Mommy's Kitchen Pot roast Chicken

Pot Roast Chicken
1 - 2 - 3lb whole chicken (thawed and cleaned)
6-7 medium size potatoes, cut into quarters
3-4 carrots, peeled & cut into about 2 -3 inch pieces
2 - stalks celery but into 2-3 inch pieces (optional)
1 - whole onion (quartered)
2 - tablespoons butter
1 - cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 - cups reduced sodium chicken broth, separated
1/2 - cup water
seasoned salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove giblets and livers if they are inside of the chicken. Rinse out the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside. Mince and mash the garlic and place into a small bowl. Add the butter and mix together with the garlic. Using your fingers, loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs to make pockets, be careful so you do not tear the skin. Rub the garlic butter mixture over the breast and thigh meat.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in you dutch oven make sure to get your pot really hot. Add the chicken and cook, turning often, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Leave the chicken in the dutch oven, sprinkle with a bit of seasoning salt & pepper. Add the potatoes and vegetables around the chicken. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup water over the chicken. Place the lid on your dutch oven and cook at 400 degrees for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until the internal temperature in the thigh area reaches 165°F.

Remove tender chicken to a platter and cut into serving pieces. Place vegetables around the platter. Cover and keep warm. Now it is time to prepare the gravy. After you remove the chicken you will see all the yummy juice and dripping that the chicken cooked in. Using a bowl with a strainer placed on top strain the pan drippings to reserve for the gravy.





Pan Gravy1/4 - cup flour
1/4 - cup pan drippings
2 - cups low sodium chicken broth, more or less

Add the drippings to a sauce pan and bring drippings to a medium high heat. Add about 1/4 cup flour, using a whisk mix together the flour and the drippings to make a roux. Be careful not to get the roux to dark or you will burn it. Slowly add the chicken broth and whisk together to make a gravy. Keep adding chicken broth until the gravy is the consistency that you want. Serve with chicken and vegetables.




To prepare this recipe in the slow cooker:
Clean and rinse the chicken and make your garlic butter paste. Rub the chicken with the paste and then brown the chicken in a pan and then place the chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with a bit of seasoning salt & pepper. Add the 1/2 cup chicken broth and water and cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Adding the potatoes and carrots the last 2-3 hours of cooking. Save and strain the dripping to make a pan gravy.

Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

• Vanilla Buttercream, use your favorite!

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.
In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Link to original recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/magnolias-vanilla-cupcake-recipe/index.html

America's Test Kitchen Chewy Sugar Cookies

Found this sugar cookie recipie this year, and I think it's just amazing.  They stay chewy for days - and you'll eat them up before they turn hard.  While this recipie makes rounds, this could also be used to make simple cookie-cutter shapes.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

The final dough will be slightly softer than most cookie dough. For the best results, handle the dough as briefly and gently as possible when shaping the cookies. Overworking the dough will result in flatter cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4cups (11 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 1 1/2cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar , plus 1/3 cup for rolling
• 2ounces cream cheese , cut into 8 pieces
• 6tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter , melted and still warm
• 1/3cup vegetable oil
• 1large egg
• 1tablespoon milk
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Place 1½ cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.
• 3. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 tablespoons each (or use #40 portion scoop). Using hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 teaspoons of sugar remaining in shallow dish (2 teaspoons per tray), discarding any remaining sugar.
• 4. Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Hello and Welcome!

This is simply a chronicle of some of my most beloved recipes, I hope you enjoy them too!  I make no promises as to the origin of these, however I will give credit where it is due.  All I can promise you is these recipes are all ones I personally love - and are approved by our official taste tester, Tyson (except for the chocolate ones of course).