Thyme Is On My Side

Lets go on a trip.  Just a short trip, like in 2 hours.  Let's go to the Mediterranean, by way of the Midwest.  

I could say this recipe is "Greek" or maybe even "Italian", but it's more "Greek-Italian inspired"

I'm taking Greek flavors and turning my roasted chicken into an alpha plus dinner.  That was a stupid joke, forgive me please. 

Greek-inspired Roast Chicken

1 (4lb) whole chicken

Some carrots, onion, garlic, and celery*

Salt & pepper

For the compound butter:

1/2 stick softened unsalted butter

1 lemon

1 clove garlic

Thyme*

Parsley*

Fresh mint*

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Pinch cinnamon

Salt

Pepper

*the amount to use of these ingredients it up to you.  I had 3 carrots and a few stalks of celery, if you have less you can omit it or whatever. The spices are up to you too, you could heavily season or lightly season.

We are going to make a compound butter, so we're going to take some ingredients and mix it into softened butter.

For the chicken, roughly chop the vegetables and put in the bottom of a roasting pan, or glass dish, or whatever you're going to cook this in, drizzle a little olive oil, salt, and pepper over the vegetables. 

Now begin the compound butter, zest the lemon

Grate the garlic clove

Be sure to scrape the back of the grater, because that's where it's all hiding

Mix the softened butter, lemon zest, squeeze the lemon, grated garlic, and all the other ingredients listed above that are associated with the compound butter

Take this butter and spread it all over the chicken.  Like all over.  Get inside and under the skin all over.  Put it on like a Midwesterner putting on sunscreen on the Equator.  Now put it on top of the vegetables in the pan.

Hey you, you're lookin' good. 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Cook the chicken for 20 minutes.  Turn the pan 180 degrees to cook evenly, cook another 25 minutes.  After that 45 minutes, turn your oven down to 325 degrees.  Cook the chicken for another 35-45 minutes.  Until the juices run clear and it's internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

OPA!

(Spiked) Tea Time

Summer forever on my brain.  I can't wait to have cocktails outside in the sun.  

Ice tea is an essential summer beverage but after 5 PM(or 4, maybe 3...ok 2PM) ice tea needs a little help to bring it from lunch time accompaniment to happy hour poison.  

Introducing a Saturday night creation

Bourbon Raspberry Spiked Tea

1 1/4 oz bourbon

4 oz ice tea

Squeeze of honey*

2 lemon wedges

4-5 raspberries 

Ice

*I used maybe a teaspoon of honey, but you could add more or leave it out

In a shaker, mason jar, vessel with a lid, muddle(or smash with a spoon) 1 lemon wedge, 3 or 4 raspberries, and the honey. 

Before:

After:

Add the bourbon, ice tea, and ice

Put. On. The. Lid. And shake vigorously

Strain over ice or just dump everything from the shaker into a glass...or just drink out of the shaker depending on how many cocktails you've already enjoyed

Garnish with the leftover lemon wedge and raspberries 

Cheers 

Let's Go Back In Time

Warning:

There is going to be a very, very, very strange ingredient in this cake.  I have a few retro cookbooks and some recipes have strange ingredients.  Also, I've heard of mayonnaise in chocolate cake, sauerkraut in chocolate cake, coffee, cola, even vinegar but never have I ever seen a chocolate cake recipe with...

But alas, I can't resist a recipe with a weird ingredient.  So away we go with some chocolate cake with tomato soup. 

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 can condensed tomato soup

In a large bowl sift all the dry ingredients

Sift, sift it good

In another large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients

Working in thirds, add in the dry ingredients

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Pour into a greased pan.  You could use round pans, but I used a 9x13 because this is going to work with the husband so I'm not worried about beauty. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. I baked mine for 32 minutes. 

Jeez looks like SOMEBODY snuck a bite out of the corner...

...sorry

Let this cool and frost with whatever frosting you like.  I don't particularly care for any frosting other than cream cheese frosting, but to each their own.  Frost on. 

Quick cream cheese frosting: 

1 8 oz block cream cheese, cold

1 stick butter, softened

2-2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix until fluffy and spread over the cooled cake

Guys, I'm almost certain I will never make another kind of chocolate cake after tasting this one.  OMG.

Please ignore my windowsill "decor"/junk