How to roast a chicken

Actually, I should change the title to "How I roast a chicken". Every cook has their own unique way of roasting and rules that they go by. Some would argue in seasoning the chicken, rubbing in an herbed butter and throwing it into the oven. Not to quote late night infomercials, but they believe in the phrase "set it and forget it."Others like to stay involved with the chicken every step of the way. They start off by seasoning the chicken and drizzling on some olive oil or spreading on butter. They cook the chicken at a low temp for half an hour, then jack up the temperature and baste it throughout. While the techniques are quite different, they have always produced a succulent roasted chicken for that cook. The technique really depends on your style of cooking. Do you like to stay involved at every step or do you like to get it all together at the beginning and leave it alone to finish on it's own. My style ranges. While I enjoy being involved in the food, I like throwing something together, letting it cook, and working on something else. When it comes to chicken, being involved is great for me.

Steps to roasting a chicken
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 : Rinse the fresh chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
Step 3: Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Throw in one lemon. (Cut into quarters)
Step 4: Fold the chicken wings behind the body and tie the legs together using butcher's twine
or string.
Step 5: Rub the chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.
Step 6: Place chicken breast-side down in a roasting pan and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Flip the bird over and roast for another 30 minutes.
Step 8: Turn the oven temperature up to 425 degrees F and roast for another 30 minutes* or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees F.
Step 9: Place roasted chicken on a platter or cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. (Try to not pick at the chicken. I always fail at this step)
Step 10: Carve and enjoy!

* I used a 5 pound chicken and it took roughly 30 minutes for the last step.

Chicken and Tofu Curry

I don't know what's been up with my lately, but I've been on a serious tofu kick lately. I rarely to never buy tofu, but I broke down and bought a couple packages. Now, what am I going to do with 2 packages of tofu? I rarely eat tofu. In fact, I used to hate tofu. I still bought them anyways. I ended up using one package to make chicken and tofu wontons, but the second package is slooowly disappearing. I'm out of wonton wrappers and I don't want to deep fry anything. I did have some thawed out chicken that I needed to take care of in the fridge tho.

Soooo.....

Chicken and Tofu Curry

1 chicken breast , cubed
1 block very firm tofu, cubed
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1/3 cup diced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Spinach (fresh)
1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Turmeric
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

1. Salt and pepper the chicken cubes. Heat up a medium sauté pan over high heat and drizzle in the cooking oil. Sauté the chicken until done. Remove chicken, but leave the oil in the pan.
2. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 1 minute.
3. Add the tofu cubes and spinach leaves.(Try not to stir the cubes too much or they'll just break apart)
4. Add the soy sauce and coconut milk. Lower flame to medium heat.
5. Add the turmeric, lemon juice(or vinegar), and cooked chicken cubes. Stir to combine.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over rice or couscous.