THE READING CORNER....SERVING A PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Victoria chose the 5 foods she would want to eat for the rest of her life~

Doughnuts, assorted, with an emphasis on maple

Roasted chicken

Cheesecake

Butternut squash soup

Grapes

 

 

This is the first novel from Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

 

With great care, Vanessa  researched the scientific definitions of many plants and herbs, and she learned how various flora came to hold social significance.

She explains:

"Lining up dictionaries on my dining room table... I scanned the meanings, selecting the definition that best fit the science of each flower.......

 

 

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: Honeysuckle for Devotion, Asters for Patience, and Red Roses for Love.

 

 The Language of Flowers is an elegantly written novel.

 It beautifully weaves past and present,

creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to

overcome her own troubled past.

 

For Victoria Jones, the language of flowers has been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude.

 

After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

 

Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what's been missing in her life, and when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

 

I thought lovely handmade Vintage bookmarks

would be a beautiful gift to present your guests at Bookclub.

The Lavender is a gift for Sweet Melissa.

 

 

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

5 1/2 pound roasting chicken

1/2 bunch each fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley

1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 orange, halved

1/2 head garlic

1 medium white onion, halved, plus 1 onion

6 strips smoked bacon

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup dry sherry

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out. Pat it dry with paper towels. Divide the herbs, keeping 1/2 of them whole. Finely chop the other half. In a small bowl, mash  the softened butter with the chopped herbs, until combined. Rub the herbed butter under the skin, as well as all over the outside of the chicken. Season the bird all over with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, garlic, 1 onion, and the remaining herbs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine to help hold its shape. Place the chicken, breast-side up, in a roasting pan. Put the remaining onion into the pan, which will help color and flavor the sauce. Lay the strips of bacon across the breast of the chicken and roast  for 25 minutes.

Remove the bacon and baste the chicken with the drippings and cook for another 25 minutes to brown the skin. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh . Remove the chicken to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes, so the juices settle back into the meat before carving.

Meanwhile, remove the softened onion from the roasting pan. Tilt the pan so the drippings collect in 1 corner, skimming off as much fat as possible, and leaving the drippings. Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat and take a wooden spoon to scrape up the flavor from the bottom of the pan. Stir the flour into the drippings to make a roux-like paste. Pour in the chicken broth in stages; continue to stir to dissolve the flour evenly to prevent lumps. Stir in the sherry and season with salt and pepper.