Roasted Spatchcock Chicken, Auntie Andrea style

Auntie Andrea served up a delicious herb roasted chicken that was easy to prepare and very delicious for a great chicken dinner. She uses a technique called 'Spatchcock Chicken'. This is a technique that allows you roast the chicken flat for a more even roasting.  Please click here to see a great video from Chef John on how to spatchcock a chicken.

Andrea's secret is a recipe she borrowed from Donna Hay "the instant cook" cookbook. The author uses a combination of  herbs, lemons, garlic and olive oil and the results are fantastic.

When I roast chicken I use a probe thermometer so that I know exactly when the chicken is done. The internal temperature must be a minimum of 165° to be safe to eat and is still tender and juicy. Once the chicken reaches this internal temp remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

oven safe probe meat thermometer

Ingredients:

1 lemon - sliced

fresh thyme - 10 sprigs 

fresh rosemary - lots

1/2 cup olive oil

6-10 cloves of garlic - peeling not necessary.

salt & pepper to taste

Rub the olive oil all over the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sprinkle with herbs.  Add garlic to the pan and roast at 400° for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350° and continue to cook until the probe thermometer reads 165°.

Serve with steamed vegetables of choice.

Enjoy and please stay safe out there.

 

Spatchcock chicken

Auntie Andrea in her kitchen 

Yorkshire Pudding time again?

Thankfully, the weather has cooled slightly so that BC can hopefully get the fires under control. We are very grateful for all the hard work of the fire crews and support staff.

On these cooler days it is nice to prepare comfort food and nothing compares to Yorkshire Puddings with roast beef and gravy. My Mom, Eileen, is the expert not only because she is a Yorkshire lass but her recipe for these puddings is fail proof. Please click here to go to her fabulous recipe.

My Mom Eileen, as a 19 year old Yorkshire lass

Yorkshire Day is a yearly celebration on 1 August to promote the historic county of Yorkshire, England.
...

My Mom Eileen at 95 years old

Blueberry Pancakes for wee Eileen

There is nothing better than being able to make your grandkids (or any kids) pancakes from scratch in the morning. Knowing exactly what is in the food that you are feeding your loved ones is so very important.

This morning wee Eileen and I made plain pancakes with no sugar.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as it is as old as time for sure.

yields: 5 large pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour (today I used unbleached white flour)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon (of course this is optional but wee Eileen loves cinnamon)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cups oat milk (dairy milk is an option here or whatever you have in your fridge)

Whisk the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix together all the dry ingredients first in another bowl and then add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix only until combined but do not beat. This batter will be lumpy and thick.  If too thick add a little more oat milk but do not over mix.

Heat up a frying pan or griddle first.  The pan has to be really hot to provide the correct cooking surface.

Keep the heat on medium-low heat so that the pancakes don't burn.

Spray the pan with a cooking spray first (I used today an olive oil cooking spray) to prevent the pancakes sticking to the pan.

Spoon out batter into the hot pan and allow to slightly brown until the inside is cooked. Turn over only once to cook the other side. Serve hot with jams, syrups &/or yogurt.

Enjoy!

wee Eileen climbing into her 'baking tower'

Will's Best BBQ Burgers for Bree's Birthday

 Having a recipe for the best burger I have tasted in a long time is a real treat. Here is William's recipe....get ready...you may need a paper and a pen for this one.

Ground sirloin/ground beef/ground chuck/tri tip

salt & pepper

It cannot get any simpler. 

Will contends that the less you handle to ground meat the juicer the burgers are in the end and the burgers were so delicious and tasty...melt in your mouth tasty.Generally you would portion 4-5 oz. per person for each burger. Bree size is more like 3 oz. I hope you enjoy! Stay safe out there. .

Bree & Will on her 40th Birthday

Bree's carrot cake for her birthday

please click here to go to my carrot cake recipe with almond milk.

Pickled Asparagus in Hummus???

1 can chick peas (drained and rinsed well)

2 tbsp. tahini

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup veg stock (water will do if you do not have veggie stock/broth on hand)

salt and pepper

3 tbsp. red onion (you can also use any type of onion ... I just happen to have red onion in the house)

3 dashes red hot franks sauce (add more if you want more of a bite)

1/2 cup of pickles asparagus (or just throw in what is left in the jar)

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (vinegar is a good substitute when fresh lemons aren't available)

( I had a jar of pickles asparagus in the back of my fridge forever and I just wanted to be done with keeping it so I decided to add it to my hummus.  Tastes awesome too! The beauty of making your own hummus is that you can add whatever ingredients you have in your fridge...everything seems to work well)

Add all the above ingredients into a food processor and process until the hummus is at the right consistency. Add more liquid if you feel it is too thick.

Hope you enjoy.

Homemade Corn Tortillas by Devon

Yield: 24 Tortillas 

Homemade Corn Tortillas

2 cup of water

2 cup of MASECA 'instant corn masa flour'

Instructions

Combine the MASECA corn flour with the water. Mix thoroughly for 2 minutes until you form a soft dough. If the dough feels dry, add teaspoons of water (one at a time).

Divide the dough into  equal balls of approximately 1 oz. each.  Place the dough balls onto a large plate and cover with a damp cloth to keep the dough soft and moist.

Line your tortilla press with 2 squares of thick plastic.
Place each ball separately between the two plastic squares on the tortilla press and press until each tortilla measures 5 inches in diameter.

Heat a flat skillet on high and cook each tortilla turning 3 times. The first 2 'cooks' are fast and the tortilla actually gets cooked on the 3 turn.

Place tortillas in a tortilla warmer or a casserole dish with a lid and cover the tortillas with a cloth napkin to help keep them soft and warm.

Serve with your favourite fillings.

Some fillings for soft corn Tortillas

guacamole, salsa, sliced peppers, sliced onions, cooked ground beef or chicken, green onions, shredded cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce or anything you have in your pantry

Instant corn masa flour

Rosemary Garlic Marinade for Chicken Kabobs

Yield 10 Kabobs

1 large white onion

1 yellow zucchini

1 green zucchini

16 medium sized mushrooms of choice

10 cauliflower florets (medium size)

3 chicken breasts (marinated for a minimum of 2 hours, please see marinade recipe below).

2 large lemons (reserve the lemon juice for the Kabobs once they come off the BBQ)

Chicken Marinade 

2 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. honey

3 garlic cloves

2 tsp. rosemary fresh, chopped

1/2 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. coarse salt

black pepper

Measure out the above marinade ingredients and add to a large zip lock bag. 

Cut up the chicken breasts into large chunks first and add to the zip lock bag for marinading. Store in the fridge and rotate every time you walk by the fridge. Marinade for a minimum of 2 hours.

Prepare all vegetables first by washing. Then cut up all the vegetables into approximately 1 - 1 1/2 inch cubes.

Once the chicken is marinaded start the process of skewering the vegetables and chicken onto each skewer to make the Kabobs. If using bamboo skewers they must be soaked first in water to prevent them from burning on the BBQ. 
How you arrange the food on the skewers is up to you but we suggest you add a harder vegetable at the end to anchor the food on the skewer. 
Save the left over marinade and once all the food is onto the skewers drizzle the marinade over the kabobs and  BBQ on medium heat for approximately 45 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and at an internal temperature of 170°.

Immediately after cooking, squeeze the juice of 2 lemons over the kabobs and serve.  Enjoy and stay safe out there everyone.

Bruce is a master BBQer

Devon and her older brother Bruce

Pender Harbour for Jenn's 'MARGARITA' bridal shower

The beautiful Bride-to-be

We celebrated Jennifer G's  bridal shower in Pender Harbour yesterday. Thanks to Beau & Victor, Jennifer's best friends and soon-to-be in-laws, who hosted a fantastic shower in their beautiful home in Pender.   

 We are also celebrating being double vaccinated and being able to visit face-to-face with friends and family again.  We have so much to be thankful for! Beau, Shannon, & Julie did such a wonderful job and as soon as they share their Margarita recipe I will post it.  Stay safe out there everyone!

Roddy enjoying the afternoon in Pender

Cody 

Maggie enjoying Cody's ocean front home