Why is it a bit intimidating to make a whole roast chicken or a pot roast? It seems like a lot of work, but I found that it can be quite easy and the results are a savory roast chicken or succulent pot roast filling your home with wonderful smells! Here are twin recipes with 4 ingredients each:
Roast Chicken w/ White Wine & Rosemary
A Whole Chicken
1 & 1/2 cups of warm water mixed with a level Tablespoon of Reduced Sodium Better Than Bouillon (Chicken)
2/3 cups of white wine
Sprigs of fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 400
Step 1. Remove neck and giblets from inside of chicken and discard. Then rinse and pat dry. Next, place chicken in a large pot (dutch oven), breasts facing down.
Step 2. Mix the warm water with a level Tablespoon of the RS Boullion, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and 8 cranks of pepper. Next pour this mixture along with 2/3 cup of white wine over the chicken. You then place four rosemary sprigs in the liquid.
Step 3. Roast the chicken for 30 min. then flip the chicken over and roast for 45 more minutes or until a meat thermometer placed in a thigh reads 165 degrees.
*To thicken the gravy you can remove about a cup of the liquid and whisk in 2 Tablespoons of flour. You then microwave this combo for 1 min., whisk it some more, then stir it back into the pot.
*Serve with rice and roasted vegetables or whatever you like and garnish with more fresh rosemary sprigs.
Pot Roast w/ Red Wine & Thyme
This mouth watering pot roast recipe was adapted from one I got from my dear friend Margy Coleman in Chicago. Here’s what you’ll need:
2-3 lb boneless chuck roast
1 & 1/2 cups of warm water mixed with a level Tablespoon of Reduced Sodium Better Than Bouillon (Beef)
2/3 cups of red wine (Chef Margy says the better the wine the better the results:)
Fresh thyme sprigs
Optional: 1-2 lbs of small potatoes and a bag of baby carrots
Preheat oven to 350
Step 1. In a dutch oven heat a tablespoon of oil over med-high heat. Add roast to a large pot (dutch oven) and brown for about 5 min. on each side sprinkling generously as you go with garlic salt and pepper.
Step 2. Stir in broth mixture, wine and 4 thyme sprigs. Cover pot and roast at 350° for 1 & 1/2 hours.
Step 3. Turn roast over, stir liquid, then add carrots and potatoes, (opt.) and roast covered for 1 more hour.
*Garnish with more fresh thyme leaves (after discarding original sprigs) and serve with lots of french bread to soak up the delicious juice!
My husband wants a salad every night! (I swear I live with a bunch of rabbits!) Anyway this delectable Sweet and Blue Spinach Salad is a perfect complement to either the roast chicken or the pot roast.
A Little Known Fact about Depression/Anxiety and Cooking!!!
According to Behavioral Neuroscientist Dr. Kelly Lambert of the University of Richmond, regularly making or doing things with our hands (cooking, gardening, creating an art piece, etc.) ignites the “Effort-Driven Rewards Circuit” in our brains, which in turn significantly reduces depression and anxiety! We are doing less and less of these types of things in our instant society today so let’s reverse the trend: get cooking and be happier people!
Check out Dr. Lambert’s podcast : mikemahler.com/podcast/episode-17-lifting-depression-author-kelly-lambert-phd
Colorful Sayings
“Your goose is cooked,” “You’re a dead duck,” “You’re in hot water,” and my personal favorite, “You’re up $%#&* creek without a paddle”—these are all colorful ways of saying, “You’re in big trouble sister!” Gotta love it!