Christmas

What does Christmas mean to you?  How did you celebrate your Christmas?  Do you have any traditions to follow?

To the kids, it meant Christmas tree will be out!  Santas Claus!  Christmas Presents!  Gatherings!

We bought a small Christmas tree when E turned 1 as we were initially scared of the wires for the lightings and what he will do with the tree (maybe pull the needles and eat them :P).  Since then, we have it up every year 2-4 weeks before the actual day and it comes down a week or 2 after that.

This Christmas, we had my parents-in-law, brother-in-law and his girlfriend over for a simple dinner cooked by me.

Roast Chicken with Roast Vegetables (Recipe at the end of the post)

Linguine Carborana

Crabmeat Bake

Tiramisu

My Christmas wish is for the family to stay close and happy together forever and ever…...

Do you know why the kids love Christmas?

The very happy boys

Recipe for Roast Chicken
Adapted from Noob Cook

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken innards and neck removed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp garlic powder optional (I did not put this)
• mixed herbs (eg. McCormick Perfect Pinch, mix herbs for roast chicken etc.)

(A) Butter Paste (mix well in a small bowl until a paste is form)

• 30 grams butter cubed
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• zest of 1 lemon

(B) Stuffing 

• 2-3 sprigs thyme for best results, submerge in hot water for 30 seconds (I did not put this)
• 2-3 sprigs rosemary for best results, submerge in hot water for 30 seconds (I did not put this)
• 15 garlic cloves slightly bruised
• 2 bay leaves (I did not put this)
• 1 lemon halved
• a few sprigs of parsley

Directions:

1. Place chicken on a flat chopping board, breast side up. For aesthetics, tuck the wings under the chicken and tie the thighs together using kitchen twine. (I did not have twine, thus I left them as they are)
2. Carefully pull the top chicken skin and slowly stuff (A) under the chicken skin. Be careful not to tear the chicken skin while doing so.
3. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with (B). If you have leftover herbs, sprinkle them around the pan or on the chicken.
4. Brush the chicken skin all over with olive oil using a pastry brush. Season chicken with salt, black pepper and garlic powder mixed herbs.
5. Rest the chicken, breast side up, on a wire rack sitting on a bigger roasting tray to collect the chicken juices. Bake chicken in preheated oven at 200°C (392°F) for about 40 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven and brush the chicken with the juices that are collected in the drip pan. If there are not enough juices, use olive oil.
6. Return tray to oven and bake for another 30 minutes, increasing the oven heat to 220°C (428°F) during the last 10 minutes. The roasting time may differ with your oven, but basically you should roast until the chicken is nicely golden brown.

Note: if you think the skin is getting overly brown but the chicken is still undercooked, please cover chicken with a foil tent.