"I Don't Even Need Ketchup!"....

Happy Weekend, Everyone! Technically my weekend starts on Sunday since I work all day Saturday. However, it is still the weekend. What does a new weekend call for? A NEW RECIPE! After a week of indulgent desserts, I decided to focus my efforts on creating a warm, comforting, healthy entree. Laced with the scents and flavors of fall, this rendition of Roast Chicken in a new favorite. My little sister (the picky one who only eats processed foods with no color or nutritional value) declared, "This chicken is so good I don't even need ketchup!" If that's not enough of an endorsement for this recipe, I don't know what is!

Apple Cider Roast Chicken with Cinnamon Apples


Ingredients:
- 1 organic chicken
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- 3 Braeburn Apples, cored and sliced (or other cooking apple)
- Herbamare (or Salt)
- Black Pepper
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider
- dash of White Wine
- 1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
- fresh Rosemary, 4-6 sprigs

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Remove giblets from chicken.
Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry.
Season chicken with Herbamare and Black Pepper and place, breast side down, in a 9x13 casserole or roasting pan.
Stuff chicken with half of the onion.
Place the remaining onion and apple slices around the chicken
Sprinkle Apples with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves.
Combine Oil, Cider, Wine, and Syrup.
Pour mixture over the chicken.
Place Fresh Rosemary sprigs on and around the chicken.
Pour about 1/4 cup water in the bottom of the dish/pan.
Place chicken in the preheated 475 degree oven and roast 20 minutes to seal in the juices.
Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue roasting about 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear.

We enjoyed our meal with sides of Quinoa and steamed Broccoli.
I have all sorts of fun baking adventures planned for my days off! If plans don't go awry, you can expect all sorts of exciting posts next week!
In regards to the performance photos I posted a few days ago...
The shows were:
1) Cats- I played Victoria
2) Fiddler On The Roof- I played Hodel
3) The Boyfriend- I played Fay