WE KNOW WE should do it, but how to make it terrific and not like an afterthought? Last night we shared pizza and salad at home with friends prior to a great Norwich hockey game. The salad wasn’t all eaten, so I had a large bowl of soggy greens today for lunch. This was done to remind me not to “dress” all the prepared salad, but to leave it washed and combined for the next meal.

I could have wrapped it in paper towels to remove the excess moisture, and put it in a plastic bag in the fridge to keep its crispness.

I had a bit of left over baked salmon there which would have been a super addition, perhaps with the addition of some sliced hard boiled egg. What else would have been an interesting to add?

Marinated artichoke hearts Chopped olives

Feta cheese, crumbled

The dressing would have changed to a ranch or dill to compliment the fish.

Suppose you had a hunk of steak left over from the grill. Why not make that into a salad as well?

Over washed greens; Sliced steak

Thinly sliced red onion

Sliced roasted peppers, red, but green and yellow are a great combination. (The red you can purchase)

Slivers of fresh parmesan, or julienne of Swiss cheese

A nice mound of marinated fresh mushrooms on the side

Dressing of your choice

So not only to talk healthy, but let’s talk frugal as well. A whole chicken is the better value than the sum of its chosen parts.

It’s somewhat of a pain, clean up and prep, but it can stretch into 2 or more meals.

Roasting Suggestions: Wash the chicken with cold water inside and out. Dry it with paper towels

Stuff it with a cut-up onion, a half stick, including leaves, of celery, and a couple of whole cloves of garlic.

Rub it all over with unsalted butter, and sprinkle it with fresh thyme if you have it, if not, ok. Don’t tie the legs together. (Why to we let the dark meat on a foul dictate how long we roast it?) Leaving the legs free allows the heat to circulate around the center of the carcass. If the breast meat looks as though it is drying out, put a small piece of aluminum foil over it during the roasting process. You can also put a bit around the drumsticks if they become too brown

Roast at 350 degrees till legs move freely up and down. Baste while roasting with melted butter and white wine about every 20 minutes or so. (I use sherry).

Roast the chicken in a large roasting pan, and add cut-up vegetables around it. The time it will take the vegetables to roast depends on the size and type of each. Potatoes take the most time, carrots and parsnips less, red onions and mushrooms even less. Turn the vegetables while roasting so that they are coated with the oil, and cook evenly. Test with a fork at times. . Let the whole chicken rest for ten minutes before carving.

I had a friend who would roast just the thigh and leg portions, with the addition of a couple of Italian sausages. Cut up vegetables, to include garlic and assorted peppers, would be added. All ingredients would be dribbled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper and thyme and mixed well. The Chicken and sausage would be on top so that they can brown. The chicken juices and the sausage oil would also season the vegetables. If any particular vegetable seems to be finished before the rest of the dish, it would be removed, and then added the last ten minutes or so. The chicken’s tenderness would be the determining factor to indicate when the dish is done. About an hour should be sufficient at 350 degrees.

So you have a lovely roasted fowl for additions to a salad or a sandwich, or just a wonderful night snack. pgg