New Year and Wedding Anniversary

Shana Tova (Happy New Year)! While some don't love the holidays, I am not one of those people. They are usually surrounded by family, food and good times. Since moving to Florida the family part is not always there. And this year Rosh Hashanah fell on our wedding anniversary! We decided to make the best of both occasions by having a holiday dinner the first night of the holiday and then going out to dinner for our anniversary. Another bonus is that we both took the day off for the holiday and were able to spend the whole day of our anniversary together. I doubt we would have taken it off otherwise. Needless to say this has been a great year and time has flown by. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were surrounded by our closest family and friends to celebrate our wedding. I guess it is pretty perfect to have our anniversary on the holiday which is the start to new a year for us as husband and wife and also a new year in the Jewish religion. 

Now onto the food! In my family we usually had what I called growing up greasy chicken for the holidays. doesn't sound healthy but there wasn't anything greasy about it, just juicy. This year, my dad sent me a recipe for a roasted chicken that doesn't require a roasting pan or standing it up in a pan either. All you needed was a skillet, and everyone has one of those! You put the skillet in the oven when you turn it on so that it will be nice and hot and help sear the thighs so that they cook in the same amount of time as the rest of the chicken.

So despite being hundreds of miles away, for that night we both were creating the same meal for our family, kind of cool when you think about it that way. Only difference was that I made our families favorite Sour Cream Coffee cake for dessert that left them wanting to be here to enjoy ;) Now this chicken was pretty easy to make and was the moistest one we have ever had.

Weeknight Roasted Chicken
Serves 4
Source: Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:
3/4 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 1/2 - 4 lb whole chicken
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch oven-safe skillet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine salt and pepper in bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Rub entire surface with oil. Sprinkle evenly all over with salt mixture and rub in mixture with hands to coat evenly. Tie legs together with twine and tuck wing tips behind back.

2. Transfer chicken, breast side up, to preheated skillet in oven. Roast chicken until breasts register 120 degrees and thighs register 135 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes. Turn off oven and leave chicken in oven until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 25 to 35 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. While chicken rests, prepare pan sauce, if using. Carve chicken and serve.