Stepping back in time with My Cherished Cookbooks: Our many 1st's

Happy 1st Anniversary !
Stepping Back in Time with My Cherished Cookbooks
This Fourth of July weekend marks the 1st Anniversary! Here's my 1st Blog Post

After recuperating previously from "The Invasion".
I needed something to comfort me...I still feel like ants should be crawling over me. EW !!! I've been working on cleaning out the indoor freezer. Our deep freezer, that we had in our garage died awhile ago... it was our 2nd one in our married life together.

Our 1st we got in Camden, Arkansas. where we had a lot of 1st's in Arkansas : Our 1st rented house together, Our 1st Church , Our 1st daughter, Laura was born, Our 1st cooler we bought (we had a 2 hr drive to get to Sam's Club in Little Rock), Our 1st car we bought (Subaru wagon, this was 1st reality of losing my sports car Datsun 280Z..a sad day it was.) Shopping was a challenge back in those days ! So for 1st budget and for that 1st "just in case" scenario (ex.1st tornadoes, 1st ice storms) we invested in our 1st deep freezer. And I just remembered , we got our 1st cat , which is on the top of my hubby's list (I won't name what list, however!)

Thanks to our 1st Arkansas friends Mary & Terry they took us under their wing and showed us the ropes of so many aspects of life: Arkansas favorites, 1st deer hunting, 1st being a parent, and being there for us when we didn't know what to do when our 1st child was teething or sick. They introduced us to buying a side of Beef, which was another 1st for us!

Mary & Terry showed us what true kindred spirit friendship is all about, they toodled us around this quaint area, which is located right beneath the Ozarks and Hot Springs. Beautiful area with beautiful people too ! They are one of my many friends I cherish in this world. And we were blessed with our 1st Godson, Karl too! We are lifting them up in ♥ heart felt prayer during this time...Their Grandson , Noah Lane passed away suddenly the other day. This is when I am so thankful that we have the connection to God and through prayer we can lift each other up, no matter what the issue or situation maybe. ♥ you Mary,Terry, Bruce,Tera, & Karl !

I'm reminded of my good ole' days of watching Anne of Green Gables from one of my newest favorite bloggers! I just love this book and movie and the series of Avonlea that was on Disney Channel years ago. It takes me back to one of our 1st times of watching Avonlea with my girls, getting all cozy up together in our huge bed and knowing that my Grandma Ruth back in California was also watching this favorite of ours.
Amazingly another connection we can have with each other, that comforts us. I totally forgot of "Jonah days"! "Jonah Day" is a reference from Anne of Avonlea, referring to a day when everything goes wrong.

Yes, some days are Jonah days but so THANKFUL GOD IS FAITHFUL throughout all our days :) He's our Great Comforter. So here's another way to comfort me, through food . My Cozy Tuscan Sunset Roasted Chicken recipe... it's an oldie with a new twist to add to it thanks to my shopping spree at Penzey's Spices . And I'm reminded of a sweet memories of my Grandma Ruth while making this... She gave me my 1st Julia Child Cookbook.

My Cozy Tuscan Sunset Roasted Chicken

Cozy Tuscan Sunset Roasted Chicken
adapted Recipe courtesy Julia Child, Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom, Alfred A. Knopf, 2000Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken
1 lemon, thinly sliced

1/2 cup celery leaves

Salt and black pepper
Butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 cups chicken broth

Penzey's Tuscan Sunset Spice * I just sprinkled on top, but next time I will measure & add more of it!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Wash the chicken in hot water and dry thoroughly. Season the cavity with salt and black pepper and stuff with the onion, lemon, and celery leaves. Rub the chicken lightly with softened butter and season all over with salt and pepper. Tie the drumsticks ends together and set the chicken, breast side up, in an oiled v-shaped rack or on an oiled roasting pan in the oven. Sprinkle Penzey's Tuscan Sunset on top of chicken.
Roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees, baste the chicken, and roast for 15 minutes. Add the chopped onion and carrot to the pan, basting them and the chicken. Continue roasting the chicken until the juices run clear, for a total of 45 minutes plus an additional 7 minutes for each pound. (In other words, a 3 1/2 pound chicken would take a basic 45 minutes plus an additional 25 minutes, for a total 70 minutes or 1 hour and 10 minutes of cooking time.)
Remove the chicken and spoon the fat out of the roasting pan. Into the pan, stir in the herbs and blend in the broth and, stirring constantly, boil for several minutes on the stove top to concentrate the flavor. Correct the seasoning and strain the sauce into a warm sauceboat. Carve the chicken and serve with the warm sauce.

I was told early in my married life that there will be days that seems like everything is going wrong. I've even had it in MINUTES! a phone call from friend will be sad news...the next phone call will be friend rejoicing. I often look at my life as a RollerCoaster! Which I love Rollercoasters! Now I have that "RollerCoaster" song playing in my head as I'm finishing this post...