Well I’m No Cook

Have a hot date or just want to impress a friend? Are you worried about just how to do that? Well, here is a simple recipe that is bound to impress that special someone. This recipe is compound of three food groups: the starch, the meat and the vegetable. For this recipe the starch will be our fluffy mash potatoes, our meat will be roasted chicken and our vegetable will be fresh green beans.

I know you novice cooks are already thinking of the roasted chicken stationed near the check-out line in your local grocery store. And why can’t you just buy boxed mashed potatoes and can green beans? Well, here’s the thing, none of that is impressive. Frankly, I can’t see myself taking pride in a grocery-store bought dinner. So, let’s learn how to make an unforgettable simple dinner for two.

Quality Ingredients

Quality ingredients are the key to any delicious meal. Whether, it’s just for you and your family or for that special someone, having fresh ingredients will make the difference. You will need about two handfuls of fresh green beans, a small bag of russet potatoes and lastly a small whole chicken.

Don’t panic about the chicken, I will give you a recipe for what to do with your leftovers. For now, let’s address the more difficult area to this recipe which is the chicken. If you’re just starting out and you haven’t a clue to what you will need to prepare this chicken, then I’ve got the answers. You will need…

1.      One small cookie sheet pan.

2.      One Roll of Twine

3.      One Can of Cooking Spray

4.      Salt and  Pepper

Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

1 Small Whole Chicken

1 Can Cooking Spray

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Clean out your kitchen sink and then remove chicken from packaging. Place chicken into sink and run cold water over both sides rubbing the chicken vigorously. Open the chicken’s legs and remove the offal’s from the cavity. Rinse out cavity with cold water. Set chicken onto cookie sheet pan. Tuck the wing tips behind the drumstick part of the wing.

Clean hands and disinfect area with bleach.  Take out salt and pepper and salt and pepper both sides and inside of chicken. Be careful not to overdo it with the salt, too much salt will ruin the chicken. Massage the salt and pepper into the chicken. With clean hands, cut a long length of twine. Take the twine place it behind the chickens back, and then go over the wings. Move the twine down the chicken and under the thigh wrap twine around each leg then pull tightly together. Tie ankle of chicken together.

Lastly, spray chicken liberally with the cooking spray and then place pan into preheated oven. Set timer for thirty to thirty-five minutes.  Periodically reapply cooking spray to chicken. (This will create an even crispy skin) To check to see if chicken is done, insert a toothpick or skewer stick into the thigh and breast, if juices run out clear then the chicken is finish, if the chicken has blood in the juices, let cook for ten more minutes or until done.

Mashed Potato Recipe

Ingredients

 4 Large Russet Potatoes

¼ Cup to 1 Cup of Milk

3 to 4 Tablespoons Butter

4 Cloves of Garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Remove about four large potatoes from bag and wash them under cold water. Next, peel potatoes and set peeled potatoes in a bowl full of cold water. (This will prevent your potatoes from oxidizing, also known as browning) On a cutting board cut potatoes into medium sized cubes. In a medium sized pot, fill ¾ the way with water and add salt. Add diced potatoes to the salted water and bring to boil over medium-high heat.

Finely mince garlic and add to pot. Add milk into pot and heat on low heat. (This will infuse the garlic flavor into your milk)

Potatoes are done when you can insert a fork or knife into them without resistance. When their done, cut off heat and strain potatoes. Allow potatoes to rest and dry out a little. (This will allow your potatoes to soak up more milk mixture) Next, mash your potatoes up. You can do this with a masher or fork. Be careful not to over mash your potatoes, which will cause too much gluten to form, leaving you with a glue consistency and not fluffy mash potatoes. Once mashed, add in your butter. Slowly add in your milk mixture a little at a time, folding in the milk in each addition. Do this until the mash potatoes are at your desired consistency. Lastly, salt and pepper to taste.

Green Beans Recipe

Ingredients

2 Handfuls of Fresh Green Beans

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

In a deep pan fill ¾ the way with water, bring to a boil. Cut off stem ends of green beans and wash beans under cold water. Add green beans to water and let cook until beans turn bright green. Remove green beans from pan and set aside. Pour out water from pan and add olive oil. Heat pan on medium heat, then add in green beans. Salt and pepper green beans to taste and allow to cook for about a minute or two. Remove from heat.

Now that every element of your dish is finished it is now ready to be plated and served. These recipes might be simple but the taste is spectacular. Enjoy!