Roast Chicken with Herbed Mushrooms

We just tried this recipe from Tyler Florence.  It was excellent. Next time we plan to try some variations. One thought is to add the bacon halfway through the cook time as it seemed a bit overdone by the end. The main point of the bacon however is to add flavor to the chicken, and it does!

Ingredients:

• 1 (3 pound) organic free-range chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 red onion, quartered
• 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/2 head garlic, about 6 cloves, smashed
• 1 bunch fresh thyme (or dried)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut in 1/2
• 3 pounds whole cremini mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp towel

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl combine the onion, lemon, garlic, half the thyme, and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper and mix it well. Stuff the bird with the mixture. Using 2 (3-foot) pieces of kitchen twine, tie up the chicken: Tuck the wing tips between the wings and the body. Put the midpoint of the twine under the chicken, bring the ends up and around the wings, and pull them tight against the body. Bring the ends of the twine up underneath the legs, wrap the string around them, pull the legs together, and tie them tightly. Place the chicken, breast side up in a roasting pan, and layer the strips of bacon up breast until covered. Scatter over the remaining thyme, drizzle over some more olive oil and season everything with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours; arrange the mushrooms around the chicken 45 minutes after roasting. Baste with the pan juices every 20 minutes. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs should wiggle easily in their sockets.)

Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes to rest. Serve the chicken with the roasted mushrooms and pan juices.

Chocolate Pudding

This is a great dessert to whip up if you only have a few ingredients in your pantry. It is another recipe that we received with the ingredients for our wedding shower. We serve it either with vanilla ice cream or mixed with cool whip. Delicious!

Ingredients:

2/3 c sugar
3 T cocoa
1/4 c corn starch
1/8 t salt
2 3/4 c milk
2 T butter
1 t vanilla

Directions:

Mix sugar, cocoa, corn starch, and salt in saucepan. Gradually add milk, bring to boil over medium heat. Stir constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter.
Chill in refrigerator.

Bacon and Potato Soup (Base)

Found this Bacon and Potato Soup from Allrecipeshttp://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bacon-and-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx?prop31=5.

We tried it and found it to be a great soup base. We plan to try it again and experiment with adding different vegetables and seasonings. How I got around Andy's dislike of onions was to chop them into large pieces and then strain them out after I had sauteed the vegetables. I then caramelized them further and added them onto of my soup when serving. It was actually better this way! I think I will try this in future as well. 

Ingredients: (Serves 4, or Andy and I once)

4 thick slices bacon

1 t olive oil

1/3 c chopped onion

1/3 c chopped carrots

2/3 stalk celery, chopped

2 2/3 c chicken broth

2 2/3 c cubed potatoes

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1/3 c shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 t salt

Directions:

Cook bacon until crisp in Dutch oven; remove and drain well on paper towels. Discard bacon grease and wipe pan well with paper towel.  (*Note, this step was included, I presume, to make it lower fat. But you could keep the bacon fat and cook the veggies in that instead of the olive oil).

Meanwhile prepare vegetables. Add oil to pan and add onion, carrots, and celery and saute until onion is soft, but not brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in broth, potatoes, and cayenne. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes or till potatoes are tender.

Stir in cheese, heat till just melted - do not boil. Chop bacon and add to soup. Add salt (to taste). Serve at once.