Recipe: Lemon and Beer Chicken

One of my "signature dishes" is a whole roast chicken that slowly cooks in the oven.  It's very easy to make, but the flavors pop, and the chicken itself is extremely juicy!  My daughter, who can be very very picky, will eat two helpings of this chicken, so it's a tried and true toddler favorite!


Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt  (Or you can use 2 garlic cloves)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dill
2 lemons
1/2 cup of Shiner Bock (or a similar beer)
4 pats of butter

Gravy:
As much of the juices as you can pull from the pan
1/2 to 1 cup of milk (Watch the color of the gravy, it should be a tan, you don't want too much milk to overpower the juices)
1 TB corn starch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove innards from chicken, and wash out thoroughly with COLD water (this is important, warm water can promote bacteria growth on raw chicken).

Place chicken, breast up, into a pan at least 2 inches deep.

Roll 1 lemon, while pressing gently, to release juices, and then cut in half.  Squeeze two lemon halves over the chicken, then place in opposite corners of the pan.  Roll the other lemon, then prick 3 times with a fork, and place inside the chicken.  Pour 1/2 cup of shiner bock slowly over the chicken and into the bottom of the pan (again you can adjust as needed, I usually pour enough beer to coat the bottom of the pan, rising maybe 1/2 an inch.)

Sprinkle all seasonings evenly over the top of the chicken (don't forget to season the legs), you can adjust the seasonings as needed, I don't measure them, and just eyeball how much goes on.  I'm very liberal with the garlic salt.  If you are using garlic cloves, just toss them into the bottom of the pan to flavor the gravy and juices.

Place chicken in oven, and let cook until the juices run clear and the temp is at least 165, approximately 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours depending on your oven.

About 30 minutes before the chicken is finished, pull 1/2 cup of juices and put into a saucepan.  Turn on low.  Add approximately 1/2 cup of  milk and 1 TB of cornstarch mixed together into the saucepan (you may need more cornstarch to get the desired gravy thickness, but add it in small amounts).  Let thicken while stirring occasionally until the chicken is finished.  (This gravy is some of the best gravy I have ever had in my whole life, I promise!)  Make sure you mix the corn starch into the cold milk before slowly adding to the chicken juices, or else it will be clumpy.

Enjoy!

(This is the chicken prior to pulling out the juice for the gravy.  As you can see it is extremely juicy!)

Obsolete

So obviously this blog has become rather obsolete.  My husband is now a contractor for the government and no longer a soldier in the army.  Our little princess is over 5 years old and we're now expecting a little prince in a couple of months!  The furry crew is all still here and making mischief.

I won't keep up with this blog (not that it ever saw much action), but I may add recipes time to time as a way to keep them consolidated for me.  Who knows, maybe I'll start a recipe blog instead. :)

Still alive!

Wow, it's been nearly a year since I've blogged here!  Definitely got caught up with life and family!  Since my last blog post, I returned to Colorado, my daughter turned three, my husband got home safe and sound from deployment, and we are now currently planning our last 6 months until we get out of the army!

Things have been interesting as we make plans for our future, and who knows what will come our way.  I'll try to keep up a bit more and continue posting updates, recipes and more!

Photography Dump :)

I've been going nuts learning new photoshop techniques the past day or so. >_>  Especially since my child broke my Nikon so I don't have a camera to take NEW pictures with.  And the leaves are starting to fall/change on our walnut trees.  GRR.

So, a three pic spam post!


My puppy Colby, grinning for the camera:



And Ms. Megan, the Corvette Cutie!

(This is probably my favorite picture I've snapped of her all summer.  And once I played in photoshop, I'm pretty damn proud of it.  The small size doesn't do it justice, click on it for the full picture!)




(Why so serious!!!????  Okay okay, :D, I just love the shape of her face and eyes, and this picture shows it so well.)

Recipe: Mocha Ganache Mini's

So I've been toying with an idea for a dessert recipe for awhile now, and I finally put it to the test tonight.  All I can say is... chocolaty bliss.  Yes, that is all.

I really think the mix of flavors came out AMAZING, and they are small enough that you can indulge in one and not feel TOO guilty.

Mocha Ganache Mini's

(Yields approximately 16 cupcakes.  Double recipe for an 8" cake round.)

• 4 TB butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
•  1 cup Hershey's chocolate syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For the Ganache 1

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon STRONG coffee

For the Ganache 2

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 ts STRONG coffee

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

a.) If making CAKE: Butter and flour an 8 inch round cake pan, then the bottom with parchment paper.

b.)If making CUPCAKES:  Place 16 cupcake liners in pan.  If you choose not to use liners, butter and flour cupcake tin.

For the Cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Mix in the syrup and vanilla.
Add the flour and mix until JUST combined (overbeating will make the cake too tough).
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes for a cake, 20-30 minutes for cupcakes, or until just set in the middle and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool thoroughly in the pan (or you can cheat and set them in the fridge while you make the ganache).

For the Ganache:

Use a double boiler (if you do not have one, fill a sauce pan 1/2 full with water, and place a glass bowl on top).
Add heavy cream, coffee and chocolate chips.
Allow to melt, mixing together until smooth and warm.
Pour (or spoon) ganache on top of cake or cupcakes, allowing to run down the sides.

Rinse out glass bowl, and make the second ganache.Add heavy cream, coffee and white chocolate chips.
Allow to melt, mixing together until smooth and warm.
Drizzle in a cross pattern across the top of the chocolate ganache.


Do not refrigerate.

Recipes: Chicken in a White Wine Sauce

Definitely a recipe that will go in my keeper box.  We had this for dinner tonight, and everyone cleared their plates, including Megan... which doesn't happen very often with my bird!





Chicken in White Wine Sauce:
3-4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (I used a riesling)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon italian herb seasoning
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese, grated 

Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 45 mins

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In medium bowl, combine flour, paprika, salt, and peppers, and italian seasoning. Moisten chicken and dredge in flour mixture, make sure it's thoroughly coated.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook a few minutes on each side, until browned. Add the broth and wine. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
• Place into a baking dish, and pour the sauce over the chicken.  Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes or until juices run clear.
• Switch over to Broil, remove foil, and allow to cook for 5 additional minutes.
• While the chicken is broiling, remove 2-3 basters full of the wine mixture and add to sauce pan.  Mix 1/4 cup of COLD water with 1 TB of corn starch, and add to wine mixture.  Cook on low until the sauce thickens.
• Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and drizzle sauce on top of the chicken breast once on the plate.

I served the chicken with a long grain wild rice, and also drizzled a bit of the thickened sauce on top.  It was delicious!

Growth Spurt

Megan will be 32 months old on Tuesday. Holy. Crap.

I have been stressing over Megan's vocabulary, or more, the lack of it since Megan had turned two. Megan didn't even say "mama" or "dada" until she was almost two, the little stinker. If it weren't for the fact that her physical and muscle growth weren't so pronounced so early (sitting up on her own at 4 months, crawling at 6 months and walking by 9 1/2 months, along with amazing balance, and running and hopping by about 13 months), I think I would have had her tested to make sure nothing was wrong. (Yay, first time helicopter worry wart mom!)

Shortly before going on vacation for the summer, a few of my friends predicted being around other adults and children aside from me would do her a world of good. Starting with our vacation to Texas and staying with Malin's three kids, and then with her grandparents, she started pulling out new words pretty fast. Coming up to Michigan for the summer? I don't even know who this child is!! She's learning so fast! And not just new words, but shapes, colors, and numbers as well!

Megan can identify AND say the following colors: pink, blue, green, purple, black, white, brown, red, yellow, and orange.

Megan can identify (not say) the following shapes: circle, line, square, diamond, rectangle, heart, triangle, and star.

Megan can identify (and say 90% of) the following body parts: hair, head, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, teeth, lips, ear (and other ear haha), shoulder, tummy, tushy, vagina, elbow, wrist, hand, fingers, nails, knees, feet, and toes.

Megan can count to 10, as well as put up the corresponding fingers for each number.

Megan can say (and she's starting to identify): A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.

She can identify and say the following animals: Kitty, Dog (though she calls it a woof-woof), Horse (I just finally got her to say horse and not ho-ho, haha), Goat, Duck (though anything with wings equals a duck to Megan), and fish. (I haven't worked with her on animals too much yet).

She's starting to string together 2-5 word sentences, and becoming more and more clear. She's expressing excitement over seeing animals at the zoo!

Megan can say and identify the following family members:
Uncle ( My brother Austin, who is her favorite person ever)
Paw-Paw (My stepdad)
Ki-ki (Jordan's Mom)
Gei-gei (My mom)
Aunty Curly (My sister Carlye)
Anna (our exchange student from Germany who is like a family member)
G-paw (Jordan's stepdad)
While she has strange names for some of the family members, when you ask her who grandpa or grandma is, she will point at them and call them by the nicknames she's assigned them!

One of the biggest things she does that cracks me up is that she refers to herself in the third person.

If I say I'm going to cook, she says "baby cooks too!", or if I say I'm going to drink my tea, she says "baby drink tea too, mama!" She'll also say "Help baby!" instead of "help me". She also loves to say "Baby blows bubbles!" (And she says bubbles like boo-bulls, it's adorable.)

Overall, her vocabulary growth just since May has been ASTOUNDING. I'm so proud of her, and she's turned into such a quick learner.