A Little Chicken

Hello Sweets,

Well it's official, Canuckette's Creations has booked it's first order!  I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous lol, but it's a big step which mean I can only go up :)  For the last 36 hours I have been creating a website (still in progress), and working on a price list so I can price jobs appropriately.  I know this all seems daunting right now, but it once I get this stuff done I'll be sitting pretty ;)

Today I thought I would do a post regarding how I'm seeing myself, like a scared little chicken lol!  I love roasted chicken, and I will be the first to admit that I've bought the pre made kind at the deli counter *slinks away*.  Last week I was craving chicken, a lot, and as I walked by the deli counter I thought to myself "I can do that myself, and better!".  It is more expensive to buy a whole chicken and make it myself compared to the pre made, but you don't know what goes into it (sodium mainly) and you'll never know how to make one on your own.  So I bought a whole chicken, did a little research and
gave it the good ol' college try.  I went into this feeling pretty confident, and kept a positive attitude.  I set out to make a flavorful and moist chicken, something that is harder to achieve than you'd think.  Thankfully I have nothing but positive news to report, and if you follow these simple steps your kitchen will smell just as divine as mine did!

Canuckette's Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

carrots, chopped (not pictured)

potatoes, chopped (not pictured)

2tbs butter

garlic

red pepper flakes

chili powder

coriander

rosemary

olive oil

salt

pepper

 

Directions:
1)  Preheat oven to 425F.  Wash chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels both inside and out.

 

2)  Salt and pepper the cavity of the chicken, then truss (tie the legs/wings together) the chicken.  This is to prevent your chicken from drying out, however I did not do this and mine turned out fine :)  Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then rub all over with the butter.

 

3)  Then season the chicken as you would like.  Place the seasoned chicken in a roasting pan and surround with the carrots and potatoes.  I drizzled a very small amount of olive oil onto the veggies but not too much as the chicken fat will do most of the work.

 

4)  Place the chicken in the preheated oven and bake for 60mins.  Check after one hour, if the legs and wings move easily it is complete.  If it's not done check every ten minutes so you don't over cook and dry it out.

 

5)  Remove the chicken from the oven and set on a cutting board (with grooved edges so the juices don't spill), allowing to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

 

I don't think I'll ever buy a pre made chicken again, this was so moist and juicy and it still was when I had leftovers.  I made my chicken a little spicy because that is my preference, but you can use any spices that you like and make it your own :)  Since I seasoned the chicken so well I didn't need to season the veggies, they absorb the flavors of the chicken and taste AMAZING!

Well this post was a lovely little break for me, I was getting ridiculously stressed about the website and needed a much needed break.  Now that I feel recharged I'm going dive right back into my new little world.  If you're on Facebook feel free to stop by my business page to say hello, follow, or peruse the pictures and maybe even place an order ;)  I also just wanted to take a moment to say a big "THANK YOU" to all of y'all.  Without my faithful readers I don't know if I would have put myself out there, or ever!  Until next time......

Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxo

Stewing With Ideas

Hello Sweets,

Well last night was the first step in moving forward with my little business, and it was more stressful than I anticipated -_-  I am trying to create my website and just like when I was designing my blog I am putting entirely too much pressure on myself, but I just want it to be perfect!  I found the right layout, now to focus on color, pictures, content.....  Ya that is what is tripping me up, lol myself :p  So I decided to take a little break and write a little post for y'all :)

This is the last post from my Texas stash :(, but as the saying goes I've saved the best for last.  For the last two years Nathan has been bragging about his delicious stew, yet until recently we had never made it.  Lucky for me he made it a few days before I left, and I made my deliciously sweet cornbread to accompany it :)  Growing up when my grandfather made stew it was a thicker style broth, the way Nathan prepares it it's more of a broth.  Now don't get me wrong it's absolutely delicious, it's honestly the best stew I've had :)  And now it's time to share with y'all!

  Nathans Super Delicious Stew

Ingredients

2lbs stewing beef, cut into bite size pieces

red potatoes, chopped

onion, chopped

carrots, chopped

celery, chopped

2 cans tomato sauce

Worcestershire sauce

teriyaki marinade

garlic, chopped

parsley

black pepper

salt

seasoning salt

garlic salt

garlic powder

oregano

beef bouillon cube, dissolved into hot water

 

  

 

Directions:

1)   Tenderize meat, season with spices and add marinade and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix well and allow to sit for at least six hours.

 

 

2)  Meanwhile, chop all veggies.  Don't worry about uniformed cuts as it is a rustic meal :)

 

 

 3)  Place veggies into a large cauldron with the tomato sauce and dissolved beef bullion cube.  Keep on a low simmer.

 

4)  Take the beef and place into a frying pan, be sure to save the marinade to add to the broth.  Brown the meat slightly as to not fully cook it, the beef will finish cooking in the cauldron.

 

5)  Add the partially cooked beef to cauldron, also adding the marinade.  Also add in additional seasonings, but not too much because as it cooks you'll taste and adjust. 

 

 

6)   Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covering with a lid to cook for 2-3 hours.  Taste as you go along adjusting spices as needed.

 

7)  Once all the veggies are soft and you've achieved the flavor you're looking form enjoy!

 

doesn't it look so delicious!!

This stew is so good, it's full of flavor and very filling.  I didn't add anything extra to mine because Nathan made it perfectly delicious!!  Once it was paired with the sweet cornbread it was a perfect dinner, not that it needed anything more.  To be honest, this would be the perfect dinner for a cold Canadian night....which is now so I want!!  Lol I don't have any so I'll have to make something else for dinner :(

Now I need to get back to creating my website, but I don't know why I'm having such a difficult time :(  Maybe I just need to remember why I'm doing this, and stop over thinking it.......but if any of my lovely readers has any helpful suggestions they are more than welcome :)  But in the meantime I'll be brainstorming away behind my laptop, until something wonderful hits me :p lol ya I'm cheesy.  Until next time.....


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Soup's On!!

Hello Sweets,

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.  Mine so far has been fairly low key, which is a good thing, but I may get to see a couple of friends tonight for some post birthday laughs!  I talked with Nathan last night, and we've decided that I am still twenty-eight since we have yet to celebrate my birthday together (every girls dream lol), but I really liked the sound of that because he is the one person I do want to celebrate my birthday with!  Now don't get me wrong, I love all my family and friends, but he has a way about him that can make me forget, even if just for a moment, that I'm constantly in pain.  But enough about me, lets get to the meat of this blog, or in this case the chicken lol!!

I don't know about you guys, but the smell of freshly made soup wafting through the house is absolutely divine.  I don't remember clearly who had made soup from scratch in my house, but smelling the soup I am making right now, is giving me a nostalgic feeling that is reminiscence of my childhood.  Soup is really a great dish to make during the colder months, not just because it warms you up inside or is easy to make, but more importantly it stores and keeps fabulously!  You can literally throw in whatever your heart desires, because after all, it is your soup :)  I feel like soup is the "everything but the kitchen sink" kind of meal, because you can go through your crisper, cupboards, and leftovers to create a one of a kind creation, that is completely reflective of your pallet.  Now I made a dumb move, and instead of boiling down the bones into a broth, I threw them out (smh).  A girlfriend of mine (Heather), her boyfriend just got back from deer hunting, so overnight she had made the broth for her soup (yes I am a little jealous but now I know for next time).  So I just ended up using boxed broth.  I know not a great choice, but I did buy the lower sodium, and used all fresh ingredients for the rest (with the exception of my leftover chicken).  As of right now, it has been simmering for just over 35 minutes, and I have topped up the broth and added the noodles, within 30 minutes it will be all done and ready to eat!  Now lets get to this delicious recipe, so all of your homes can smell as savory as mine ;)

Canuckette's Chicken Soup

Ingredients

1/2 Box Whole wheat rotini noodles (or which ever you prefer)

1Qrt Chicken broth (or make your own)

1-2C Chicken, diced

1Tbs Extra virgin olive oil

3 stocks Celery, diced

3 Carrots, diced

2 potatoes, diced

1/2 Spanish onion, diced

Bay leaves

Garlic

Celery Salt

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Whole Coriander, crushed

Oregano

Directions:

1)  In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil, meanwhile dice all the vegetables.  Place vegetables into pot and stir for 3-5 minutes, or until they start to soften.  Then add the garlic (about 1Tsp), allow to become aromatic (about 30 seconds), before mixing into the vegetables.

Before and After

2)  Dice the chicken, add to the vegetables, and top with the broth.  Add all your spices, I didn't give measurements because I don't use them I use my nose (if I had to guess; 4 bay leaves, 1Tsp garlic (after softening the veggies), 1/2Tsp celery salt, 1/2Tsp sea salt, 1Tsp pepper, 1/2Tsp coriander, and 1/2Tsp oregano).  Let simmer for at least thirty minutes, on low to medium heat.

Before and After simmer

3)  While that is simmering, boil your noodles.  I tend to leave them "al dente", because they will cook a little more on the final simmer.

4)  Add the noodles to the simmered vegetables and broth, at this point you'll be able to see if you need to top up the broth, or if you need to adjust the spices.  Let simmer on low for another fifteen minutes at least.

already looks and smells so good!

5)  Remove from heat, and serve, or divide up among containers to freeze and store.  But most importantly enjoy the fruits of your labor.

one for the fridge and one for the freezer :)

Now I like a heartier soup, so I opted out to adding anymore liquids to mine, but I did try some and it is a very nice, mild chicken noodle soup with plenty of vegetables with each bite!  I don't add a lot of salt because some people like it saltier than others, but you can always add this when you make your own bowl. Every time I make a new recipe I always make mental notes, what could I add more of, what can I include next time that I didn't this time.  And this soup is no different, although I think my next adventure will be trying my hand at the McWhorter stew that Nathan and his grandmother make :) I do after all, love family recipes that get passed down from generation to generation, like my grandmothers banana bread, or my grandfathers baked rice.  Perhaps tomorrow I'll do a biscuit or bread to accompany my soup, I guess you'll just have to come back and see ;)

Do you have a favorite soup you like to make?  Or maybe a favorite that someone in your family makes?  I always love hearing from everyone, with suggestions or even just fun facts.  Until next time..........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo