New Beginnings

In my mind's closet,
I have locked away
the regrets and the fears of 2009.
In that closet went the cynicism,
the morbid, and the heartaches.
The key of which I hope to misplace.

In ziplock bags,
I have stored
memories of laughter and joys shared.
Their crispiness and freshness,
I intend to savor
when my spirit is dry and the mood is hot.

In soft muslin wraps,
I tenderly laid
embraces, kisses and warmth of clasped hands.
They will do nicely
to shed me someday
from life's harsh stress winds that may blow my way.

Now 2009 is neatly packed away.
Labeled and mothballed
for maybe a viewing someday.
What lies ahead in 2010?
New beginnings for me---
again!

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To begin the year on the upbeat, I would like to share with you a delicious roast chicken recipe. It's "taste tested" and guaranteed to to bring out the wows and have lips smacking.



You will need:
1.3 - 1/5 k dressed chicken
1/2 c course salt (not the iodized) dissolved in 1/2 gallons or 2 quarts of water

Stuffing:
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 pcs star anise
thumb-size ginger, sliced

Marinate:
1T soy sauce
1T kitchen wine
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil (optional)

Glaze:
1 T honey

Wash your chicken and soak in the saline solution for at least 4 hours or overnight for better result. Once completed, rinse the chicken thoroughly and pat dry.



Stuff the chicken with the onion, garlic, star anise, and ginger.
Brush or pour the marinate over the chicken and let stand in the fridge overnight. Turn the chicken every now and then.
When you are ready to roast the chicken, set your oven or turbo broiler to 375 degrees. Oil your pan or turbo rack. You may or may not pour the marinate into the chicken's cavity. Set the chicken ( breast down) in the pan or turbo rack and place in oven. After 20 minutes, carefully turn your chicken on it's back. Continue to roast for another 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees. If you notice that the chicken is turning too brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning. You will know that the chicken is done when after pricking the thick part of the thigh, the liquid that comes out is clear and not pink. After setting your chicken on a serving platter, brush with honey.

The bird is now ready to be carved!

Notes:
• You can skip the saline solution part and move on to the marinate. But the saline solution does make for a tastier and juicier chicken.This is a new lesson I learned.
• You may omit or substitute some of the herbs/spices mentioned for spices you have on hand or just use salt and some pepper.
• You may want to make some gravy out of the resulting drippings. Just pour the drippings into a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and add 1 tsp cornstarch that has been dissolved in 1 Tablespoon of water. Stir until the mixture is nice and thick.
• I soaked my chicken in the saline solution mid morning of Saturday. I then rinsed the chicken after dinner. I stuffed and marinated it, placed it in the fridge and went to bed. At 11AM Sunday, the chicken went into the turbo/oven. At 12 noon, it was ready. At 12:20PM, smiles were on satisfied faces, and nothing was left over for dinner.