Redeeming the Roast Chicken

So, I couldn't let it go. Ruining a roast chicken last week was too much for me. I set out to prove I could make a great roast chicken again today - with a fresh whole chicken, and my two trusty helpers, Robby and Katie. By the end of the night, we made it quite a fancy roasted chicken dinner, too.

Involving my two little chicks in cooking started early. Even when Robby was a toddler, he was interested in what we were doing in the kitchen. We took advantage of his curiosity to get him involved with food. He used to be quite a picky eater, so we thought having him help would get him more comfortable with different foods. It worked, too. We introduced him to toddler sized jobs. Robby would dump measured ingredients into the pot or bowl; he would stir with one of us helping him; he would hold the spatula with our assistance and flip pancakes or burgers. Helping us in the kitchen prompted the purchase of the Fisher Price Kitchen and the introduction of "Chef Tony" into our house. "Let's make some spaghetti!" "Now add the noodles!" "Where is the cheese?"

Of course, when Katie came along, she took over these mundane chores (and the Chef Tony Kitchen) and Robby graduated to stirring by himself, scooping ingredients with a measuring cup, and peeling or grating with assistance. I think involving them in food preparation accomplished its goal. It gave them skills in the kitchen and made them more familiar with food. It also tried my patience. I hovered over the use of sharp implements. I sighed over spills and got angry about having to start over when disasters struck.

Needlessly, though. If only we could see into the future as parents, we might stress less. Even the most difficult moments bring us to today. All that practice in the kitchen has created a lot of confidence in them. Today, Robby and Katie measured and stirred and chopped without hesitation. They both cracked eggs cleanly (into a separate bowl, of course, in order to check for stray eggshell). They know to wash their hands after cracking an egg or handling the raw chicken. Oh, I still hover! "Watch your fingers," I warned as Robby cut the butter into cubes for the cake batter. "Don't sneeze over the bowl," I remonstrated as Katie stirred the batter. But I didn't really need to tell them, it was just my mothering instincts holding on tight. We laughed and chatted and had a great time making dinner together. The exact same dinner that I ruined all by myself last weekend was quite fabulous tonight! So, here it is: A beautiful roasted chicken, cranberry stuffing, green salad, a decadent chocolate cake and a fancy table setting:

How about a recipe for the stuffing? I love this stuffing - and not just because I have bags of dried cranberries to use up!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter

1 cup of chopped celery

1 cup of chopped onion

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 cups dried bread cubes

1/2 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts)

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Cook celery and onion in butter in skillet until tender. Remove from heat, stir in sage, thyme, pepper, and salt. In a mixing bowl, combine bread cubes, celery mixture, nuts, and cranberries. Add chicken broth, tossing to thoroughly moisten mixture.

You can stuff poultry and cook according to poultry directions. Inside a chicken or turkey, the stuffing should reach 165 degrees. Or put the mixture into a casserole dish and bake, covered, in a 325 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes. I usually make enough to stuff my poultry and bake some on the side!