Rosemary Marmalade Chicken

This is an excellent one-dish dinner...and it's great for leftovers if you're only feeding one or two people. The best part: it only has a few ingredients, and those aren't very expensive!

You'll need:

1. 5 lb. whole chicken
2. 4 medium russet potatoes
3. 1 large purple onion
4. 2 cups orange marmalade (I used sugar-free to save the calories)
5. 1/4 cup olive oil
6. 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
7. salt and pepper

You'll:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. First, remove the inner bag from the chicken and discard (don't look--it's pretty gross to me!). Then, wash the chicken with tap water inside and out. Set aside.
3. Wash and cut potatoes into cubes, bite-size or slightly larger. Place potatoes in the bottom of a large roasting pan, or 9x13 deep baking dish.
4. Cut onion into wedges. Spread onion over potatoes, and gently toss with your hands to mix them together.
5. Sprinkle potatoes and onions with about 1 tspn of salt and 1 tspn of pepper, or until your little heart is content.
6. Strip the leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary and sprinkle them over the potatoes and onion.
7. Place the chicken, with wings tucked under, on top of the potato/onion mixture in the dish.
8. In a bowl, mix orange marmalade, leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, oil, 1/4 tspn salt, and 1/4 tspn pepper.
9. Spoon marmalade mixture on top of chicken, and put about a tablespoonful inside the chicken (just for good measure).
10. Cover dish with lid, if available, or securely with aluminum foil.
11. Place in a 400F oven, and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until completely done. Cooking time is altered depending on the size of your chicken. For a shorter cooking time, about 1 hour, you can use 2 2-lb chickens. To check for done-ness, cut all the way to the bone after resting period.
12. After removing pan from oven, uncover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
13. With a large serving spoon, spoon some of the juices onto the chicken. Transfer to a serving dish, or serve it in the same one you cooked it in (I certainly did!). Face it--there is nothing prettier than a centerpiece of a whole bird! HaHa! Enjoy. You can serve it with another side dish if you would like. I recommend something green, perhaps a salad.

Nam! Nam!

Ranch House Burgers

These are simple to make, but have a very unique and complex flavor profile. The awesome part is that you don't have to add a hundred different spices to get the flavor--instead, just a packet of mix! I just serve these with a dill spear and some canned baked beans for a complete meal that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish!

You need:

1. 1 lb. ground hamburger meat
2. 4 tbsp barbecue sauce
3. 1 packet of Hidden Valley ranch dip mix
4. 16 dill hamburger chips
5. 2 tbsp flour
6. 2 tbsp corn meal mix
7. Dash of black pepper
8. 1/8 cup vegetable oil
9. 4 tbsp sour cream
10. 4 slices cheddar cheese
11. 8 rings of purple onion
12. 4 hamburger buns

You do:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over med-hi heat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix hamburger meat, 2 tbsp barbecue sauce, and ranch packet.
3. Divide the hamburger meat into 4 sections, and pat each section into a patty.
4. There are several ways to cook these burgers: grill, George Foreman grill, oven, or stovetop. I use a small George Foreman on high. So, the patties each cook for 4 minutes. On a regular grill, you'll probably want to cook them about 5 minutes per side. In a 400F oven, cook them for about 15 minutes, and on the stovetop, cook them over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes per side.
5. While the first round of burgers are cooking, add pickles, flour, corn meal, and black pepper to a ziploc bag and shake to thoroughly coat each pickle.
6. Don't forget to check the burger patties if you are having to cook 1 or 2 at a time.
7. Add coated pickles, in batches, to hot oil in the saucepan. Cook each pickle so that it is brown on both sides (about 1.5 minutes per side).
8. Once browned, place the pickles on a paper towel to drain off any oil.
9. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and 2 tbsp barbecue sauce.
10. Heat the buns for 15 seconds in a microwave.
11. Spread the sour cream/barbecue mixture on all of the top and bottom buns.
12. Place a slice of cheddar cheese on the bottom bun.
13. Atop the cheese, place a hamburger patty.
14. Stack 2 onion slices and 4 fried pickles on top of each patty.
15. Top with bun top. Serve with baked beans for a delicious, comforting meal!

Nam! Nam!

Chicken Stir-fry

I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any easier than this homemade dish that easily serves 4! Serve it with an eggroll (found in your grocer's freezer case) and you have a complete Asian-inspired meal. And, hey--there are so many good-for-you ingredients in this one, too! The vegetable mix I used includes broccoli and pea pods, and something else that I'm not sure about!

You need:

1. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
2. 12 oz. package fresh stir-fry veggies (produce section)
3. 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
4. 1/2 cup sliced purple onion
5. 1 lb. chicken, cut into small pieces
6. 4 cups cooked whole-grain or white rice
7. 1/2 cup orange juice
8. 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
9. 1 tspn soy sauce
10. 2 squirts of ketchup
11. 1 tspn corn starch

You do:

1. Heat oil in large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add vegetables to pan (bell pepper, onion, and stir-fry mix). Cook for 5 minutes, or until veggies are slightly tender. (If you so desire, you can add a can of mini corn, or carrot matchsticks at this point as well.)
3. Add chicken to pan with veggies. Stir frequently and cook about 8 minutes, or until all chicken is cooked.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together orange juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, and cornstarch.
5. Once chicken is cooked, add juice mixture to pan.
6. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
7. Allow mixture to simmer, tossing from time to time, for about 5 minutes.
8. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Nam! Nam!