So other than being crazy busy with work...there are a couple other reasons cooking & blogging have fallen by the wayside for the moment... those are...

• Put maple syrup, water, cranberries, and Thyme in a large non stick skillet. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for ~10 minutes.
• Using a rubber spatula, mash cranberries to a nice pulpy sauce.
• Add Chicken skillet, spooning some of the sauce over top of it. Cover and cook for ~5 minutes.
• Flip chicken & spoon sauce over it, cover and cook for another ~5 minutes.
• Check you chicken, chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165F (or when you cut it open there is no pink flesh - this is a little hard on this dish because the cranberries can taint the meat, I recommend a good meat thermometer).
• If your chicken is not done yet continue to cook evenly on each side until the temperature is reached, the amount of time this takes will depend on the cut & thickness of the meat you use.
• While you are cooking your chicken take the butternut squash and stab a few holes in it with a knife.
• Place the whole squash in a microwaveable safe dish and microwave for approximately 10 minutes.
• Check to see if it is soft/has give to the touch, if not microwave for another few minutes (3-5 minutes)
• Cut squash in half lengthwise, carefully scoop out the seeds and discard.
• Scoop out the flesh/meat carefully and place it in a bowl.
• Add butter, salt, pepper, and thyme to taste. (I also put in a little cream cheese for creaminess, Greek yogurt works great as well in place of both butter & cream cheese)
• Mash well, heating more in the microwave as needed.
• 
  
• Serve chicken and mashed butternut squash topped with the maple cranberry sauce!

So there's an update & a quick and easy meal!

Hopefully now that things have settled down a little and I'm back to not being quite so tired more recipes will make their way on here!

So we remembered our camera when we went traveling to Indy & Chicago for Thanksgivings with the family....but we forgot the memory card :(   So sadly no pictures of the amazing tasty food that I made. We had 2 Thanksgivings this year, one with my family in Indy and one with my husband's in Chicago - so double the cooking! WooHoo!!!! Let me lay out the menu's from each and I'll * the ones that I made.

Indy Thanksgiving:
Turkey
Ham
White Castle Stuffing (in the turkey)
Bacon Apple Stuffing*
Parmesan Green Beans & Kale*
Mashed Potatoes
Apple Rings
Sweet Potatoes w/Marshmallows*
Canned Cranberry Sauce*
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Chicago Thanksgiving:
Herb Roasted Turkey*
Herb Stuffing*
Green Bean Casserole*
Fresh Cranberry Sauce*
Sweet Potato Casserole
Bread
Cabbage & Ribs
Spicy Cabbage
Pumpkin Pie

I won't be putting up all the recipes (unless you ask for one that I don't put up). But I will share a few with you.

First...
 Herb Roasted Turkey
This is one of those you can play with it and do whatever you want in the way of spices etc. kind of recipes!

I took half a bunch of fresh parsley and roughly chopped it. I put that in a bowl and added dried sage, dried thyme, dried dill, some sea salt and a generous amount of fresh black pepper. Then I poured olive oil in it, enough to mix it well and have a decent sort of paste (you could put it all in a food processor or small blender and pulse it until you have a smooth paste...but my MIL did not have a food processor!). Then I loosened the skin of the turkey away from the meat carefully at the opening of the body cavities, loosening the skin all through as much as I could access with my hands, or a chopstick, including the drum stick. Then I took the paste and spread it liberally all over the meat under the skin. I then rubbed the outside of the turkey with any remaining paste and some more olive oil. I then put the stuffing in the body cavities and trussed the turkey, placed it on the v-rack in the roaster breast side down and slide it into the oven (which was set at 325). I roasted it breast side down for about an hour and a half. Then I took out the Turkey, flipped it and placed it back in the v-roaster, poured some chicken broth (you can use turkey stock if you have any!) over it and put it back in the oven for another 2.5 hours. I ended up putting a tinfoil tent over around hour 1.5 so that it did not become too crispy/brown. The turkey needs to reach an internal temperature of 160 F when tested at the thickest portion of the thigh. The Turkey turned out super tasty and very moist and full of the wonderful herb flavor!

Parmesan Green Beans and Kale (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered (about 14 mushrooms)
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and slice into 1-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine 
• 1 bunch Kale (1/2 pound), rinsed, stemmed, and roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
• 1/4 pound finely grated Parmesan 

Directions

Dilled Green Tomatoes (adapted from the Ball Blue Book)
Yield: about 6 pints

Ingredients:
5 pounds small firm green tomatoes
1/4 cup canning salt (yes this is different than regular salt - it can be found in the canning section of a store)
3 1/2 cups vinegar
3 1/2 cups water
6 or 7 cloves of garlic
6 or 7 heads of fresh dill (or 1/4 cup dill seeds if you cannot find fresh dill)
6 or 7 bay leaves

Directions:
Wash tomatoes, drain.
Core tomatoes, then cut into halves or quarters.
Place in pot.
Add salt, vinegar, and water in a large pot.
Bring to a boil.
Pack tomatoes in hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.
Add 1 clove garlic, 1 head of dill (or 2 teaspoons dill seeds), and 1 bay leaf to each jar.
Ladle hot liquid over tomatoes, leaving 1/4 inch head space
Remove air bubbles
Adjust 2 piece caps
Process 15 minutes in boiling-water canner.

These pictures are of the amazing Roast Chicken & Vegetables that I made the other day...

Honey Dijon and Lemon Roast Chicken with mixed Roast Vegetables

Ingredients:

For the chicken: 
1 whole chicken thawed
2 lemons
8 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons Honey Dijon Mustard
1.5 tablespoons of olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Some pinches of Kosher Salt
Some pinches of Black Pepper
1/4 cup of white wine

For the vegetables:
3 potatoes - thinly sliced
2 leeks - white part only
2 large carrots
8oz (2-3 large handfuls) Brussels Sprouts
1 sweet yellow onion
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 lemon
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
A large pinch Kosher Salt
A large pinch of Black Pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400
Take thawed chicken and remove any gizzards in the body cavity. Rinse the entire chicken in cold water, place on a plate or cutting board and pat dry. Gently lift skin of chicken away from the body, start at the neck or rump area. Make it so that you can slide your fingers between the body and skin. Do this for both the breast side and the bottom.
Mince 4 cloves of garlic add leaves of 2 sprigs of Thyme, 2 sprigs of Rosemary, and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Put entire mixture in a mortar for grinding or in a plastic bag and roll it with a rolling pin. Crush to release flavors and oils. Put spice mixture in a small bowl. Add Honey Dijon Mustard and Oil, mix well.
Take the rub mixture and rub it into the chicken meat underneath the skin. Get as much of the body of the chicken covered as you can without tearing the skin.
Next slice one lemon and quarter the second.
Place lemon slices under the skin of the chicken.
In the cavity of the chicken place the quartered lemon, 4 whole cloves of garlic, 2 whole sprigs of Thyme and 1 whole sprig of Rosemary.
Tie the chickens legs together and tuck in the wings.
Place chicken in roasting pan or dutch oven breast side down.
Place in oven. Cook for about 20-30 minutes uncovered.
Remove Chicken from oven and turn so the breast side is facing up.
Add the wine to the pan, pouring over the chicken.
Return to oven and cook for another 30 minutes.
If the chicken skin is getting to brown either put the lid on (if using a dutch oven) or make a foil tent if using a roaster.
Check the chicken.
Cook chicken until a meat thermometer put in the thickest part of the breast reads 165.
Remove from oven, let sit 5 minutes, then transfer to a platter and serve.

After you have flipped the chicken begin prepping vegetables.
Slice potatoes
Cut off the green part of the leeks. Then cut the leek in half lengthwise. Then cut the leek into 3 inch sections with a diagonal cut.
Slice the carrots the same way.
Cut off the bottom/stem of the Brussels sprouts and then cut the Brussels sprouts in half.
Peel the onion and then cut into quarters.
Slice the mushrooms (or buy the already sliced ones like I did)
Place all the veggies on a cookie sheet (the kind with the little edge/lip)
Scatter a large pinch of kosher salt and pepper on the veggies.
Pour oil over the veggies and mix them so they are coated.
Place the whole sprigs of Thyme and Rosemary in with the veggies.
Slice the lemon and place slices on the top of the veggies.
Put veggies in the oven with the chicken and roast for 15-20 minutes or until just tender.
Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then serve as a side with the Chicken.


Happy Eating!