Spicy pear relish served with a simple roasted chicken makes a great old fashioned Sunday meal or a terrific any day meal. Go old fashioned all the way and serve with regular mashed potatoes or rosemary garlic or Parmesan garlic potatoes. Serve with sweet peas, string beans or broccoli. I grew up believing that everyone always had one starch and two vegetables on their plate, so I would add corn on the cob to the menu. I was an adult before I realized that all families don't do that. I still like the idea of two veggies on a plate.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium Bosc pears, cored, unpeeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped Bermuda onion
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 Tbspn. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tbspn. lemon juice
1 tspn. sugar
1/8 tspn. red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Cover relish and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.



Simple Roasted Chicken

There is nothing tastier than whole chicken roasted with onion, butter and a few herbs. Nothing here is complicated, just amazingly basic and good.

INGREDIENTS

1-3 pound whole chicken, rinsed and dressed
1 stick butter or margarine
1 medium-sized onion, quartered
1/3 cup chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tspn. salt
3/4 tspn. ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut butter in half and rub 1/2 stick of softened butter over all parts of the chicken. Add rest of softened butter to chopped rosemary and mix together.

Place chopped rosemary and butter mix and quartered onion inside of chicken cavity. Mix salt and black pepper together, then season chicken inside and out with blend.

Place chicken in a 9x13 inch roasting pan. Roast chicken in oven for at least 2 hours. Cooking time depends on your oven. The roast chicken is done when it is golden brown and the juices run clear upon puncturing.

When done, cover roasted chicken with aluminum foil and allow to rest for at least 15 or 20 minutes before carving. Cut and remove the thighs and legs, before you begin to slice the breast meat. Serve Pear relish as a side dish.

Serves approx. 6

Hint: Any chicken leftover can be served cold in a sandwich made with any toothy bread. Spread pear relish on one side of the bread and a little mayo on the other side.

See the food pyramids in Related links. The food pyramid for kids has some fun, hands-on activities.