We got some turnips the past two weeks that were from last year, so I decided to make roasted chicken with root vegetables.

I cut up turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions into pieces, and sliced some garlic.  I tossed them in a bowl with a generous drizzle of olive oil, coarse sea salt, and black pepper.

Then I placed split chicken breast halves (with bones and skin) on to two sprayed baking sheets, spaced far apart.  I sprinkled the chicken with coarse sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Then I brushed them with a mixture of olive oil that had a little melted butter mixed in.

I used this really nice Kitchen Aid brush with floppy bristles that my 13-year-old son bought me for Christmas.  (My kids know me so well!)  It’s great for brushing sauce on meat.

Even a small amount of butter makes a huge difference in flavor, so don’t omit it unless you absolutely have to.

Then, I arranged the veggies on the pans, around the chicken, and sprinkled everything with a little bit of thyme.

I baked it for 30 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 450-degrees, until the veggies were tender and the chicken’s juices ran clear (test internal temp for safety).

The vegetables were amazing!  The chicken was good, too, but I am a veggie lover, so that was my favorite part.  The vegetables were slightly caramelized on the bottom and they were so tender and sweet.

I do, however, have some tasty Cinco de Mayo recipe links.  Cinco de Mayo is this coming Wednesday.  Even though it is not a holiday most of us have any reason to celebrate, it is a great excuse to go all out with a tasty Mexican meal.

I am going to make these Easy Chicken Fajitas, from Food & Wine, and my favorite Vegetable Enchiladas, from Everyday Food.  I love that enchiladas recipe!

For dessert, how about some homemade Churros or Mexican Brownies, both from Food Network?  Or, if you prefer, Joy the Baker has a recipe for Tres Leches Cake and a few words about falling in love.

Let’s not forget the drinks!  Pick your poison: Classic Margaritas or Frozen Strawberry Margaritas.

Enjoy the fiesta!

My Easter started out with me remembering that I forgot to boil the eggs for coloring, so I got right out of bed and got to work.  While I was in the kitchen, I made a batch of rolls, which came out perfect, like little fluffy pillows of buttery, bready goodness.

After the eggs and rolls were done, I put the finishing touches on my desserts and prepared the platter for lunch.

Last night, I was looking up how long I needed to cook the ham for, so I could plan a preparation schedule, and I found the best ham recipe ever.  No, I mean ever.  It was so amazing.  And, I had fresh syrup from the sugar house we visited last weekend, which made it all the more so.

The rest of the dinner consisted of mashed red potatoes (with skins), asparagus, corn, sauteed peas and red onions, and of course, those amazing rolls.

Then, the desserts.  I told you before what I was making for desserts, but then I realized that I had nothing chocolate, so I added these  Baker’s Mousse Bars.

Here is the torte that I made with the strawberry and mango sorbets.  The icing is made with whipping cream, powdered sugar, lime juice, and lime zest.  I did not like the icing.  Also, the mango sorbet was too tart for me.  I will make this again, but I will use two layers of the strawberry sorbet and normal whipped cream icing (ie vanilla instead of lime).  Still, it was pretty.

The Vanilla-Almond Fruit Tart, via Kraft, was so delicious.  The crust is made from crushed Nilla wafers and toasted almonds.  The cream is made from instant vanilla pudding, whipped cream (the recipe calls for Cool Whip – yuk), and almond extract.  It was delicious.  (I said that already, but it bears repeating.)

Last, but not least, the Carrot Cake Cupcakes, via Martha.  Oh.  My.  God.  They were so amazingly good.  I cannot even tell you.

But, what’s better than amazing, moist, supremely delicious carrot cake cupcakes?  Amazing, moist, supremely delicious carrot cake cupcakes displayed on my new Martha Stewart cupcake tree from Macy’s.

The photos just can’t do it justice.  (Although, the photo at the Macy’s link above does a good job.)

And here’s a close-up of the star of this little show.

Yum!

So, tell me, what goodies did you have this Easter?

4 green or red bell peppers
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
3/4 cup salsa
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup uncooked converted long grain rice
1 & 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix everything (except the peppers) together.  Cut tops off peppers and clean out seeds.  Fill peppers with filling mixture.  Place in 5 – 6 quart slow-cooker, sprayed with cooking spray.  Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours, until filling is heated and peppers are soft.  Enjoy your super easy, super yummy dinner!  Add a dollop of sour cream for extra awesome.

This week, I decided to get back into the habit of menu planning.  This was not a New Year’s resolution; it’s something I have been meaning to do for a long time.

I was having a hard time coming up with ideas, so I went to a Kraft Kitchens e-mail newsletter and started clicking on links.  I came up with a week’s worth of dinners, made a list, and went to the grocery store.

The first recipe I made was this Slow-Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork.  It uses barbecue sauce and chicken broth for the flavor.  I also added a little bit of the juice from the canned pineapple.

What You Need!

1-1/2 lb. boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked

Make It!

PLACE meat in slow cooker; top with onions.

ADD barbecue sauce and broth; cover with lid. Cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours (or on HIGH 4 hours).

STIR in remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, on LOW 30 min. or until rice is tender.

The recipe calls for a boneless pork loin, but I substituted pork chops because they were on sale for pennies on the dollar compared to the pork loin.  It required a bit more work, but the new kitchen shears I got for Christmas made quick work of that.

I like that the recipe calls for adding the green pepper near the end of cooking.  I never thought of doing that, but I hate how mushy peppers get in slow-cooker recipes.

Tip: cut up the peppers when you are putting everything else in the slow-cooker and put them in a container in the frige until needed.  That way, you only have to do veggie prep once and it’s easy-peasy to throw the chopped peppers, pineapple, and rice in a the end, without having to lug out your cutting board and knife again.

Both my husband and I liked this dish.

Sorry that I don’t have any pictures.  I didn’t realize I would like this so much that I would want to blog about it.