Cooking with Sam – Franklin Living, January/February 2018

Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup of chunky peanut butter

1 cup of Splenda

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Mix peanut butter, Splenda, egg (beaten) and vanilla all together.

Roll dough to walnut-sized balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheet. You will get 15-20. Dip fork in more Splenda and flatten the cookie crossways.

Bake 9-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.

Herb Cornish Hens

2 hens

2 sprigs of rosemary

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

¼ cup fresh parsley

4 cloves of garlic

1 lemon

4 tablespoons butter

Ground pepper and salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine thyme, rosemary, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and butter in food processor.

Pat hen dry and remove giblets.

Loosen the hen skin with your fingers. Place herb butter under the skin; rub herb butter about half under and half on top of hen breast.

Tie legs together and run string around hen. Tie wings to body of hen.

Place on baking sheet, breast up. Cook about 50 minutes.

If getting too brown, cover with a tent of foil.

Happy Roast Chicken

½ cup dry white wine

1 lemon, cut in half

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds

2 teaspoons cold butter, cut up

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon of black pepper

Fresh sage leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 435 degrees.

Pour wine into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and set aside.

Insert lemon halves and garlic into chicken cavity. Tie legs together with kitchen string.

Slide butter under skin of breast. Brush chicken all over with mustard, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to skillet.

Roast 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh registers 170 degrees, 1.25-1.5 hours.

Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Garnish with sage or any green herb.

Delicious Salmon

½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons lemon pepper

2 pounds skin-on salmon fillets

Stir together soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic and lemon pepper in a small bowl.

Put mixture and salmon in large zip-top plastic bag, seal and turn to coat. Chill at least four hours or up to overnight.

Preheat broiler. Transfer salmon, skin side down, to a roasting pan. Discard marinade.

Broil salmon about 6 inches from heat source until lightly browned and flakes easily with a fork, four to six minutes per ½-inch thickness.

Remove from oven and let rest five minutes.

Roasted Carrot Salad

2 pounds of carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally

½ cup of slivered almonds, toasted

2 cloves of garlic, minced

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

4 ounces of honey

4 ounces of Danish blue cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 cups of arugula

1 orange, peeled, seeded and sliced in cubes

1 pear, peeled and cubed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix carrots, almonds and garlic in a shallow baking pan. Drizzle with oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly in pan.

Roast, stirring twice until soft and edges turn brown, about 30 minutes.

Transfer carrots to a large mixing bowl, drizzle with vinegar and honey and toss to coat. Add cheese and cranberries and toss again to combine. Add orange and pear cubes and stir in arugula.

Pineapple Casserole

2 medium cans of pineapple tidbits, drained

5 tablespoons of flour

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1 stick of butter

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers

Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix and fold together first four ingredients and pour into dish.

Melt stick of butter and crush sleeve of Ritz crackers. Mix together and spread on top of pineapple mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees about 30-40 minutes.

Artichoke Hearts and Pecans

2 can artichokes

1 cup low fat cream

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup pecans

¼ cup breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Dash of Tabasco

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Dash of pepper

Place drained artichokes in a casserole dish.

Make cream sauce of flour, cream and butter. When thickened, add salt, pepper and Tabasco and pour over artichokes. Add pecans then top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 300 degrees until bubbly.