Sunday, February 27, 2011

Family Traditions

(I will admit, when thinking about writing this post, this song popped into my head. And there it sits. On repeat.)

Our little family of four does not have many family traditions. But we are a fairly new family, so I think there is plenty of time to change that. The few traditions we do have seem to center around food and eating together as a family. Nothing wrong with that in my mind! 

Eating as a family is extremely important to me and we try to do so most evenings. I love the time to slow down and connect with everyone. It's our surefire way of making family time a high priority during our busy daily life. By starting this tradition with our kids at a young age (when they don't have a choice, ha!), we are hopefully showing them the importance and value in sitting down and eating together. And if we happen to be eating something fabulous that's even better.

Here are a few of our family traditions.

We make Aebleskivers for breakfast on Christmas morning. Love it. 


Four years ago Chris and I started the tradition of having crab legs for dinner on New Year's Eve. Love this too. 


Last spring we instituted Homemade Pizza Night on Friday nights.We got off track for a while but seem to be getting back into the swing of things again. Really love this. Even though my pizza is now cheese-less.

And the latest and greatest tradition? Sunday night Roast Chicken. We've only done it once or twice, but it was such a warm and delicious ending to our weekend that I think we're going to start doing it more often. And it makes the whole house smell wonderful (if you like the smell of roasting chicken and veggies).

Now, before you start thinking "Wow, aren't you the little Susy Homemaker to whip up a roasted chicken every Sunday!" I promise you I'm not. Just ask Chris. :)  It's really easy. But doesn't it sound so impressive to say you're roasting a chicken for dinner? And it's sooo good! 

I found this recipe on Dinner: A Love Story and love it. It's a very basic recipe that you could spice up a little with different spices/herbs or veggies.  Tonight we are going to throw some beets into the mix. With a side of brussel sprouts. Because we're crazy like that. 

Perfect Roast Chicken
(Adapted from Dinner A Love Story)
 
6 potatoes (anything but baking potatoes), cut into chunks (I used baby red potatoes)
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into chunks (All I had were baby carrots)
1 whole roasting chicken (organic if you can swing it) about 4 pounds (ours was around 3lbs)
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, pricked several times with a knife
1 small bunch fresh thyme (I also threw some Rosemary in)

Heat oven to 425°F. Arrange potatoes and carrots in a large oven-proof skillet (I used a glass baking dish) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes.

Rinse chicken under cold water (inside and out) and pat dry.  Rub chicken skin with butter and season with salt and pepper.  Fill cavity with lemon and thyme (and rosemary).  Place chicken over roasting vegetables and continue roasting until chicken is a golden brown and juice run clear when thigh is pierced with a fork, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the oven, carve and serve. Enjoy!


What are your family traditions? 

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