Greek Chicken and Potatoes

This recipe is so delicious! The lemon and spices and herbs make my house smell so good! This is so simple, but it can make you look like a master chef in the kitchen. The key is to use the Cavender's Greek Seasoning and a whole chicken cut into pieces with the skin ON! Please don't use skinless or it will dry out. If your diet dictates that you can not have the skin, you probably should not be eating a dish that calls for half a cup of oil. OR! Maybe you can forego the diet for one meal! It is so worth the guilt.

Greek Chicken and Potatoes

• 1/2 cup oil

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 2 lemons, juiced or 1/4 cup juice

• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces

• 4 or 5 baking potatoes, cubed
• 1 large onion, cut into thick slices

In a plastic bowl, with a tight fitting lid, mix the olive oil, garlic, 1 tsp Cavender's and lemon juice. Shake to emulsify. Dust chicken with Cavender's Greek Seasoning. Place the chicken pieces in a glass dish. Pour mixture over chicken, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 2-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove chicken from dish and add potatoes and onion. Toss to coat with marinade. Place chicken on top of potatoes and onion. Bake uncovered for 45 min to an hour or until chicken is golden brown and potatoes are tender.

Focaccia Sandwiches

Since it is so hot outside and so hot in my kitchen, I've been looking for some good no-cook recipes. I've used the crock pot more in the last month than all year. I boiled peanuts, cooked roasts, cooked pork chops, etc... all in the crock pot. It puts off much less heat than cranking the oven to 350 degrees for 2 or 3 hours to cook a roast, or boiling peanuts on the stove for 6 hours. Boy Oh Boy! My kitchen was 90 degrees the other day!  So, I came up with this sandwich.

1 Loaf Focaccia, halved horizontally

1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup Kalamata Olives, chopped
1/8 tsp pepper
2 large tomatoes sliced
1/4 tsp sea salt
red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup arugula
8 oz Deli Roast Beef

Mix mayo, basil, olives and pepper in a small bowl. Spread on both halves of bread. Arrange tomatoes on bread and sprinkle with salt. Top with onion slices, spinach and arugula and Roast Beef. Cap with remaining slice of bread. Cut the sandwich into wedges to serve. You could also wrap the sandwich whole and take it on a picnic, boat trip or even the beach and cut it when you reach your destination. (Just remember there is mayo on it and pack it in a cooler.)

You can make up your own sandwich... Ranch Dressing and Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce and Tomato would be an awesome choice too! The combinations are endless!

Twisting Things Up!

This month I've been talking a lot about traditional Southern foods and cooking. Today, I'm changing things up a bit. Summer is here and with the sunshine comes picnic season. "Dinner on the Ground"

Here's a simple sandwich idea featuring a twist on the original Reuben Sandwich.

Twisted Reuben


1/2 cup Coleslaw blend
1 Tbsp. Kraft Horseradish Dijon Flavored Mayonnaise
2 slices Rye bread
6 slices Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Shaved Cracked Black Pepper Turkey Breast
1 KRAFT Deli Fresh Swiss Cheese Slice

Combine coleslaw blend and mayonnaise. Fill bread slices with turkey, cheese and coleslaw.

Take Along In A Picnic:
Prepare as directed, but do not add coleslaw to sandwich. Wrap sandwich; place coleslaw in small covered container. Refrigerate both until ready to pack in insulated lunch bag. Add coleslaw to sandwich just before serving.

That being said... There is still nothing better than the original Reuben, a hot sandwich of layered corned beef, Bavarian Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, Spicy German Mustard and Thousand Island dressing, grilled between two slices of rye bread!!! YUM!!!
 
 
 
See! I couldn't help but go back to the traditional way!

Homemade Ice Cream

Summer is here! School is out! What now? My son is already saying that dreaded phrase, "I'm bored!" This is a great recipe to get the kids moving and cure that boredoom, at least for a little while. AND they get to eat some pretty good ice cream when they are done. They might even want to do more. My son, Elliott has made this time and time again and has even experimented with different flavors. The only problem you should have with this recipe is running out of plastic bags!



What you need:

• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 6 tablespoons Rock Salt or Kosher Salt
• 1 pint size plastic bag
• 1 gallon size plastic bag
• Ice

What you do:

Put sugar, milk and vanilla in the small bag and seal it good and tight. Fill the big bag half way with ice and the salt. Put the small bag inside the big bag with the ice and salt. Shake and roll the bags around for about 5 minutes. Wipe the salt water of the top of the small bag and open carefully. Voila! Ice Cream

Tip:

The ice and salt gets really cold, so give the kids oven mits or a towel to handle the bags.