I had a nice, whole, organic chicken.  There are a bazillion and one ways to prepare a chicken, but I thought roasting it would be the easiest – and quickest.

I rubbed it with olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper, put a halved lemon in the cavity, stuck a thermometer in it (set at 145°) and into a 350° oven it went.

Then I made a simple bread dressing. It’s nigh on impossible to make a tiny amount of dressing, but I did try.  And while reaching for the potatoes for mashed potatoes, I saw a sweet potato that needed some love.  It got cubed and baked with some maple syrup, mace, and cinnamon.  And roasted chicken and mashed potatoes means gravy.  And one needs a vegetable…

Next thing I knew, we had dinner for a dozen people.  Okay.  I exaggerate a bit – but we definitely had more than I planned – or really needed.

It really was nice, though.  The kitchen was toasty warm, the house smelled of Thanksgiving, and the dog was just beside herself, knowing she was going to get some good table-scraps, tonight!

And she did.

Leftovers are wrapped and away.  Victor has lunch and I have the foundation for another meal – soup, stew, pot pies…  I dunno… But odds are pretty good I’ll be posting it. 🙂

Oh – and my disclaimer:  The USDA recommends cooking poultry to an internal temperature of 165°. I tend to cook mine a bit less.   I usually pull it out at 145° and it goes up another 10 degrees while sitting.  That’s me,  but I am also not feeding small children, the elderly, or other people at high risk or with compromised immune systems.  I also don’t buy mega-factory chicken.  Once in a while the thigh is a bit underdone and I just nuke it for a minute or two.

Again, that’s me.  Your miliage may vary.