Saint Martha's Hearth

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Change of Plans

Change of plans for dinner tonight. We are having the roasted chicken tonight (instead of a few days ago) that is actually being crock potted. Mom and Grandmother were in town, so we went out to eat a lot. They like to get things in Texas they can't get in Florida!

So, here is tonight's dinner...

Crock-pot Chicken

6 pound Free Range Chicken (bought it at Sprouts), defrosted
1/4 cup of butter, room temp
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 large clove of garlic minced
1 lemon, cut into round slices
1/4 white onion
course, kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

In a crock-pot, ball up pieces of aluminum foil (about 2 inch balls, make 6). Place the foil on the bottom of the crock-pot. Rinse chicken in fresh water and pat dry. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Combine butter, parsley and garlic into a paste. Lightly, pull up the skin on the chicken and rub in the butter paste under the skin all over the bird. Stuff the onion into the cavity (make sure that there isn't any other parts of the chicken in there, unless you want them to be). Place chicken on top of the foil balls in the crock-pot. Finish by placing lemon slices all over the top and sides of the chicken. Cover with lid and cook for 6 hours. The juices will drip down into the bottom of the pan, keeping the bird enact and easy to move to a cutting board. If you do not want the foil on the bottom, just place the bird directly in the pot (and the chicken will sit/cook in it's juices).

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

4 to 6 medium red potatoes, washed and quartered
2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for cookie sheet
1 tablespoon of fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary
1/4 cup minced onions
2 cloves of garlic minced
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine olive oil, pepper, rosemary, onions, garlic and salt with potatoes in a medium bowl. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes, until light to medium browned (depending on how you like them). Serve along chicken.

Sauteed Asparagus with Melted Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts or a marriage of that recipe and this one...with aparagus of course...Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola. I made the green bean recipe for Thanksgiving and it was SOOOO good! Yum!

Blessings,

Stacy

Monday, March 29, 2010

Holy Week Dinners...

Sunday

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Monday

Hazelnut Crusted Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce

Glazed Brussel Sprouts

Tuesday

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon

Wednesday

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan Orzo, garbanzo beans, red onion, basil & mint

Holy Thursday

Dining out, Gammi & GG are in town!

Good Friday

White Bean Soup with Rosemary Pasta

Cracked Wheat Bread

Holy Saturday

Beef Spaghetti

Italian Bread

Spinach Salad

Easter Sunday

Roast Beef

Yorkshire Pudding

Potato Gratin

Prayers

Grace Before Meals
Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thanksgiving After Meals
We give Thee thanks, O Almighty God, for these Thy benefits which we have received from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing of Food
Bless, O Lord this food that it may be an effective and salutary remedy for mankind. For Thy name's sake, grant that all who partake of it may obtain health of body and safety of soul. Thought Christ out Lord. Amen.

Blessing of Bread and Cake
Lord Jesus Christ, Thou the bread of angels, Thou the living bread of eternal life, graciously deign to bless this bread as Thou didst bless the five loaves in the desert; that all who partake of it may have health of body and soul. Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.

Blessing of Cheese and Butter
O Lord, almighty God, deign to bless and sanctify this cheese (or butter), which Thou hast produced from the fat of animals, that whoever of Thy faithful people eat of it may be filled with every heavenly blessing and Thy grace, and may abound in good works. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing of Eggs
We pray Thee, O Lord, may the grace of Thy benediction come down upon these eggs, that they may be healthful food for Thy people who eat them in thanksgiving for the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth with Thee and ruleth for all eternity. Amen.

Blessing of Fresh Fruit
Bless, O Lord, these new fruits (here insert the name of the fruits), and grant that all who eat of them in Thy holy name may obtain health of body and soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing of Poultry
O God, Creator of all things, besides the other kinds of creatures Thou has deigned to produce the species of birds for the use of mankind. With these birds, Noah, as he was leaving the ark, offered Thee an acceptable sacrifice; and when Thy people were being led out of Egypt by Moses Thy servant, Thou gavest a precept that they should eat of these birds, separating the clean from the unclean. We humbly beseech Thee, graciously bless and sanctify the flesh of these clean birds, that all who eat of them may be filled with Thy abundant blessing and may merit to attain the well watered gardens of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing of the Hearth
Lord, God, Almighty Father, eternal Light and Creator of all lights, bless this new fire. Grant that after the darkness of this world, we may come with pure hearts to Thee, the never-falling Light. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.