Menu Plan Monday
March 19th

I met Laura from Org Junkie (another Canadian blogger!) at The Ultimate Blog Party. I've been enjoying her blog a great deal, and thought I would join Menu Plan Monday this week. So here goes ... my first menu.

Monday: (No cooking!) supper at chez Mom
Tuesday: Roast sticky chicken, mashed potatoes, french beans amandine, carrots and peas
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Vegetable lasagna, caesar salad
Friday: Chicken soup with alphabet pasta, homemade brown bread
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Sweet potato and cauliflower tagine, whole wheat couscous, spinach salad

Roast Sticky Chicken

This recipe is super-easy and the meat comes out moist and flavourful. I like to roast two birds at once; then I have lots of meat left over and can make soup with the bones. A note: don't try to make gravy with the drippings. It will be much too salty.

I found this recipe in Dining on a Dime by Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper (p. 207).

4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 large (10lb) whole chicken, chicken parts, or one (20lb) turkey (double the spices for a turkey)
1 C. chopped onion or 1 sliced orange

Combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken, both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep into the skin. Place in a 9x13" pan, seal with foil and refrigerate overnight. If using chicken parts just rub spices over both sides of parts.

When ready to roast chicken, stuff cavity with onions or oranges. If using chicken parts place pieces on top of onions or oranges. Roast, uncovered, at 250 degrees F for 5 hours. Roast chicken pieces 3-5 hours. Roast a turkey 8-10 hours.

After the first hour, baste chicken with pan juices every half hour to 45 minutes. Of you don't have enough pan juices after 3 hours to baste add 1 C. of water to the pan. The chicken will be golden to dark brown with caramelized juices on the bottom. Let chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving.