Classic Roast Chicken

Preheat oven to 350ª.  Rinse a 3-5# chicken, trim and discard excess fat.  Slice up a lemon. In a baking pan/roaster, place half the lemon slices and set the chicken on top of them.  Put the remaining lemon slices inside the chicken along with several peeled cloves of garlic.  Season the chicken liberally with your favorite seasonings/herbs.  I use salt, pepper, Trader Joe's 21 season salute, fresh basil, rosemary, thyme... be creative and don't skimp!!

Roast the chicken, uncovered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours (depending on its size).  It's done when you check the thickest joint by a leg - pull it outward & pierce it with a knife. If the juice runs clear, it's done. If you see ANY pink - put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Keep checking until it's done. Remove chicken to a platter, let it sit for 10 minutes or more before serving.

Simple. Delicious!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies

These remind me of " yin - yang " !  When making these cookies, you will be mixing 2 smallish batches of dough, chilling them and then rolling a lot of little balls (45-50 each).

Heat the oven to 350º.

Chocolate dough - mix together all ingredients in this order. Wrap in plastic & chill 1 hr:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tblsp. milk

1/2 cup + 2 Tblsp. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup flour

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

WRAP & CHILL 1 HR.

Peanut Butter dough - mix together all ingred. in this order. Wrap in plastic & chill 1 hr:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1-1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

WRAP & CHILL 1 HR.

This works best if you quickly roll all the balls first (peanut butter first, and then chocolate) - if you alternate and make 1 cookie at a time, it's messy and you get chocolate all over your hands, mixing it onto the PB dough.

Roll each type of dough into small balls (1 level tsp. or so - don't forget - you're combining 2 balls per cookie!).  After they're all rolled into balls, take one of each and quickly roll them together between the palms of your hand.  Just a few 'spins' is all you need.  Place the balls into parchment lined baking pans (or greased sheets) - bake for 11-13 minutes.  Remove from the oven, let sit for a minute and then remove the cookies onto cooling racks.

Taco Night!

An all time family favorite is TACO night!  I'll have a pot of refried beans, another pot of sauteed black beans with onions & lime, corn tortillas (charred right on the open flame of my gas stove) & flour tortillas.  Have bowls of chopped olives, cilantro, avocado - ANYthing your family enjoys!!   I make seasoned rice (cook the rice as directed in water seasoned with chili powder, garlic powder, salt/pepper, cumin & cayenne!) - We like grilled seasoned beef (ground or steak strips), seasoned chicken strips and seasoned grilled fish....   I put everything on the counter buffet style and everyone is free to make a bowl or a taco/burrito in whatever way they like!

Pork TWO WAYS

How do I cook efficiently? I'll make a couple meals at one time, especially when the weekend arrives and I don't want to be in the kitchen at kickoff time! This weekend- problem solved. I made pork two ways:

Buy a large, boneless pork loin (6-10#) and cut it in half.

I'll generously season one pc. (LOTS of black pepper, minced garlic, oregano, rosemary, lemon zest, salt...) and roast it in the oven @350º until it's done. I canNOT eat pork 'pink' (as chefs are promoting lately) - I use a meat thermometer to test the thickest part and remove it from the oven when it's reached.

The other half is for something else & today's something else happens to be pulled pork. 

Soft, frosted chocolate cookies

These cookies are soft and cake-like and VERY good!!  This recipe makes approx. 36-40.

Preheat the oven to 350º

NOTE:  I never use an electric mixer when I make cookies unless the recipe specifically calls for extreme beating or whipping of egg whites.  I use a heavy wooden spoon and elbow grease.

Line several baking sheets with parchment (or lightly grease them).  I use parchment for quick and easy clean up!

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix together well:

1/2 C  soft butter

1 C brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C buttermilk

chocolate: (mix 6 TBLSP cocoa w/3 T veg. oil to make a paste)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-2/3 C flour

Drop rounded TBLSP onto parchment (or prepared sheets), leaving at least an inch between each.  (My standard sized sheets held 12 cookies.)

Bake for 11-12 minutes.  Remove from oven & cool completely before frosting.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:  Mix all ingredients together & apply to cookies generously.

4 TBLSP melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

5 TBLSP cocoa powder

2 C powdered sugar

SLOWLY add heavy cream by the tsp., mixing WELL until it's thick enough to spread on cookies (be careful not to add TOO much cream - you don't want this to be too thin!!).

Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti

Heat oven to 350º - line a couple baking sheets with parchment. This recipe makes approx. 40-45 biscotti.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:

1 stick (1/2 C) soft butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tblsp. grated lemon zest

Stir in:

3 cups flour
2 Tblsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Form each part into a cylinder (flour your hands to keep the dough from sticking) and place them on baking sheets (2 per sheet, leaving room between them).  Flatten each cylinder so that it becomes a rectangle, approx. 1/3" high, 2" wide, and 6-8" long.   Bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until the rectangles become slightly firm and golden.  Remove from the oven, let cool for a minute and then cut into slices - making each biscotti about 1/3-1/2" wide.  Separate them and keep them on the same baking sheet, leaving space between them.   Return to the hot oven and continue to bake another 10-15 minutes (depending on how dry/crunchy you want them).  Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.

Make a glaze by mixing 2 Tblsp. soft butter, 2 Tblsp. grated lemon zest,  2-3 cups powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make a spreadable glaze.   Push the biscotti back together (so it looks like the rectangle you had pre-baking) and with a pastry brush, liberally brush the glaze over the tops of the biscotti.  Let them dry completely. Yum!

Glazed lemon loaves

This recipe will make 2- 9x5" loaves or 4 smaller sized loaves. Cut the ingredient amts. in half if you just want to make one loaf.



















Heat oven to 350º - grease loaf pans and line them with parchment for easy removal.

Mix together dry ingredients:
5-2/3 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a mixing bowl, mix together thoroughly:
2 cups sour cream (a 16 oz. container)
2-2/3 cups white sugar
5 large eggs
2 Tblsp. freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

After the 'wet' ingredients are mixed well, fold in the dry ingredients.

Divide batter into prepared pans. Bake for 50 minutes (test with toothpick to make sure centers are entirely baked), being careful not to OVERbake.  The larger loaves will probably take a little longer.

WHILE the cakes are baking, about 10 minutes before they're about to come out of the oven, make a simple syrup:  In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice with 1/2 cup sugar.  Over medium heat, stir until VERY hot and sugar melts (doesn't need to boil!) . Remove from heat.      

Remove loaf pans from oven and cool on racks for a few minutes before removing the loaves to cooling racks. Place the cooling rack (w/cakes on it) onto a large cookie sheet and slowly & evenly, pour the simple syrup over the baked loaves.  Let them cool for a 15-20 minutes.

LEMON GLAZE:  In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 Tblsp. soft butter with 3 cups powdered sugar... slowly stream in several tblsp. fresh lemon juice and stir until thin enough (don't make it TOO thin!!)  to drizzle over lemon loaves.