Easy Roasted Whole Chicken with Potatoes

Whole Chickens were on sale a couple weeks ago and even though I had all the meat I needed I grabbed some and threw them in the freezer. A whole Chicken can seem intimidating but it happens to be one of my easiest meals. Thaw the bird in the fridge the day before and after a quick rinse, this bird cooks in the oven in about 2 hours. You do little work. Add a salad and dinner is complete. Tonight's dinner was so easy I decided to make a quick pan gravy out of some chicken stock which isnt shown in the above picture. Dinner was devoured a little too quickly. It happens. Our house is a bit chaotic with the new addition of two boxer puppies. They are adorable and under foot. Which I love. They will be sprinkled on the blog just as our Emma was.Easy Roasted Whole Chicken with Potatoes

1 whole chicken
4 whole potatoes
Creole Seasoning
olive oil


Rinse the bird and pat dry. If the bird comes with the legs tressed (tied together) great! If not, just take some kitchen twine and tie them together rub with olive oil and sprinkle with creole seasoning. That is it. It was that easy
Put into a preheated 400 degree oven for 1 hour then add potatoes
I quartered the potatoes and sprinkled with more seasoning. You could also take some drippings from the bottom of pan to drizzle over the potatoes. Put back into the oven for another hour or until the breast is 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer or the juices run clear. That was so easy that I am making a quick gravy.
Pull the chicken and potatoes out the pan. This is my Le Creuset pan. I love this pan! Put it on the stove over meduim heat. And add 1/2 cup white wine and let it cook for 2 minutes
add 1 TB butter
Add 3 TB Wonder Flour and carefully whisk (metal is a no no in these pans so I am being really gentle)
Add chicken stock from a carton (always low sodium)
DINNER!!

Chili Stuffed Burger

These holidays are coming up of me at record pace. Memorial Day? Really? It's all just happening to fast. This year is flying by. The only good thing about Memorial Day (and no I am not going to say shopping) is that in my mind, it signals SUMMER! Luckily we live were you can eat summer food year round. Actually, the same goes with winter food. We have a wild climate here. Which is probably why you see the weird combo of things you see on my blog.

Last summer I went out of my way to do a different burger every week during the summer. This happens to be my favorite creation that we came up with . The premise of the burger is not mine. It came from my father who I am not sure where he got it from. When we were kids we ate these hamburgers called Poor Man Steaks that were really just stuffed burgers. My father put so much "stuff" in them that you probably could afford a steak after buying the bacon, mushrooms, cheese, onions, etc. The list goes on. Today's burger is similar except its chilis and cream cheese. Two of my favorite foods.




Chili Stuffed Burgers
Makes 6 burgers

1/2 cube cream cheese (left out to soften for at least an hour
1 can Ortega chilis
1 jumbo pack of hamburger (I buy the cheap 80/20
BBQ seasoning (I'm using Susie Q)

This is too easy. Take 1/2 cube of cream cheese and 1 can of Ortega chilis and mix well.


If you have made Poor Man Steaks before you know to start with two thin patties. I like to use two plates and make a patty on each.
Now dump a healthy spoonful of the cheese mixture on one patty

Cover with the other patty and crimp the edges. Be gentle. It's worth the work.
Repeat till you are out of meat
Chill for 30 minutes
BBQ till desired doneness. Be gentle with these babies

Out of all the burgers we made, only one leaked. The Fireman was threatening to eat off the BBQ. The cheese was too much for him.


Top with Chipotle Mayo
1/2 cup mayo
2 TB chipotle adobo sauce (it's the tomato sauce in the can the chilis are packed in.)
1/2 juice of one lime
Mix well

Sauted Corn & Zucchini

If you really know me, you know that I could live on vegetables for dinner. My family needs a big hunk of meat. The Ballplayer loves corn. He could eat it just about any way. Corn is not the healthiest of vegetables so I am inclined to add another vegetable to the mix for me. Corn and Zucchini are not always in season here so frozen is a great alternative and it works great for sauteing.


Sauted Corn & Zucchini
1 bag frozen zucchini
1 bag frozen corn
1 bell pepper chopped
1 green onion diced for garnish
creole seasoning
2 tsp butter

spray a saute pan with some non stick spray and dump the zucchini and bell pepper in the pan. Feel free to add more spray. Apply Creole seasoning
I love this seasoning. It is a little jab of spice but not too spicy. Some of my Fireman's Seasoning would be great too. But I am out! I need to buy Cumin. How do you run out of Cumin?
Frozen is better than canned! Always!
The zucchini is caramelized enough that we can add the corn
Add the corn
Season it too
Saute it till it gets brown too
Add 2 tsp butter and the green onions. Cilantro would be great too!
This is great meal to me!

Creole Mustard Pork

I try to make meals that are bold in flavors. I also try to not make the same thing all the time. Actually I dont make the same thing probably twice in one month. I get bored easily. But it also hard because The Ballplayer is somewhat of a picky eater. I am making him seem like he doesn't like foods. He likes food. He just likes to eat pretty clean. I however like EVERYTHING! OK correction! Tonight's meal he doesnt really dig but that's just too bad because I do. He tolerated tonight's meal. He really doesn't care for any potatoes. I know! Who is this kid? His sister and I could practically live off potatoes and potatoes alone. And then the pork has sauce on it. Sorry he tolerated it. It was sooo sooo soo yummy too. Pork with a spicy creole mustard. Mmm what is not to like? The salad was just there because I had to have a vegetable. Thank you very much!

Creole Mustard Pork

2 TB Creole Mustard
2 TB honey
2 TB olive oil
1 lemon
1 TB Italian seasoning

3-4 pork chops

So I am a little embarrassed at how long it takes me to get my blog posted. I bought these pork chops in January, froze them and cooked them probably within three months after. yep I am a slacker. Thank you very much for reading. I buy these at Costco and package them up in three pack since we have three at home right now.

I took a bowl squeezed a lemon over the chops a half hour before cooking
dumped maybe 2 TB olive oil
dump 1 TB Italian seasoning
Move it all around and let marinate 30 minutes

This is my favorite pan....well that and my Le Creuset . This one is cheaper being it cost me only $12 and if you take care of it, it will last forever! This baby is well seasoned so I dont need to oil or add spray
Add the meat and brown

Brown on both sides over medium high
Mix the Creole mustard and equal parts honey
top the chops and put into a preheated 400 oven for 10 minutes
Serve! I am serving with sweet potato fries

Velvety Chocolate Pudding

SL, it's ALL your fault I made pudding for dessert. You made pudding, posted it on Facebook that it was so easy and I filed it away in my little memory (really little memory) that the next time I'm serving leftovers, pudding is a must. Then Lucinda Scala Quinn made it on her cooking show and proved it was easy. Dang it. That was it. I had to do it!! So I am using her recipe (thanks Mad Hungry)But it proves how easy it is to make something from scratch. I've only made it from a box. It's easy but the ingredients are pretty much everything I had in my pantry. Now I can't wait to try other varieties. Even as simply as vanilla or butterscotch.

Velvety Chocolate Pudding

recipe adapted from "Mad Hungry" by Lucinda Scala Quinn

3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons best-quality cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
Hefty pinch of coarse salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, well beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for garnishing (optional)

In a medium bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt.

whisk it together

Now take a strainer and put it over the pan you plan on cooking

and dump the mixture into the strainer. This is to eliminate lumps. Cocoa can have lumps.

Now you have a fine mist in the pan :)

Beat up the eggs just so they are ready to go. One can never be too ready

whisk in the milk

Over medium heat, stir the mixture until thickened, about 2 1/2 minutes.

slice you butter. Again because one can never be too ready

Stir in the butter.

Whisk 1 tablespoon of the hot chocolate mixture into the beaten egg and return to the pudding in the pan.

they call this tempering the egg. Yes Grandma I was paying attention

Stir in the vanilla and cook to completely thicken, 2 to 3 more minutes.

Strain through a sieve and pour the pudding into four to six 6-ounce pudding cups.

Now I covered with plastic wrap so there wasnt a skin on the top

placed each one one on a cookie sheet and into the refrigerator

top with some whipped cream and lick the bowl clean