Dinner, meal, supper, feast, informal spread.

So who is hungry?  And not have a clue what to make?  Even after just two months of marriage, I still come home at night and slump in the kitchen looking through cabinets, the fridge, the freezer, more cabinets, looking for something to make.  So I have decided to help, both myself, and you (whomever you may be!) come up with something new to eat.  So, whatever you call the meal you eat between the hours of 4:30-??? (Yes, sometimes I am so famished that dinner is served at 4:30), let's eat!  Come back each week (Mondays except for, ya know, today, Wednesday) for a new delicious recipe.  Taylor and Michael approved.

Bon appetit!

Roasted chicken with mediterranean vegetables

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (4-5lbs)
1 red bell pepper, quartered
1-2 zucchini, cut into large chunks
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered
1 lb new potatoes
8 garlic cloves, whole and peeled
1/2 lemon
Sprigs of fresh thyme
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

So, forewarning...I do not cook with exact measurements.  I cook with the things I like and add more of it and add less of what I hate.  This recipe called for eggplant, but I hate eggplant (a ruined experience of eggplant parmesan that I would like to repress, but I just can't), so I switched it out for zucchini.  The recipe called for 8 cloves of garlic, but I put in about 12.  Garlic...mmm...garlic.  The fun of cooking is to make it your own and be creative.  So, hate fennel?  Use onion.  Hate peppers?  Use more potatoes.  OK, moving on...

How to:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
2.  Take whole chicken and pat it dry.  Place in a large roasting pan and lightly coat with olive oil and pepper.  Place 1/2 lemon and a few sprigs of thyme inside.  Place chicken breast-side down and roast for 30 minutes.
3.  Remove from oven and flip chicken over to breast-side up and add potatoes.  Roast for 30 more minutes.
4.  Remove from oven once again and add vegetables, garlic, and a few more sprigs of thyme to vegetable mix.  Roast for 30-50 more minutes occasionally stirring vegetables.  (Note:  To know when chicken is done, pierce meat between breast and leg and juices should run clear.  If the juices are pink, keeping cooking at 10 min increments till clear).
5.  Serve with rosemary garlic bread or anything else you like.  Yum.

This recipe is so easy and yummy.  Perfect for cold winter nights.  Enjoy!