There are a few new things that will be happening for Gabriella's Goodies. The first thing, is something that I am very proud of, and very excited about! I have recently opened a Cyber Storefront on Etsy.com, where I have listed a very small amount of goodies for sale. There will be more to come very soon, but unfortunately some things will not be able to be sold because of shipping issues. However, this is a step in the right direction for my business. You can check out my storefront at:

As I have said many, many times, the slow cooker is my bestest friend! It has been so cold here in the northeast that all I have wanted to eat is soup, and I don't even like soup most of the time! But there is nothing better on a cold day that to cozy up on the couch under blankets and eat some delicious soup (especially if it's easy to make)! I found this recipe for a Slow Cooker, Vegetable Minestrone soup, and it looked too easy to pass up. I, of course, edited the recipe slightly, and was so thrilled by the outcome of this soup, that I have to share it, and make it frequently. I think this may become one of the staples in my diet this winter. 

I recently found the website, foodgawker.com...how have I never know that this existed?! All of the photos of the food looks so professional and amazingly tasty. As I was scrolling through, I saw this photo of these rolls that were bright yellow and green, with a crisp white (what looked like cheese) middle. The photo looked so delicious that I HAD to click and see what the ingredients were! To my surprise, the recipe was written in Romanian....thank goodness for Google Chrome, which gives you the option to translate right there. After the recipe translated, I realized that there were definitely some words and phrases that were lost in translation, but I understood what needed to be done, and what they were using. 

Chicken… There are so many ways to cook chicken. Roasted chicken is something that is great for this time of year because it takes enough time in the oven to really warm up your kitchen. Sometimes I choose the lazy way to make a whole chicken, which is just to throw it in a crock pot, but it really does make a difference to take the time and roast it in the oven. If a chicken is cooked correctly, than the skin will be nice and crisp and the meat with be nice and tender.

I have one goal anytime I cook a chicken, maximum juiciness!  No matter which way I cook it, I ALWAYS use an herbed butter to make it very juicy. You want to place the herbed butter between the skin and the meat to get the best results, but if I have extra, then I always put it on top of the skin also.

If you are roasting the chicken in the oven, you want to make sure the temp is set at 350, and allow a cooking time of 20 minutes per pound.  You also want to remove anything that may be inside the chicken before cooking, and rinse the bird out with a little bit of salt water.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp butter

1/8  tsp dried rosemary

1/8 tsp dried Thyme

½ tsp Garlic powder

Pinch of salt and pepper

¼ tsp parsley

4lb chicken

Preheat oven to 350.  Clean out chicken and rinse with some salt water. In a small bowl combine herbs and butter,  mix until incorporated. Then, gently massage the herb butter between the skin and meat. Place in the oven for 20 minutes per pound of chicken. Make sure to baste the chicken at least once half way through the cooking process. Remove from oven when it’s completely cooked and let rest for about 5 minutes to give it time to redistribute the juices. Then, carve and eat J