How to: Truss a chicken

With the chicken facing away from you start by putting your cooking twine under the chickens legs.
Then cross the strings forming an X

Pull the X down toward the butt (facing away from you) and pull tight

This will close the legs for you. Bring each piece of twine around the sides of the bird

Make sure you tuck the wings under the twine so they don't pop out during cooking.

Tie the string placing the knot over the neck opening of the bird. This will keep it sealed during cooking.

Tie it up in a pretty bow

And you have a beautifully trussed chicken ready to be roasted!

Vodka Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons vodka
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoons fresh basil

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the vodka and cook until the sauce reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Stir in the cream and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
6. Stir in the basil and remove from the heat.
7. Top your favorite pasta with the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan/Romano cheese.

Pictured served over gnocchi and breaded veal.

Roasted Herb chicken

1 Whole chicken
1 stick unsalted butter semi softened
2 sprigs rosemary - stemmed
3 sprigs thyme - stemmed
1 large sprig tarragon
7 cloves garlic
1/2 shallot
4 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch crushed red pepper
1 lemon juiced
1 White onion chopped to 1" pieces
3-4 yukon gold potatoes chopped into 1" pieces
1.5 cups celery chopped into 1" pieces
2 Cups chicken stock
1 Cup white wine
3 tbsp corn starch
4 tbsp cold water
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450. In food processor combine, butter, olive oil, 2 sprigs rosemary, thyme, garlic, shallots, crushed red pepper, 1 pinch pepper, 2 pinch salt. Mix until all ingredients are chopped and combined in butter. Wash chicken. Starting near the head of the chicken loosen the skin. Begin placing herb butter under skin making sure to reach all the way to the end and down the sides. Truss chicken coat outside with her butter and place in roasting pan. Scatter potatoes, celery and onions around chicken. Cover with stock, wine, salt, and pepper. Halve lemon and juice over chicken. Place halves in pan and drop in remaining rosemary and tarragon. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and flip bird and roast for another 30 minutes this will crisp the skin on both sides. Flip one final time and roast continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Remove when temperature is close to 170. Cover bird for about 15 minutes and then carve. Dish out vegetables and remove herbs and lemon. Strain excess fat out of roasting pan. Place roasting pan on burner (or pour juices into a soup pot) and bring to a boil**. Season generously with salt and pepper. Combine cornstarch and cold water and add slowly until sauce thickens (not heavy like a gravy just slightly thick). Remove string. Carve chicken and cover in sauce.

** Note, if you don't have enough juice left in roasting pan add some chicken stock. Also some people may prefer to strain their liquid before making the sauce to remove all the bits, I do not do this).

Thickened sauce

To carve breast meat start in the dead center of the bird and let your knife follow the bone down the side. You will have 2 perfect size breasts.

Turkey Tacos

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon onion flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup El Pato Mexican tomato sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large skillet combine the turkey, onion flakes, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt and water. Cook thoroughly on medium heat until no longer pink, approximately 10 minutes.
2. When the turkey is brown add the El Pato. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes or until your desired consistency. Turkey can dry easily so do not cook the liquid all of the way out.
3. Serve in fried corn tortilla taco shells, or soft flour tortillas and your favorite taco toppings.

Mississippi Mud Cake

INGREDIENTS
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ bag miniature marshmallows

Icing:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
9 tablespoons milk
1 ½ pounds confectioners' sugar
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
2. Combine the sugar, salt, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Bring the butter, oil, cocoa, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add to the flour mixture.
3. Beat together the eggs, baking soda, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to the chocolate mixture, mix well, and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
4. While the cake is baking, make the icing by melting the butter in the cocoa and milk over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the confectioners' sugar. Slowly mix in the nuts and the vanilla.
5. Take the cake from the oven, and when it cools a bit cover it with miniature marshmallows. Pour the warm icing over the cake and the marshmallows. Cool the cake before serving.

Grilled Asparagus

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch of asparagus
olive oil
salt
pepper
lemon herb seasoning

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat grill.
2. In a pot of boiling water add salt and asparagus and cook for 2 minutes to blanch.
Remove asparagus from pot, and plunge into a bowl of ice water, to cool. Pat asparagus dry.
3. Drizzle with oil, salt, pepper and lemon herb seasoning to taste. Put asparagus on a heated grill. Grill for about 5 minutes, turning over half way through.

Grilled Halibut

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound halibut steaks
Pam for grilling cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
1. Spray grill with cooking spray. Heat grill.
2. In shallow dish mix lemon juice, vegetable oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Add fish and turn several times to coat with marinade. Cover dish and refrigerate 10 minutes.
3. Remove fish from marinade and reserve remaining marinade. Cover and grill fish on medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning once and brushing with marinade, until fish flakes easily with fork. Discard any remaining marinade.