Rotisserie Chicken At Home

You know those nights when you just want to run in your local mega-grocer/pharmacist/home decor/appliance/hardware/tire shop oh the list goes on, to grab a rotisserie chicken and make dinner a bit easier on yourself? Yes. You know those nights. But what if you don't live near said mega giant superstore? Or possibly you may live near the store which must not be named but you refuse to darken their doors for ethical reasons you attempt to keep to yourself. Or maybe you had absolutely no intention of leaving the house at all to begin with and just want dinner to be easier because sometimes things just need to be easy!

If you happen to have the foresight to know its going to be one of those nights, or maybe you came across whole fryers on sale and said young chicken has been chilling in your fridge, here is a super simple way to turn it into a gorgeous golden rotisserie foul that can be used in a number of ways.

Here is what you need to gather:

-One whole fryer (I like Smart Chicken brand but to each their own)
- 3 tbsp. ghee or butter
- 1 tsp. smoked sea salt (regular will also work) plus a little more for the inside of the bird
- 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. herbs de provence
- 6 medium sized sheets of tinfoil
- slow cooker

Now depending on the bird you buy, you might have to remove any innards and truss it yourself. Smart Chicken brand makes it easy...nothing to dig out and they have done the trussing for you. Rinse the bird in cold water inside and out and pat dry. Salt the inside generously. Truss the bird with baker's twine if needed.

Take your 6 pieces of tinfoil and turn them into 6 balls of tinfoil. This is going to elevate the chicken in the slow cooker. Place the balls in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Melt the ghee or butter in a small bowl and add all the seasonings. Mix this and flip your bird over breast side down. Use a basting brush to coat the underside of the chicken. Move the fryer to the slow cooker, breast side up, position it atop the tinfoil balls so that it is not touching the bottom of crock. Continue to coat the bird until you have used all your seasoned ghee.

Set your slow cooker to low if you plan on being gone all day. 6-8 hours on low should do it. Otherwise if its lunch time or later and you just realized that you need to do something about feeding these people who also inhabit your home, set it on high for 4-6 hours.

Once done, move the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes. From here you can do whatever you would normally do with your mega-mart bought rotisserie chicken. Feel free to play around with the seasonings. Making enchiladas out of your bird? Take out the herbs de provence and halve the paprika. Add in some cumin, chili powder, onion salt, and cilantro. You get the idea.

On this particular night I had no immediate plans for my bird. It was a Thursday evening and I knew my kids would be in and out with various activities, so I cooked it and set aside the breasts and drumsticks for them to grab when they were ready. Everything else I de-boned and stored in the fridge to use for tomorrow night's meal. And I may have been snacking while I was cutting it up. I've taken to observing the Catholic practice of no meat on Friday so while my kids and husband will enjoy this chicken with dinner tomorrow, I had to sneak some in tonight.  I'm thinking of making a yummy looking soup I found from Edie over at Life in Grace. I just finished her memoir, All The Pretty Things, and I highly recommend it. I'm thinking her Chipolte Pumpkin Soup sounds perfect for a Friday evening in Fall.

Walk vs. Hike

I've been walking. Not running. Just walking.

A few weeks ago my knee reminded me why regular running hasn't worked for me in a long time. Just when I get back in a groove, some nagging part of my body shuts me down.

So....walking.

I like to move, but move quickly. It takes patience to walk. Even the dog leans forward, pulling (though he's trained not too), straining to pick up the pace. He looks back at me. Why aren't we jogging his face asks. "I can't," I say out loud to him and the pavement and the trees and anyone who will listen. He and I are both happier when we take to the trails and the mountains. There it's okay to slow down. He is off leash and so am I. My mind doesn't race on the trail. It's distracted by the landscape and sounds. It has a job to do. Watch out for rocks, snakes, bears. My brain is simultaneously soothed and stimulated in the woods. It might just be the best form of therapy.

This morning we walked. While the car was being worked on we hoofed it to a nearby neighborhood around a small lake and walked three miles. The exercise felt good, the fresh air felt good, the chill that has finally hit our mornings felt good. But being on pavement, walking past houses, listening for traffic...none of that calmed me. I came away from our walk even more wound up than when I started. Which means its settled. I can no longer walk. I'll just have to hike.

Wordless Wednesday: Arkansas Is Beautiful

Escape

 We escaped one evening last week. Packed up the (fresh from the mechanic) Landrover and took a little drive over to the Caddo river. Our mission: try out paddleboarding for the first time and camp one night. Get some fresh air and enjoy some family time.

A few things I learned during this trip. Don't forget to buy wood if you aren't camping in a heavily forested area. We did and what we could salvage made for a very green fire indeed. Also, premaking breakfast burritos and wrapping them in foil is a genius idea. Then you can just throw them on the coals. I did virtually the same thing for dinner the night before except I used tin pie pans. I chopped up potatoes at home and threw them in pie pans along with butter and seasonings. Then I made hamburger patties, wrapped them in bacon and then wrapped them in foil. They went in the pie pans alongside the potatoes. Foil over all that. These dinner tins went on the coals and after the potatoes were done I took the foil wrapped burgers out and opened them up and they continued to cook over the coals. It was one of the best campfire dinners I've had yet.

 And a very funny sidenote. We were camping at Caddo River Camping & Canoe and it is actually right in the middle of a small town on the river. This was the non-river side view from our campsite. The next morning when Warren was having a devil of a time getting the fire going again for coffee, I broke down and hiked over there for a few McCafe's. I know. I know. Next time I will just have to wait for french press java.

Randomness

The other day I stumbled across Penelope Trunk.

Then I fell down an Internet rabbit hole for a few days.

Fascinating. And not one bit surprising she has Asperger's.

I've also been knitting. A lot.
I'm head over heels crazy about Wool And The Gang.

And running. A little. With my darling husband.

I also visited an iridologist and started an herb regimen.

I miss yoga. I was practicing regularly then all of the sudden I just quit. It makes me really happy so I should be doing it, right?

And yay! My favorite combination of holidays is coming up next week. Thanksgiving/My Birthday! It's a fun fun week.


Have I mentioned lately how much I love homeschooling? I'm going to morph into one of those people that believes it is the best and only way. But I already do that with everything I am into so its not really a big surprise.

I read this darling darling story to my 7 & 8 year old Literature class at our homeschool co-op this past Monday. As a project to accompany the book, I gave them each a small ball of yarn and taught them to finger knit. I was amazed and delighted how quickly and easily they picked it up and how much most of them enjoyed it. The boys especially!

One of those super amazing things about homeschooling is the complete and total freedom it affords you. Can you imagine not having your day revolve around school hours? Just for fun we spent Monday evening at a friends cabin in the middle of Shady. The next morning we took a wee stroll in our pajamas before loading ourselves and the dogs up and heading home to start school. Still in our pajamas. I snapped these as we were appreciating the beauty of the early morning.

 

Hi!

I honestly didn't intend to go so long in between posts. So quick catch up!

 

I went trail running. But its been a few weeks ago. The sunrise is especially

 awesome in the woods this time of year.

 

We did the whole Halloween thing. We hardly ever do this. My kids

can't eat the candy anyways so we usually avoid it. This year they were more

about the dressing up part. Stella had never ever had makeup on before. I think that

was her favorite part.

 

Vampire Princess and Harry Potter.

 

Naturally.

 

Maggie and I dressed as twins. Yep. We are dorks.

 

I took this picture in an attempt to show my sister that I do

indeed have chickens with sexy hair.

 

We went hiking with the dogs and this happened on the way. Allie is

a neurotic car rider. Boss just doesn't care.

The woods were extra beautiful on top of Rich Mountain.

 

We traversed the trail down to a late 1800's stone reservoir that once

serviced Queen Wilhelmina Lodge.

 

 

I'm telling you the colors were amazing.

 

And once you got back up to the top, the sky was pretty amazing as well.

 

 

Stella and I bundled up to watch the last soccer game of the year.

Can I get a hallelujah?

 

I got an early birthday present from Warren. I love real wood products.

 

There were numerous moments over the last few weeks that I have been

ever grateful for the opportunity to homeschool my children.

 

And we are just almost done with the kitchen. It just needs grout and then I can

share the full transformation.

 

Girls night! Stuffed shrooms!

 

My crazy friend Emily, whom I adore.

 

And man oh man! It is cold in Arkansas right now. We're talking tights, flannels, and woolen

socks with coffee in hand at all times cold.

 

See? Cash insisted on doing his math lesson bundled to the max.

 

 

Okay! You are officially caught up.