On this particular Sunday morning, Victor and I prepared a roasted chicken dinner for us and for a family member who was in great need of
comfort…You can see in these pictures the stages of the preparations…On the left is the cleaned chicken in a large 12″X20″ disposable aluminum pan for packing up, I put an orange in the cavity, before tieing up the wings and legs…the orange adds a light fruity flavor to the chicken…then as many carrots, potatoes, onions and celery that you can fit in the pan…cover and cook!!!  The chickens were both the same size just a smaller pan to cook for us, as we didn’t require as many vegetables.The chicken on the top was for us, the one on the bottom for packing up…this was the last hour of cooking in which I take the covers off so chickens and vegetables will roast to a nice brown color…The roasted chicken is done and ready to be covered for transport…

It’s nice to add a green vegetable to the meal and to complete it, a salad.  I put creamy butter to melt on the cooked string beans before covering it up for delivery and salad made of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, scallions and kalamata olives …

Roasted Chicken for Family in Need (larger pan)

7 lb Roaster Chicken
Orange, pierced with fork
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of dried rosemary
2 lb Bag of cut peeled baby carrots
3 lbs red potatoes, washed and cut into bite-size pieces
2 Large onions coarsely chopped
3 Celery hearts chopped into bite-size pieces
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry. Place chicken in 12”X20” disposable aluminum pan, insert orange in the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs and wings down with kitchen string. Scatter vegetables around chicken. I like to place pieces of celery on top of the chicken, around the wings and legs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rosemary, then drizzle a generous amount of EVOO all around chicken and vegetables. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast for about 2 hours, taking the cover off for the last hour to brown, and don’t forget to baste often.
Note – We cooked both chickens for about 3 hours in the same oven. Also, it’s a help if chickens come with a button that pops when ready. Another help, you know it’s cooked when the juices run clear after cutting between leg and thigh. Cover with aluminum foil, deliver with string beans and salad. I’m sure you’ll see a smile on the recipient’s faces🤗

And this is our meal, that we got to sit down and enjoy after delivering the meal to our family member that needed comforting…

->🥕🍅🥒🍷🥔<-

The positive feelings and effects to our life that come from cooking a meal for other people, are an inspiration to get us cooking in the kitchen, says an article called “The Very Real Psychological Benefits of Cooking for Other People” in the Huffington Post!!  The article says that cooking for other human beings can make you feel happy and connected to others…being  Italian, I already knew that, but it’s nice to have it confirmed in a popular news website!  And feeling connected to others can have great effects, like living a longer life and increased happiness.  This article also talks about cooking being a practice in mindfulness…which helps improve our concentration, reduces stress and evidence that it’s good for our mental health!!!  And of course, cooking for yourself has so many benefits for your mind, body and soul:) Now, doesn’t that make you want to cook a meal for someone or yourself?  To read this informative and uplifting article click here.