Breakfast: Baked Eggs (in muffin pan)

Aren’t Sunday brunches the best? I love them a lot! Its why this recipe (even though I made it for a quick dinner solution) works great for this morning’s post!

I’m all about making food quick and simple and I’ve been seeing these muffin tin recipes for a while. I kind of improvised most of this myself, which seems like a norm nowadays since I just have to work with what we have as I’m too tired to go to the grocery store especially on the week nights after work. Excuses aside, This is how it turned out!

Eggs in Muffin Tin

Ingredients:

Eggs
Green onions, chopped
Cheese, grated
Herbes de Provence
Pepper

*Quantity of each is as you please, except for the egg which is one per muffin cup

How to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and oil the muffin pan to prevent sticking.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients. Separate the chopped green onions and cheese into each muffin cup space (whatever you call it).
3. Crack an egg into each space with ingredients.
4. Season with Herbes de Provence and pepper.
5. Cook in oven for 10 to 15 minutes (or until cooked).

This is my own recipe that I put together so nothing changed or substituted. However, if I were to redo it, I might cut the shallots smaller or place less in the version I made. However, the taste of it all was really good. I like Herbes de Provence as a seasoning and a bit of pepper always brings out a nice taste to food. I used lactose-free cheese but whatever cheese you fancy probably works.

Dinner: The Best Effin’ Chicken Recipe Ever!

I know recipes are far and sparse this last while.  Summer is around the corner and I’m determined to step up  my cooking gear right now and eat healthier.  There’s still the Baking Through Disney project that I’m conceptualizing right now. I just can’t seem to find an idea that I’m happy with. Regardless, let’s talk about dinner and more specifically chicken.

I love chicken. I mean, chicken meals are about the best food in the world. Its the simple things that shine and this recipe that I found on PopSugar Food is proof of it. Its supposed to from some cooking show or whatnot.  This is about the most simple chicken ever except that you need to ask your grocery store to debone your chicken.  Surprisingly, one of the grocery stores near where I live sells it already packaged boneless.

I’m getting carried away! How can a chicken lover refuse this recipe?

The Best Effin’ Chicken Recipe Ever!

A little burnt, I know but its a good first attempt!

The recipe is right here.  And if you like fun recipes, I find Popsugar Food has a lot of them!

Its hard to imagine that this has two ingredients: chicken and salt. Its rare we spend the time to marinate the chicken but seeing as this recipe had one ingredient to season the chicken, we went ahead and sprinkled salt over it in the morning and popped it in the fridge to cook when I got home from work.  Actually I forgot and my  husband did it so he misunderstood that I said 1 tablespoon instead of one teaspoon. Goes to show that sometimes its better to write out your words and not do abbreviations.

With that said, our chicken was definitely moist but a little on the salty side. However, there is no doubt that the chicken had a wonderfully delicious texture.

The only issue I encountered was because I was broiling something in a “new” oven. If I was using my mom’s before I moved, it wouldn’t be an issue but with this oven, it had a different temperament somehow and I learned that I couldn’t heat it on the top rack but one lower was a little better.  It was actually a little scary because it started smoking up and humidity was seeping out. When I did the first rotating the pan, I saw this and remedied it and that helped. The parchment paper still got rather charred.  Also, it took a little bit longer cooking time but maybe its because it was on a lower rack.  Just a few notes if you attempt this.

I don’t broil much in my oven so its pretty much a new experience.  However, this chicken

 

Dinner: Beer Chicken

I can feel my experimental and fun cooking/baking self coming back! The energy is just coming back in.

I’ve heard a lot about Beer Chicken or Beer Can Chicken, whichever you want to call it.  We did a pseudo version of it for Christmas dinner upon the suggestion of my best friend. And it turned out really well since just marinated the chicken in it.  Its one of the reasons I was pretty delighted to give this a go especially since we just got gifted some Labatt Blue and everyone laughed at it but no one drank it. I’m not a beer connoisseur. In fact, I don’t digest beer well so I can only have it when its used in cooking (or mixed in drinks like Jagerbomb).

However, my one fear is that the can will explode in the oven.  Which it didn’t 😉 My oven and home is very much intact. *knocks on wood* Lets not jinx myself…

Beer Chicken
Serves 6
(Recipe via Pinterest: http://www.jocooks.com/main-courses/poultry-main-courses/beer-can-chicken/)

Follow the link above for the ingredients and cooking instructions.

Substitutions:

• Dry Tarragon was replaced with Oregano.
• Smoked Paprika and Chili Powder both omitted.
• Adding a 1 tsp (roughly) of Montreal Chicken spice

The recipe doesn’t specify it but I had to use the bottom rack of my oven to put in the chicken was its placed in upright and should come out upright as well. However, mine toppled over some time in the last half an hour. I’m sure depending on the size of your chicken, it will vary as well on time but for me, the 1 hour 15 minutes was exactly perfect.  The meat was juicy and tender.  It was absolutely a delight.  Not to mention the very delicious smell as its cooking that spreads through the house.  It is a really simple way to make a dinner.  I did it after work but if it was done earlier on  a weekend, it would be perfect.  I love making roast chickens because I just put them in the oven and then set the timer and walk off to do whatever I need to take care of.  When its all done, I’m done with my stuff also, right on time to fill up my belly with some delicious food.

Beer chicken is definitely a winner.  On a side note, its kind of a silly and weird thought to talk about a recipe where you have to stick a can up a chicken’s behind.

How do you like to make whole chickens? What spices do you prefer? Do you like to cook with beer (or other alcohol bases)?

Daily Prompt: The Zone

Daily prompt (from a few days ago):  Tell us about your favorite way to get lost in a simple activity — running, chopping vegetables, folding laundry, whatever. What’s it like when you’re in “the zone”? Photographers, artists, poets: show us LOST.

Today’s been a tough day.  TGIF never felt as crappy as ever.  I just wish I had that reset button to hit and all the bad stuff would just go away and never happen.

Looking through the past week of daily prompts, they’ve all been bookmarked because they are all great topics.  However, nothing seemed as fitting as talking about THE ZONE.  Its what gets me through these types of days, to look forward to something that I can wipe away all my worries and especially wipe the slate clean when even my salary and job stability isn’t enough to make me want to stay at my current position.  We all know thinking about the consequences of not having a job and all the problems that occur aren’t particularly a motivator either, just more stress and more pressure.

Back on track!

For me, that zone is baking.  Once I open that recipe book, my mind starts flying to my candyland, my sweet kingdom (queen-dom?).

I start looking through the ingredients and taking it out of the cupboards and shelves around the kitchen. I start preheating the oven and oiling the pans and trays needed. I reach into my little shelf under the counter where I keep my electric mixer.  Then I set out my measuring cups and pull out my spatula.  On very rare occasions, I’ll have to climb onto a chair and look on a very high shelf and get my rolling pin.

That may sound like a lot of work for others but for me, the moment that recipe appears in front of me, my stress vanishes.  I no longer have a frown, my eyebrows aren’t scrunched together making me get wrinkles and age faster, but all this is slowly replaced by a smile.  A calm and relaxed person starts alertly doing what has to be done efficiently and happily.

 

I can be impatient with anything and grumpy for anyone or anything wasting my time but I’d sit and wait happily while reading a book or watching the tv while checking the clock as these cinnamon rolls (for example) rise for 30 minutes and then willingly wait another 25 minutes for it to bake in the oven.  Go over to the oven and turn on the lights to see inside and see how its baking and then slowly my smile gets bigger as I smell the deliciousness surrounding me and joyfully anticipating how it would taste.

Thats what being in my zone is.  Baking makes me forget all my problems and stress and I just chill out and relax. 🙂

I used my last baking as an example.  If you are interested in how to make these delicious Cinnamon Rolls, click right HERE!

Even the thought of it makes me happy! Now, baking session tonight and I already have a recommendation from a fellow blogger 🙂

Click HERE to see other responses how others get lost in simple activities 🙂

Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken!

I’m back with recipes!  Its been way too long. I have never felt this great to be back into the cooking and baking.

First up was from two weekends ago, I made Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken otherwise called “The Roastess with the Mostest” from Looneyspoons Collection.

When in doubt, I always make some chicken and when you have a whole chicken, you just mix up some marinade and pour it over the chicken and stick it in the oven.  When you do recipes like that, its really the marinade and seasoning that makes all the difference. This one was quite different actually. It was fun to explore into the fresh herbs as seasoning.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 4lbs/1.8kg)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp each salt and ground black pepper

1 tbsp  lemon juice

1. Move oven rack to bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 425F.  Place a small rack inside a roasting pan.  Pour 1 cup water in pan.  Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels

2. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, garlic, oil, salt and pepper to make a paste.  Set aside.

3. Squeeze juice from lemon inside cavity of chicken. Rub reserved paste over surface of  chicken, and using your fingers, carefully rub paste between skin and meat on breast and thighs.

4. Place chicken on rack breast-side down.  Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and flip over.  Add a bit more water if it has evaporated.  Return to oven and roast for 35 to 40 more minutes, depending on size of bird.  If chicken browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.  When cooked, legs should move easily in sockets and thigh juices should be clear (not pink) when pierced with a small knife.

5. Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

This is already modified to how I did it.  The original recipe has the marinade with 1 tsp grated lemon zest mixed in before you set it aside.  Also, if you have a lemon, you could use freshly squeezed lemon juice into the cavity and then use the rest of the lemon and sit it into the cavity and then tie the legs up before you place it in the oven.  I would assume this would give it more of a zesty taste.

This chicken is very tender.  I’ve never baked chicken where there was additional water at the bottom of the pan to evaporate.  I think its what makes it less dry. The way I did it was more herb roasted tasting than lemon.  I actually don’t mind that as I’m not particularly into the zesty taste, either is my boyfriend so I think it worked well.

Sunday Baking: “Cookies for Rookies”

Wait wait, you thought Sunday was just dinner? No way, I went all out.  While the Minestrone Soup was simmering and after the chicken strips were out of the oven, I went on a crazy turbo mode and whipped up some cookies to put in the oven while we were eating.  Any guesses on what “Cookies for Rookies” is? Seriously, isn’t the name just so fun? I love these recipe titles in my new cookbook.  It makes cooking and baking even more fun. I made these ones not only for my boyfriend but also we were dropping by my boyfriend’s parents place so it was a little something to bring over.

Cookies for Rookies everyone? Any ideas up to now? Okay okay, I’ll tell you.  Its a mix of three ingredients: Chocolate chip, Oatmeal and…Peanut butter! Doesn’t that sound amazing?

While I was mixing it all together, the smell of peanut butter was surrounding me.  As it was baking, man, it was a fantastic smell that filled up the kitchen and dining room of chocolate and oatmeal and peanuts..yummy stuff right there!

So lets get straight to it..the recipe.

COOKIES FOR ROOKIES (from The Looneyspoons Collection by Janet and Greta Podleski)

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)

1/2 teaspoon each baking soda and salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup light peanut butter

1 egg

1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat over at 350F.  Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

3) In another medium bowl, beat together brown sugar, butter, peanut butter and egg on low speed of electric mixer until well blended.  Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips and mix well using a wooden spoon.  Dough will be stiff.

4) Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.  Using a fork dipped in flour, flatten cookies to 1/4 inch thickness.  Bake for 10 minutes.

5) Remove cookies from tray immediately and cool on wire rack.  Store covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

 

And thats it! Easy stuff, right? Look at the texture of it.  It was amazing!

So back to what I did different.  There really wasn’t much.  As usual, I changed the butter to margarine and the mini chocolate chips to chocolate chunks.  Other than that, all the ingredients stayed the same.  The only other thing I did was that I had beated the peanut butter blend by hand then mixed in the dry mixture by hand as well.  It wasn’t a complex recipe so it didn’t cause any big issues with the dough consistency.  It still turned out pretty stiff.

Definitely a winner for people who like peanut butter.  It smelled wonderful and tasted wonderful. Nice easy batch of cookies.  It took me less then 30 minutes to get it in the oven and only 10 minutes to bake.  Less than an hour and its ready to be served.  Efficient stuff, I like it!