“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.” Laurie Colwin
I absolutely love that quote. It may make you smile, sigh, or even shed a tear. I’ve never thought of cooking from that perspective but it is so true. All of us can relate to it whether it’s remembering delicious or disastrous meals. Surely we’ve all had plenty of both. Thinking about it brings a huge smile to my face 😊 and a bit of water to my eyes. 😢
Today’s meal is not from a recipe book. It’s from watching my mother make roast chicken dinners for years. Every time I make a chicken dinner I think of her.
My kids would say that my mother’s (Grammie Ruby’s) roast chicken dinner was the best. Mine will always be second to hers and I’m ok with that. In fact I love that hers will always have been the best. We feel her presence even though she’s no longer with us.
Mom always believed that a ‘stewing hen’ made the tastiest chicken dinner. For you who don’t know what a ‘stewing hen’ is here’s what I found online. (Mom just always called it an ‘old hen’.)
The egg laying chickens are called stewing hens once they are butchered. They’re at least ten months old. They also earned the nickname, “tough old birds”, for their tougher than average meat. These chickens need to be cooked for long periods of time in order to unlock their tasty and nutritionally dense magic.
Mom always said it was all in the cooking. She’d cook the chicken, with the cover on, at 350 F for four hours with about an inch of water in the bottom of the roaster. It always worked for her. I don’t vary.
For stuffing she used old hotdog or hamburger buns, saying they made the best stuffing, with salt, pepper, and summer savoury. It never failed to be a delicious addition to the meal.
Mmmmmm. 😋 One of the best things about chicken dinner? The awesome aroma that fills the entire house (and outside the house too due to the fan) all afternoon. Oh my goodness. I’m sitting in the living room totally enveloped by it. No wonder we can’t wait for dinner.
And what’s a chicken dinner without the accompanying vegetables and cranberry sauce. Being from PEI we always have the best mashed potatoes (usually with gravy but not today), https://www.peipotato.org/home, mashed turnip, and a combination of sweet peas and corn.
My big downfall is that I’m not great at carving the chicken but no matter how it’s carved it still gets enjoyed.
What are some favourites that came from your relatives or dear friends? I’d love to hear about them and the memories they bring.
Funny little side note here. Every year, following my mother’s lead, I’m always on the lookout for when stewing hens are advertised for sale as I usually buy 8-10 to last the year. Aren’t freezers the greatest? When I was at the checkout a few years ago the cashier commented that I must make a lot of meat pies. Nope. Surprise! 😮 Roast chicken dinner.
Now here’s some real fun. A little something to get you up and moving
Do the Funky Chicken – Rufus Thomas
Stay safe and healthy.
As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.
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Debi's Junket Journal 