Recipes: Roasted Whole Chicken with Veggies and Tuscan Chicken Skillet

So - first off, sorry for the mini hiatus. My husband and I moved two weeks ago, and we are just now hooked up to the internet. To be fair - the internet company threatened it would take over 40 days (gotta love the Polish efficiency!), but after harassing them for a few days - they miraculously showed up at our door.

The weird thing is that we are still getting letters that are saying the internet won't be turned on for another month. I think these guys are way confused.

Anyway - that is mainly the reason why I was gone. It's hard to run a blog when you don't have a connection! Plus - between the movie, 4th of July, and just being plain lazy I haven't actually been cooking that much, and what I have been cooking hasn't been earth shattering enough to post about.

But never fear! That is about to change! For starters - I need to lose some weight. I finally weighed myself after a month and a half back in Texas followed by two months of just not giving a shit and found out that I have gained A LOT.

So yeah - I basically need to lose a 3 year old before Christmas (We have a very important ski trip that I need to fit into my ski pants for), and a big part of that will be due to me cooking in a whole lot more than I am now. It also means that I will be posting more scale friendly recipes. Don't worry, I will try my best to not get all preachy, and I also promise you I won't "fad" out. You'll enjoy this trip with me, I promise.


Anyway, lets get to the recipes, shall we?


Roasted Whole Chicken with Veggies

This Recipe  is very basic, but very good. I got it from my sister years ago and it is perfect for Sunday dinner or when you don't want to cook for the next few days. It makes a TON of leftovers if you are a family of two (like my husband and I are).

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 can of beer
1 lemon
3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
baby red potatoes
3 cloves of garlic
Salt/Pepper (or Season All seasoning - that is what I use)
Butter

Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 350 F
Cover the entire chicken in butter - this helps keep the seasoning on and also gives it a nice roast.
Put the chicken in a Roasting pan.
Slice the lemon in half - and shove one half of the lemon in the chicken.
Chop up celery, carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Place around the chicken (you can even shove some up in the chicken - it gives it a really nice flavor).
Pour the beer over the chicken and veggies.
Season chicken and veggies with salt/pepper liberally.
Put in oven and cook uncovered for about 3 hours (or until chicken is cooked through).


Tuscan Chicken Skillet

Credit: The Wonderlust Kitchen

Find the blog post about it here.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. thyme
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• ⅔ c. sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (15 oz) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and brown for 3 minutes on each side.
2. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer and brown, working in batches, a few minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and sundried tomatoes. Sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes, spices, beans, and sugar.
4. Transfer the chicken back to the pan and spoon some of the sauce and vegetables over top of the chicken. Cook, covered, on the stove top until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is bubbling, about ten minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pan. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, garnished with parsley.

Salmon cakes with Chive and Garlic Sauce

So I have a major problem when it comes to cooking my mothers DELICIOUS homemade mashed potatoes. I always make enough to feed an army of 20, yet it is only my Husband and I who are eating.

Bert doesn't seem to mind this - he loves my mashed potatoes - but when I was home alone a few weeks ago while he was on business, I was drowning in them. I have no idea why I thought I needed to boil 3 potatoes to make mashed potatoes for just myself, but alas I did and I had enough mashed potatoes to satisfy me for a month.

So what is one to do with a crap ton of mashed potatoes?

Re purpose them, of course.

To which I give you Salmon Cakes with Chive and Garlic Sauce

(Credit: http://vikalinka.com/2013/01/05/salmon-cakes-and-a-lesson-on-the-virtue-of-frugality/) 

Salmon Cakes with Chive and Garlic Sauce

Author: Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• Potatoes -4-5 medium (I used 3 cups of mashed potatoes)
• Canned or Fresh Salmon- 450 gr
• Egg-1
• Lemon-1
• Flour-1 tbsp plus extra for dusting
• Parsley- a small bunch
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

For the sauce (optional)

• Greek yogurt, plain- ½ cup
• Chives, chopped- 1 tsp.
• Garlic, pressed- 1 clove
• Lemon juice- 1 tsp.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl combine mashed potatoes and salmon while making sure no skin or bones end up in there as well, and break an egg into it.
2. Add the lemon zest to the mixture, juice the lemon and pour it in as well along with chopped parsley and flour.
3. Mix everything well, add a pinch of each salt and pepper.
4. Scoop the mixture with an ice cream scoop to get even-sized cakes and roll them in the flour on your flour dusted board or plate, flatten them slightly to form a patty.
5. Fry salmon cakes in hot olive oil until golden and crunchy on the outside.
6. For the sauce mix yogurt, lemon juice, chopped chives and minced garlic in a small bowl.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes before serving for the flavours to blend.