Donna's Slow Cooked Meyer Lemon Chicken in Garlic Mushroom Sauce and Butternut Squash Au Gratin

All, today is the beginning of Thanksgiving week and tonight's menu echos traditional poultry and vegetables in advance of the big holiday.  I prepared the chicken yesterday and kept it chilled in the slow cooker crock until this morning when I simply placed it in the cooker and turned it on to Low.  I developed the squash recipe from a potato au gratin recipe that we love and was very pleased with the results!  Adding a side salad made an excellent Sunday dinner, capping off a great start to a blessed week of thankfulness and gratitude.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Best, Donna:

Donna's Slow Cooked Meyer Lemon Chicken in Garlic Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

24 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped

2 Tablespoons butter

One 4 pound chicken, gizzards removed and dried with paper towels

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Meyer lemon, quartered

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and turn on low setting.  Heat olive oil in large frying pan and add garlic, stirring until cloves turn golden.  Spoon garlic into bottom of slow cooker and add mushrooms.  Heat butter in same pan and brown the chicken on all sides.  Place in slow cooker and sprinkle salt and pepper on outside and inside chicken, and stuff with lemon wedges, squeezing juice into cavity before inserting.  Add milk to slow cooker and cook for 8 – 10 hours.  Serve chicken with garlic mushroom sauce on top of meat, if desired.

Serves 4.

Donna's Butternut Squash Au Gratin

Ingredients:

6 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and thinly sliced

1 large sweet onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced

3 cups milk

1 egg, beaten

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Mix together squash and onion and place in 9x9 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking oil.  Heat milk in microwave on High for 4 minutes; set aside to cool slightly.  Add salt and pepper, stirring to mix.  To avoid curdling, mix a small amount of milk into egg; then mix egg-milk mixture into remaining milk.  Pour milk mixture over squash and onions in baking dish.  Sprinkle with nutmeg.  Top with cheeses and sprinkle with additional nutmeg.  Place dish on cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender and cheese is golden.  Let cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

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