Roasted Chicken & Vegetables ;

An American Classic amiright ?

But, first, let me tell you this,

i have NEVER had a juicier, more tender chicken IN MY LIFE.

This has got to be one of my top 10 favorite recipes for Chicken.

& thats saying a lot .

This smelled wonderful even BEFORE it went into the oven, and dont even get me started on how my kitchen smelled during the roasting.

MMmMM!

i would say it was "breathtakingly" amazing, but its quite the opposite,

i found myself doing deep breathing exercises instead! haha

it was such an addicting smell, it has GOT to be illegal to inhale this much good stuff !

But it wasnt just the chicken that was delicious, but the vegetables were SO full of flavor !

i have never enjoyed eating JUST vegetables this much before.

i ate 3 servings of vegetables alone ! and ate 1/4th of the Chicken, hehe

Can you say Happy Stomach ?

Overall, this Roast Chicken was a 10 in my book. AHHH SO GOOD .

But you know what the best part of the day was?

Enjoying my time in the kitchen with my Best-Friend, Tiffany.

Its always fun having someone cooking with you, isnt it? haha

Tiffany and i had a great laugh when it came to her having to stick her hand into the chickens... backside, haha !

BUT it was done for the sake of good food! & Boyyyyyyyyyyyy, was it good !

Oh, and we had fun playing Twister & baking Peanut butter centered chocolate cupcakes as we were waiting for the chicken to cook !

Ugh, i think we're starting to get old, at the tender age of 20.

Tiffany and i were laughing at each others pain during Twister, and then we had to suffer with sore thighs & legs afterwards. Haha !

Roast Chicken & Vegetables

Recipe ;

- One 5 pound Chicken

- Bundle of medium sized asparagus

- 1/2 pound snow peas

- large handful of grape tomatoes

- 2 red onions halved & cut in 3rds

- 3 Large potatoes cut in large chunks (1.5 inches)

- 3 Medium sized carrots cut in 1 inch pieces

- 1 whole garlic bulb halved

- 4 garlic cloves roughly cut

- 2 lemons

- 5 tbs olive oil

- 1/2 cup oyster sauce

- Kroger Chicken Seasoning

- salt, pepper, & garlic powder for taste

Preheat your oven to 400 F.

Clean & take out insides of chicken, pat dry. Place

the chicken in a large baking/casserole dish, (with

enough room for the vegetables.) (if there are extra

vegetables, roast them in a separate pan, season

them the same as the ones with the chicken.)

Squeeze 1 lemon over the chicken & drizzle

2 tbs of olive oil over the chicken, rub until

completely oiled. Sprinkle Chicken Seasoning

over entire chicken, this will add flavor & help

give you a beautiful golden brown color.

Squeeze half a lemon inside the chicken

and place both halves of the lemon inside,

also stuff the halved garlic bulbs as well.

Drizzle 3 tbs of olive oil over the all vegetables

and add the 4 cloves of roughly chopped garlic,

& mix. Sprinkle salt, pepper, & garlic powder
over the veggies.
Place most of the potatoes under the chicken

(it will prevent the chicken from boiling in its

own juices, which you want it "roasted" not

boiled. Plus, it will add amazing flavor to your

potatoes!) In a separate bowl combine the oyster

sauce and snow peas & mix until covered. Layer

the snow peas and asparagus at the bottom of the

casserole dish (since theyre thin veggies, they tend

to burn easier, placing them at the bottom will

prevent that.) Place the rest of the vegetables

(except the grape tomatoes) in the casserole dish,

around the chicken. & bake for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven

& with a ladle, drizzle the chicken drippings over

the chicken & vegetables (this will prevent the

chicken from drying out.) At this point, add in the

tomatoes into the dish as well. Sprinkle a bit more

of the Chicken Seasoning & place back in the oven

for another 40 minutes, or until completely cooked.

*Tip before serving, ladle the juices over the

chicken again to give it that "glossy" look & to

keep your chicken moist~ ENJOY the yum !

Stuffing the Chicken
Adding my lemon halves & whole garlic bulb inside my
chicken.

Sprinkling Chicken Seasoning
i used Kroger's Chicken Seasoning,
real yum stuff ! i love it!
i even sprinkled some of this on the side of my plate,
and dipped my chicken into it while i was eating.
totally recommended !

Chicken Rub-down
After rubbing the lemon, oil, & seasoning~
my poor casserole dish was too small, even though this was
my largest one..
Soooo, i just baked the rest of my veggies in a seperate
baking dish. hehe~

Placing Potatoes Underneath the Chicken
Placing most of my potatoes underneath my chicken to
give it a little height, so it doesnt boil in its own juices.
but also adds amazing flavor to the potatoes as well.
MmMmmm ~
ahaha ! Tiffany holding up the Chicken,
isnt the tail flap so adorable?!

Sliced Red Onions
This is how i cut my onions, but i would probably
cut them a bit thicker next time.
They do shrink during the baking process.

Layering My Vegetables
i laid out my sauced snow peas & asparagus over the
potatoes that were underneath the chicken.
Layering the thinner veggies at the bottom will help
prevent them from getting burned.

My Extra Vegetables
i roasted the extra vegetables along with my chicken,
they were done by the first 40 minute session of cooking.
So i enjoyed munching on these with Tiffany, as we
waited for for the chicken to roast.
OH ! and can you believe my little brothers LOVED these
veggies? yes, JUST veggies.. their exact words were
"Dude, these vegetables are BOMB."
haha !
You know somethings good when teenage boys are
fighting over them !

Ready to Bake !
This picture was taken right before it was placed in the
oven, for its first 40min cooking.
Along with my extra pan of veggies.
(which were ready to eat after the 40 mins.)

Side Dish Pasta
As the chicken was in the oven, i had 40 mins to spare,
so i decided to add a side dish to go along with my roasted
Chicken & Veggies.
This is a quick & simple fix-dish. with some left-over
vegetables, specifically the asparagus, and tomatoes.

Recipe ;

- asparagus sliced in half, length-wise &

  chopped in 2inch pieces

- baby tomato quartered

- parsley roughly chopped

- turkey sliced thin

- 2 cupsbow-tie pasta

- 1 clove finely chopped garlic.

- 2 tsp olive oil

- 2 tbs balsamic vinaigrette

- salt & pepper for taste

Cook the pasta as directed on the package, Drain and place

in a mixing bowl. Cook the asparagus & tomatoes with

1tsp of olive oil, garlic, pepper & salt. Cook just for 2 mins.

Combine the rest of the ingredients with the pasta, mix &

Enjoy.

After 40 mins of Cooking
After the first 40min. session, Tiffany added the tomatoes
& as we set the timer for another 40mins, we munched
happily on the delicious vegetables .
P.S Thanks Tiffy for being my hand-model, haha

FINISHED ROASTED CHICKEN & VEGGiES !
isnt it the most beautiful chicken you've ever seen?!
it tastes just as great as it looks. i PROMISE.
This 5 pound chicken easily *Serves 5 people.
i also sprinkled some extra Chicken seasoning as i ate
my chicken~  Mmm, i think im addicted to that stuff.

Special Thanks to Tiffany, for helping me cook.
Youre the bestest friend anyone could ask for, & i just
adore cooking with you! ahhhhh i love ya Tiffy !
Lets hang out again soon, okay?
Miss ya already! ♥

Accidental Teriyaki? ;

To be honest, i was trying to just marinate a fillet of chicken,
but it ended up tasting like spicy teriyaki instead.
it was still very yummy & i wouldnt mind making it again for a meal.
i didnt really take measurements with the "teriyaki sauce", i just kinda
added random ingredients from my fridge & spice cabinet, to combine
what seemed like a good mixture, according to my preference in sauces.

My "Teriyaki Sauce"

i just combined a whole bunch of random ingredients from

my fridge, things such as..

garlic, peppers, green onions, lemon, garlic powder, pepper,

balsamic vinegar, hot sauces, soy-sauce, ginger, honey.. etc.
basically suite the sauce according to what YOU like ~

i marinated the chicken for a good 40 - 60 mins

i cooked it in a pan half way, both sides,
& scored the chicken fillet for it to marinate quicker~

bake it the rest of the way through.

once its done, i let it sit for about 7 mins,  so the fillet can
recollect its juices. believe me, its worth the wait !

The end result is an amazingly juicy & soft fillet of chicken

i arranged the chicken on top of some rice, drizzled the
drippings on to my rice, and added a simple side salad~

the salad is yummy! its simply, chopped cabbage, a small
handful of baby grape tomatoes,  and a dressing made-of
mayo, ketchup, and sriracha sauce.
(similar to thousand island dressing, but with a spicy kick)

Cooking for Man & His Best Friend ;

So, Hobby Farms sent me a contract this week,

and it stipulated that i had to cook 12 of their recipes.
( which ive finally completed ! )

Here are the pictures for the last 7 ;

"Chicken & Dumpling Casserole" (Hobby Farms Edited)
ive always wanted to try this recipe, and now i finally had
a chance to try it out. the original recipe for this left the
casserole a bit on the runny side, when i was expecting
thick, bubbly, creamy, goodness, like how a real casserole
should be.  So heres my improved version on this dish;

Recipe ;
- 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, uncooked.
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup coarsely chopped celery

- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots

- 2 tbs of dried sage

- 1 packet of gravy mix

- 1 cup of cheddar cheese

- 2 cups of chicken broth

Recipe for Dumpling ;

- 1/2 cup milk

- 2 tbs veggie oil

- 1 cup flour

- 2 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp salt

whisk the milk & oil first, and gradually stir in the dry

ingredients for the dumplings.  Set aside.

Cut each chicken breast in half, and place them in a greased

casserole dish (8 x 8 inch glass dish) . Sprinkle half of the

gravy mix over the chicken, and cover the chicken with

carrots, onion, and celery. Sprinkle the cheese, sage & pepper

over the vegetables, and pour broth over all.

Distribute  2 inch balls of dumpling dough evenly over the

casserole, cover tightly with foil & bake at 325 degrees F

for 90 mins, or until the dumplings are slightly browned.

*Serves 4

"Cream of Pumpkin Soup" (Hobby Farms Recipe Edited)
if youre a pumpkin lover or just simply looking for a
holiday dish, try this out.

Recipe ;
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice

- 2 1/2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin

- 2 cups of chicken broth

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp nutmeg

- 1 cup of cream

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 cup sour cream for garnish (optional)

- 1/4 cup toasted walnut halves (optional)

In a large sauce pan, sauté onion in butter until soft.

Add in OJ, pumpkin, broth & seasonings. Simmer for 20min

& remove from heat. Purée in a blender until smooth.  Return

soup to the sauce pan and stir in cream, place over medium

heat for 5 mins, careful to not boil. Garnish each bowl with

a swirl of sour cream & walnuts halves.

"Breakfast Wraps w/ Turkey Ham" (Hobby Farms Recipe edited)
This Breakfast wrap was certainly a yummy way to start
my morning.~
but this was defiantly too fat to wrap. haha !

Recipe ;
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbs of butter (divided into 2 portions)
- 1/4 cup of red or yellow bell peppers, seeded & diced

- 1/4 cup of cilantro

- 1/4 cup onions

- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese

-  2 tbs of milk

-  1 1/4 cup of turkey ham

- 1 medium tomato diced

- salt & pepper to season

Melt one portion of the butter in a frying pan.

Whisk the eggs with the milk, & scramble.

season with salt & pepper if desired. 

in another pan, melt the final portion of the butter &

cook the bell peppers & onions until soft,

then add ham. Cook until the Ham is browned & the

bell peppers & onions are tender.

warm up the tortillas by placing a damp napkin.

over the wrap & microwave for 10 seconds.

The Wrap should be soft & warm, sprinkle cheese over the wrap,

and microwave for another 15 seconds (without the damp napkin)

cheese should be melted bubbly goodness ~

Now, just pile on your ingredients and make your perfect

breakfast burrito !

" Cornbread " (Hobby Farms recipe edited)
This cornbread recipe wasnt too bad, but i personally
would of liked it to be a little bit sweeter & with
corn pieces in mine.
so, here is an edited version of my recipe for cornbread~

Recipe ;
- 2 cups of corn meal
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 7 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt

- 2  1/2 cups milk

- 3 large eggs well beaten

- 2 1/2 tbs of butter

- 1 cup of canned corn; drained.

Mix the dry ingredients together, & add the wet ingredients

together, fold the corn into the mixture.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 min. or until golden brown

to double-check for doneness, insert a toothpick in

the thickest part, if the toothpick comes out clean, its done.

Lentil Soup w/ Turkey Sausage (Hobby Farms edited)
i personally enjoyed this soup. it was hearty and satisfying.
a small bowl of this, easily filled me up. altho i would of
used some sort of spicy italian sausage VS the turkey.

Recipe ;
- 1/2 pound of dried brown lentils
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 1 large bayleaf

-  1 1/2 quart beef, chicken, or vegetable stock

- 1 pound of your favorite sausage brand, sliced 1/2 thick

- 2 potatoes, peel and cut into big chunks

- 1 cup of peeled and diced carrots

-  Salt ( depending on the salt content of your stock &

   sausage, you may prefer to not add additional salt.)

Be sure to wash the lentils first, remove any dirt or rocks from

them, and then transfer them into a big pot. Boil the lentils

in the Broth until soft ( NOT until theyre mush) about 1 hour.

Stirring occasionally.

While lentils are cooking prepare the sausage according to

the package. set aside.

Add the potatoes, carrots, and sausage and simmer until

vegetables & lentils are tender. Stir occasionally and

adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot.

*Serves about 4

"Cheesy Chicken Dog Cookies"
My puppy loves these ! he`ll hold one between his teeth &
run over to a spot to eat it alone in peace. ahaha !
(picture below)

Recipe ;
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 6 chicken buillion cubes (low sodium)
- 1/2 cup margarine

- 1 cup boiling water

- 2 cups whole wheat flour

- 1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

- 1 cup milk

- 2 eggs

- 3 tbs sugar

- 3 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

- all purpose flour to sprinkle

Prehead the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 large cookie sheets

with non stick spray. Mis the oats, bullion cubes, & margarine

in a large bowl. Add the boiling water & allow oats to cook &

dissolve the bullion cubes. Add the remaining ingredients

except the all purpose flour. Mix & form the ingredients into a

big stiff dough ( add flour to stiffen if need.) Roll out the

dough to 1/2 inch thick & using a bone shaped cookie cutter,

cut out the cookie pieces and place on cookie sheets.

bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Let the cookies cool completely before offering treats.

"Apple Cinnamon Dog Bits" (Hobby Farms Recipe Edited)
oh my god, i thought these smelled JUST like apple pie!
i was tempted to eat one myself, which would actually
be okay, if you check out the ingredients, but i think
Coco would of been mad at me if i stole one of his treats~

Recipe ;
- 4 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 egg

- 2 tbs veggie oil

- 3 tbs cinnamon

- 2 apples grated

- 1 cup water

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the apple &

water. Grate the apple into the mixture, then add the water.

Mix well until it forms a stiff dough,  (add more wheat-flour

if needed.) Roll out on a lightly floured surface and flatten

the dough to an 1/2 inch thickness. Take a knife and score

the dough horizontally & vertically to make a grid of

1 inch squares. Be careful not to cut through the dough

completely. Place the dough on a baking sheet that has

been greased. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, & Break

apart when cooled.

COCO! with a "Cheesy Chicken" doggie cookie~
hes running away to look for a "private" place to eat.
i think hes afraid ill take it away and eat it myself.
hehe~
oh, you might not be able to see it on here, but if you
click this image to see an enlarged version, you can
see a little cookie crumb stuck to his nose. haha!
so cute ! i love him .