Boursin Roasted Chicken

FRIDAY!! Hip-hip-hooray!! For some reason, I have been a day ahead all week in my mind. I hate when I am so excited that it is Friday only to look at a calendar and realize it is in fact Thursday. Not to mention this week was the first week back in school for the girlie's since the 3-week-we-were-sick-the-whole-time-trackout. So, needless to say, our sleep schedule hasn't adjusted yet...just in time to change the clocks this weekend.

Anyway...
I made this recipe before the plague descended on our home. It was un-freaking-believable! This recipe is easy enough to make weeknights or fancy-pants enough for guests. If you have never had Boursin cheese, you are missing out! It is a super creamy, herb-y, garlic-y cheese that makes an appearance at our house A LOT. You can buy it most anywhere, but I have found the best prices for it to be at Trader Joe's, Costco, or Sunflower Market. The cheese makes such a luscious coating to the chicken, leaving it super moist and flavorful. Then the sauce that is left on the bottom of the baking dish is to die for. OH, btw, that is not lumpy mashed potatoes you see there, it is lumpy Mashed Cauliflower (doin' the whole low-carb/Paleo-ish thang)...I do not have an immersion blender (gasp) or a food processor (double gasp).
Anyway...
Definitely give this recipe a try...it is amazing!

Boursin Roasted Chicken
Recipe Source: Emeril Lagasse

• 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) whole chicken
• Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
• 2 (5.2-ounce) packages Boursin Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or shallow casserole dish with the oil.
Rinse the chicken well under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken well, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the prepared roasting pan and place 1 whole block of cheese inside the cavity of the chicken. Cut the remaining block of cheese into fourths and pat 1/4 of the cheese spread over the breast portion of the chicken. Allow the remaining 3/4 of the block of cheese to sit out at room temperature while the chicken is roasting.
Place the roasting pan in the center of the oven. After about 10 minutes, once the cheese has softened and begun to melt on the top of the chicken, remove the pan from the oven, and using the back of a spoon, spread the Boursin all over the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown on top.
Remove the pan from the oven and turn the chicken over so the back is now facing up. A small amount of cheese will probably begin to ooze out of the chicken cavity at this point, so take a bit of it and spread it all over the back side of the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the back side of the chicken is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven one more time. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and turn the chicken over again, so the breast is once again facing up. Continue to cook until the chicken is done, 20 to 30 more minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a knife at one thigh joint and making sure that the juices run clear.
Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a platter or cutting board. Set aside, loosely covered with aluminum foil. Carefully remove and discard as much rendered fat from the roasting pan as possible. Add 1/2 cup hot water and the remaining cheese to the roasting pan. Remove any remaining melted cheese from the cavity of the chicken and add to the roasting pan.
Carve the chicken into serving pieces, allowing the juices from the chicken to run onto the platter. Add the juices to the roasting pan and mix well with the Boursin, drippings, and water. Serve the sauce spooned over the carved chicken.
ENJOY!

This recipe has been linked at:
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
The Country Cook
Jennifer Cooks

Hump-Day Confessional

photo courtesy of stock.xchng

I have to admit, I am LOVING the Hump-Day Confessionals! I love sharing bits-o-me and LOVED hearing your confessional as well! So, come on, join the fun and confess some fun/serious/quirky/scary/fabulous things about yourself!


I confess...We are moving in less than 60 days. Our adventure in Raleigh has come to a close and I honestly could not be happier about it. I really did not like it here. I never really plugged in here. We opened ourselves up to where we should move next. We have been beaten about the head with signs that we should move to Austin.

I confess...I believe in signs with all my soul.

I confess...I have about 4 loads of laundry folded on my dining room table waiting to be put away. It has been there for 2 days.

I confess...My. Ears. Are. Still. Freaking. Plugged. I am so over it.

I confess...I was so very sad to tell my daughter's teacher yesterday that we were moving. She was the ONE person I dreaded telling. I will never be able to find the words to tell her how very much she has meant to us. I think she should just move to Austin too!

Your turn!


This post is linked up at:
New on U Monday Confessionals

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

It is about this time of  year that I CAN'T WAIT for summer and grilling weather.  I am sick of the heavier-type comfort food and am ready for the lighter fare you get when the temperatures are soaring.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and immediately put it on my menu for the week.  I am so glad I did...it was AMAZING!  I paired it with some veggie kabobs that I brushed with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and seasoned with some herbs, salt, and lemon pepper.  Seriously fabulous!

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs
Recipe very slightly adapted from:  Allrecipes

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
• 3 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 TBSP minced Fresh Rosemary
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp White Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper, or to taste
• 5 skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts - cut into 1 inch cubes

In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, and pepper.  Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

This recipe has been linked at:
Jennifer Cooks
The Country Cook
Simply Sweet Home
Tidy Mom

Hump-Day Confessional



photo courtesy of photo.xchng

 Hello...remember me?  It has been forever!  I have been sick, sick, sick.  And my kiddos have been sick, sick, sick.  Basically, the past month has been one of the longest of my life!  We ALL got eye/ear/sinus funk about 5 days apart.  My ear has been plugged for 3 weeks now.  I have been on antibiotics, steroids, Sudafed, Zyrtec.  I have tried Ear Candles, Peroxide, frog urine....just kidding...unless it would be rumored to work, then I would totally try it.  Anyway, so that is where I have been.
So, my friend Ashley started doing a "Monday Confessional" on her blog and I absolutely LOVE it, so I am totally stealing the idea! I think it is a great way to get to know me a bit more. Some will be serious, some fun, some probably a little TMI....but it is all the glory of me, lol!

Hold on tight cause here we go!!!

1. I confess....I love to make up songs. Songs about nothing...songs about whatever I am doing at the moment...songs about what I am trying to make my kiddos do. Sometimes I will be in the middle of a of a conversation, and I will just finish it in song. All I need to do is add-in some swanky dance moves and jazz hands and I would be a freaking walking musical. My poor children.
2. I confess...At this moment, I have approximately 7 pairs of underware dangling off my bedroom ceiling fan. I am not even sure how it happened. Maybe some sort of leap-year gag? Perhaps an underware gnome thought it would be HI-larious to see the look-o-shock on my face last night when I went to bed. But I was a smooth operator. I just looked, shook my head, and walked out. HA! I will show them.
3. I confess...I am honestly starting to get freaked out that my ear is going to stay plugged forever. Have you ever gotten sick for so long you start to forget what it was like to feel well? That is how I feel.
4. I confess...I really, REALLY want a French Bulldog. Like, really bad. I want to get a girl and name it something obviously French-like. Maybe Coco or Odette or Eloise or Esme. Thoughts?  Any other really really French names I am missing? 
5. I confess....I returned $85 dollars worth of groceries to Trader Joe's this week. I cleaned out my pantry to rid it of all the stuff we are not eating anymore. At first, I was going to throw it out or perhaps donate it. Then I remembered that Trader Joe's has an AWESOME return policy. So I called them and explained we aren't eating sugar or higher carb items and could I return 3 bags of groceries from my pantry. They said yes, so I did. I still felt chumpy about it though, so I drove to the one on the other end of town so I wouldn't be known as the "crazy lady who returned a pantry load of food" when I go in to the one by the house.

So, come on...join in the fun...what do you have to confess today?

My VERY Favorite Chocolate Cake with My VERY Favorite Frosting

It is spectacular.
It is rich.
It is moist.
It is perfect.
Chocolate Cake is my ULTIMATE dessert.  Like last-meal-on-earth favorite.  This chocolate cake is true perfection.  Topped with that crazy icing made with flour that tastes like a cross between whipped icing and the filling of a Ho-Ho.  Maybe I should have called this a deconstructed Ho-Ho Cake.
This is one of those things I really wish I could just make one for each of you just so you could try it.  So, please, please, pretty please try this cake. 

My VERY Favorite Chocolate Cake
Recipe Source:  slightly adapted from Hershey's

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick baking spray.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. 

My VERY Favorite Frosting
Recipe Source:  Pioneer Woman - Tasty Kitchen

• 5 TBSP Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.
Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.

This recipe has been linked up at:
Jennifer Cooks
The Country Cook
Simply Sweet Home
Tidy Mom