Cast Iron Splayed Roast Chicken

Just when you thought you didn't need yet another

way to roast a chicken I give you this one. 

The reason I love it is because I can have

 a roast chicken for dinner in half the time. 

The skin is crispy all over and the inside is 

cooked evenly and juicy. Plus I get to use my

favorite pan, the cast iron skillet. 

Here we go. First put a 12" cast iron pan in 

 the oven and turn it on to 425º to preheat. 

Rinse the chicken inside and out. This was

a Purdue roaster, about 4.5 pounds. Dry the 

outside all over with paper towel. Squeeze

a lemon over the outside and inside, then 

tuck the lemon wedges in the cavity. I 

also added a few herbs from my garden. 

Next, you need to splay the chicken. 

Cut through the skin where it attaches 

between the leg and the breast. Then 

break the bone so that the legs lay flat. 

Drizzle with olive oil and rub it over the skin.

Season generously with salt, pepper, and 

you choice of seasonings, I added ½ t 

paprika this time. 

 Carefully remove the preheated HOT skillet from

 the oven and put the chicken in the pan. You'll

 hear a nice ssss! sear!

 This method allows the legs to cook

 evenly with the breast. Put it back in 

the oven for 45 minutes. You can prep it 

however you like, just be sure to use oil

all over the outside and season. 

Remove from the oven and press down on the

 lemon to release any juice, then tilt the bird

 so all the juices in the cavity go into the pan. 

Allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

Serve with pan juices.   

 Remember to save all the bones for chicken 

soup. I also had enough leftover chicken to 

make chicken salad this week. It's 2 more 

 reasons why I love roast chicken for dinner. 

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Easy Mini Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

If you just can't get enough pumpkin flavor.

These mini rolls are a yummy treat 

with your morning coffee.

Not really a recipe so mush as a few 

simple instructions. 

 You need a tube of crescent rolls, pumpkin
 butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice or
 cinnamon. I found the pumpkin butter at
Trader Joe's. 

 Unroll the dough and press the seams together.

Spread evenly with pumpkin butter. Sprinkle 

evenly with brown sugar and pumpkin spice. 

You really don't need to measure 

anything. Just eyeball it.

 Cut into rounds. Dental floss works great for this. 

Be sure it's unscented, of course. Put into

a greases pie dish. 

Bake until golden. Glaze with frosting if desired. 

Mini Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

 1 tube crescent rolls

¼ C pumpkin butter

3 T brown sugar

 1 t pumpkin spice or cinnamon

~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Unroll dough into one large rectangle, 

pressing seams to close. 

3.  Spread pumpkin butter evenly over the dough. 

4. Evenly sprinkle brown sugar.

5. Evenly sprinkle with pumpkin spice or  cinnamon.  

6. Starting with short side of the rectangle roll up

 into a log. Using string, dental floss, or a serrated

knife, cut the roll into 10 sliices. Place slices, cut 

side down, in a greased in a 8 x 8 pan or a pie dish.

7. Bake 14-18 minutes or until golden brown. 

     Let cinnamon rolls cool in pan for 5 minutes.

8. While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the

    cream cheese frosting. In a medium bowl, stir 

    together cream cheese and butter until smooth. 

    Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and 

    milk. If the frosting is still too thick, add a 

    little more milk and whisk until smooth.

9. Spread frosting over cinnamon rolls and serve! 

Frosting

½ C powdered sugar

1 T butter, soft

1 T cream cheese, soft

 1 t milk (enough to thin)

a few drops of vanilla

Enjoy!

tip: You can also try this using apple butter.
Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Simple Spinach and Avocado Salad

Simple, healthy, tasty lunch.

spinach leaves, avocado half, drizzle of olive oil, 

spritz of lemon juice, garlic salt and a grind of

 fresh pepper. No fuss delicious.

Enjoy!

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