Roast a chicken!

Does anyone else feel like as the holidays get closer, your stress levels get higher and higher with every day?  Some people smoke or drink to deal with stress, others run, dance, eat, or drive really fast.  Me? I go here:

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McEwan is a new gourmet grocery store that is right up the street from my school, making it very easy to stop on the way home for treats.  It is owned by well-known Toronto chef Mark McEwan, whose restaurants include Bymark and North 44.  It is the only place in Toronto that I have been able to find Chobani or Oikos flavoured yogurts.  It is such a fun store to browse through, because they sell some of the soups and dishes that have made Chef McEwan’s restaurants famous.  (Sidenote: when I was leaving the store yesterday, I actually saw Mark McEwan himself, and he talked to me for a minute!)

I knew going into the store I wanted to cook a warm, comforting meal for Adam and I.  When asked what he wanted for dinner, my hubby replied “meat” so I knew there would be some sort of animal involved.  I settled on my “usual” the one thing I can almost never say no to when shopping at McEwan.

An organic, free range chicken.  It isn’t easy to find these chickens around my house, so when I go to McEwan, I usually can’t resist. However, they do come at a price, so I only buy one of these babies about every 4-6 months. 

Yeah, this chicken cost $23.00. 

I picked up some brussels sprouts, a yummy loaf of bread, and some gelato.  Just the essentials right?

When I got home I set out to make an easy, simple classic dinner. 

Easy Roast Chicken

Ingredients

1 chicken (3-5lbs is good)

3 carrots

3 ribs celery

1 onion

1 lemon

1 head of garlic

salt, pepper, olive oil

Instructions

1. preheat oven to 400F, arrange the racks in the oven so there is enough space for the chicken/roasting pan to fit
2. Rinse the chicken under cool water, and allow to drain and come to room temp (about 15 minutes)
3. wash the celery, peel the carrots, onion, and garlic
4. chop the carrots, celery, and onions into large pieces and place in the bottom of your chosen roasting pan (you don’t have to do this if you have a roasting pan with a rack, you need something to keep the chicken off the bottom of the pan
5. put 1/2 the peeled garlic into the bottom of the pan as well
6. set the chicken into the roasting dish, on top of the veggies or rack
7. halve and squeeze the lemon over the chicken.  Place the lemon halves and the rest of the garlic into the cavity of the chicken
8. drizzle the olive oil, salt, and pepper over the skin of the chicken
9. place the roasting pan into the oven, and immediately lower the temperature to 350F
10. Roast for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 180F
11. remove the chicken from the pan and cover with aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes
12. carve the bird and enjoy!

This chicken turns out deliciously juicy and flavourful every time.  I served it with roasted sprouts and mashed sweet potatoes.  it was a comforting, warming, cozy meal, perfect for a dreary rainy day. 

What do you do when you experience a stressful or dreary day?