Embracing Him

Last year, we decided not to renew our Sam’s Club membership. Because I’ve been getting so many great bargains and freebies via coupon clipping, we no longer felt the membership was worth the money. There’s only one thing I miss about Sam’s Club…the rotisserie chicken! Their whole roasted chicken was moist, juicy, golden brown, and packed with flavor.

I’ve been longing to recreate such a tasty chicken here at home so I decided to poke around online to see if I could find a similar recipe. I finally found one and prepared it for our last Sunday dinner. All four of us ate a juicy flavorful bird and loved every bite of it, so I thought you might enjoy it too.

I suggest allowing the chicken to marinade overnight. Consider stuffing the chicken with additional items such as garlic cloves, celery, or lemon.

Rotisserie Style Chicken
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large roasting chicken (preferably with a pop-up timer)
1 whole onion

In a small bowl, combine the spices and oil. Mix to form a paste. Remove any giblets from chicken and clean the chicken. Rub spice mixture evenly over the chicken and place the onion into the cavity of the chicken. Place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours or until timer pops up.

Photo: Courtesy of Herman Saksano (Flickr)

Once the holidays hit, I abandoned my weekly meal planning. Now that we’re back into our regular routine, I’ve started planning my meals again. Yesterday, I was flipping through the recipes in my binder and came across Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings. I had forgotten how much we enjoyed this simple, delicious, and filling meal! I’ve already included in next week’s meal plan.

Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 onion, chopped
1 (14.75 ounce) can chicken broth (may be a bit more or a bit less)
2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuit dough (cut into pieces)

Place the chicken, butter, soups, and onion in the slow cooker. Fill with just enough chicken broth to cover. Cook on 5 hours on High. Approximately 30 minutes before serving, add biscuit dough to the slow cooker. Cook for another 30 minutes or until dough is no longer raw in the center.

When I prepare this recipe, I usually season the chicken with garlic, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Then I sear the chicken in a pan quickly because I like the seasonings to stick to the meat I place in the slow cooker. I also toss in a bag of frozen mixed veggies to make this meal a “one pot wonder”. In addition, I do not recommend using buttered biscuits as it makes the dumplings too greasy, but I do recommend using low sodium soups and broths which, in my opinion, taste just as good.

Photo: Courtesy of craftyasiangirl (Flickr)

A few years ago, I decided I wanted us to have a special breakfast on Christmas morning. That Christmas, JT and I spent too much time standing over the stove cooking and even more time cleaning up the breakfast dishes. I didn’t think that was any way to spend Christmas morning, so shortly after the holiday I began searching for a low prep, delicious, filling breakfast recipe that would be perfect for Christmas the following year.

My search eventually led me to various recipes for French Toast Casserole and French Toast Souffle. These recipes were perfect because they could be prepared the night before and then baked to golden perfection in the morning.

Last Christmas morning, we enjoyed French Toast Casserole and I’m looking forward to indulging myself again this year. The casserole is a rich decadent delight!  Yes, it has quite a bit of sugar. Yes, it has cream cheese and half and half. Yes, it has nearly a half dozen eggs. But, in its defense, the casserole also boasts fantastic flavor and the rib sticking comfort necessary for a cold and perhaps snowy Christmas morning!

Embellish the recipe if you wish. Raisins, nuts, bananas, and apples would be excellent additions. Once prepared, serve the casserole with fresh fruit and bacon (ours will be microwaved!) and you’ll enjoy a delightful breakfast. What a wonderful way to start the most special day of the year!

French Toast Casserole

5 cups bread cubes
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)

Place the bread cubes in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in half and half, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until mixture is smooth.

Pour cream cheese mixture over the bread; cover, and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake 15 minutes more or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

Photo: Courtesy of Klara Kim (Flickr)