Recipe: The Best Roast Chook Ever

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Have you ever had what you thought was going to be just an ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill roast and discovered something absolutely incredible?  Well, that happened to me last night.

I do a roast chook often.  Maybe once a fortnight, minimum.  Often weekly.  It's easy and I can do the ten million other things I need to get done while it's doing it's thing in the oven.  I then use the leftover meat in a casserole a few nights later so it's super frugal and my family thinks I'm amazing for as long as they're eating.  They love the casserole as much as the roast.  In our house the love equation seems to go like this:  Mum cooking + favourite meal = love.  I think they love me at other times too, but I know it at dinner time.

Yesterday I made a huge booboo.  I found a whole Marcro brand (organic) chook on sale.  Same size bird for $1 cheaper than the store brand so I bought it.  I got it home and discovered flavoured butter under the skin and almond and something stuffing in the cavity.  Miss Sunshine is allergic to nuts so I scooped out the goopy stuffing (best move ever, despite the allergy thing) and had my own way with it.

Maggie Beer's Barossa Chook with Preserved Lemon and Tarragon Butter seemed like a good place to start.  I didn't have preserved lemon or tarragon, but I did have lemons...and other stuff.  So I mixed my other stuff with a lot less butter than Maggie's recipe and smooshed that under the skin.  I cannot tell you how amazingly, darned good that roast was.  I don't know if it was the macro, organic bird or whether it was the butter, or a combination of both but it was sooooo good.  And interestingly the amount of liquid that came out of the chook while it was cooking was significantly less.

Tracy's Lemon, Thyme and 

Garlic Roast Chook

50g butter

zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme 

1 large clove garlic, peeled & finely chopped

1 whole chook (1.8-2kg)

the rest of the lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan forced)
2. Mix together the butter, lemon zest, thyme and garlic.
3. Separate the skin from the meat on the breast side of the chicken, gently so as not to puncture the skin.  It will be attached down the center bone so carefully use a super sharp knife or scissors to separate that membrane.
4. Smoosh the seasoned butter under the skin across the whole breast of the bird.
5. Cut the lemon into 3 pieces and stuff it into the cavity of the chook.
6. Place the chook in a baking dish and spray the skin with olive oil; place in the oven.
7. Bake for about one and a half hours or until you're confident it's cooked through.
8. Rest in a warm place for about 10 minutes before carving.

My family absolutely fall about themselves over roasted carrots.  So I cut 5 fairly large carrots in half and then quartered the large end and halved or quartered the thinner end, depending on the size.  I tossed them in the empty carrot bag with some oil and baked those in the pan with the chicken.  They came out perfectly.  Carrots take a surprisingly long time to roast!

You know what?  For the first time in forever no one asked for gravy.  Although the pan juices from this chook would have made the most delicious gravy as well!

Mr Busy Thinks in Funny - Quotes from the Road

Shepparton - the Hot Wheels Cow

Mr Busy has a reputation, in our house, for thinking in funny.  Over the last three days of being on a little tour of central Victoria he has again given us reason to laugh.

Shepparton (our first night) is known for its cow statues.  All. Over. Town.  If you google 'shepparton cows' and click on images you'll see the vast variety they have dotted here, there and everywhere.  We found the cow pictured above outside the bistro where we ate dinner.  The lady at the motel had tried to describe it.  When Mr Busy saw it he immediately dubbed it 'the hot wheels cow'.  What can I say, the boy is car obsessed.

As we drove out of Shepparton the next day he saw a cow in a paddock on the side of the road and his immediate comment was "Oh look.  A cow.  A real cow".  His deadpan manner just made it so very funny.

When we got to our motel in Bendigo we checked out the room and Mr Busy was very excited about the idea of a spa.  I have spent 18 months cleaning B&B spas in my lifetime and I will  not get in one again.  Seeing what comes out of those pipes is just gross and you can't guarantee that accommodation establishments clean the spa after every guest.  But ... it gave him something to do for an hour and I got to read in peace.  Sometimes a little bit of gross on someone else is kinda worth it.  Don't judge me until you have a 14yo boy driving you nuts!! His best discovery in this room, however, was electric blankets.

"Hey Mum - there are power blankets on the beds!"

Power blankets.  There you go people, you heard it here first.

I've had to put a stop to anyone in the family repeating the comment.  He's now upset that we find it so hilarious, but I'll tell you now I laughed hard for a good half an hour when he first said it.

And the girls have got some more driving hours.  Not so funny.  Pretty stressful in fact from my designated position behind the driver's seat.  Miss Mischief gave me a hand massage last night as Miss Sunshine drove through the city in very heavy traffic.  Don't get me wrong - they're doing great.  They're just not as well acquainted with the use of brakes as I would like.  And have an attitude of "I know Mum...."  Yeah, I don't think so.  I know what you don't know that you don't know.  Every time one of them was in the driver's seat we would have at least one moment where I would be murmuring "You're going to kill me".  

Cocky.  That's what they are.  

Having learner drivers is worse than  having toilet training toddlers.  This lasts longer and your life is in their hands.  With toilet training it's just mess that won't kill you.  What was I thinking, when I was so stressed about little people taking six months to be trustworthy with their toileting abilities???

I'm looking forward to driving myself to the city tomorrow.  Yessire...all by myself.  Truer words have never been sung.

The Frugal Files: Travelling and Food

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Every now and then we do a long road trip.  Or Dh decides to spend a night or two in central Victoria to visit clients and we all tag along.  Whilst we are avid and committed caravan-campers sometimes it is not practical or cost-efficient to take the van.  In winter it's just dumb.  Sorry to all you winter camping lovers but we're not with you on this one.  We did it when Mr Busy was 1yo.  After freezing our way through a long weekend of gloomy pea-soup fog we decided only crazy people camp in winter.  Say what you will, we like to be warm and we don't enjoy Mr Busy's proclivity to chest infections and pneumonia when he gets too cold for too long.  And when you get a deal in a two-bedroom motel room with two bathrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities that ends up cheaper than a powered caravan site you never drag your van half way across the country.  You would be mad to do that too!

Last time we did a long road trip we left half an hour after I got home from work.  Can I suggest to you, this is not helpful when it comes to organising yourself for travel food?  We ended up spending 3 days eating breakfast and lunch at McDonald's and dinner did not fare much better.  We were so desperate to eat normal food!!  What I learnt from that trip is that travel food takes some organising.  When you can do this it can not only be healthier, it is much, much cheaper.

Next time we hit the road, these are my plans:

Utensils:  You never know if your motel room's tea-making facilities are going to be wonderful or negligible.  In Australia they always have a kettle.  Mostly they'll have a toaster.  I would plan to take a sharp knife, small chopping board, bowls, spoons, plates and cups.  A picnic set would be great but if you're concerned about how to wash up then disposable will be the way to go....just this once. 

Breakfast:  take cereal, fruit bread or croissants, jam and butter. 
Buy a litre or two of milk wherever you end up (or you could buy UHT if your family isn't going to freak out about it) and I don't refrigerate the butter block we're actually using, so that will travel just fine. 

Lunches: stop in at any supermarket and grab some bread rolls, lunch meat and fruit. 
Alternatively, these could be bought the night before when buying milk and an ice-brick could be frozen in the motel-room fridge so things can be kept cold in a cooler bag for a few hours before lunch.

Snacks: 
Food:  We enjoy things like crackers, chips and home-baked goodies.  All these things can be bought or cooked before you leave.  I stow some under my feet and some in a cooler bag right behind Mr Busy's seat (we have a wagon-style car so it's easy to get to all the time).  I also make sure I have fruit that isn't messy - think apples, bananas, grapes, mandarins.  Make sure you have some wipes and a plastic bag for rubbish.
Drinks:  take teabags, plastic mugs and a thermos which can be filled before you leave.  Either have small UHT (ie. 250ml) carton of milk or 300ml carton of fresh if you can keep it cold.
Each person refills and packs their own water bottle.

Dinner:  I have yet to figure out a way to do this self-sufficiently.  Next time we're on the road we'll be bringing breakfast, lunch and snacks and then buying dinner.  We have five adult-sized people now so it gets a bit pricey, but cheaper than buying everything.

What are your best tips for frugal food while travelling?

The Parenting Files: 18 Year Old Confidence

Sketch by Miss Sunshine

Miss Sunshine and I had a thing last night.  She's not terribly demonstrative about her feelings towards her family.  I am, a little bit.  I'm a mother who knows the day will come when she will move out and I'll no longer get to have her in my see-you-every-day life anymore and I want to be all hugged up and goodnight kissed up before she goes and leaves the nest.  We're talking one decent moment a day.  I don't think I'm being unreasonable.  She does.

This morning, after our thing last night, I went in to wake her and asked permission to sit on her bed.  Because you can never be sure if that would be considered unreasonable by an 18yo independent person.  She moved.  I sat.  I told her how much I love her and then I looked up at her sketches on the wall and marvelled aloud that she would be so amazingly talented because Dh and I are not.  Not with art, anyway.   II remarked "You're just so amazing".  She looked at me with this funny little smirk and shiny eyes.

"You really want to say 'I know' but you don't think you should, don't you?"

She nodded.

I walked away howling with laughter.

Amazing and hilarious - that's my girl.

Recipe: Lemon Delicious Slice

When you have a lemon tree absolutely laden with golden treasure it inspires a search for new recipes.  I have a real winner to share with you today.

Lemon Delicious Slice

Ingredients:

Base

150g unsalted butter, chopped

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 1/3 cups plain flour 

Topping

4 eggs

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

1/3 cup plain flour

1 1/3 cups caster sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 3cm-deep, 16cm x 26cm slice pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang on all sides.
2. Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50%) for 1 minute or until melted. Set aside to cool. Stir in vanilla and sugar. Sift flours over butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a soft dough forms. Transfer to prepared pan. Press into pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven. Set aside to cool.
3. Make topping Whisk eggs, lemon rind, flour and sugar together until smooth. Add lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Pour over base. Bake for 15 minutes or until just set. Cool completely in pan. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into pieces. Serve.

  
Every time I make this it disappears as though in a vacuum...you can't blink or you'll miss out!  

Enjoy!

The Health Files: A Successful 5:2 Fast Day

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Finally, after much frustration and lacking the mental wherewithal to plan for regular fast days I have finally had success.  This is absolutely the unsteady beginnings of what will hopefully become easier to manage in life's busyness. 

Breakfast:  1 slice toast with sliced tomato (84 calories)*
Morning Snack:  1 orange (45 calories)
Lunch:  2 slices toast with sliced tomato  (185 calories)*
Afternoon Snack:  1 small slice iced fruit bun (87 calories)
Dinner:  Tofu & vegetable stir fry (118 calories)
Total:  519 calories

* I used one roma tomato and sliced it very thinly so it was sufficient for both breakfast and lunch.  

I wouldn't normally have the same thing for breakfast and lunch, but I have yet to work out some appropriate, satisfying options so for today it worked.  I use a spelt and sprouted grain bread and find that it is satisfying.  I know some people eat in the morning and then in the evening, skipping lunch, but I seem to find that incredibly difficult.  For me success is easier to come by when the calories are spread across the day more evenly.

If you're a 5:2 veteran I'd love to hear your ideas and how you manage your meals.

Book Review: Shadowed in Silk by Christine Lindsay

Shadowed in Silk

By Christine Lindsay 

Publisher’s Synopsis 

She was invisible to those who should have loved her. After the Great War, Abby Fraser returns to India, where her husband is stationed with the British army. She has longed to go home to the land of glittering palaces and veiled women . . . but Nick has become a cruel stranger and a cruel father to their three-year old son. It will take more than her American pluck to survive.   

Major Geoff Richards, broken over the loss of so many of his men in the trenches of France, returns to his cavalry post in Amritsar. His faith does little to help him understand the ruthlessness of his British peers toward the Indian people he loves. Nor does it explain how he is to protect Abby Fraser and her child from the husband who mistreats them.

Amid political unrest, inhospitable deserts, and Russian spies, tensions rise in India as the people cry for the freedom espoused by Gandhi. Caught between their own ideals and duty, Geoff and Abby stumble into sinister secrets . . . secrets that will thrust them out of the shadows and straight into the fire of revolution. 

What I thought: 

Christine Lindsay expertly guides her readers on an adventure into historical British colonial India in Shadowed in Silk, the first absorbing instalment of her ‘Twilight of the British Raj’ series.  Her prowess as an author is clearly on display as she weaves together culture, history and characters so realistic I felt like I was right there with them.  

I found the characters of Shadowed in Silk drew me in and had me completely invested very quickly.  Abby was beautifully portrayed.  As she returns to the land of her heart and eagerly anticipates reunion with her husband her confusion and disappointment is palpable.  It is in these early pages that Nick’s true self begins to be revealed and the distasteful man he truly is becomes more obvious as time goes by.  Lindsay develops the tension between the two and Abby’s bewilderment at her unexpected circumstances and I found myself willing Abby to take a stand.  I fell in love with Eshana (Abby’s nanny) for her faith-filled wisdom, and Geoff (Abby’s travel escort and newfound friend) for his chivalrous loyalty.  Each of these characters adds depth to the story that weave together to make Shadowed in Silk the brilliant story that it is.

Against the exotic location of historical India the plot for Shadowed in Silk is engaging and weaves together threads of political history, personal challenges for each of the characters and ominous secrets that could easily see any one of the characters in mortal danger.  Desperate to find out who the gun smuggler was, and who the Englishman imposter might be I was reluctant to put this book down until I finally learnt all the answers. 

Shadowed in Silk is the perfect blend of mystery, history and gentle romance.  As well as these pivotal elements the faith story of the characters reminded me that God’s grace flows in our lives no matter how terrifying the circumstances might appear.  When we trust our circumstances and our future to His almighty and loving hands we can be assured of God’s promise to care for all our needs, big and small.

I can’t wait to delve into the second installment, Captured by Moonlight as this enthralling series continues.

With thanks to Christine Lindsay for my review copy.

This review is entirely my own opinion.  I have not been paid for this review, nor have my opinions been coerced in any way.