A Pair of Bartletts

Spatchcocked Rosemary Chicken With Olive Oil

Sorry for not being as prepared with step by step pictures for this recipe as I usually am.  We have been in the process of moving and getting settled into a new home, so things have been a little hectic, to say the very least.  One thing is for sure though, when Rob said this was the best chicken that I've made the whole time we've been married (and I've made LOTS of chicken), suffice it to say that I had to share enough to give you the method and the ingredients.   

Those who follow this blog regularly (if that's you, thank you!) will remember the post that I did regarding the "spatchcock" method of cooking chicken.  If you missed that, the posts are in the "categories", so you should be able to find them.  At any rate, this is the only method that I use for roasting a chicken now that I've mastered it.  I LOVE IT!  It's so easy, the cooking time is so much less, and the chicken is SO moist and delicious, no matter what flavor profile that you should choose in the marinade.  

When I got busy trying to get us ready for the move, my beautiful herbs at the other house became a victim of the heat and my neglect of watering them.  So, for now, I'm starting over.  While at the hardware store in our little town this past Saturday, I bought the most beautiful rosemary bush...not a little plant, but a BUSH for $11.99...what a deal!  As the young man at the hardware store was putting it in my car, I couldn't help but start to think of what I would marinate for dinner that night.  I had just bought a whole chicken the day before...so problem solved! 

I usually try and get measurements for you on recipes, but this time, I had so much going and had mixed up the marinade before I could think about noticing what my measurements were (I was not taught to cook by measure but to measure by sight).  But, I have a pretty good idea of what to tell you, so here it is...and trust me, the longer this marinates, the better.  It has a LOT of rosemary in it, but I love that flavor and I like it strong...so if you want to back off a little, feel free.  Make it your own!

ROSEMARY CHICKEN WITH OLIVE OIL

1 cup of very good quality extra virgin olive oil

4 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

3 large cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp. coarse Kosher salt

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp. good quality dijon mustard

4 pound whole chicken, all giblets removed

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except the olive oil.  Whisk them together until well combined.  While whisking, stream in the olive oil until you have an emulsion.  (You can also do this in the blender if you would like, but if you use a blender, add the rosemary AFTER you have blended the ingredients, otherwise, you'll end up with pesto sauce.) 

With poultry shears, turn the chicken breast side down.  Place the shears on one side of the backbone and cut straight up and away from you.  Then repeat on the other side of the backbone.  Once you have cut up both sides, then you should have successfully removed the backbone.  At this point, it is not necessary to remove the breast bones, but I prefer to do it since it makes the chicken lie flat.  It also decreases the cooking time.  If you choose to do this, then just flip the chicken over and use your shears to clip around the membranes and clip out the breast bones.  Maybe one day I'll do a video tutorial on this...

Place the spatchcocked chicken in a gallon sized zip loc (heavy duty) bag.  Pour the marinade into the bag and over the chicken.  Seal up the bag and "squish" it all together to ensure that the marinade gets into every part of the chicken.  Place in the fridge and marinate over night.  

Place the chicken breast side up on a foil lined baking pan that has an edge (to catch the liquid).  The chicken should be flat and look like this:

 Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until the meat is at least 180 degrees on an instant read thermometer.  (It is harmful to your health to consume raw or undercooked poultry...please make sure that you test for doneness!)

Your chicken should be golden brown, succulent and beautiful....here's how mine turned out:

I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did!  I had leftovers tonight and it was even better the second time around (wrapped in foil and re-heated in the oven at 375 degrees).

Blessings!

    

 

Got Toast?

....it laughs in the face of apple butter.  Heaven in a jar...thanks Mom! 

 

Memory Monday--John 14:12-15

 

I dearly love the memory verses from today in our Homebuilders ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship, fka "Sunday School") at church today.  I decided that I would share them with the Memory Monday crowd over at my friend Joanne's blog,  The Simple Wife.  I love that not only is there an accountability as an individual to memorize God's word (which I find through Joanne's blog), but Rob and I have an accountability with each other and other couples in our class to memorize God's word each week.   

The verses this week were found in John 14:14-15 but I have included the previous verses (12-13) for continuity for myself.  The verses simply state:

¹² “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. ¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

The comfort in these verses to me really hits home through verse 13...WHATEVER you ask in MY NAME...God is so accessible to His children!   And how awesome is it that unlike those who are "in the world", His children have access to the Spirit of TRUTH--those who do not know the Lord cannot even receive the Spirit because without that relationship with Him, they cannot truly KNOW Him?  And closing the passage, the Lord comforts us further....I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS! By using the word orphan, it really brings home the true sense of what "aloneness" without Christ really is.  When I think of a true "orphan", I think that is the strongest sense of being "alone" that a person could experience.  No parents....no one.  No true nurturing love.  WOW.  God will not only never leave us, but He will abide with us.  I love the word "abide"....to me it's the opposite of the word "orphan", because to "abide with" me means that my Lord is with me...right next to me, within me.  Again....WOW!

I really pray that the Lord will speak to you through these verses as well.  I believe that this week they just jumped off the page for me....and that is so "like God"!

Abiding with Him,

  

Total Abandon

 

On August 3rd we lost a very special person in our lives...both for me and for Rob (and certainly a host of others).  She stood in the place of my own deceased grandmother at our wedding.  She was our "MeMe" and she was a mother and grandmother to many more than her own biological children and grandchildren.

Our "MeMe" was the mother of my best friend, Sue.  She went to be with the Lord after what we thought would be a successful open heart surgery that she had undergone in the days before.  She was an incredible woman of God with an incredible life story.  She loved the Lord her God with all of her heart, mind and soul...and she'd be very quick to ask you if you knew Jesus....and if you weren't sure, she would tell you how you could in a heartbeat.  And she wasn't just a witness, MeMe was a worshiper.  She adored singing to her God....to the top of her lungs, no matter who was around.  She worshiped with true abandon.  Not many people can honestly say that they can or do worship like this.  

While thinking about her today, an old hymn came to mind that I thought I would share with you.  I pray that you have a wonderful day tomorrow in your place of worship.  And think of MeMe....with her head thrown back and lifting worship to her Lord.  

Missing her,

 

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain

Is God Cutting Your Grass?

WE ARE RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE of the glorious process of shopping for a new lawnmower, which is not really on my top ten of favorite things to do.  But, the yard at our new house is HUGE and it calls for the big guns. Even in the midst of the mundane day to day things like lawnmower shopping (I would rather be shopping for a hundred other things), I love finding teaching from the Lord.  As I was flipping through the DOZENS of Craftsman mowers on the internet (and trying to get as excited as Rob gets over new Craftsman "anything"), I was reminded of one of the great passages in Psalms that is such an incredibly comforting passage in today's wicked world.  

Psalm 37 (New King James Version)

A Psalm of David.

 ¹ Do not fret because of evildoers,
         Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
 ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
         And wither as the green herb. 
         
 ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 
         
 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
         Trust also in Him, 
         And He shall bring it to pass.
 ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
         And your justice as the noonday. 
         
 ⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
         Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, 
         Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
 ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
         Do not fret—it only causes harm. 
         
 ⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;
         But those who wait on the LORD, 
         They shall inherit the earth.
 ¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
         Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, 
         But it shall be no more.
 ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth,
         And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 
         
 ¹² The wicked plots against the just,
         And gnashes at him with his teeth.
 ¹³ The Lord laughs at him,
         For He sees that his day is coming.
 ¹⁴ The wicked have drawn the sword
         And have bent their bow, 
         To cast down the poor and needy, 
         To slay those who are of upright conduct.
 ¹⁵ Their sword shall enter their own heart,
         And their bows shall be broken.

WOW....there is so much to take hold of in these verses!  We live in times that unlike those of the past, the evil deeds of those who purpose themselves to stir up strife "seem" to outweigh the just and the upright, who "seem" to be fewer and far between these days.  But even though it "appears" that Satan (and his many followers) "seem" to think that they have the last laugh, the Lord, the King of Kings, I AM, the Alpha and the Omega....HE and ONLY HE has the final say.  Isn't that comforting?  

We have an incredible advocate in Christ.  He is there to defend and never leave or forsake those who believe in Him as a personal Lord and Savior.   And what a fabulous sense of comfort and security to know that not only will the Lord cut them down like blades of grass, but He laughs at them!  I love to read about the character traits of the Lord, especially when the scripture talks about His laughter.  Rob and I take great pleasure in laughter....and laughter is a natural healer.  It's easy to feel bad when Satan (or his pawns) try and attack your character, your beliefs or just you in general.  But our Heavenly Father can give us peace"which surpasses all understanding"  and He will "guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7) 

God is so good....and having God in our lives makes our lives worth living to the absolute fullest...with heads thrown back, hearts filled with laughter but more than that, hearts filled with the love of Jesus.  And like the song says, He is the peace speaker.....and I know Him by name!  Praise God!  

But knowing all of this is not where the Lord expects us to leave this.  He expects us to PRAY for our enemies as well.  You heard me.....pray for your enemies.  That's pretty hard to do....I find it incredibly difficult to do, but as Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  God did not put the expectation on us as His children to pray for our enemies, if He did not fully intend to give us the strength to carry out that task.  And it doesn't say "some things".....but we can do "ALL THINGS"!

Most gentle reader, if you don't know Jesus or you're not sure how to have a relationship with Him as Lord and Savior of your life, I pray that you will not only find a Bible teaching and Bible believing church home, but that you will consider clicking this link to read more about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings in Christ,