Guesting Magazine Monday with.....Peruvian Roasted Chicken!

Welcome to Magazine Monday! I am guest hosting today for Ivonne of the blog Cream Puffs in Venice.

Cooks Illustrated - This is one magazine in which you will NEVER be disappointed. My thanks to my brother and sister in-law for giving me this subscription as a gift. Each issue I receive I think of them as we drool over all the wonderful recipes. Thanks Gregg & Barb!



Peruvian Garlic-Lime Chicken…authentic versions of this recipe calls for it to be roasted on a spit, making the bird evenly bronzed…rotisserie-like. Get ready to rock your chicken-lovin’ world as the first bite almost melts apart in your mouth.


Stuff you'll need!

3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup lightly packed mint leaves
2 TB kosher or sea salt
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 TB black ground pepper
1 TB cumin
1 TB sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons finely grated zest and ¼ cup juice from 2 limes
1 teaspoon habanero chile
1 (4 pound whole chicken)

Lime, sea salt, smoked paprika....the beginnings of a great rub......



Process all ingredients except chicken in blender (I used my food processor) until a smooth paste forms, 10 to 20 seconds. Using fingers carefully loosen the skin over thighs and breast, removing any excess fat.

Rub half the paste beneath the skin of the chicken. Spread entire exterior surface of bird with remaining paste. Tuck wingtips underneath chicken.

Place chicken in a gallon-size freezer zipper-lock bag and refrigerate at least six hours and up to 24 hours. We did it for 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to lowest postion and heat to 325 F. Place vertical roaster on rimmed baking sheet (I used my roasting pan) and slide chicken over your vertical roaster.

NOTE: Vertical Chicken Roaster is called for..... we made do with a beer can chicken stand. Worked like a charm!



Roast until skin just begins turning brown and thermometer reads 145 F in the thickest part of the breast. This takes about 45 to 55 minutes. Carefully remover chicken and pan from oven. Turn up heat to 500 F.

When oven is heated to 500 F, place 1 cup water in bottom of pan and return pan to oven. Roast until entire skin is browned and crisp and thermometer reads 160 F in breast. This takes roughly 20 minutes, replenishing water as necessary to keep pan from smoking.

Carefully remove bird from oven and let it rest, sitting on the beer can seat, for 20 minutes.

It roasted beautifully and we paired it with Peruvian grown asparagus...how appropriate :-)



Joining me for Magazine Monday:

Ranjani of Four Seasons of Food with Maple-soy root vegetable stir fry from the March 2011 issue of Food & Wine. I just took a look at her perfectly roasted veggies and I'm drooling - go take a look!

Aveen of Baking Obsessively who made Carrot Bean Patties from Cook Vegetarian. A great healthy vegetarian treat...mmmmm.

Carla of Recipe Addict made a mouth watering Chicken Cordon Bleu....do yourself a favor and check this one out!


Thanks for joining me Ranjani, Aveen and Carla :-)

Sending this to my pal Girlichef for the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop. Join in people! Click on the badge and check it out.

Gourmet’s Five Ingredients

I’ll betcha if told you these meals below were prepared using only 5 ingredients for each dish, just 5, you’d think I was lying.

Chicken Breasts with Spinach, Prosciutto and Mozzarella and
Tomato, Goat Cheese and Onion Tart

Sounds ambitious and time consuming…..but the secret is….Gourmet’s Five Ingredients ( published by Conde Nast Books and Random House) can take the credit for making me look good in the kitchen.



This book was published in 2002 but just made an appearance at my local library. A kind soul donated the book (I know because he, yes HE, wrote his name and address inside and was kind enough to list the recipes he tried, complete with accompanying stars for his prime picks.)

So…Five ingredients. Yes, that is all that is required to make each and every one of the dishes in this book. Five ingredients means less to purchase and cuts down on the active time spent preparing a meal. More time to do other things – whether it’s tossing a ball for your dog, playing a game with your child or perhaps having your kid help out with the meal prep. With so few ingredients to deal with it’s a snap to serve an aesthetically pleasing, flavorful and appetizing Gourmet meal.

Look – I did it! Recipes will follow. I’ve decided to show you the glorious end results instead of boring you with photo after photo of the prep involved.

Chicken Breasts with Spinach, Prosciutto and Mozzarella
Active time: 10 minutes Start to finish: 25 minutes

(Note: If you shave the cheese into thinner pieces, or shred it, the end result will be more aesthetically pleasing)



Ingredients.....

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 oz. fresh baby spinach or basil (1 cup)
4 thin slices prosciutto
4 thin slices fresh mozzarella (about a 1/3 pound)

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat butter in skillet but don’t let it get so hot it smokes, then add chicken and sauté until golden. That will be roughly 6 minutes per side, depending on your stove top temperature.

(Our stove is a POS glass top and doesn’t know the meaning of Low as a setting)

Divide spinach equally on top of chicken. Top spinach with a slice of prosciutto and then mozzarella.
Cook over low heat, covered, until cheese melts and chicken is cooked through – about 3 minutes.

"Have I mentioned I am a huge fan of chicken?! If I had the wishbone....I'd just ask for more of the same."



Tomato, Goat Cheese and Onion Tart

(Worst. Photo. Ever.)


Ingredients.....

1 9 inch pie dough
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
6 oz. goat cheese ( 1 1/3 cup)
1 pound plum tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out dough to an 11 inch round and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, press it into the sides. Line tart shell with foil and bake in middle of oven until pale golden in color, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 8 to 10 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack. Hang on to your foil – you’ll use it later!

While tart shell is baking, heat 2 TB oil and cook onion with salt and pepper. Let the onions get golden, about 10 minutes time here.

Spread onion over bottom of tart shell and top with 1 rounded cup of goat cheese. Arrange tomatoes, slightly overlapping, in concentric circles over cheese.. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of oil. Put foil back over crust edge to avoid overbrowning.

Put tart pan on baking sheet and broil 7 inches from heat until the cheese starts to brown, 3 – 4 minutes. Goes well with chicken!






I think I will send this to Cookbook Sundays!

Ft Benning Soldiers Museum Trip

Last Thursday we took off to ride to Ft Benning Georgia and tour the Infantry Museum. All week it had been glorious weather and wouldn't you know it, Thursday morning we were socked in with heavy fog.

I know my Dad would not have liked us riding in fog but we did at least wait until much had cleared. Or so we thought. It was so thick after we'd headed out that it was dripping off my face shield. (I can see my father's anguished face).



This was a cool display. It's an airborne soldier jumping and the parachute is also a movie screen. The movie shows soldiers jumping out of planes.



Weapons, display boards, my Army bound son and a helicopter..........



Can you tell this is father and son? My favorite people :-)



Doug and Tristan shot at targets...it was a deal for $7 each. I want to do it next time. Tristan did better than the Infantry soldier taking part and was the only one to hit the 200 feet target!



It was a three hour ride one way - we spent a few hours at the museum, including the shooting, then rode back after lunch. We stopped at this place (photo below) midway back to buy some fresh sausage to grill that evening.

Doug, Tristan and Tristan's friend Angel are in this photo.



After six hours in the saddle (which I am proud to report I did not fall asleep even once! ) we were quite tired by the time we got home.

Fun day. If you have a chance to see this museum in Columbus Georgia it's well worth it. Some of these photos are on my Facebook album but for family who aren't Facebookers - enjoy!



Last but not least - This is a shot of the statue Iron Mike. It's good the soldiers are surrounding Iron Mike so you get an idea of how large this thing actually is!

Tarte aux Pommes

Tarte aux Pommes



For a quick dessert when that sweet tooth starts talking, try this. You won't be sorry! An adaption from Better Homes and Gardens magazine (a 2009 issue).

Simple ingredients....

3 or 4 McIntosh apples, peeled, quartered and sliced
1 Tb lemon juice
¼ cup sugar (eyeball it…I probably used less)
3 TB butter, melted
1/8 cup ground almonds
Pastry dough (or for a fast fix – a refrigerated pie crust)


Slice the apples and mix in lemon juice and sugar. Melt the butter in a frying pan and simmer the apple slices over medium heat. Sprinkle ground almonds in. Turn so the pieces do not burn.

This ought to take approximately 12 minutes.


Meanwhile, roll out your pastry dough so you have a roundish 12x9 size piece. Tip the buttery sautéed apples into the middle of the dough. Fold the dough up so it forms a small crust up along the sides with the apples as your centerpiece.


Pop into a 375 F oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.



Variations you may try are cinnamon, walnuts, drizzle with chocolate or better still – Nutella!




So mix in some cinnamon…....ground almonds....whatever you fancy!

I'll send this to the Make it with......... Mondays series at Couscous and Consciousness and Cream Puffs in Venice's Magazine Monday series.

Announcement: I am going to be guest hosting for Cream Puffs in Venice ’s Magazine Monday series on Monday February 28. If you want to participate please send me your submissions by then.

Thank you Ivonne :-) I will make you a proud creampuff.

Giada's Rigatoni with creamy mushroom sauce for IHCC

Rigatoni Angel Hair Pasta with creamy mushroom sauce...an adaption of Giada's recipe.

Penne would have worked well too...and I honestly thought we had several unopened boxes of penne and/or rigatoni. But nooooooooo.....and I started the cooking process (with company in the house) before I checked my pasta situation. What a dope. How many times have I said, read the recipe thouroughly AND be sure I have all ingredients on hand.

No biggie....We had angel hair pasta and that did the trick.


I used these fat Portobellas and white button mushrooms.



The sauce came out creamy but after eating it for a bit....it started to gel as an alfredo consistancy. Very good though.



I don't have a photo of the dished up plate as my camera died after I started cooking. Fortunately it had charged by the end of the meal so I could get that shot of the creamy sauce.

A keeper? Oh yes! From Giada At Home – recipe HERE

Check out the pasta dishes at IHCC!

Whole Wheat Honey Bread

Whole Wheat Honey Bread



I made this after reading Outside Wonderland by Lorna Jane Cook. No, there wasn't a recipe in book but, I was inspired to make this from reading that.

Ingredients.......

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 TB active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 or 5 cups all purpose flour

Disolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and stir well.

Mix in whole wheat flour, salt and vegetable oil.
Work AP flour in gradually.

Turn dough out onto floured surface, knead 10 minutes.
When dough is smooth and elastic, place in oiled bowl. Turn the dough so it's oiled. Cover and let rise 45 minutes.

Punch dough down, shape into two loaves. Place in well greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes.
Be prepared to be awed by the aroma of comfort if such a thing may be smelled.



One of my favorites - fresh bread with a good quality marmalade.



Book review (with spoilers, you've been warned) is here: Novel Meals

Updates on Kobe and Cappuccino Chunk Muffins

First off, a big thank you to Janel, Monica Jane, Kim, Jo, Rhonda, Brenda, Drick, Allyson and Natashya for leaving such kind compassionate comments regarding our shiba inu Kobe. He is family and our world was turned upside down with all the medical emergency visits to the vet and the cold hard fact that he will eventually be blind.
So - thank you for all who understood and lent a shoulder. I'll never forget it :-)

This boy here turned our lives upside down.


We are just getting over the flu when his eye went bad. We were at the vet Saturday morning then off to the emergency vet center later that day. Monday evening the eye pressure spiked to 72 and he was in serious pain. Off to Northwood Animal Hospital at 8:30 PM and we were there until midnight. So - we've been through the wringer physically and emotionally.

For anyone who has a pet predisposed to glaucoma, this info may help you. Kobe had his appointment with the ophthamologist and after experimenting with various combinations of meds these past few days, the pressures in both eyes are very good right now. It is a relief that we can maintain his vision and control pain for awhile longer with medication. Laser surgery may be needed in Kobe's right eye eventually.

Xalatan and Dorzolomide drops are an excellent combination. He also gets one drop of Timolol twice a day in the "good" eye. Since glaucoma is a bilateral disease, it's a matter of time before the left eye is also affected.

Right now Kobe looks great, and if you didn't know that he had glaucoma you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him. The current dosages of meds are keeping him pain free, and he is acting more and more like his old self.

Couch Pirate Kobe!


Kobe will most likely end up blind before the end of his life, but the prospect isn't in weeks as we had feared.

After the stress of last week, a treat was in order.

Cappuccino Chunk Muffins



Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp instant coffee
1/2 cup chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 12 muffin tins. Mix coffee into melted butter. Whisk well.

Whisk eggs lightly into the buttermilk with the vanilla extract. In a big bowl mix together both flours, sugar, baking powder & salt.

Now pour in the buttermilk mixture & the butter mixture, and mix in gently. Do not over mix or muffins won't be soft. Fold in chocolate gently just to combine.

Fill prepared muffin pans and bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.



Thanks Tia for posting that recipe. I saw it awhile back and had been meaning to try it.

A tip: They are so dense that, after cooling and sitting for one day, pop them in the microwave for about 25 seconds and they will be just like they came out of the oven. Good!

Kobe has Glaucoma - When it Rains it Pours

I haven't felt like doing anything. Anything. The flu took my health, my energy, my motivation and inspiration. Also my appetite. I haven't wanted to look at recipes, blogs, haven't wanted to write. Nothing. But we had the comfort of the shibas cuddling close as we slowly recovered.

First the flu and now we have a dog down. What did I do, karmically speaking, to deserve such heartache?



As our shibas, Kobe and Aja, are 6 and almost 8 years of age, we decided to have their eyes tested for glaucoma just three weeks ago. (Sadly Shiba Inus are a breed prone to glaucoma) So glad we had the testing done because we MAY have saved Kobe's eyesight.

Does this look like a happy camper? No. No, it doesn't.



Normal readings for eye pressure are around 15 ( I think) and while Aja tested within a good range, it was our younger shiba Kobe who had readings of 23 and 24. That was in January.

This morning Kobe gets up and has one eye just about glued closed. We go to the vet imediately and his pressure is up in the left eye to 58. Our vet Dr Austin was wanting to start an IV and give Kobe mannitol but they were out. Since it's Saturday many of the vet offices are closing up at noon. Many did not have the drug ( one did but had just received a head trauma case so, they too were out.)


Off to the Emergency Pet place off Centerville Road. The attending vet there did not want to start an IV and do the more invasive procedure and intead administered latanoprost (medicated eye drops). Kobe's pressure went down in the bad eye and after a few more repeat doses, we came home. We have the prescripion filled from CVS and these drops are a bitey $108 that we'll now need every month.

A stressful morning for us all, particularly Kobe. He's not out of the woods yet and will need another eye pressure test this Monday.

Bottom line - get your dog's eye pressure checked (if prone to eye issues) - it was roughly $32 bucks per dog plus office visit. Having this done earlier we knew what the pressure reads were before this hit Kobe.

Now it's a rough weekend of watching him sitting around with one eye closed, he's out of sorts, the female shiba is standing near him watching him........they are family. Anyone with pets who feels the same knows the boat we're in. Please keep this boat from sinking.

The flu is slooooooow to leave the body, by the way, even after fever has abated and you are on the mend. It's a slow mend, I'll tell you that.

Here is Kobe with both beautiful eyes clear. Lets hope we get to see this again. I'm worried sick.


Aja and a bear, she's the reason we had them tested since she's almost eight years old.


Please let this medicine work and if I've saved your animals' eyesight by telling you about canine glaucoma, I am very glad.

Beef, Wine and a Slow Cooker

Thank you to Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies and Anne S. for becoming followers of my blog!

This is one of those crock pot recipes that does not require expensive ingredients and is meant for a cool evening.

A toast to our returning health............



My only complaint is……you need to tend to it after 6 hours, so …it’s still a weekend recipe for me. One solution for preparing it for a workday would be cooking the beef when you go to bed. That means dealing with tossing the veggies in as soon as you are up, while coffee is brewing.

If you’ve precut them, that would be a breeze. By the time you are done showering, walking dogs or whatever your morning routine is…..take the crock (assuming you have a removable one, and if you don’t, I highly recommend a removable crock) and place the cooked meal in your fridge. You’ll be all ready for a reheat that evening.

But…..getting to directions for same day prep……. What shall you have on hand?
This stuff:

2 lb of chuck roast
Lots of garlic cloves, peeled but not sliced
1 cup of red wine
2 cups of beef stock or broth
1 bay leaves
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
You’ll need these veggies later!

8 ounces or more of white button mushrooms
1 onion, sliced fine
1 stalks of celery, cut in small pieces
2 carrots cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 parsnip cut into 1/2 inch slice
About 6 medium red potatoes, cut into quarters
1/2 cup of peas
1/2 cup of corn
Ready to get this baby into the crock pot?

Make little cuts into the meat then insert the cloves of garlic into holes. Now salt and pepper the meat, just a bit.

Sear the chuck roast in hot oil – I used my All Clad frying pan. When it’s browned all over, move it to the crock pot.
Look at the garlic here...it melts beautifully inside the beef while slow cooking.


Tip a cup of wine into the skillet: let it simmer up and scrape the stuck bits of beef up, stir occasionally. After wine has chance to simmer and reduce a bit, pour it into the crock pot along with your stock, herbs, tomato paste, paprika and bay leaf. Turn it to LOW and cook for 6 or 7 hours.

After you return home from whatever you were doing for 6+ hours or so…….add the onions, celery, parsnips, carrots and potatoes. Cook, still on LOW, for one hour. Add mushrooms and cook another hour. Add the corn and peas and cook until they are warm (ought to be another 15 minutes or a bit more).



The vegetables were so tender..........



This may be served over rice, egg noodles or all alone in a bowl. Behold the thick gravy...it was lovely, I promise you.


Sop up with good crusty bread!



Sure to be a repeat in our kitchen. Makes good soup too...love the leftovers :-)