Special Chicken for Two and Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Well, it's 35 degrees and what better day to make roast chicken.  Seriously, I think I should have my head examined!   Found a recipe in the box called "Special Chicken for Two" and made it for 5.
For a dessert, kept it simple.  I had to dump 2 of my kids on a friend today, so I made some chocolate chip cookies as a bribe.

Special Chicken for Two
1/4 cup chopped parsley (didn't have this in stock)
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp finely chopped mushrooms (I used more like 1/4-1/3 of a cup)
2 tbsp finely chopped cooked ham (again, I used a bit more of this)
2 tbsp soft buter
3 lb roasting chicken

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.  With fingers, loosen skin from chicken breast from neck down to drumsticks.   Spoon butter mixture into this opening and press skin back in place.    Press evenly all over the breast.  Sprinkle inside and out side of chicken with salt and pepper.   Cover with foil and roast at 325 for 45 minutes.   Remove foil and roast for 45 minutes more.

Filling prepared

Filling stuffed under skin, probe in, ready to go!

**I didn't use the temp/times that she called for.  As I was out all day and was very pressed for time to get dinner made, I put my oven on convection (425) and put my handy-dandy oven probe in the breast and programmed the oven to shut down once the breast reached 180 degrees.


Results
Yum!!   I make roast chicken often and usually go with a lemon shoved in the cavity and salt/pepper/butter smeared on top.  This was very tasty and the mushrooms kept it very moist.   I would definitely make this again.   I have a fair bit leftover and have decided to do a bonus Oma meal this week.  Tomorrow I will make Chicken Croquettes.

CRISPY GOODNESS!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - The writing on this recipe card looks suspiciously like Aunt Lucy's (Oma's youngest daughter)

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts (didn't do this)
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat first 5 ingredients until smooth.   Add flour, soda and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips.   Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Aunt Lucy, is this yours?

Results:
Have to admit that I had some misgivings as any time I make chocolate chip cookies, the recipe always involves butter, not shortening.  Also I am wondering if vanilla got missed on this.  But, turns out they were very yummy.   Took more like 12 minutes per batch.   A big hit with kids and especially for Philip who got to lick the beater.

THUMB UP!

Batch #1