Friday's Fave Foods----Roast Chicken

Sometimes cooking does not have to be complicated or fussy. Actually, alot of times, for me! I work full time + and have a family, pets, house and yard to care for. I am not a big fan of fast food or prepackaged foods for me or my kids. I am a big fan of crock-pot cooking and fast healthy meals. Roast chicken takes hardly any preptime, although it does take a fair amount of oven time. It's super simple, and it beats the grocery store version by a long shot. In case you don't know this, they inject those chickens with a fatty marinade to give them so much flavor, and for marketing purposes. You really do not have to do that to enjoy a delicious roast chicken!



1 hen (I use fryers)

olive oil

salt and pepper



Preheat oven to 350 degrees



Wash the hen thoroughly, especially inside the cavity, dry on paper towels, and pat dry. Salt and pepper cavity Lay in roasting pan, breast side up. If you have a large or unruly (!) chicken, a simple truss of the legs with kitchen string is a good idea. Drizzle breast and thighs with minute a small mount of olive oil, and distribute evenly by rubbing especially into the breast. I am not that liberal with the olive oil, because a whole chicken will produce a fair amount of fat while cooking. But the oil will keep it from drying out. Lightly salt and pepper the exterior. Cook in oven for 1& 1/4 to 1 &1/2 hours, depending on the size of the hen, brushing breast with juices intermittently. If you skip this step, don't worry, it will still turn out great! Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Make sure Golden Retriever is on lock down, as she will attempt to steal it right off the top of the stove!



That's it! There are plenty of variations on this. If I have a piece of citrus around, I will put it (whole) inside the cavity of the hen while it is roasting. This is a trick I learned from a talented and experienced chef friend many years ago, it keeps the meat moist and slightly sweet. You can also add 40 cloves of peeled garlic cloves to the cavity if you like garlic chicken.

Also, I am not a germ-a-phobe, but raw chicken can cause alot of problems, so make sure you clean and sanitize your working area any utensils you may use, as well as your hands!

I do realize I posted this on Thursday, but we are off for the week-end, and I did not want to miss 2 weeks in a row of posting!

I Heart Color!

My sister and her son are here from California for a visit. It has been many years since we had the opportunity to color Easter Eggs together!

My Apologies

There was a technical problem with my DSL this week, and as a result my Internet was inaccessible for almost 48 hours.(!!!! For a moment I thought I was reliving Haiti...) As a result I was unable to produce Friday's Fave Foods. I made a commitment to myself that even if nobody ever read it, I would faithfully produce that! However, this was out of my power (no pun intended) so I will just move on. Ample opportunity abounds, as tomorrow is Easter Sunday. My kids are long past the Easter Egg stage, but mom is not. I love to decorate eggs! And any excuse is a good one to produce a big feast!

Friday's Fave Foods---Okra

I have to admit I have been fascinated with okra ( or "okree" as it is sometimes locally pronounced) since I moved here. It comes froma plant that grows about 6 feet tall, which flowers and then produces a pod. The pod is what you eat. Apparently this plant loves heat and humidity. And that is why you will find okra in the South, and not too many other places in the United States.

The prefered method for cooking is fried. And that is some good stuff!

Here is a good one:

Grandma's Fried Okra

1 pound fresh okra (medium to small pods are best)

cornmeal or cornmeal mix

*olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Trim ends off the okra and cut into pinwheels. Coat with corn meal, and fry in olive oil until the outside is cripy and the inside tender, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Use slotted spoon to retrieve okra from the pan, place on paper towels, salt and pepper.

*A seasoned iron skillet is best. Okra takes to an iron skillet like horse and carriage.

Ok, fine, but if you are like me, you might not be able to do alot of fried foods. So I like this version ALOT;

Sauteed Okra with Tomatoes

1 lb. of fresh okra (small to medium pods)

1 small red onion

1 lb of fresh tomatoes ( you could subsitute canned in a pinch)

garlic

*olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cut onion into thin slices and sautee in hot oil till soft, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, trim your okra and slice into pinwheels. Add to onion mix, and cook about 2 more minutes. Add garlic. I use the minced garlic you buy in jars, and I am pretty liberal with it. Add fresh tomato wedges last, salt and pepper to taste, cook about 1 more minute. Okra should be tender but not soggy. This is good as a side dish, or over rice as an entree.

Last but not least is my absolute favorite, and that is pickled okra. Better than dill pickled cucumbers. I do not have a recipe for this. I am reduced to buying mine at the grocery. My boys love these!

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ADDENDUM

I want to thank my friend Mrs. K from Texas has sent in her pickled okra recipe, so now my blog is complete. Hurray!

Pickled Okra

4 pounds okra (small pods-finger sized)
4 pounds fresh jalepeno or serrano peppers, sliced into thin rounds
4 cups white vinegar
4 cups water
10-12 plump garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
12-24 sprigs of fresh dill
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup whole mustard seeds

Wash and trim the okra, leaving 1/2 inch of the stem on each pod as a handle. Neatly pack the okra pods vertically into sterilized jars. Slice the peppers into rounds and add to the jars of okra. Combine remaining ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil; pour over okra and peppers. Seal.

Mrs. K. says;

"I can't take credit for the recipe as it it Tom Perini's but it sure is yummy. Tom Perini owns a restaraunt not too far from here that specializes in Cowboy cooking. If you're ever in West Texas you have to eat at the Perini Ranch"

Frances Norris

On Sunday morning when I woke up I was determined to get some yard work done. The fact that it was a great day outside only urged me on further. However, by the time I got home from church, and the grocery store, I felt my energy lagging. I realized I had a cold coming on. I took a little rest, and decided to power thru it. I had plenty to do. My order came in from Michigan Bulb, and being into the second week of March, it was getting past the magic moment to prune hydrangea.

But I got that done.

I had also received a Virginia Redbud seedling from the home and garden show the week-end before, and it was still sitting in it's plastic bag. I wanted to get that in some dirt before the roots dried up.

Not ready to put it in the ground yet, because I am not sure where I want it located. So I put it in this pot, next to the giant Redbud I already have on my property. I figured Sprout could soak up the wise and knowledgeable tree vibes of the Elder, while I contemplate it's true home.

These trees are so awesome. We did not have them on the West Coast (thus the name "Virginia Redbud"---duh) They have beautiful dark pink blooms in the spring, then they leaf out in a broad canopy for the summer. They put on a colorful autumn show as well. I am always sad when mine starts dropping it's leaves. I have had some home owners green with envy talk about my tree, saying they can't get one to grow in their yards. I think, like dogwoods, they like a certain amount of protection. I can't take credit. The tree was here when I got here!

This is not my redbud, but it is how they look in bloom. Also known as Eastern Redbud.

Also had some dwarf gardenia that had to be put in a bigger containers. I had 2 "blueberry parfait" hydrangea that came in from MB that looked like little sticks, so I put them in some bigger containers, as well as the new butterfly bush I got from the same place. Last of all, I planted my window box in my side yard, which I had not done since I let my impatiens die there last summer during the drought.

I see that I need to give my window boxes a swipe of white paint too.

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Frances Norris was my neighbor, and she passed away last Friday. She was 85 years old, and her children and grandchildren were with her in her house when she went. Frances and her husband Roy used to own the property which is now "Camp Osceola", and they built my little house in 1960 and had it as a rental for many years. Later, they sold it to an older couple, who later sold it in ill health to a series of owners that used it strictly as a rental property, which is how I got into it. Then one day the landlord called me up and asked me if I wanted to buy it, and I said yes, although I had no idea how I was going to make that happen. I was freshly divorced, I had huge debts, not a big salary, and no savings. But...it happened. Later Frances told me she was so happy I bought it. She was never overly nosy, but she'd watch out for the neighborhood. She called one night to tell me that the sheriff had been in my yard that day to shoot a raccoon that was sashaying himself all over my property and driving my dog crazy. In Georgia, a wise-acre raccoon at noon is a dead raccoon. If they are out in the day like that, it's likely they are rabid. I called the lab where the raccoon went to the next day to find out, and the tests came back negative for rabies, but of course, the raccoon was still dead.

Roy Norris passed on about 8 years ago. He was quite a man. He served in WWII, raised his family, was the Mayer of our little hamlet when I moved here, and used to run his riding mower around the perimeter of my property when he cut the grass, which I always appreciated.

When I moved into the house, the yard was truly a mess, from years of rental neglect. I have spent years digging out trash shrubs, stumps and trees. I'm still working on it. Frances was always complementary of these efforts. I would make sure I kept the side yard in good shape. She could look down here and see the little house that she and Roy built was still hanging in there. The window box flowers were the only ones she could really see from her yard. She had gotten in these last few years where she did not garden much anymore. On Sunday, drought or not, I planted them again for her. Good-bye Ms. Frances. I will miss you.

Friday's Fave Foods---Egg Skillet Dinner

Today our recipe is shared from wife to the rockstar who has a large family and an awesome blog!

Egg Skillet Dinner
"This is my EASY QUICK dinner that everyone loves. Could be served for Breakfast as well.You will need a large fry pan."

6 Eggs (less for smaller families)

8-10 potatoes

1 onion

1 bell pepper

Cheddar Cheese

Turkey Sausage (or regular breakfast sausage if you prefer)

Brown sausage and chop it up into tiny bits. Set aside. Chop potatoes in cubes and finely chop the onion and pepper. In the fry pan heat several teaspoons of olive oil and fry the potatoes until they are golden brown on HIGH heat. Before they are finished (tender) throw in the onion and pepper. When the potatoes are cooked and the onion and pepper are tender throw in the sausage. Beat the eggs with a little milk. Throw in the eggs and scramble them into the potato mix. Once the eggs are cooked add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Add cheddar cheese (as much or as little as you like) and stir it in. Serve with ketchup, salsa, or hot sauce.

Yes, that is Vivaldi's 4 Seasons Spring 1st Movement. It was the obvious choice!
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