Roast Chicken

This is my kids' favorite meal, and also the favorite of their guests. I don't mind making it because it's pretty simple and doesn't take much time.

I try to buy free-range organic chickens. Lately I've had to make do with just grocery store quality, it's better if you can buy them from the farmer, a whole world of flavor then!

Wash the bird inside and out with cold tap water. Let it drip a minute then put it in a glass baking dish that is just big enough for the whole bird to fit inside. Starting with the breast side, sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and either just garlic powder or garlic, thyme, and rosemary; or garlic, oregano, and basil. Turn the bird over and do the same thing on the leg side. It's best to cook the chicken in its juice, with the breast side down so the white meat can absorb the juice and flavor and not be dry.

Bake it in the middle of the oven at 375F for 2 hours. After 1 hour you can add a winter squash to the oven to bake, like butternut or acorn. I cut them in half, remove the seeds, and bake them cut-side down in a glass dish with about 1/2 inch of water to keep them from sticking. Serve the squash with butter and salt. If the meal doesn't seem complete, a green salad goes well with this.

I made almond cookies again yesterday and it worked really well. I used 1 1/4 cups of almonds, ground in the blender and sifted, 1/2 stick of butter, 1 egg, about 2 tbsp of honey, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. I baked them at 375 (with the chicken) for around 10 min (until they started to brown). They were perfect and even the kids liked them!