Roast Chicken.

This dish is seriously a staple. First off, it is so incredibly simple to make and so delicious. One of the best parts about making a roast chicken is that the potatoes and carrots underneath it absorb all the juices, which seriously make it one of the best tasting things possible. No. Joke.

The wonderful thing about roast chicken is that you can put whatever herbs/veggies you love and adjust it to your taste. For example, my favorite things are lemon, garlic, onion, thyme, and rosemary. So that's what I use. The great thing about this is that you can make as many chickens as you need.

This recipe is adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/herb-roasted-whole-chicken/

Herb Roasted Chicken

[Sorry my pictures aren't that great, I took them on my phone!]

Ingredients
* 3-4lb Whole Chicken
* Something to stuff inside the chicken (Apple, Onion, Lemon, Garlic, Carrot, etc..)
* Canola Oil
* Salt and Pepper
* Fresh Herbs

You can stuff various items into the chicken for roasting and this will provide additional moisture and aromatics that will help to flavor the chicken from the inside. I’m using a lemon, some garlic cloves, and an onion.

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees while you pick the herbs from their stems.
2. Then you’ll need to give all those herbs a chop.
3. Toss those herbs into a bowl and add in your salt and pepper.

For EACH chicken you’ll be roasting, you’ll need:

* 1-2 Tablespoons of chopped herbs
* 1 Tablespoon of salt (kosher is best)
* 1 Teaspoon of pepper

4. Add to that 2-3 tablespoons of Canola oil and stir.
5. Before we apply our herb mixture to the outside of the chicken, we’ll need to fill the cavity of the bird with our aromatics. As I mentioned, I’m using Lemon, Garlic, and Onion. You won’t be eating these items, so you can just give them a rough chop / slice / mash.
6. Stuff those aromatics into the nether regions of your chicken…
7. It’s important that your whole chicken be patted dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. This will help to insure a nice crust on your chicken once it’s finished. Begin rubbing the chicken down with your canola-herb-salt-pepper mix. No need to get crazy with it. It’s just a chicken.
8. Slide your herb coated chicken(s) into that 450 degree oven for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes until they are golden brown and have developed a delicious crust.
9. Now here is the hard part. You have to let your chicken rest for 10-15 minutes in order for it to retain its juiciness. PRACTICE YOUR SELF CONTROL!

Alright and what I like to do is add some carrots and roast potatoes. So I'll chop up a few potatoes and some carrots and boil them for a bit and put the chicken above a bed of the potatoes and carrots. Sweet potatoes work so well with this dish as well. I also put large pieces of onion in the mix and its absolutely wonderful. Make sure to salt and pepper the potatoes and carrots and voila! You've got an amazing meal, enjoy!

The Classic.

Today we are going to be discussing the classic dish, Pasta Carbonara. Did I ever mention that I'm a HUGE Jamie Oliver fan? Because I am. I know most people (and especially Americans) don't really care for his approach to cooking and fresh produce but I find it to be refreshing and quite healthy. I've never actually made this dish before but I found the whole separating yolk from white thing to be kinda fun. Messy, but fun. All in the name of cooking right?

ALRIGHT FOLKS. So this recipe was taken from one of my Jamie Oliver cookbooks. Unfortunately I made this awhile ago and don't have the book currently with me as I am at school at the moment. So I've looked around the internet and found what I BELIEVE is closest to the actual recipe. Here goes!

Jamie Oliver's Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients

* 1 tsp Sea Salt
* 2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
* 300 g Courgette
* 500 g Penne Pasta
* 4 egg yolk
* 100 mL Double Cream
* 2 cups Parmesan
* 1 tbsp Olive Oil
* 6 oz Pancetta
* 2 tsp Thyme, Fresh


Directions

Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Halve and then quarter any larger courgettes lengthways. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the courgettes at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller courgettes can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the packet instructions.

To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly and put to one side.

Heat a very large frying pan (a 35cm one is a good start – every house should have one!), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon until dark brown and crisp. Add the courgette slices and 2 big pinches of black pepper, not just to season but to give it a bit of a kick. Sprinkle in the thyme leaves, give everything a stir, so the courgettes become coated with all the lovely bacon-flavoured oil, and fry until they start to turn lightly golden and have softened slightly.

It’s very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the courgettes, bacon and lovely flavours, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you’ll scramble the eggs.)

Get everyone around the table, ready to eat straight away. While you’re tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning. If you’ve managed to get any courgette flowers, tear them over the top, then serve and eat immediately, as the sauce can become thick and stodgy if left too long.

P.S: I really would rather not think about how many calories this is, but such is life!

(breakfast) Post of Shame.

So....It just occurred to me today I haven't posted up anything in QUITE awhile. This is my post of shame. I am so sorry but I'm not sure if anyone reads this anyways. Regardless, I want to bring it back! I warn you all (to the one friend reader) that I am quite busy now and will do my best.

Let's start the year off with..............

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE!

I went through a breakfast casserole phase. I'm actually still kinda going through it. But don't tell anyone.

Basic Oven Omelette (from thekitchn.com)
Serves 6

Ingredients

10 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and whisk in the milk. Stir in the cheese, diced ham, and parsley. Season with the salt and pepper and pour into the prepared pan. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

3. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot.

• Reprinted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand. (Harvard Common Press, January 2011)

I substituted some turkey bacon because that's what I had in my fridge and added lots of veggies like green bell peppers, onions and mushrooms. Yum! It's a great way to get your servings of vegetables!

Oh and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

"Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me." -Sarah Bernhardt