WIAW #41: That time I roasted a whole chicken.

First off, I totally forgot which number of WIAW this was for me. I had to search my blog. #cantcount

Anyways, sharing my eats from yesterday and I am SO proud of them (check out my dinner).

I slept in and ate breakfast at 8:30ish. This is my last week of break before I head back to school and I am complete enjoying it.

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, clementines, and wheat toast. Plus 3 cups of coffee (I know this is a lot. Forgive me). 

I chatted on the phone with my mom while I drank my coffee. We were discussing wedding planning and my venue contract. If you missed it yesterday, AR & I found our venue!! We are so excited.

I headed to the gym for about an hour and a half. I ran 5 miles (very slowly....), stretched, and did some ab work. I love a lazy gym workout. After running, I walked on the treadmill and looked at my new magazine.

When I got home, I grabbed a banana and jumped in the shower.

Lunch: homemade vegetable soup topped with pesto, more wheat toast and clementines. And a greek yogurt. 

This soup was a mix of a million things. When I left for Texas, I chopped everything in my fridge and froze it. On Monday afternoon, I sautéed onion and garlic, then added the veggies and a can of tomatoes. I think it has bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and potatoes. Oh, and pesto. Pesto makes an awesome veggie soup.

After lunch I ran some errands and started the epic kitchen adventure. 

I wanted to roast a whole chicken. This is completely out of character for me. 1) I hate raw meat. 2) I was a vegetarian forever and hate meat served on the bone.

It is unclear why I decided I should roast a whole bird. It probably had something to do with the cooking magazines I subscribe to, and my love of the movie Julie & Julia (anyone else?).

So I bought an organic whole chicken (4.6 lbs) and found this recipe from Ina Garten. First, I watched her video on stuffing the chicken and gave myself a pep talk.

Next, I rinsed and dried the chicken, and stuffed it with thyme, garlic, salt & pepper, and a lemon. I placed it in a roasting pan with carrots, onions, and red potatoes, then topped it with melted butter.  The recipe called for fennel, but I didn't have any, so I skipped it.

It was SO much easier than I expected it to be!

I served the chicken and roasted veggies with a simple spinach salad.

After dinner, I made some bourbon balls for New Years Eve. These are best when made a day ahead and left to dry out the night before. I may have sampled a few before finishing ;)

So there it is - my day of eats! and my first adventure with roasting a whole chicken. How are you ending your food adventures of 2014?

What are you making/eating on New Year's Eve? I am prepping bourbon balls, stuffed mushrooms, and cinnamon rolls for the next morning! 

x0x0, 

Hannah

Thanks for hosting What I Ate Wednesday, Jenn! Happy New Year!