S a v o r y

Roasted Chicken 

& 

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

 I love cooking chicken and with so many different ways its no wonder this roasted chicken recipe came so easy to me.  It's really a basic recipe that most everyone follows when roasting that week night chicken just with a couple added ingredients.  The thought of roasting an entire chicken on a Wednesday used to frighten me but now it's like making anything else.  Feel free to omit what you will as no ingredient is crucial except of course the butter and chicken.

Ingredient List 

1 orange
1 cup white wine (sweeter the better)
3/4 cup of butter
2 tbs. mayonnaise
2 tbs. sour cream
2 tbs. dry or fresh dill ( I use dry)
Salt & pepper
1 clove of garlic
1/3 cup of buttermilk
Fresh thyme & rosemary
New or golden potatoes 
2 yellow squash
1 whole chicken ( 7 lbs. or so should feed four to six and then some)

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 325. That way it can be warming while you make your dressing.  I cook in a gas oven.  Please adjust according to your location and type of oven.

In a small bowl combine mayo, sour cream, and dill.  Chop one garlic clove and sprinkle with salt on a cutting board.  Run your knife firmly over the garlic salt mixture. Repeat chopping and pressing until the garlic and salt are combined and you have a coarse paste.  Add garlic paste to your mixture.

Spoon out two tbs. into a separate bowl and set aside (this will be used in the rub for your chicken).

With the remaining dressing add 1/3 cup buttermilk and wisk together.  Add a dash of pepper and you have an amazing homemade buttermilk ranch dressing! 

Immediately cover and place in the refrigerator to set for at least one hour.  The dressing will thicken during this time.  With the other dressing set aside add zest from half an orange plus the juice from half an orange. Add in four sprigs of thyme and one sprig of rosemary finely chopped.  Add 3/4 cup of butter. Mix together until clumpy.  Set aside your squeezed orange wedges to use as a cavity filler!

Prep the chicken.  Remove giblets.  Add a spoon full of your chicken rub to the inside cavity. Add all of the orange wedges and a couple sprigs of thyme along with a sprig of rosemary.  Set any remaining thyme in the bottom of the pan around your chicken.  I use a French skillet.  I love using my cooktop pans to bake in and the chicken fit perfectly.  

Rinse off potatoes and chop thick slices of 

squash.  Together in a bowl salt and pepper and place on top of the herbs around the chicken. For the best part.... Pour your rub on top of your chicken and massage into all the nooks and crannies.  Make sure the entire chicken is coated in this creamy goodness! Pour 1 cup of white wine around the chicken over the veggies and your done.  And just a little more salt... 

Cover with tin foil and place in the warmed oven.  Cook for 45 minutes.  Remove foil, turn up the oven to 425 and continue cooking for 1 hour or until you reach an internal temp of 165.

Since you have a dinner in a pot of sorts all I really add to this is some fresh greens with sliced tomatoes drizzled with that amazing buttermilk dressing on the side.. Dinner is served.

Tips:  

• Baste your chicken throughout the cooking process with the juices and white wine.  Just grab a spoon and pour over the chicken and veggies as they cook.
• The sweeter the better the wine... not necessarily what you would drink!
• Choose veggies of choice for your family.
• This Ranch Dressing recipe can be used in so many different recipes or just as a dip.
• taste, taste, taste as you go!  You can always add more seasoning but you cant take away.
• I currently am cooking with organic whipped butter.  There are amazing butters out there that will add more complex flavor that you can use.  I sometimes cook with Kerry Gold which is very rich and oh so good.
• Chopping fresh garlic and adding salt then smashing opens up the garlic flavor tremendously.  I highly encourage this over a garlic press.
• I would pair this dish with a Chardonnay.  Full bodied yet cold and crisp. 

Baked Crab Cakes with Sweet Tartar Sauce

Ingredient List   Crab Cakes 

1 can Claw Crab Meat (picked through for shell).

3 tbs. Mayonnaise

1/4 Large White Onion

1/2 Shallot

2 Cloves Garlic

!/2 Bunch Cilantro (or Flat Leaf Parsley)

Garlic Powder

Old Bay

Salt & Pepper

2 Eggs ( 1/2 cup Egg Substitute)

3/4 Cup Bread Crumbs (Organic if possible)

Dry Dill

1 tsp. Lemon juice  ( Serves Four easily.  Double for a dinner party, or keep the same for app size)

Ingredient List    Sweet Tartar Sauce

1/2 tsp. Sugar

1 tbs. Sour Cream

2 tbs. Mayonnaise

1 tbs. Dry Dill

2 tbs. Relish

1 tsp. Old Bay

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tsp. White Vinegar  (Serving size above)

Preheat oven to 375.  I have a gas oven so plan accordingly.

For the Crab Cakes; Finely chop crab meat removing shell, white onion, shallot, cilantro, and place in mixing bowl.  Pour in egg, bread crumbs, dry dill, lemon juice.  Chop garlic fine and add salt to chopped garlic pressing down on board in between until you have a garlic paste.  Continue process until garlic is combine with salt.  Add to mixture.  Add garlic powder, Old Bay, and salt and pepper.  Don't over do additional salt since you have already combined salt with your garlic.  You can always add more later!  If I left anything out throw that in now and combine with a spoon.  Press down after each turn with the spoon to really get that egg and bread crumb mixture combined.  You want the mixture to be sticky.  If your doubling or making less and you don't have a sticky consistency add a little more egg and keep mixing and pressing.  You can omit anything except for the crab and bread crumbs.. and maybe a little egg.  Remember, I used egg substitute too cut down in the cholesterol. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray foil with Olive oil spray (Pam).  With an ice cream scooper (size is perfect) scoop out mixture  and wipe off sides of the scoop until you have a clean scoop of mixture. Place on your aluminum foiled oiled baking sheet and gently press down until you have a perfect little crab cake.  These will not change in size in any way while cooking so whatever it looks like going down is what you will end up with.  Feel free to mold in your hand until you get that perfect cake.  They should be 1" in height and 2" in diameter for dinner size cakes.  Make smaller of course for apps.  

Place cakes in oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Take out of oven and turn over.  Cook for an additional 8 minutes.  Your cakes are done and ready to enjoy.