Rosie Roasts A Chicken And Makes A Corn Casserole.

With two of the Hawthornelets home,

I've been trying to have "family meals."

Not an easy feat with their work shedyules.

Dau Haw and Mid Haw

were both sharing a rare day off.

I'm roasting a chicken.

What's more family than a roasted chicken?

I went downtown shopping in my freezer,

and found this hen which I'd stashed away.
(See what you learn from watching Guy Fee-yeh-dee?)

I'm making a compound butter:

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt (Only because I have it.)

1/2 tsp hot paprika

1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper

1 tsp minced dried onion

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Substitute with anything you might have.
This ain't rocket science.

Don't forget the raw, green coriander seeds

on your cilantro plants.
You must have these.

I love the citrusy pop of fresh coriander.

Work it.
Mix all together.
Be aggressive.
Get angry at it.

 You can calm down now.
Slather butter mixture between skin and meat,
being careful not to tear the skin.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Add freshly ground salt and pepper.

Truss that bird!

There's a reason for doing this.
If you leave your bird with a gaping cavity,
the heat circulates inside the bird
 and cooks the breast meat first, drying it out,
before the legs and thighs are done.

Stuff an onion or lemon or orange

in the cavity to provide more protection.

This baked at 350° for about 1 1/2 hours.

Internal temp should be around 165°

and the juices should run clear.

Always let your meat sit for about 10 minutes

before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute.

I loved the flavors I stuffed between the skin and meat.

And the breast meat was juicy and tender.

Perfect!

Next, I'm making a corn casserole

which everyone loved.

Mr. Hawthorne declared it "the best" corn casserole.

Corn Casserole

1 can corn, drained

1 can creamed corn

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs

freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients.

Bake at 350° about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Simple.

Just mix it all together and ...

... pour into an 8" square baking dish

and bake away.

Isn't this pretty?

Trust Rosie on the corn casserole.

All in all, a very nice "family" dinner.

Now, if I could just do something

about that pesky family part.