Hey! Remember me?  No, I haven't died.  I've just been really busy.  Or, when I'm not busy, I'm recovering!  Things are starting to look up for my little family again.  Several months ago, a flood hit our area.  My partner lost her job because of it.  Really, it's not so bad compared to everyone else (my heart goes out to those who lost their homes), but it was enough of a blow for me to put the blog on the back-burner.
          Kana has a new job now and I'm on my way to a better one now, so I'm actually in the mood once again to share with the world! So, to start things off, I want to give everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving and to congratulate everyone on their Black Friday spoils.  I hope no one died this year.

          I'd like to talk about chickens.  Yes, Turkeys are traditional, but I don't like turkey so I cooked game hens this year! In my opinion, they were way better!

Not a whole lot, but it was just the three of us!

          The hens were cooked using la méthode Robuchon, which I picked up from Pim Techamuanvivit's book.  I swear, I will never cook a bird any other way after having used this method.  So, instead of sharing a recipe, I'd like to share the method.  It's simple, but oh so effective at making your chicken deliciously juicy.
         

la méthode Robuchon

          

          The method really has nothing to do with how you season the bird.  It's all about how you roast it.  Here's how I use it:

Have oven preheated to the right temperature for your size bird. (for my two hens, I had it at 350)

1) Remove the giblets and set them aside.  You can use those for in the gravy later. Then run the bird under cold water.  Wash it inside and out and then pat dry with paper towels. 

2) Using very soft butter, give the bird a nice rub down, coating the whole outside with the butter and massaging it into the skin.

3) Melt about a tablespoon or two of butter in a small bowl and add the herbs you want to use.  I tossed in a liberal amount (at least a tablespoon each) of garlic salt, thyme, onion powder, pepper, and rosemary and stirred it all up.  Then, rub the paste into the butter coated bird.  Go ahead and sprinkle some salt  and pepper inside the bird as well.

4) Stuff the bird well. I used prepared Stovetop stuffing, but feel free to experiment with whatever you like.

5) Here's where the la méthode Robuchon comes into play.  Truss your chicken by tying cooking string around the wings to hold them tightly to the body and then use another string to tie the legs together.  Then place it in the roasting pan on its side, resting on one thigh.  Roast for about 30 minutes.

6) After 30 minutes, rotate the chicken to the other side and pop in for another 30 minutes. Then, turn breast side up and roast until the chicken has been cooked to 165f.

7) Once the chicken has been cooked, remove from the oven and place on a large plate with the tail in the air.  Prop the bird upright, so it wont fall over, and cover with aluminum foil.  Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes so the juices run down to the breasts.  

And there you have it:  la méthode Robuchon.  Try it - love it.  Happy Holidays!

Just to let everyone know I've uploaded some more text only recipes in the dinners section.
I did:
Calzones
Garlic and Thyme Potatoes
Oven Baked Garlic and Herb Roast
Pizza Dough
Spicy Soy Sauce Pork Chops

Yay!

Cream of Broccoli and Rice Stuffed Shells

 I don't know if I truly have a lot to say about these.  It's just another one of those recipes I came up with on a whim that seemed to be a hit, so I wrote down how I did it and now I share it with you.  They are very filling and can be quite tasty when seasoned right.

This recipe makes a lot, so I hope you're either hungry or have a pot-luck to go to.

What you need:

• 3/4 Cup of white rice
• 24 Jumbo Shells
• 1 10 3/4 oz can of Campbell's condensed Cream of Broccoli soup
• 1/2 Can of milk
• 2 Cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tsp Chives
• 1 Tsp Thyme
• 1/2 Tsp Oregano
• 1 Tbsp Ranch dressing
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper

What you do:

1) Start cooking your rice. Follow the package directions, use a rice cooker, or however you are accustomed to cooking rice.

2) Like the rice, use the package directions to cook 24 shells to al dente.  Probably not all shells will survive, but that's ok.

3) While those two are cooking, dump the soup can into a wide pot and add half a can of milk. Turn heat to medium and stir until well mixed.

4) Turn heat down to low and add the cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce has started to thicken. Also, set your oven to 350f at about this time.(If they're not done already, make sure you don't forget the shells and rice! Don't over cook them! And make sure you drain the noodles and let them cool so you don't burn yourself later)

5) Add your seasonings and ranch dressing, a dash of sea salt and a few cracks of the pepper grinder.  Stir well and taste.  Adjust to your liking and then turn the heat off.

6) Add the rice and stir it up real good.  Taste it again.  Still taste good?  Good.

7) Spoon the goop into your shells and place in a 13x9 casserole pan.

8) Sprinkle more cheese on top and pop in the oven.

9) Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

10) Garnish with ranch dressing and enjoy!  (Don't forget to turn your oven off!)

Proper Rice Crispy Brownies

  As I said on my personal facebook page, I guarantee a sugar rush on the first slice.  Now, despite that feeling, this cake is incredibly delicious.  I just recommend sharing it with an entire party and not a whole cake for two or three people.

  I've been wanting to try something like this for a long time.  Also, to be honest, the original plan was to not only have two layers of brownies with peanut butter cream icing and a casing of rice crispy treats, but to have the whole thing coated in a big homemade marshmallow.  But as I was going, my partner and I decided that that would be too much.  It's already a taste explosion as it is.   (Speaking of which, check this out!)

  You'll need to make three things.  First, the brownies.  Then, the icing, which you use to seal the two layers of the cake together and then coat the outside.  I used a modified version of Wilton's butter cream icing recipe.  Then, you encase the whole thing in a rice crispy treat.  I'll tell you how to do the whole thing.  First, with the brownies:

Chewy Fudge Brownies

What You Need:

1 Cup of butter (2 Sticks)

4 1oz squares of unsweetened chocolate

4 Large Eggs

A Dash of Salt

2 Cups of Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Cup of Flour

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350°f

 

1) Melt the butter over low heat in a small sauce pan.  Once butter is melted, add chocolate and stir constantly until melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. 

2) In a large bowl, whip your eggs until they are nice and frothy.  I like to use a hand mixer with the two beaters.  Beat for a few minutes and then add the sugar and salt.

3) Mix the melted chocolate and vanilla into eggs.  

4) Add flour, stir only until mixed.  Usually, when it comes to adding flour, I stir by hand.

5) Grease (or use Wilton's instant cake release) two round cake pans and evenly divide the brownie mix between the two. 

6) Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (I start checking around 20 minutes in)

7)Let the brownies cool before you go popping them out.  In the meantime, you can start mixing up the peanut butter icing!

Peanut Butter Cream Icing

What You Need:

1/4 Cup of Vegetable Shortening

1/4 Cup of Softened Butter

1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter

1 1/2 Cup of Confectioner's Sugar

Milk

What You Do:

1) Cream together the shortening and butter.  

2) Mix in the peanut butter.

3) Gradually add powdered sugar.

4) Start adding milk, a tablespoon at a time while mixing until the icing has reached a nice spreadable consistancy.

5)  Once the brownies have cooled, you can pop them out of their pans and place one on top of the other with a nice layer of icing. Spread icing over the outside of the cake and then start making the Rice Crispy Treats.

Rice Crispy Treats

I probably don't need to explain how to make these, but since I took a picture, I may as well.

What You Need:

1 10oz Bag of marshmallows

5 cups of Rice Crispy cereal.

1/4 Cup of Butter (half a stick)

What You Do:

1)  Melt butter and marshmallows in a pan.

2)  Stir in the cereal.

3) If you were just going to make rice crispy treats, you can press the mix into a mold or a cake pan and allow to cool, but were going to encase our cake with the stuff.

I've found the easiest way to cover the cake with the rice crispy treat is to wait until the mix is just cool enough to bare (don't let it actually harden...act fast!) and use your hands.  Grab a blob and just mush it around until you've created a nice shell. If you have enough left over, and feel confident enough about your cake, you can use it for the bottom of the cake as well.

YAAAY! ENJOY!