Winner, Winner Sunday Chicken Dinner

I am not a fan of chicken usually, it's boring, dry and well, just eh.  However, I do love rotisserie chickens!  I am particularly fond of Whole Foods' rotisserie chickens, but at $9 a pop for a 3 or 4 lb roasted chicken, it's not exactly worth it on a regular basis.  

I recently upgraded my pathetic little 3 quart $14 Crock-pot that I bought 5 years ago, with a nice big 6 quart Crock-pot just for this occassion.  While looking for recipes I kept running across rotisserie chicken recipes and I decided that I had to give it a go.  

First I made a paste with spices that I had on hand and a little olive oil.  Then put some foil balls to hold the chicken up.  This keeps it from cooking in it's own fat and juices - but it makes for a great au jus later!  


Then I gave the chicken a good massage with it over and under the skin.  I shoved an onion in the cavity (I also wanted to add a lemon, but I was out - next time) and we were good to go.  I placed the chicken on the foil balls and set it for 5 hours on high and let it rip!

While the chicken was cooking, I decided to make some home made italian bread and an apple fennel slaw to go with dinner.  Not too shabby, I know!  I later roasted some butternut squash as well.

The results of this were fantastic!  The chicken was juicy and tender and I got twice the meat off of this chicken than I ever do from a store bought rotisserie chicken.  The flavor was terrific and it made for a delicious dinner.  I look forward to making some chicken salads and sandwiches this week as well.  

Next time I might brine the chicken first or marinate it overnight, just for some added flavor.  But otherwise it was fantastic.  I think this will be how I do my rotisserie chickens from now on, sorry Whole Foods!

Slow Cooker "Rotisserie" Chicken
1 5 - 7 lb roaster Chicken, giblets removed, rinsed and patted dry
3 Tbsp Seasoning Salt
2 Tbsp Black pepper
2 Tbsp Garlic powder
1 Tbsp Hot Smoked Paprika 
1 Tbsp Sweet Smoked Paprika
4 Tbsp Herb de Provence
Olive Oil
Onion, peeled, whole
Rosemary sprigs (optional)

These spices are what I had on hand.  I'm pretty sure you could do an array of spices and they would be good.

Make 4 foil balls, about the size of small fist.  Put them in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together (this is going to make more than you need - I used it as needed and kept the rest for next time).  Add a few tablespoons of olive oil until it's a nice paste a little on the wet side.  With your hands, loosen the skin from the breast.  Rub a little of the spice mixture down both sides of the breast under the skin.  Coat the rest of the chicken well with the paste.  Put the onion in the cavity of the chicken.  

Place the chicken on top of the foil balls.  Place the rosemary on top of the chicken and cover with the lid.  Cook on high for 4 - 5 hours, depending on how big your bird is.  You want the internal temperature of the chicken to be 165 degrees.  Serve anyway you like it!  Pour a little of the juice over the chicken when serving - it's really good!! 

Ellis Island

A couple weeks ago I found myself with a much needed day off and nothing really to do.  It was a beautiful day and I was downtown at the Social Security Office (loooong story).  Once I was done, I decided to hop over to Ellis Island.  Every year I make a list of things that I want to do in the city, and this year, I haven't been very good about getting to it.  Between foot injuries, moving, and being busy in general, my list is looking a little sad.  So I decided to take the opportunity while I had it.

The boat ride alone makes this trip worth it.  The views of downtown New York City and stopping by the Statue of Liberty makes my NYC warm and fuzzies come out!  It's easy to forget now and then, but I do live in one of the most amazing cities in the world, and this was one of those days that reminded me.

Walking through the doors of the doors of the Ellis Island's chills went down my spine and put tears in my eyes.  My Great Grandfather, Carl Larson, had walked through these doors as a young man in search of a better life from his native Sweden in the early 1900s.  I began to wonder what brought him here.  I could feel the anxiety of the thousands of people that came through here after making such a hellish journey over sea.  Sick, malnourished, possibly widowed or orphaned, poor, but still seeking a better opportunity than where they had come from.  

I think we, modern day Americans, forget that this country was built on our ancestor's backs.  We have no idea what it's like to live through famines and plagues.  We have no idea what it's like to take every dime we have and take a risk on a new country, where just the journey may kill us.  We complain about seats that are too small in an airplane or how inconvenient all this technology is when it doesn't work when a text doesn't go through or our email isn't working right.  Most of these people never saw their families again, or heard their voices, and letters took months.  Many of them were indentured servants for years, just to get here.  

It was moving to stand where they had stood.  It brought tears to my eyes to think of all the people who started new generations of Americans and created the America that I know today.  I was very proud to have had my own family come through here and I could feel him with me.  I hope that the generations of Americans that he began, made him proud.  

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes with Maple Butter Syrup

This morning was overcast and cold out and it was a perfect day for pumpkin pancakes.  I've never made pumpkin pancakes before, but I have eaten my fair share of them.  I pulled this recipe from several pumpkin pancake recipes that I came across.

Pumpkin Pancakes
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk)
1 egg
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp melted butter (or vegetable oil)
1 1/4 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Maple Butter Syrup
1/4 butter 
1/4 maple syrup

Whisk together milk, egg, sugar, pumpkin, and butter.  In a separate bowl, sift flour and pumpkin pie spice.  Add baking powder and salt to the dry mixture, mix well.  Whisk together the wet and dry ingredients, cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Heat your favorite pancake making pan to medium-high heat.  Add a small pat of butter, or vegetable or oil, to pan.  Make sure your ban gets a good coat of oil.  Drop about a 1/4 - 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot pan.  

While your pancakes are cooking, microwave 1/4 cup each of butter and maple syrup, for about 30 seconds or until butter is fully melted.  Give it a good stir to incorporate.

Once the pancakes start to bubble on top, give it a flip.  Cook another couple of minutes, until nicely browned.  Serve with maple butter and enjoy!

Verdict:  The flavor of these was great!  Very pumpkin pie like.  The maple butter was great on top.  The only disappointing aspect of this recipe is that my pancakes didn't rise much and they weren't as fluffy as I prefer.  I'll definitely try them again and tweak my base recipe to handle the dense pumpkin.