 9 hours (in slow cooker)

Ingredients:

For Black Beans:

1/2 bag of black beans

1 small can of rotel

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 onion (minced)

1 small piece of chicken sausage (optional)

1/2 tbsp cumin

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 cup white vinegar

3 dashes of hot sauce

For Rice:

2 cups of rice

4 cups chicken broth (or water)

At night time:

rinse black beans and pick out rocks/foreign material

place in slow cooker with can of rotel, 2 garlic cloves (minced), 1 onion (minced), 1 small piece of chicken sausage (optional), 1/2 tbsp cumin, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and 3 dashes of hot sauce.

Add enough water to cover twice as much as in pot (beans will expand)

Cook overnight or ~ 6 hours on high

Drain off beans (tomatoes, garlic, onion, etc...) (saving juice)

Pour bean mixture (without juice) into crockpot, add 2 cups of rice, 4 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of bean juice.

Cook on high for 3 hours or until rice is tender

I made this on a Sunday afternoon (when I have the most time) and we ate it throughout this week. I had NO clue it would make this much so we were a little overwhelmed with the sheer amount of rice and beans. However, I have to admit it was the perfect ratio of rice to beans so I would suggest cutting back on everything and not just rice (if you cut it in half). I think next week I may try and brave the world of curry rice and beans. I'm completely intimidated by Indian food (as I don't understand curry at all) so this is a HUGE step for me. Don't expect a recipe because if it's a total flop I may be too embarrassed to post ;-) Have a wonderful rest of your week!

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Salsa Grilled Chicken

2011-07-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.

Russel Baker

Cute Beach Tote

This recipe is the perfect summer recipe and I have to admit it was one of those that I just completely stumbled upon. I was cleaning out my freezer the other night (I make and freeze a lot of stuff) and came across a huge pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I needed to cook. I looked in the pantry and new I wanted to make something that had a bit of lime in it so I threw this concoction together and it turned out wonderfully! I made it along with a big crock pot full of black beans and rice (recipe coming tomorrow) and it made an amazing dinner! The color of the chicken is gorgeous and the flavor just perfect for a summer cookout! Most of the ingredients you probably have in your pantry except maybe the Sazon. However, if you haven't ever used Sazon I highly encourage it. A few years back when I was in college I became best friends with Erika. Erika is Cuban and began to teach me how to make some amazing food. In one of her grandmothers Picadillo recipes it called for Sazon. That was my first experience with this fabulous Spanish spice. Not only does it deliver great flavor but it turns everything a beautiful orange color. It is great in everything from rice and beans to chicken or beef. If you're anything like me you're probably intimidated by new spices (one reason I still haven't posted an Indian recipe on here... curry completely intimidates me). However, with this spice I encourage you to throw all caution to the wind and try it. It's mild enough that it won't ruin your meal but the color is so beautiful it will definitely pump up the appeal factor.

Salsa Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:

2 limes (1 juiced the other set aside)
2 chicken breasts
1 package of Sazon (Spanish seasoning find out more here)
hot sauce (Tabasco)
1/8 tsp cumin
1/2 bottle of salsa
1 tbsp lemon juice
In a large ziplock bag combine juice of 1 lime, sazon, hot sauce (I used 3 drops), cumin, salsa and lemon juice.
Mix together by shaking bag
Add chicken breasts and allow to sit for about 30 minutes (don't marinate too long as the acidity in the lemon/lime will begin to cook the chicken)
Preheat grill
Grill off chicken until cooked thoroughly and juices run clear
During last 5 minutes slice extra lime and place on grill fruit side down to get char marks/taste
Serve with half a lime and 1 chicken breast

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Tuesday's Tip...Eating Seasonally

2011-07-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James

I love eating vegetables and fruits in season. Not only are they more affordable but they always seem to taste sweeter, fresher and look better. It is probably because I live in Florida where seasonal vegetables grow in abundance but I just honestly don't feel like a strawberry shipped from out of state tastes the same as a strawberry grown in season in Florida. Sorry I think I'm a little biased because while I would trade you the Florida heat any day I definitely wouldn't trade the Florida produce farms! Recently I was browsing RealSimple.com (one of my favorite magazines/websites) and found this amazing article on produce that I just had to share. Due to the fact that I do not want to steal anyone's information you can find the article by clicking here. They also have some amazing recipes for each ingredient!!

Growing an herb garden part 2

2011-07-25T09:39:00.001-05:00

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.

SpoonerZ garden spoons

I have learned a lot from growing my small porch herb garden. I've learned the self control of not picking off a basil leaf but instead waiting until it is full grown to use it. I've also learned that watering once a day is a must in a hot environment like Florida. I've learned thyme, oregano and parsley take FOREVER to grow but Basil shoots up like a small forest. I've come to learn that tomatoe plants grow HUGE and can take over a little porch. But most of all I've come to learn that simple pleasures in life can be found in a simple garden. Things such as a new bloom, the beginning of a tomatoe, sprouting of a new herb become small little things that make me smile when I get home from a busy day at work. So far I am loving keeping this herb garden and especially loving how easy it has been to maintain (water once daily and let God do the rest). Below are some new pictures of how things are coming along! By the way how cute are these spoons. You just stick them (handle side down) into the garden and they label the plants! To find out how to get them check out SpoonerZ on Etsy or click on the link below the picture above!

As you can see the Basil is quickly becoming a small forest

My swiss chard and cilantro have really started to grow

My Parsley and Thyme seem to be growing very slowly and the chives and onion are so thin. For all you gardners out there... any clue why? I would love your input!

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Best Breakfast Recipes

2011-07-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

"Breakfast is a notoriously difficult meal to serve with a flourish." Clement Freud

If I have one hard to break flaw it is that of an overachiever. While this is a great quality to have at work it sometimes interferes with everyday life. A great example of this is last week. For those of you who read my blog regularly you know that I haven't written in about a week and here's why. Last week I was preparing for a high school camp that I had organized and found out mid-way through the week that my husband had "signed me up" to make breakfast for his office. Not only was my week busy but I had a ministry I served with until 8 PM on Thursday and I had to be at work at 5 AM Friday and the breakfast was Friday morning. Needless to say I ended up getting about 2 hours of sleep Thursday night because yes, I am an overachiever. While most people could have said go pick up some doughnuts or grab something from Publix. I would have been horrified for my husband to show up at his office with something store bought (trait #1 of an overachiever). So instead I stayed up all night making what I thought would be good to take to his office. I then had to figure out how to keep it warm from the time I left my house at 4:30 until he left at 8:30 (yes I was immensely jealous of the fact that he slept 4 hours longer after I left the house). Due to this I decided to leave some of the items in the oven with the oven on off (after I had used it to bake) and my egg casserole was a little overcooked, however, I convinced myself not to make another one (trait #2 of an overachiever) and just let it be. Shale did tell me the office loved the breakfast and I figured I would share my recipes with you. I hope you get to enjoy them on a leisurely Saturday morning while you get to sip your coffee and read while they bake preferably in the fabulous little turquoise nook area I found in the picture above (instead of running around the house baking while throwing on makeup like I did).

Nana's Pluck-It Cake (aka monkey bread)

Ingredients

4 cans of Pillsbury original biscuits (the small ones not grands)

2 tsp cinnamon

2 sticks of butter

2 cups of brown sugar

*you can also add 1/4 cup of chopped pecans but my husband doesn't like nuts, just add the nuts to the sugar mixture

preheat oven to 300 degrees

grease a bundt pan with Crisco

cut biscuits into quarters

melt butter and stir in cinnamon and brown sugar

place a small amount of sugar mixture in bottom of bundt pan

layer a thin layer of biscuits

repeat sugar mix

repeat layers finishing with biscuits on top

bake in oven for 45-50 minutes

remove and allow to cool for ~10 minutes

flip onto plate and serve

Easy Breakfast Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb ground sausage

6 slices of bread

butter

3 cups cheddar cheese

10 eggs

4 cups half and half

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

Cook sausage

butter bread (top and bottom) and cut off crusts

place bread into the bottom of a 9x13 pan

scatter sausage on top of bread

sprinkle cheese on top

in a bowl mix together eggs, half and half, salt and dry mustard

pour over cheese

cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight

In morning:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

bake for 40-45 minutes (covered with foil)

serve and enjoy!

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New Survey

2011-07-20T14:00:00.000-05:00

Summer Blog Facelift

2011-07-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Country Living

In case you haven't noticed the blog has gotten a "facelift" for the summer! It was crying out for something a little more fresh and seasonal to go along with the abundance of summer recipes you'll have heading your way! For starters here's a great summer pizza recipe you can make on the grill outside while hanging out with your family and loved ones! On a side note check out the picture the the right. Isn't that a cute little beach house featured in Country Living Magazine? I don't know if I would be able to go that bright of colors for everyday as I tend to get bored of the colors quicker if they are bright. Seeing as how much he LOVED painting the other day (insert sarcasm here) I don't think Shale would like it very much if I did something where I would get bored faster, but I do think it is very cute! Enjoy the pizza recipe!

Ground Turkey, Feta and Veggie Pizzas
Feeds ~3-4 depending on if they are boys are girls ;-)

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (I like the refridgerated kind from Publix)
your favorite spaghetti sauce (my favorite is Newman's Own Marinera)
Turkey Mix:1/2 lb of ground turkey
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves garlic (minced)
dash of olive oil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil
Toppings:
1/2 cup of feta cheese (crumbled)
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (cut small to your liking)
1/2 sweet onion (cut in thin strips)
1/4 cup of mozzerella cheese
1 bell pepper (cut in thin strips)

fresh basil (as much as you like) (leave for after the pizza is cooked)
Crust Oil:
a mixture of olive oil and garlic salt and pepper

Preheat oven to temperature indicated on your pizza dough
Heat olive oil in a skillet
Add garlic and cook till softened
Mix together ground turkey, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme and basil
Add meat mixture to garlic and oil and cook until done thoroughly
Meanwhile heat grill
Ready pizza dough according to manufacturer's directions
Spread a little sauce on dough (just enough to cover so it doesn't become soggy)
Spread toppings all across the pizza
Cook according to directions on crust
Brush with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper througout cooking time and when finished
Allow to set for about 5 minutes so the crust has time to finish and the cheese sets
Slice and eat!!!

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Step By Step Easy Lasagna Recipe

2011-07-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jon Arbuckle: Garfield, did you eat all four boxes of lasagna?
Garfield: [hiccups] It's not my fault. They started it.

This lasagna has quite a story. It is a recipe my mom would make all the time growing up. She also would give it to me before I went back to college whenever I came home to hold me over until the next time. As I got older I found out her recipe and started making it myself. When my husband and I were talking before we dated I made him this lasagna to thank him for helping me with something (honestly can't remember why), and as they say food is the way to a man's heart. Little did I know that lasagna was his favorite meal ;-). So both the quote used and the recipe are a nod to my husband (Shale). He loves lasagna and loved Garfield growing up. I made this recipe a lot (because it is so simple) and then stopped making it for a while as it was getting a little boring. However, when I told Shale I was making it the other night he was so thankful. I knew I needed to share it as it is simple, feeds a lot and can be frozen. The nice thing I like about the lasagna is you can throw in anything you like. I've used mushrooms, fresh spinach, hot italian sausage, ground beef, chicken, you name it you can pretty much use it. For this particular time I used roasted garlic and ground turkey breast in the sauce. For the directions it really helps if you can visually see how to complete the recipes so I've done step by step pictures to help you out. Enjoy your Italian dinner made simple!!!

Easy Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Eggs

1 cup of parmesan cheese

1 big container of cottage cheese (16 oz)

2 cups of mozzerella cheese (plus more for top)

garlic salt (1 TBSP) or fresh garlic (2 cloves) or roasted garlic (whole head)

1 bottle of spaghetti sauce

1 package of no bake or no boil noodles (you will use about 9 noodles for a 9x13 pan)
Tin Foil


Step 1: add two eggs to large bowl and break up

Step 2: Add in cottage cheese

Step 3: add in parmesan cheese

Step 4: mix together well

Step 5: add in mozzerella cheese and mix together

Step: 6 Mix together meat (or veggies) and your preferred spaghetti sauce , reserve some sauce without meat or veggies for bottom of pan

Step 7: spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in bottom of casserole dish


Use no-boil or no-cook lasagna noodles

Step 8: place lasagna noodles down (make sure they don't touch or they won't cook correctly)

Step 9: add cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles

Step 10: spread cottage cheese mixture to edges of pan

Step 11: repeat with another layer of sauce, another layer of noodles, another layer of cheese, and a last layer of sauce

Step 12: top with mozzerella (I like to use large peices like this because it looks more rustic when it is finished)

Step13: Cook for 45 minutes covered with foil, remove foil and cook for 15 more minutes or until brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh basil and allow to sit for about 15 minutes or until set.

Serve with grilled baguette topped with bruschetta and roasted asparagus

Bon Appetite!!!

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Goat Cheese + Chicken = A Recipe I Can't Wait To Try

2011-07-07T10:45:00.000-05:00

I LOVE goat cheese and I LOVE chicken and I LOVE Barefoot Contessa and this is her recipe, so what's not to love about this recipe?!?! When I found it on the Food Network website I knew I had to share it with you. I can't wait to try it out and let you know how it is!!! I'm thinking it would go great with a baguette, a salad, and maybe even some grilled asparagus. If you try it before me let me know how it is...

Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese
recipe found at www.foodnetwork.com
By Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)
Serves 6

Ingredients
3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
12 ounce sherbed goat cheese, with garlic and herbs
Fresh basil leaves
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet.
Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached.
Cut 12 thick slices of the herbed goat cheese and place 2 slices plus a large basil leaf under the skin of each chicken breast.
Rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Bake the breasts for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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I apologize!!!

2011-07-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

I sometimes think the chef end of cooking is not the real end of cooking. Cooking is all about homes and gardens, it doesn't happen in restaurants.

Delia Smith

I want to apologize for the fact that I haven't written in so long. It has been over 2 weeks since my last post! To be honest I almost didn't put this one up as I typed the WHOLE thing with pictures and all and then google blogger decided to freak out on me and delete it all... so discouraging. But here I am and I apologize for taking so long to post something new on here but if you know me well enough to know about my job you understand that summer is the busiest time of the year for me. I currently work as a student ministry event coordinator for a large church. This means I plan all the camps, mission trips, etc... and since students are out during the summer that means more events for them and more planning for me. I had a camp last week and another one next week but I promise I'm not dead and I will be posting more. I wanted to take this post to catch up a little bit with what's happening with me cooking (and non-cooking wise).

For those of you who have been reading for a while you probably know how much I've wanted an herb garden. For my birthday my amazing husband provided me with the seeds, planters, and accessories to start my herb garden!!! He also got me some amazing Gigi's cupcakes (if you haven't been to Gigi's check out their website here, they are a national chain and amazing)!!

birthday cupcake

banana cream pie cupcake

I'm so excited about my herb garden and for those of you who are considering starting one they grow extremely fast. The seeds I have planted have already germinated, sprouted and grown. In fact my basil is almost large enough to use already, after only a month!!! I planted most from seeds but bought a tomato and cilantro plant from Walmart on the clearance rack in the nursery (yes they do have one of those and I only ended up paying $1 each for them). The tomato plant is called a patio tomato and my hope is that it doesn't get very large. My patio is very small and I would love to have tomatoes but I don't have much space for them. However, the tomato plant has a tomato!!! I will admit it is very small and still green but I'm hoping it lasts because I have big plans for that tomato. I bought the cilantro already grown because I love cilantro and didn't want to have to wait to eat it. That was a bad idea, in case you're like me and didn't know Cilantro does not survive transplant well. I mean it was huge and I transplanted it and 2 days later it was brown with cobwebs on it. Completely dead!!! So I bought some seeds, planted them 3 days ago and they've already sprouted (my hope is that it grows fast). The basil, on the other hand is extremely hardy and I'm a little worried that it might overtake the herb garden (good thing my mom loves basil because she will be getting her fill)! All in all I have Chives, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Onion (scallion), Cilantro, Swiss Chard, and a tomato plant. Below are some pictures of the herb garden.

Seeds in their germination pods

Cilantro (which met an early death) and tomato (which is now 3 times that size in 1 month)

My Herb Garden (this is only half, there is also another planter to the right you can't see)

Some of you may be wondering how I ended up with the window box planters. Especially if you read the post I did earlier about ideas for an herb garden (view post here). I originally was going to use some sort of shelving and do all of my herbs in old tea kettles, pitchers, saucepans, etc... and have a cooking theme to them. Unfortunately I was unable to find the kind of shelving I wanted. I saw these window box planters at Lowe's for $15 each and decided they would be perfect. I installed them facing in towards my house instead of out so that you can see them from inside. They work great and have a wonderful mesh filling that allows them to drain so well. I know it's a little garden and not that big of a deal but I love having fresh herbs and not much is more annoying than buying a pack of basil for $3 and then throwing half of it away because it goes bad before you use it up. For those of you who have an herb garden or are thinking of starting some here are some ways to save on your fresh herbs.

1. don't pick more than you need

2. if you do pick more than you need or if you buy it store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel (this will help it last) unless it is basil, basil does best in a cup of water on the counter top

3. if you have leftover herbs, chop them and place them in an ice cube tray, cover with water and freeze, once frozen pop out and store in a plastic bag in the freezer. These are great to throw in soup, stock, sauces, etc...

4. If you have a food dehydrator (like you would use for jerky) dry your herbs and store them crumbled or un-crumbled for use in recipes.

BEFORE:

entertainment center

sofa

sofa close up (the wall isn't actually yellow but the picture doesn't do it justice)

living room

looking at the kitchen (the kitchen is the area to the far right and the bedroom is beyond that, it is an open layout)

AFTER TO COME SOON!

Check back soon for some new recipes, an update on the herb garden, and the next step in house restoration... wallpaper wainscoting (or bead board). Yes you can use wallpaper for this and it is only $20 for 50 feet!!!! To see what inspired me for this check out this blog post!

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A healthy recipe I can't wait to try... egg muffins???

2011-06-20T11:46:00.004-05:00

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.
John Gunther

Sometimes I find recipes in the most bizarre places. This one was on a Facebook photo with a link to the recipe from healthy recipes. I can't wait to try it out! I don't know about you but my morning breakfasts are pretty boring and predictable to be honest. I usually get stuck in a rut of a bowl of oatmeal or an egg white omlette so when I find something that is different and sounds delicious I absolutely have to try it out. This one is great because it is low in carbs and super high in protein (sounds like a great after workout snack Bethany!). They use green onions in their muffins but I'm thinking sundried, bell peppers, mushrooms, anything you love! I'm also thinking of trying them with egg whites for a lighter points value... I'll update with new recipes as I work them out! Plus I read that you can pop them in the fridge and heat them as you need them. Since I have to wake up at 5 am in order to workout before work this is a definite must, and yes I do workout mainly because this blog would make me a fatty if not :)!!! On a side note how cute is this little turquoise table area? I would LOVE having my quiet time/breakfast here every morning. Suffice it to say... I'm jealous! Oh well, enough babbling from me... here's the recipe!

YUM!!!

Healthy Egg Muffins:
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
12 large eggs
½ cup Voskos Greek yogurt, plain low fat
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Black pepper
1 cup shredded Parmesan
½ cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a 12-cup silicone muffin pan on the foil and spray the cups with nonstick spray. Important to use a silicone pan – eggs will badly stick to a metal tin, even if lined and sprayed.
Mix all ingredients. Fill cups.
Bake 35 minutes, until muffins are set, puffed and lightly browned. They are very puffy when you take them out of the oven, then deflate a little as they cool – but they are still very cute!
Allow to cool for 5 minutes until easier to handle, then remove to a wire rack. Eat warm. OK to refrigerate leftovers for a few days.

Nutrition per muffin
Calories 117
Total Fat 8.2 g
Saturated Fat 3.6 g
Cholesterol 195.2 mg
Sodium 324.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 0.7 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Sugars 0.3 g
Protein 9.1 g

Weight Watchers + points: 3!!!

Today's Recipe Attempt... Creme Brulee

2011-06-19T08:39:00.001-05:00

Today I am cooking for Shale's family as a combination gift for Father's Day (the husband's dad), Sue's Birthday (the husband's mom) and Khua's Birthday (exchange student living with the husband's family). I'll be making several recipes which I'll be posting later but one I am so excited to try is Creme Brulee. Creme Brulee is Sue's favorite dessert and I just recently received a Creme Brulee set that I'm dying to try (yes I'll be using a torch for this and no I'm not a pyromaniac). When looking for recipes I came across this one which sounds amazing. It is by Barefoot Contessa (who I love) and her recipes always turn out exactly like predicted! I can't wait and had to share!!!

Creme Brulee (by Barefoot Contessa)
Ingredients
1 extra-large egg
4 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended by Barefoot Contessa: Grand Marnier)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

* Propane Gas Torch
Propane gas torches are highly flammable and should be kept away from heat, open flame and prolonged exposure to sunlight. They should be used only in well-ventilated areas. When lighting a propane gas torch, place the torch on a flat, steady surface, facing away from you. Light the match or lighter and then open the gas valve. Light the gas jet, and blow out the match. Always turn off the burner valve to "finger tight" when finished using the torch. Children should never use a propane gas torch without adult supervision.

Roast Italian Chicken

2011-06-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'.

Cute quote! Made me smile when I read it. And REALLY cute kitchen! Last week when I was at Publix they had a great deal on whole chickens. So I bought 2 of them and put them in the freezer knowing I could make them in the future. I knew however, that I wanted to come up with a new recipe because as much as I love my old one for roast chicken (found here) I thought the husband was getting a little bored of it and I promised myself I would never settle into a repertoire of 5 recipes I rotate through... way too boring for me! So that thought combined with my mom's surplus of basil that she passed on to me I decided to come up with some sort of roast Italian chicken. I do have to admit I was a little intimidated before I started this recipe as I was just kind of pulling off my taste buds completely and with a roast chicken you can't taste as you cook. Needless to say I was terrified it was going to be a complete flop. On the contrary, it turned out amazing!!! I actually think I like it as much as I do my favorite Greek version (mentioned above). Here's the recipe... enjoy!

Roast Italian Chicken:
Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (mine was 4 lbs)

sliced garlic

1 small can of tomato sauce
1/2 sweet onion cut in quarters
1 entire head of garlic (3 cloves removed and set aside and the rest sliced across the top as shown in picture to right)
1 TBSP capers (optional)
dash of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch of basil (3 leaves removed and set aside)
1/8 cup sundried tomatoes
kosher salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

smashed garlic

Smash 3 garlic cloves and remove peel (will look like picture to right)
Place garlic and olive oil in a small sauce pot and cook on LOW on oven (you just want to infuse the oil with garlic)
In a bowl mix lightly the canned tomato sauce, quartered onion, capers and balsamic
Remove un-pleasant parts from chicken (aka giblets, etc...)
Rinse and pat dry with paper towels
Sprinkle inside cavity with salt and pepper

Roast Italian Chicken

Stuff in the basil sprig, sliced garlic head, and pour in onion tomato sauce mixture
Place breast side up in roasting pan
Slightly cut away the skin from the chicken breast (so that you can stuff it, don't cut it off!)
Chop sundried tomatoes and 3 basil leaves
Stuff the sundried tomatoes and basil under the skin of the chicken
Remove the oil from the stove
Brush chicken with the oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and place in oven (cook according to directions on package time varies per pound)
Brush several times throughout with oil
Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting (remember this is really important to keep it juicy to see why click here!)
Plate beautifully (remember your eyes help convey what something tastes like)

Serve and enjoy!

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