Free – food and drink recipes

1 whole chicken, about 5 pounds
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 orange, halved
1/2 onion
1/2 cup roughly chopped celery
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Season the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange halves all over the chicken. Stuff the lemon and orange halves into the cavity, along with the onion, celery and thyme.

4. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the skin and season with salt and pepper.

5. Roast the chicken in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F.

6. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the skin before carving.

Serving Size: 1/4 skinless chicken

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Sometimes a person just doesn’t feel like a full, heavy meal. When you desire a light meal and don’t have a lot of time, turn to one of these quick and easy entree salad recipes. Whether you choose the Wild Rice Salad with Tuna or the Cashew Chicken with Peas, you are sure to have a great salad meal. But if you are looking for a really refreshing salad, try the Fruity Ham and Pasta Salad.

WILD RICE TUNA SALAD

1 pkg (6-oz) long-grain and wild rice mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 tbsps finely chopped onion
1 (12-oz) can solid white tuna in spring water; drained and flaked
1 cup salted cashews
Lettuce leaves

Cook the rice mix according to the package directions. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, celery, onion, tuna, and cashews. Stir to mix well. Chill. Serve on lettuce leaves.

CASHEW CHICKEN & PEA SALAD IN 15 MINUTES

1 cup leftover (or deli) chicken, diced
1 pkg (16-oz) frozen peas, thawed
1 can (8-oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained
3/4 to 1 cup unsalted whole cashews
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Dash of garlic powder

In a large salad bowl, place all of the ingredients and toss well to coat. Serve immediately.

Note: If you are an oddball like me and don’t eat chicken, you can substitute chopped cooked ham.

FRUITY HAM AND PASTA SALAD

1 can (11-oz) mandarin orange sections
1 (8 1/4-oz)can pineapple chunks
1 (6 3/4-oz) can chunk-style ham
1 cup corkscrew macaroni, uncooked
1/3 cup salad dressing OR mayonnaise
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp celery seed
2 cups torn salad greens
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 tbsp sunflower seeds, optional

Chill unopened cans of oranges, pineapple, and ham in the freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Turn macaroni into a bowl of ice water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Drain well.

To make dressing: In a small mixing bowl, stir together salad dressing or mayonnaise, honey, vinegar, and celery seed. Stir to blend well.

Drain fruits and ham. Flake the ham into chunks. In a large bowl, toss together macaroni, orange sections, pineapple, ham, salad greens, and celery. Pour dressing atop the salad. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds, if desired.

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