Messiest Chicken Roaster Ever!

I've always struggled with getting my chicken roaster to taste as flavorful as I want it to - without adding a whole lot of gravy, that is. I've tried a lot of recipes - lemon basil, brined, butter rubbed - and now . . . Tandoori Rubbed! You definitely have to like Indian flavors and spices to get into this meal - but I thought it was a great alternative to the usual roaster meal. The only thing I wish was that every single roaster came with a pop-up to tell you when it was done. I still haven't mastered the art of being able to tell when my roaster is just done perfectly, but I've adjusted this recipe so that you can try your best at a nice juicy chicken roaster! We made sandwiches with this roaster, but you could also make it into a Sunday dinner by pairing it with something like a coconut basmati rice and vegetables.

Brown Sugar: Good or Bad?

Both!!! This is a trick question because I have answers to both:

What do you do when a recipe calls for brown sugar and you reach into the cabinet and yours is hard as a rock because you either a.) left it open and unsealed or b.) last used it in 2005 when you tried to bake once before ... The first thing you want to try is putting the brown sugar in the microwave. Try your best to measure out the amount you need so that you don't microwave more than you need. This should soften it right up because the only difference between white and brown sugar is that brown sugar has molasses mixed in - giving it the brown color. This also explains why dark brown sugar has a stronger molasses flavor to it - it has a higher concentration of molasses than the lighter version. So what you thought was bad brown sugar is now good again!


Brown sugar is a great ingredient that adds different flavor than white sugar, though you shouldn't be quick to substitute in every recipe. Brown sugar is a moister sugar, it will often make your baked goods more moist. Nutritionally, there isn't a big difference between the two. When you want to substitute, the amounts are equal - so 1 cup of white sugar = 1 cup of packed brown sugar. An important note - "packed" means that you use the back of a spoon to press the sugar down into the measuring cup until you have a completely packed down amount.

Food Fun Friday with the Flinns!

Just over a month ago one of my best friends got engaged and asked me to be her Maid of Honor - with a wedding planned for August 20th, there's lots to do! There is one benefit, and one benefit only, to her living far away in St. Louis during all of this wedding planning: I was invited to attend the catering tasting with her parents since she couldn't!

After being stuck in traffic and arriving almost exactly one hour late, the eating began! So a big thank you goes out to Chef Sean for waiting! A Day to Remember is a catering company based in Methuen, MA - and one of the recommended vendors at The Stevens Estate, where the wedding will be held. One of the most interesting parts of the night was getting to know Sean and the background behind he and his wife's catering company. Of course it helped that we were being treated to delicious food, along with the wine we were allowed to bring along for the evening. One thing we noticed was that, by the end, we were questioning if we had too much food on the menu. The food just kept coming - but Sean made a great point that the guests will not be sitting at a table eating all of the food at once, like we had been doing all night.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate - a match made in heaven

Give me anything that pairs chocolate and peanut butter, and you've made me a happy girl :-). This is why Peanut Butter Blossoms are one of my favorite cookies. I haven't come up with anything new here - in fact, I did a little research and found out that this recipe first showed up in 1957 at the 9th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off! So thank you to Freda Smith of Ohio for creating these cookies over fifty years ago!

Traditionally this recipe is made with shortening instead of butter, but I like using butter in my recipes and I think it tastes just as great!

This recipe makes about 28 cookies - and if you're just making them for at home (not for a party), feel free to throw some of the batter or baked cookies in the freezer to save for another time!

You'll like this dish even if you don't like Onions!

Growing up there was a Christmas parade near my Nana's house every December - all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, we all went to it and had a big family dinner afterwards. That dinner was always "Onion Sauce." I know, it sounds horrible, but I promise it's not. I didn't like onions until I was much older, but I always looked forward to this meal. It's great if you're hosting a big group of people because it easily makes a lot and once you get it on the stove in the morning, you don't have to worry about it until it's time to serve! This is also worked well for today's big snow storm - it's a great winter dish that we all enjoyed tonight!

Onion Sauce
Angus Beef Boneless Chuck Roast (mine was 3.33 lbs)
Lipton Onion Soup and Dip Mix (Two 2-oz. envelopes)
8 medium onions, peeled and quartered
Water
Salt and Pepper
Rigatoni Pasta (the ziti with the lines on it, it works best!)
Grated Parmigiana Cheese