Easy Roast Chicken Recipe

I took a nourishing food ecourse this summer and learned some new cooking/baking techniques and I have not looked back!

This roasted chicken recipe is turning out to be my favorite recipe from the class and in my own personal opinion it is the EASIEST!

Ingredients:

4-6 pound chicken
4 tablespoons of ghee, butter, coconut oil, or palm oil
salt & pepper

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, rinse off
your chicken and remove any gizzards or
necks found in the chicken’s cavity. Pat dry
with paper towels. Place breast side down
into your pan.

2) Melt 2 tablespoons of the fat in a small
sauce pan, and pour over the back of the bird.

Liberally sprinkle with unrefined salt and

freshly ground pepper.

I like to use a tight fitting dish to cook the chicken in so that the bird is cooking in its own drippings! I also like to fit as many pieces of carrots and potatoes that I possibly can around the bird. The carrots and potatoes cook deliciously in the drippings! We picked up this little tip in Paris. One of our favorites was the poulet (chicken) cooked rotisserie style with potatoes roasted in the drippings.

Have I told you lately about my new salt that I LOVE?

Celtic Sea Salt

I love it!

3) Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 1
hour.

4) Take out of the oven. Melt the last two
tablespoons of fat. Jam a wooden spoon
into the chicken’s cavity, and turn the
chicken over. Pour the melted fat over
the chicken and sprinkle again with
unrefined salt and pepper.

By now it smells heavenly! Resist eating it. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I like to put a snip of fresh rosemary inside of the body cavity. It is worth it. And if you forgot to take out the organs that's okay...I accidentally left the heart inside last night so I ATE IT! Yum.

5) Bake for one more hour or until done. The
chicken should be nicely browned on the
top and the juices should run clear when
you cut where the thigh joins the body. The
leg should also feel lose when you wiggle it.
Remove to a serving platter. Let sit for 15
minutes (you can cover with aluminum foil
and place in a warm oven)


6) So now that you know how easy it really is...roast a chicken of your own. Your husband will fall in love with you all over again!

Check out Passionate Homemaking for ideas on how to stretch your roast into more meals.

"So Help Me God"

As you well know, Phil passed the Indiana bar!
Upon passing the bar exam one must be sworn in during an Indiana Supreme Court proceeding.
So cool!

Luke was looking for his daddy! When we saw him he gave him the one finger wave...

...you know? The one that he gave the turkeys!

There he is! The girl in front of him is the one that he sat next to during the test. She had quite the fan club. Signs and everything! The sign read "Future Senator"

Each candidate stated their name in the microphone. All 440 of them!

Phil, Phil, he's our man!

Micah made friends with the iphone.

Babies + technology = peace and quiet

Motion for admission. "Now all raise your right hand"

"I, (state your name), do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation, or purpose of evasion and that I will demean myself as attorney, proctor and solicitor of the United States District Court for the (Southern or Northern-both in Phil's case) District of Indiana uprightly and according to law so help me God."

Powerful words.

The boys stayed nice and quiet throughout the whole ceremony. Nothing like watching a little "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" on Drew's iphone!

We think that there were about 440 people there out of 600+ bar takers. If you do the math that is a low pass rate.

Phil was sworn in 3 times!

The Supreme Court Justices were there to carry out the ceremony. They said things like:

"...being a lawyer is in fact a place that by doing well one can do a lot of good" and "integrity is the rock on which your career is placed"

The program:

It was fun to have some family there to share it with!

Aunt Lisa, Drew and my mom

I LOVE that they boys have been able to be at all of these ceremonies including graduation!

A peanut butter sandwich to tide over the restless tummy.

I whipped out the official documents before Phil even had a chance to look at them!

I married a man that grew up to be a lawyer!

We have certainly enjoyed the ride!

We are thankful to have guys like this along to share it all with.

And family and friends too!

Superman was there too!

Another ceremony down, which begs the question:
What next?
I was teasing Phil about going to another ceremony all about him which is silly because I have had my fair share of the spotlight along the way.

But really we wonder, what could POSSIBLY be next?

What could top these past few months/years?

Celebrations were continued at the Cheesecake Factory.

Phil really liked the fish but Micah might pass next time.
Too much lime!

We were even assigned our special booth!

Towards the end upon realization that the banana pieces that Micah was eating were actually in his lap, behind his ears, and on the floor my brother declared "I think that this family would be more comfortable at home!"

Good insight Drew! We have a weakness in our hearts for home. So off we go.

Oh, and one more! I have never noticed until now but look how similar Luke and grandmas eye color is.

Sauder Village

Saturday, we spent the day in Ohio at Historic Sauder Village.
Maybe you went there in Elementary School?
Lot's of living history!

It was their annual fall festival and scout day.

There were lot's of hands on/learning activities.
Pumpkins were decorated:

Grandma Wagler and Cousin Chondra

Luke named his pumpkin "Clown" and informed us it was a girl.

The bell was so loud and over 100 years old

There is a new portion of the village just for preschoolers! You can play with anything in this log cabin. I loved it in there. I hope to have a cabin just like this someday when I grow up!

I also really liked these wool animal rugs! Now to find out how to get one of my very own...

Micah did some laundry

and found a train to play with!

Luke milked a cow.

Okay, it was a faux cow!

He thought he was pretty neat.

Our favorite part was the saw mill.

It is so interesting to watch the process of moving these huge logs and maneuvering them into position. Hard work! We appreciate hard work!

Luke loved the hay tunnel maze.

Micah slept through it!

Luke did the maze 6 times!

His shirt even said "maze" on it!
Is it just me or does he look so old?

The sheep had much to say!

The calf had to answer the sheep!
A noisy crowd.

Luke gave the turkeys the "one finger wave" that I always give him.

Luke and I by the chicken house.
Maybe some day when I grow up and get that cabin I will also get some chickens of my very own? They were fancy ladies! Black and white with feathers all over...even on their feet.

Luke got to play with some old timey toys.

They taught you how to get the corn off the cob and press apple cider.

Finally, at the end of the day, Luke got to make a corn husk doll. At first he said that he wanted a girl but I convinced him to make a boy. The girls pretty much made it for him but he was thrilled!