Roast Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes

I can't believe I haven't posted since NOVEMBER!
I've already seen more than one snowfall.
I've already experienced the creeping of the Freshman 15.
I've already had my fill of pumpkin spice lattes.
I've already given a million Christmas gifts.
I've already gone to Hong Kong and then lost all my pictures (and food reviews) when my computer crashed!
Yes, I've been away for a long, long time. Far too long, if you ask me.
So what warm, welcoming comfort food do you need to fully understand how sorry I am?
Nothing too rich, as I know those resolutions are still going strong. Nothing too hard, because you're probable all cooked out from the holidays. Still, something warm and homey, because January may be over in just a matter of hours, but we've still got a couple of months of cold left--as evidenced by the snow falling outside my window.
How about a roast chicken with carrots and potatoes in the same pan?
Just like a French rotisserie chicken and potatoes, the vegetables are basted with the juices from the chicken and absorb all the savory, tart flavor from the meat and lemon.
This sweet, savory, and tart chicken is a roast ready for a weeknight meal or a holiday feast.

Roast Chicken and Root Veggies       
Serves 6-8

1 4 lb free range chicken
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbs honey
1 lemon, quartered
1 Tbs coarse sea salt

12 yukon gold potatoes, halved
4 medium carrots, but into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350º
Clean and dry your chicken and coat with olive oil, rubbing the oil into the skin, then follow with the honey. Stuff the lemon chunks and 8 cloves of garlic into the cavity of the chicken.  Sprinkle the chicken with coarse salt and 1/2 tsp fine ground pepper.

In the bottom of a roasting pan, toss the potatoes and carrots with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay out evenly, leaving a gap in the middle of the pan for the chicken
Put a cooling rack over the potatoes and but the chicken on the rack.
Bake the chicken and potatoes for about 20 minutes per pound (an hour and 30 minutes for a 4 pound bird), covering with foil if the skin begins to get too dark. Stir the potatoes every 20 minutes. After the chicken is cooked for 20 minutes per pound, check that the internal temperature had reached 165ºF. If not, continue cooking until the internal temperature is safe to eat and all juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to sit for abut 15 minutes, until the juices have set inside the meat.
Carefully carve your chicken, serve and...
Enjoy!

Here are some of the recovered HK pictures, as the chicken photos couldn't be saved:

SEE YOU SOON!

Vegetable Stock (Ready with pics)

It's FALL!!

Sweater weather.

Pie time.

Soup Season.

It's time for soup season, and as we all know, the best soups start with the best stocks, and the best stocks start in your kitchen, not a can.  So, before I show you all my favorite soups, I'll show you my favorite base.

This is a very basic recipe that can serve more as an outline and directions for stock making. Feel free to make this into your own favorite base for your own favorite soups. Use any combination of veggies, herbs, and even some chicken bones, depending on what you have on hand, or what's sitting in your fridge, close to expired.

Here's my basic recipe:

Vegetable Stock
Makes 6 cups

2 quarts of water
2 tsp olive oil
1 pound of celery, in large chunks
1 large red onion, quartered with skin
4 large carrots, in large chunks
2 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 green bell pepper, quartered with stem and seeds
4 cloves of garlic, smashed in the skin
1 head of broccoli, in chunks
1 tsp whole pepper corns (about 10)
1 whole bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
Sea salt to taste

In a deep pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, a pinch of salt and carrots and cook until the onions are just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, pepper and broccoli and cook until the skin on the pepper starts to shrink, about 5 minutes.
Add the water, peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, them reduce to a simmer.
Season with about a teaspoon of sea salt and simmer, covered for about 3 hours, stirring every hour or so, making sure all the vegetables are all continually submerged.
After about 3 hours, uncover the pot, season to taste with salt and pepper and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced by 1/4.
Strain the stock through a fine mesh stainer or sieve into a large, airtight container or soup pot, for later use.

*I like to add different veggies and seasonings to the stock, making it extremely adaptable, depending on what soups I plan on making. Some of my favorites are: mushrooms, parsnips, sweet potatoes, spinach, parsley, sage, and beets*