A Dip for All Occasions

Well I said the pie would be posted today, but it will have to wait until later.

If any of you are planning on any family get together or summer bbq's this appetizer will be a hit!



Dip It Up
(prep time: 10 minutes)

artichoke hearts
sweet roasted red peppers
1 package Neufchatel cheese (cream cheese)

Drain the oil and water from the red peppers and the artichoke hearts. Place the peppers, 1 can of artichoke hearts and cheese into a food processor and blend until smooth. Slice the remaining artichoke hearts in half long-wise and serve with the dip

A Little of This and That

I love tampering in the kitchen. Sometimes that is how I come up with some of my original recipes. Everyday I cook it's like learning something new.

For instance, last night after dinner I saw that a couple of lemons I had were going to be going bad soon and I decided to use them in a dish. But what? I thought...maybe a pasta dish...a dressing...a mixed drink...then it came to me! A Pie!

I hadn't had a lemon pie in awhile, so I decided that is what I would make. But how?

I preceded to look at a bunch of pie cookbooks and see what I could come up with. There were lemon pies with sour cream, cream cheese, gelatin and whatever else you could imagine. So, now that I saw what most lemon pies include I went about tampering to find my own recipe.

Sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, heavy cream, more sugar, salt.....

You'll have to wait till tomorrow for the rest....I'll have photos and the recipe for this luscious lemon pie.

Fettuccine with Spicy Vodka Shrimp and Vegetables

3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs large deveined raw shrimp, peeled but with tails left on
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp chili pepper flakes, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup vodka
2 small red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 cup fish or chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp grated orange zest
3/4 lb fettuccine
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place half of the oil in a large nonstick heavy skillet and heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add shrimp, garlic, chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, for about one minute or until shrimp are pink and almost cooked through. Add vodka and ignite with a match. Cook, shaking pan, until flames subside. Transfer shrimp and juices to a bowl. Add remaining oil to skillet and heat until hot. Add red pepper and fennel strips and cook, stirring, for two minutes or until tender-crisp.

Transfer to bowl with shrimp. Add stock, cream and orange zest to skillet. Bring to a gentle boil (take care that it doesn't boil over) until sauce has reduced by about half in volume. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return shrimp and vegetable mixture to skillet and heat through. Meanwhile cook fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but firm. Drain well. Return to pot.

Toss with shrimp and vegetable mixture and sprinkle with parsley. Divide among warm pasta bowls or plates and serve immediately.

Southern Comfort Food

When I think back to my childhood and the foods my mother and grandma would rustle up in the kitchen I think of true southern cooking. My dad's family is originally from Texas and my mother from southern Missouri, so I had the best of both worlds when it came to the dinner table.

Now that I am grown, I find myself missing the country and those summer nights eating dinner on my folks deck (now that I am in what I call a partial city). I say partial because I live in a small town (less than 900 people) on the out-skirts of a big city (around 40,000).

I throw myself into my mother's homecooking when I feel this way...These foos are what I call my comfort foods...I think of collard and turnip greens, cornbread, fried chicken, casseroles, fresh pies cooling by the window, picking gooesberries and wild blackberries to make pies with, fried crappie (it's a fish) and hush puppies, fried okra, country fried steak.....I could go on and on.

Anyways, to get to today's recipe I have choose turnip greens and cornmeal dumplings. Now how much southern can you get! This isn't a recipe from my mother's box though, it's from one of my favorite cooks Paula Deen!

Turnip Greens with Cornmeal Dumplings

3/4 pound smoked meat (smoked turkey wings are excellent)
4 quarts water
1 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bunch turnip greens with roots
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon sugar (optional; may be used if greens are bitter)
Cornmeal Dumplings, recipe follows

Place smoked meat in water along with House Seasoning, bouillon, and ginger. Cook over low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Strip turnip leaves free of the big stem that runs down the center of each leaf. Wash in a sink full of clean water. Drain and wash twice more, since greens can often be sandy. Peel and slice or quarter roots. Add greens to meat; cook for another 30 minutes, stirring often. Add roots and continue to cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until roots are tender. (Reserve 2/3 cup turnip liquid for the dumplings.) Add butter and sugar. Serve with dumplings.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Cornmeal Dumplings:
1 cup all-purpose cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
2/3 cup liquid from cooked turnips

Mix all ingredients together. Dipping by teaspoonfuls, gently roll batter in the palms of your hands into approximately 1-inch balls; drop into boiling turnip liquid Make sure each dumpling is completely covered in liquid by shaking the pot gently; do not stir. Boil for about 10 minutes.

The Soups On

Cream of Mushroom Soup
Serves 4

4 tb Butter
1/4 c Onion; Finely Chopped
1/2 lb Fresh Mushrooms; Fine Chop 1
tb Unbleached Flour
2 c Chicken Broth
1/2 c Heavy Cream
Salt & Pepper; To Taste

Melt the butter in a pot and add the onion and mushrooms. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for a few minutes more. Slowly add the stock, and heat, stirring,until it reaches the boiling point. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and season to taste. Reheat before serving.

My favorite food as a kid...and as an adult

When I was a kid my favorite food ever was my mom's homemade mac 'n cheese. Even though I'm grown now, I still can't turn it down.

Mama’s Mac ‘n Cheese
Cook one package macaroni in salted water with three cloves or garlic. Cook al denta. Add 5 tbs. of butter to macaroni and mix.

Mix together 2 c. of milk, 4 tbs. flour, 1 tsp. pepper and 2 tsp. salt.

Butter casserole dish add macaroni and milk mixture. Slice up 1 lb. of cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, American) and place within the macaroni. Sprinkle top of macaroni with paprika.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Top of dish should be nicely golden brown.

A Soup from the Garden

Since summer is coming upon us quickly I thought I would share this recipe from Farmgirl. Anyone that has a garden knows one important fact about squash...don't plant too much or else you will really "be in the squash all summer." I am planting about four hills this summer and I'll be able to harvest plenty from those.

Simple Summer Harvest Soup

2 to 3 Tablespoons good olive oil
2 Large yellow or white onions (about 1 pound), chopped
3 or 4 Sweet red peppers, bell or other shaped (about 1 pound), chopped
3 or 4 Yellow summer squash, such as crookneck or lemon (about 1 pound), cut into quartered slices
6 cups (48 ounces) Homemade chicken stock (or high quality store bought)

Optional garnishes:Chopped chives, sour cream, pesto, chopped tomatoes

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the chopped onions, peppers, and squash. Let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure to cover the vegetables with oil.* Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with the lid cracked, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Using a blender or stick blender carefully puree the soup to desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot or cold, garnished if desired.

*Note: You can skip this step, and your soup will still taste wonderful. Just toss all the ingredients into the pot (without the olive oil), bring to a boil, and follow the rest of the instructions.

Raspberry Creamed Cupcakes

Another beautiful day in the Midwest here. The sun is shining and it's suppose to get to 79 degrees today. It's perfect weather for planting flowers, which I plan on doing after work today. I will be planting some hostas, coral bells and a new rosemary plant I just picked up from a local nursery. I plan on making a post soon about all the uses of rosemary, which is my favorite herb besides chives.

I have lettuce, onions, cabbage growing in the garden and I will be transplanting my tomato and pepper plants soon. I can't wait to start cooking again with plants grown from my own garden. Everthing is so much fresher and tastier.

This recipe is a dessert recipe and I wish I had a photo to follow along with this wonderful recipe. Make sure you get fresh raspberries from a local grower, it makes the cupcakes even better.

Recipe follows:
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
1 1/3 cups water
3 large eggs whites
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 (6-ounce) containers fresh raspberries, cut in half or 1 (16-ounce) container fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for dusting

Line 18 muffin cups with muffin papers. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, water, egg whites, melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a large bowl for 2 minutes, or until the batter is well blended. Using about 1/3 cup of batter for each cupcake, spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake the cupcakes until they are very pale golden on top, about 15 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely on a cooling rack.

Using a fork, coarsely mash 1 1/2 containers of raspberries in a medium bowl. Beat the cream and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in a large bowl until firm peaks form. Fold the mashed raspberries into the whipped cream.

Remove the muffin papers from the cupcakes and cut the tops off of each cupcake. Spoon the raspberry whipped cream atop the cupcake bottoms. Place the cupcake tops on the cupcakes. Dust with more powdered sugar and serve with the remaining berries.

BAM that's good

BAM.BAM.BAM. Isn't that what Emeril says?

This puff pastry will have you begging for more, so get ready. It takes a little time to prepare though so make sure you working men and women have a day to prepare this. I like to do this meal for a weekend party of six.

Don't forget to use some of Emeril's little sayings. For instance...I like to say BAM when I'm throwing in some hot seasonings or I like to say Essences when I'm adding salt or parsley.

Have fun while you are cooking and if you have a significant other or a family cook together. It makes the whole experience great and fun.

Emeril's Crawfish Cardinale in Puff Pastry

1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 pound boiled crawfish tails, or cooked peeled medium shrimp
Finely chopped green onions, garnish
Finely chopped parsley,
garnish Paprika

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each pastry sheet to an 11-inch square. Using a 4-inch puff pastry cutter with middle insert, cut 3 rounds from each sheet, saving the scraps for another use. If you don't have a cutter with a middle insert, you can cut out 4-inch circles and then use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to remove the middle round. Place 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and gently lift off the top and reserve the top. Scoop out and discard the soft inner pastry. Return the shells to the oven and bake until starting to crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove and let cool. In a large skillet or saute pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stirring constantly, cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cream, brandy, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne, and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crawfish tails and cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Arrange the puff pastry rounds on 6 plates. Divide the crawfish cardinale among the pastry shells and place the tops slightly off center. Garnish each plate with the green onions, parsley and paprika.

Happy Easter to All

This recipe comes from a fellow co-worker. She brought them in the other day for me to try and they are out of this world... They have to be the easiest recipe I've ever made and they taste great.

I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Easter weekend with their families gathered around a table full of grandma's famous recipes and loved ones.

Happy Easter ya'll...

Red Pepper Crackers
3 sleeves of "Nabisco Premium" saltine crackers
1 1/2 cups of Canola Oil (must be canola )
1 package of Zesty Ranch dry mix (found with the salad dressing)
3 Tbsp. of crushed Red Pepper

1. Mix Oil, ranch dry mix, and red peppers thoroughly and set aside
2. Open the three sleeves of crackers and put into a large ziploc bag.
3. Pour oil mixture over crackers and close bag tightly
4. Tumble bag GENTLY for approx. 15 min. until crackers are coated with mixture
5. Remove crackers and place on paper towels to dry for 1 hour
6. EAT * Store crackers in the ziploc bag with a paper towel to absorbs the oil.

Tulips - My Favorite Flower

I love this time of the year! Everything is so beautiful and greening up. These are some lovely tulips in my yard.

This recipe is my Grandmother Pat's cupcake recipe. It's to be used when you have surprised quests stop by or need to whip up a quick dessert.

Grandma’s Surprise Cupcakes

1 (12 oz.) cream cheese- softened
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tbl. Vanilla

Whip cream cheese till smooth and fluffy, and add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Put a vanilla wafer in bottom of paper baking cups. Fill ½ full of cheese mixture. Bake 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Spread top with 1 1/2 c. sour cream mixed with ¼ c. sugar and top it off with fruit filling or fresh berries.

A Bread to Make Any Day Better

One of my favorite breads is banana. If you are like me I always have very ripe bananas around the kitchen. And trust me no banana is ever too ripe...

I whip up this simple recipe every once in awhile to satisfy my sweet tooth. It goes great with your morning coffee or tea.

Banana Nut Bread

1/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 ¾ c. sifted ap flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. ripe bananas
½ tsp all spice
1 c. walnuts

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each. Stir in nuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

It Can't Be Zucchini

Well, today is a lovely day in mid-Missouri. The sun is shining, it's a just-right-day with a warm 74 degrees outside, and it's the start to a wonderful new week.

I have got a recipe that will make anyone say, "that can't possibly be zucchini."

My mother-in-law passed this one on to me a couple of months ago and swore you would think that is was apples. She said it would fool anyone. And she was right!

My husband is not an apple eater and he wouldn't even try a piece because he swore it smelled and looked like apples. I finally talked him in to trying the dessert by saying it was zucchini....but when he ate it he said "NO! Those are apples."

I still think he believes this was really apples and not one of my favorite veggies...

Until next time.

Mock Apple Squares

8 c. Zucchini, seeded and sliced like apples
2/3 c. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon

Crust mixture:
3 sticks margarine or butter
4 c. flour
2 c. sugar

Cook the zucchini and lemon juice in medium hot pan, cook till tender. Add sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Take off heat and add ½ c. crust mixture to the pan top thicken the zucchini mixture. Let cool.

Mix crust mixture as for pie crust. Put ½ of crust mixture on bottom of a 12x9 pan and pat down to cover. Cook for 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until lightly browned. Spread filling on top of cooked crust. With remaining crust mix, add 1 tsp. cinnamon. Take remaining crust mixture and sprinkle on top of filling.

Bake 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees and nicely browned on top.

Chives Make Any Food Better

Here are my chive and basil plants. I will be planting the chives this weekend, the basil will have to wait another two weeks though, to be out of danger of frost.

Chives are the most wonderful herb to use. I love the smell of them when and they make a beautiful flower centerpiece. Sometimes I think using natural to decorate the house in the spring and summer makes any gloomy room or day bright and cheerful, and it's cheap.

Chives taste like a sweeter, milder version of an onion, true, but that doesn't make them boring, that makes them versatile! And, although we usually just eat the leaves, all the parts of chives are edible: the bulbs the leaves spring from, the leaves themselves--even the flowers! Toss them on salads for added color and crunch or use them to garnish plates.

Chives grow best in full sun in a fairly rich, moist soil, which is high in organic matter, and has a pH of 6 to 8. Chives will, however, tolerate partial shade and most soil types. Chives should be fertilized several times during the growing season with a balanced commercial fertilizer or bone meal and manure. Although specific recommendations are not available for chives, a general recommendation is to incorporate 50 to 75 pounds each of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash per acre at planting. Sidedress with an additional 10 to 15 pounds of nitrogen two times during the growing season. Chives should be kept well watered and weeded.

Planting and Culture
Chive seed germinate easily, but slowly. Sow seed about 1/2 inch deep in flats containing a peat-based soilless mix. Maintain constant moisture and a soil temperature of 60 to 70 F. In four to six weeks, the young plants can be planted outdoors, preferably after all danger of frost is past. Chives can also be direct seeded outside when the soil is warm, but then few if any leaves should be harvested that first year. Chives may be propagated by simply dividing large clumps into smaller clumps of about 5 bulbs each at any time during the growing season. All plantings should be divided every two to three years to prevent over-crowding. Space plants 4 to 15 inches apart in rows 20 or more inches apart, depending on the width of the cultivator that will be used. Chives are bothered by few disease or insect pests.

Harvesting
Leaves can be harvested after established plants are 6 inches tall. To harvest, simply cut the leaves 2 inches above the ground. Usually, in home gardens or small herb operations, all the leaves of a clump of plants are not cut off at one time. This allows that same clump of plants to be cut over and over again throughout the growing season. In larger operations where this approach is unpractical, the entire clump of plants is cut 2 inches above the ground, but then it takes several weeks before that clump can be recut again. The new growth, however, will be very tender. All plants should be cut regularly to encourage new bulblets to develop, to prevent leaves from becoming tough, and to prevent flower formation.

It's time for planting soon

As I promised I'm posting photos of a few of my seedlings. I start chives, parsley, basil, peppers plants and a few specialty flowers indoors first. I'm a true believer in using fresh herbs in my meals, not saying that I never use dried store bought ones though.

This photo is of my baby pepper plants. I will transplanting them in about two weeks to the garden, which already has four varieties of lettuce and scallions growing.

Stay tuned for new recipes...

Dressing Up Dinner Rolls

Savory Cobblestone Bread

7 oz. Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. Italian seasonings mix
6 tbl. Butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 cans (11 oz each) refrigerated dinner rolls

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Place cheese and Italian mix in bowl and mix well. Melt butter and press garlic into butter. Separate dough into 16 rolls. But each roll into squares and dip rolls in butter mixture, toss into cheese mixture and then place coated pieces in a single layer over the bottom of a greased baking dish.

Bake at 25-30 minutes.

A Tartlet for a Spring Afternoon

Another beautiful day in Missouri. I love to wake up and walk outside (to take the pups out) and feel 57 degree weather at 6:00 am.

Yes, spring is upon us and that means it's time for BBQ parties and family gathering...

Try serving these wonderful tartlets at your next party.



Really Raspberry Tartlets

Makes 10--May Be Doubled

Pastry:
1 cup flour
4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (one stick) butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using an electric mixer, mix together flour, cream cheese, butter, and salt until a dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours). If chilled longer than 1 hour, let the dough warm up at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If you are in a hurry, you can place the dough in the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes.
Divide the dough into 10 balls and place them in a standard size muffin pan. Press each dough ball into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin cup to form a shell. Bake at 350 degrees until nicely browned, about 20-25 minutes. Carefully invert the pan to the remove baked shells, and cool on a wire rack. (Note: the pastry shells can be made a day in advance or even frozen).

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounces (one package) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Approximately 2-1/2 cups fresh raspberries (you can also use blackberries or blueberries)
1/2 cup red currant jelly (optional)

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice. (May be made a day ahead; chill until ready to use.) Spread a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on the bottom of each cooled pastry shell. Arrange the berries on top.

For a more formal presentation, just before serving, heat 1/2 cup red currant jelly in a small saucepan and use a pastry brush to glaze berries with the warm jelly.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. The tartlets will keep for several days in the refrigerator (though they will not look quite as pretty as when first made). The cream cheese filling will soften and almost melt into the pastry shell, giving them a different (but very nice) taste and texture.

Oh Spring, How I Missed You

These lovely flowers mean one thing...

It's spring finally here in the Midwest...I have been waiting for the weather to warm up, the sun to begin to shine bright and to get my gardens ready.

In a few weeks I will be posting some photos of my herb and vegetable gardens. I have rosemary, parsley, lettuce and onions already growing. Plus, I have cabbage, chives, a few special flowers, more parsely, three types of peppers and basil that I have started in my house that are growing well and I will be transplanting in a few weeks, after the threat of frost is gone.

I'll be posting recipes that require some of these fresh from the garden goodies, so be watching for that.

Now, this special cheesecake (which is one of my favorite desserts) is from a farmer's wife in Indiana that bakes and sells all her goodies for extra spending money for herself. We all need some extra spending money to use on ourselves from time to time...

Citrus Cheesecake

1 c. graham cracker crumbs
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. butter, melted
3 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 tsp. grated orange rind
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine graham crackers crumbs, sugar, and butter; pres firmly on bottom on 9 inch springform pan.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. On low speed add milk; mix until smooth.

Add eggs, lemon and orange rinds, and vanilla; mix until blended. Pour filling into pan.

Bake 50 -55 minutes or until center is set. Cool. Chill Garnish as desired. I like to use lemon or orange slices and mint.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO AND LIME

Here is a great recipe from Kalya. Roast Chicken is a great meal for anyone on the South Beach Diet, or any kind of low glycemic or low carb eating plan. This looked so delicious that I started cutting it up before I realized I hadn't taken a photo, so the photo may not do it justice!

This marinade produced delicious, tender, juicy chicken with just a slight overtone of lime and cilantro. You could pour the marinade over and marinate it all day while you are at work, then roast the chicken when you get home for an easy dinner. I ate mine with some brown rice cooked with chile powder and a green salad. You could use the cooked chicken for chicken tacos in low carb flour tortillas. Leftover chicken would also be great on a salad for lunch the next day.

I used dried cilantro in this recipe, which I think is fine in something like this where it is mixed in a marinade. I got the dried cilantro and the Chipotle chile powder. If you have access to fresh cilantro, by all means use it. I buy bags of limes and when they are starting to go bad I squeeze the juice out and freeze the juice for recipes like this.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO AND LIME
1 whole chicken, 4-5 pounds
Marinade:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T minced garlic
2 tsp. onion powder or 1 T grated onion
2 T dried cilantro
1/2 tsp. ground Chipotle chile powder

Remove giblets from inside chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out with warm water. Tie chicken with kitchen string if you will be cooking it on the rotisserie.

Mix marinade ingredients. Put chicken in large ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Marinate 6-8 hours in refrigerator.

If cooking in oven, preheat oven to 450. Remove chicken from marinade and rinse with warm water. (Optional, but I like to rinse off the cilantro so it doesn't burn.) Roast or rotisserie cook about 15-20 minutes per pound. Use instant read meat thermometer to tell when chicken is done. Minimum temperature should be 185.Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.