http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/2009/01/vintage-thingie-thursday-small-vintage.html
Baby, It's Cold Outside...so I need and want some comfort food for me and my family tonight.
However, my brain is not wanting to do a lot of planning and I don't want to go to the store.
When I get stumped on what to serve for dinner...I look through my freezer to see what I have... and today, I've got a frozen hen
...so, out she comes for defrosting in the microwave then into the convection oven.
This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens(http://www.bhg.com/) and they rarely let me down...and my Mom used to bake chickens when it was cold...so the smells remind me of those days...so, tonight we'll be trying this dish with a side salad and a small bowl of french onion soup (since it's so cold outside).
http://www.clipart.co.uk/index.shtml
FRUIT-STUFFED ROASTED CHICKEN
- 1 5- to 6-pound whole roasting chicken
- Salt Pepper
- 1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 4-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed
- 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
- 2 medium apples, cored and chopped (2 cups)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 cups cubed French bread (3/4-inch cubes)
- 10 pitted prunes or dried apricot halves, cut up
- 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
1. Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Season body cavity with salt and pepper. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the melted margarine, 2 tablespoons of the dry sherry, 1 tablespoon of the fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of the dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon of the orange peel; mix well. Brush bird with sherry mixture.
2. For stuffing, in a medium skillet cook apples, onion, and celery in remaining melted margarine about 5 minutes or until tender. In a large mixing bowl combine apple mixture with cubed French bread, prunes or apricots, grapes, orange juice, remaining dry sherry, remaining fresh or dried thyme, and remaining orange peel. Mix well. (Stuffing will become more moist while cooking.) Spoon some of the stuffing loosely into the neck cavity. Pull neck skin to back; fasten with a small skewer. Lightly spoon the remaining stuffing into the body cavity. Tuck drumsticks under the band of skin that crosses the tail. If there is no band, tie drumsticks to the tail. Twist the wing tips under the chicken.
3. Place stuffed chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of one of the thigh muscles. The bulb should not touch the bone. Roast, uncovered, in a 325 degree F oven for 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees F to 185 degrees F At this time, chicken is no longer pink and the drumsticks move easily in their sockets. When the bird is two-thirds done, cut the band of skin or string between the drumsticks so the thighs will cook evenly.
4. Remove bird from oven and cover it with foil. Let bird stand 10 to 20 minutes before carving. Makes 10 servings.
WHAT COMFORT FOODS DO YOU MAKE FOR YOUR FAMILY ON AN ESPECIALLY-COLD EVENING?
Isaiah 50:4 The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.
