I was a Roast Chicken Virgin

Since I started this adventure eight months ago, many people have asked me if I was dreading a particular recipe or if there were any I was going to "skip." the answer to the latter is definitely not! I am determined and very serious about my mission to cook every recipe in this book. Now, regarding a recipe that I was dreading, my answer has been, "Are you kidding? I'm dreading a whole chapter!" And that dreaded chapter is roast dinners. There isn't a more perfect time to tackle these recipes than Thanksgiving so I decided a couple weeks before the big day I would make my first roast dinner with all the trimmings. This meant making four recipes at once; the Perfect Roast Chicken (pg. 196), Roasted Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips (pg. 202), Delicious Sage and Onion Stuffing (pg. 205) and Consistently Good Gravy (pg. 205).
First of all, in addition to already thinking this was a daunting task, the names of these recipes made me nervous too. Perfect Chicken? Delicious Stuffing? Consistently Good Gravy? The pressure was on as I did the shopping and planned when I was going to tackle this bird. I got my chicken from a local organic market that carries very, very fresh products. Fresh in the sense that it is a documented fact that this happy chicken was eating grass and bugs on Wednesday and I bought him in the refrigerated section on Thursday. Jamie often reminds his reader about the importance of fresh and organic ingredients but I'll admit due to time I don't always follow this advice when shopping. Our football team had the week off so I knew if we made a traditional Sunday dinner, I'd actually have some help in the kitchen this week. And I really did! Both Husband and Kid both hung out with me and helped in the preparation making this a really fun event in our house. We cranked up the tunes and they helped peel veggies, pick rosemary and tear bread for stuffing. I didn't get the heebie-jeebies when I got the bird ready for the oven and Jamie's book helped guide me step by step. It was a very smooth operation and I really think a lot of that had to do with how the book is written. Jamie talks you through the whole process, even telling you in some recipes when to start the others. He doesn't leave a thing out. I am completely shocked at how easy this was especially after being intimidated for so long. I am so proud of myself and a huge thanks goes out to my great helpers! Nothing was burned. Nothing exploded. No one was injured. It really was the Perfect Dinner.
Recipes cooked: 75
Recipes left: 98
Days left: 118


The Perfect Roast Chicken
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/perfect-roast-chicken

The Perfect Roasted Potatoes, Carrots and Parsnips
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/roast-potatoes-parsnips-and-carrots

Consistently Good Gravy
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-recipes/consistently-good-gravy