My brilliant, beautiful daughter is celebrating her 29th birthday againnnnnn today,,,hurray! I wish you great love and joy every day of your life Sweetheart!
I’d like to take credit for creating in her a ‘foodie’ inclination…but I must admit that whereas I am on the ‘comfort food’ end of the foodie scale, Lindsay is way more adventurous than I am. Anyone who enjoys spaghetti squash in place of pasta has my admiration. She has also begun to enjoy the health benefits of gluten-free eating. This past summer she tested a new concept of weekly deliveries of farm fresh produce right to her door…what a marvelous idea! The entrepreneurial farmer would deliver early in the morning once a week, a wide variety of whatever fruit and vegetables were being harvested, plus a homemade loaf of bread. Talk about saving a trip to the local farmers market! http://fromthefarmerdc.com/
This is a photo of her birthday dinner that she whipped up while waiting for Hurricane Sandy to make landfall north of Washington DC. I wish I could have shared it with her…what a gorgeous meal! Roasted chicken and roasted brussel sprouts and turnips… served on Royal Worcester …accompanied by a glass of Cotes du Rhone. A beautiful celebration of the eye for a special celebration of the heart!
Lindsay prepared her roasting chicken by rubbing the following seasoning mix all over the inside and outside of her bird…we’ve been using Grandma’s poultry seasoning for almost 40 years now…and I’m sure Grandma used it many more years before that! Since her origins are Hungarian, the slight hint of cinnamon very much gives it an eastern European flavor. In addition, Lindsay slivered garlic cloves and planted them underneath the bird’s skin in strategic spots. She then peeled and cut the turnips into the bottom of the roasting pan so that the bird’s juices would help flavor them. Then into a 400 degree oven to roast for an hour while she prepped the brussel sprouts.
After peeling away the coarse outer leaves, Lindsay coated the brussel sprouts in olive oil and sprinkled them sparsely with salt and pepper, then roasted them next to the chicken for the last 40 minutes of oven time. Voila! I’m impressed by how artfully she presented her meal on her lovely china. I’m sure such sustenance, and of course a sip of the Cotes du Rhone, helped her while away the time while the hurricane swept past.
And of course, she is her mother’s daughter, because I happen to know that today she made a chicken soup from the leftover chicken bones and skin!!!
Happy Birthday my darling daughter…and may the legacy of Grandma’s roast chicken always have wonderful memories for you!
Grandma’s Roast Chicken (or Turkey) Rub
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. This makes enough for one 8 lb roasting bird. After rinsing the poultry inside and outside, pat dry and rub the seasoning all over the outside and sprinkle inside the cavity. Reserve the neck and gizzard for a soup (or freeze them). Cut a small onion in half, stuff into cavity along with a handful of parsley and a whole lemon (which you’ve squeezed hard to releases the juice, then pricked all over with a sharp paring knife). Roast the chicken, breast side down so you don’t have to baste, in a roomy roasting pan for 1 1/2 hours in a moderate 350 degree oven.
A roasting chicken smells delightful and your whole house will be so aromatic!
You won’t be able to resist nibbling on the crispy skin….delish!
I make a large batch of this poultry seasoning and use it for months, stored in an airtight jar…not only on chicken, but our annual Thanksgiving turkey as well. This is also the seasoning I use to flavor the stuffing. Simply multiply measurements by 3 times for a 16 lb turkey.
