October 26, 2014
I’ve been busier than usual. Largely driven by school and extracurricular activities, I’ve been joking with friends that I can’t seem to just “relax.” I feel compelled to always be doing something. I decided to change that with what usually is my escapism, cooking. So I planned a quick and easy home cooked meal.
For many years, I struggled with making a roasted chicken, until I stumbled upon a recipe in my cooking journal that’s simply amazing. I’ve posted to my site, both to share and for quick reference when grocery shopping. This would be my starting point for a great at-home dinner.
I made the chicken recipe, making a few modifications, specifically juicing a lemon over the chicken and placing the two lemon halves into the cavity of the bird. I also let the chicken come to room temperature, which helped as it was slightly larger for which the recipe called. I even used a disposable aluminum pan to make cleanup easier.
While in the oven, I added an acorn squash which I cut in half, removed the seeds, salted, peppered, put some margarine on it and drizzled with sugar free maple syrup. That went into the oven with the chicken, as did a forked russet potato to bake.
I didn’t want (or have) red wine from the chicken recipe, so I made a simple scratch chicken gravy from two tablespoons of all-purpose flour, two tablespoons of fat/drippings from the roasting pan of the chicken. The drippings are heated in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking in the flour, and then once the roux is lightly browned, I added a cup of heated chicken stock slowly, whisking continuously. Once I got the thickness I liked, I added some salt and pepper to taste, as the garlic flavor was definitely present from the chicken.
The end result in about 90 minutes of cooking and fairly simple ingredients was a delicious meal, that was satisfying, relaxing, and made several leftover meals for the rest of the week, which should also help relieve some stress in the coming days.
I wanted to share this short story, not as a litany of recipes, but as a reminder, mostly to myself, that it’s the simple things in life that a person enjoys that can levelset priorities, find time for oneself, and help unwind even in chaotic times.
Acorn Squash, Cooking, Delicious, Homemade Gravy, Nom Nom Nom, Relaxing, Roasted Chicken,