Fuel!

Personally I hate spending money of gasoline. I own a car, and I will admit that I use it a couple times a week for things like trips to Home Depot. It's a little hard to pick up a new door on your bike, yes it can be done but I'm not quite that hardcore.

One thing I don't mind spending money on is food. Something about the fact that I get to enjoy it AND it's fuel to get me around makes me super happy. My dear friend Alexis once said to me "Maggie, I'm not sure what you enjoy more- grocery shopping, cooking or eating!". I didn't have an answer. I love them all.

Today in Denver it's nasty and snowing. Not fun fluffy snow. Icky, sticky, wet snow. The kind that makes me want to stay inside and cook. With company coming in to town early next week this is an ideal situation. It was a good day to buy groceries and prep for some good meals.

To me, cooking and eating with people you love is what turns friends into family and houses into homes. This is something I learned from my blood family, and many of my best memories are with them or my network of adopted family members around the world. Eating, drinking, sharing stories and recipes.

I can't write about food without turning your attention to my kid sister, Cecelia. She's been successfully blogging about her culinary adventures at Mod Meals on Mendenhall for the past year or so. She's the hostess with the mostess and our family is descending on her house later this month for Thanksgiving. We're planning a few collaborative posts, I might even be able to get her on a bike. Should be fun!

So I'll leave you tonight with the recipe for what I just made for dinner. Sorry for the lack of picture (I dug in before I remembered to take a photo...). The half chicken is great for two major reasons- it's just enough food for one hungry person or two with some hearty sides and because you cook it skin-side up the meat stays more tender and juicy than it does when you roast a whole chicken.

Roast Lemon Half Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Psuedo-Hollandaise...

The list:
Half a fryer chicken (your butcher will half one for you if you ask) splurge on free range if you can- it's worth it!
One lemon
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Brussels sprouts
Mayo
Lemon juice
Pince of saffron

Pre-heat oven to 400F

Slice the lemon into quarter inch slices and arrange them around the bottom of a baking dish. Rince chicken, pat dry and place skin-up on the bed of lemon slices. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper. Place in the oven.

Once the chicken turns golden (about 45 minutes, but keep an eye on it) turn the oven off and begin to boil water (add some kosher salt to the water). Once it's rolling, add sprouts and cook till you can pierce one with a sharp knife and it still gives a little. Mushy sprouts are no good!

Drain the sprouts and let them start to cool while you make the "hollandaise". In a small bowl spoon out about a quarter cup of mayo. Add the juice of a half a lemon, the pinch of saffron and a little pinch of salt. Mix together with a spoon. It should be the consistency of slightly runny yogurt.

Now the chicken has rested, so you can carve it and put it on plates. Spoon up some sprouts and serve with hollandaise on the side for sprouts (and i'll admit, I dip some chicken in it too...). Don't be afraid of mayo, it's your friend....