Roast a Chicken…Don’t be Scared!

We used to be scared of roasting a whole chicken. And not just because of the raw chicken thing. It seemed too much like roasting a turkey, and that’s a big dang deal.

But then we noticed that whole chickens are often on sale for less than $5 each. That was too good a deal to pass up for dinner and leftovers.

And then we found a really simple recipe in a Rebecca Katz’s cancer fighting cookbook called Chicken Roasted All the Way to Yum. And it is. Simple and easy and yum. Of course, we adapted it a bit. If you want her original recipe, go here.

Otherwise, you need just a few things: a roasting dish (we use a 9×13 pyrex baking dish); an orange; a lemon; salt, pepper and rosemary. And a whole chicken.

Take a deep breath, because you are about to be elbow deep inside that chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the chicken and remove the innards. This is important. We predict you will only ever forget once.

Place the chicken in the pan—legs facing up!!!

Mix a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl; grab half and rub in the cavity of the chicken. Sprinkle the rest over the top.

Cut the lemon and orange. Squeeze the juice over the top of the chicken and stuff the rest inside the chicken.

Sprinkle chicken with whole dried rosemary.

Cook for 90 minutes, or until a meat thermometer stuck deep in the breast says the meat is done.

Carve and serve. There will be enough drippings for gravy (but that kind of defeats the purpose of healthy chicken…).

If you are really industrious, you can save the carcass and make Rebecca’s Magic Mineral Broth (just add the chicken carcass along with everything else), and then freeze and use for all your soups this Fall!

Jen cooked one of these Tuesday and forgot to take pictures. So instead, here’s a picture of what your plates will look like if you make this chicken.

Yep, it’s that good.

Happy Friday!

Dance for God ~ Jen

I never wanted Kate to dance.

I want her to smash volleyballs down the line and laugh.

I’m not kidding. Because that girl who uses her height and strength to pound a ball into the floor—that girl will not get pushed around in this world. That girl will never be a crumpled heap in a corner because of what the world did to her.

But Kate doesn’t like balls. Or smashing anything. Kate wants to dance.

So last summer, I found a dance studio in town and signed her up. It was disorganized and a bit silly, but that was ok with me because I wasn’t too serious anyhow.

I sat in the waiting room, watching my daughter on a tiny tv, listening to the other moms. They were much as I expected: catty, gossipy, whispery. Overly concerned with how big or small their daughters were in comparison with the others. The hip-hop music coming out of the big practice room was questionable. We won’t be doing hip-hop, ever I thought. One day we got an email reminding us that if our small children were a nuisance in the waiting room, we were expected to leave. I heard from a friend that some moms actually ran a dad and his toddler out the door one night.

I felt uncomfortable, but at the Christmas recital, Kate nailed it and had a wonderful time. “I LOVE dance!” she told me. We stayed.

Then in late January, the recital costumes were posted. I needed to pay $90 for something that I did not feel was appropriate for my 5 year old. I looked at what the older girls were expected to wear and saw my future—it had less and less material with every passing year. If she wanted to be serious about dance, this was not a place I was willing to make that happen.

I went home and Googled “Christian dance studio” out of desperation. I didn’t even know if such a thing existed. But it does, and right down the road from our town.

We made the switch. At the first class, I sat in front of a giant window with my daughter just on the other side. Her teacher had the girls sit in a circle and hold hands.

Then they started class with a prayer.

God sent me more Grace than I knew I needed. I wanted her in a place where modesty and grace were important. I got a place where moms and teenagers study the Bible at the studio; I’ve seen beautiful dancing to Christian music and watched kind young ladies and men mentor the little ones around them. My toddler is welcome here, with her sticky fingers and her wobbling walk. People just move around her, patting her head as they go by. The peaceful moms have smiles for every child, not just their own. I don’t sense competition, only the commitment to hold each other up. Conversations center around home school and church groups and praise choirs.

They are serious about their dance at this place, too. All the instructors are professionals, and they use the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum. I don’t know what that means, but there are dancers on pointe. The music is clean and Christian, even the hip-hop, and the dancers work very, very hard in their classes.

This last weekend was the recital. I knew it was going to be great. I told everyone they were going to see some beautiful dancing to great Christian music. A visual feast.

I wasn’t wrong. But I was far away from right. That’s not what happened in that theater. It wasn’t dancing.

It was worship.

The little kids were adorable in their costumes, stumbling through their dances while trying to wave at their parents.

But the older dancers, they knew what they were there for. They didn’t just dance to the songs, they felt the songs. They praised God with their arms and their legs and their spirits. They weren’t dancing for us. They were dancing for Him. And they lifted us up with them in praise and joy.

This is light years away from “Dance Moms” and mean girls.

This is about growing the gifts that God gave Kate in a way that glorifies God. This is learning that being on stage is not for her or about her, but for others, a service, a witness. This is about working for God and not for applause.

And because they were dancing for God and not themselves, they were calm, confident, spiritual.

Now I want Kate to dance with all my soul. Or at least stay with this studio long enough to learn that whatever gift she has came from God and should be offered back to Him in service and witness.

Because it’s not winning that will hold the evils of the world at bay. It’s not physical aggression that will stop her from being a crumpled heap in the corner.

That’s not what kept me safe, either.

It’s God. She has to keep her eyes on God.

www.dunamixdanceproject.com

300

We hit a milestone at Full of Graces this week: 300 followers!

We always meant to be serious about this blog, but writing is such a publicly personal experience that you kind of have to tell yourself you won’t care if no one reads your stuff. When people do read it, and share it, and comment on it, it’s pretty cool. Thanks to everyone who has joined us. We’re glad you’re here.

One unexpected bonus of this journey has been the other bloggers we’ve “met”: food folks and faith folks and fashion folks and just plain nice solid folks. We have prayed and been prayed for, shared recipes, witnessed life changing events. Talk about Grace in our lives! The blog has opened doors across the country and down the road in ways we never anticipated. We are inspired to be better writers and better spirits by these folks, to the extent that shortly we will be adding a blog roll to our home page so they can maybe inspire you as well.

And…we have a surprise. Dana’s mother-in-law is a wizard with a sewing machine. She just recently turned this gift in the direction of little girls dresses. The result has been stunning, handcrafted, boutique quality dresses that will knock your socks off.

Annnnnnnd…we get to give one away!

(Just as soon as we figure out a fair way to do that! Lol.)

So stay tuned. We have BIG things planned! Fall and football and comfort food, just to name a few.

Happy Friday!

Dana and Jen

For the Rookies, on the First Day of School ~ Jen

There’s nothing better than brand new school supplies!

At the very core of education, in your own classroom, there is nothing like the magic of educating kids. Nothing. You see moments in a kid’s life, flashes of brilliance and frustration; you hear them laugh, you see them cry. Sometimes you make them cry, and you steel your heart to their tears because you know what you are saying is for their own good.

You are mom, friend, sister; you are at once the coolest cat and the biggest bitch; you will love them, and have days where you could climb a mountain; you will hate them and have days where you wish it was still legal to spank them.

You will love their parents and you will hate their parents. You will see some beautiful souls and some souls bound for the deepest parts of hell. You will hear stories that make you believe in the human spirit, and stories that give you nightmares and make you hug your kids a little tighter. Students will lie to your face; parents will lie to your face. One day, a student will tell you a truth so terrible that you will wish they had lied. You will help them while your heart is breaking inside.

You will want to save them. You will want to take at least 20 of them home with you. Then you will realize that some kids are not meant to be saved by you. And you will cry.

You will change kids’ lives. And they will change yours. A young man will stand across the desk from you, his head down, his voice quiet, and tell you that he doesn’t think he can ever put into words the way you have changed his life. The angels will sing. Some people would go home and call that a career. But not you. You will get up and come to school the next day because that’s what you do.

All of this is true. It happened to me. And in the midst of it, I taught some English to 11th graders.

It’s such a gift, this job, but it demands your life’s blood. It’s not an “in the meantime job”. It’s a 20 hour a day, plan a year in advance, every day is a brand new challenge job.

When you’re good at it, you give your life to it. And no good teacher ever just teaches. They coach and moderate and sponsor and serve on committees and boards. They get inside as many circles of their students’ lives as possible, because good teachers know that connection is how kids succeed—when there are trustworthy adults at every turn.

You will know you are on the right track when the question of your reputation results in fierce debate between the kids who love you and the kids who hate you. Change is hard for teenagers, just like for grown ups. When you push them, they’ll push back. Stay strong. I once had a student named Jerome revise a paper 9 times to get a B and when he did, he hung that thing proudly on the fridge. And didn’t speak to me for two weeks. I was so proud of him. That’s some real learning, right there.

You will make mistakes. Tons. There’s no way to talk to 200 kids a day and not say something stupid on a fairly regular basis. When you do, just apologize. No one ever apologizes to teenagers. They will respect you forever if you own your mistakes. And they will learn from you that apologies don’t make you weak, they make you honorable.

But don’t ever let them forget that you are the queen—or king—of your classroom. Yes, the queen can be wrong. But she’s still the queen. So when they ask “Why are we doing this?” and what they mean is “Do we really have to do this?” ask them “Who am I?” By Christmas, they should know to say “You are the Queen of this classroom” and they should know that means that you are trustworthy, you are making the best decisions for them that you can, and that as a result, you will brook no lazy disagreement.

A teacher is like a farmer—we sow a lot of seeds. We don’t always get to see the fruit that grows, or the harvest because it can take years. I keep myself hidden on Facebook, but I have a few former students in my newsfeed: the doctor, the teacher, the one who works with older people, the one who joined the family business, the single mom who finished college, the single mom who is serving our country, the one who just celebrated her 10^th wedding anniversary. It is so incredible to see their smiling faces as adults, their beautiful children, their dreams coming true, their determination to do the best they can.

You will have this too, if your heart is sincere. It’s about the kids. The kids will strip you down and make you see who you really are. The kids will make you better, even the ones who make you crazy first. Maybe them most of all.

Society won’t tell you that the job you do is important, but it is. You are in charge of tomorrow.

So best of luck. And in January, when you cannot for the life of you remember why you picked this stupid f*$king job, hang on. I promise that by May you will feel much better.

How We Do Disneyland ~ Dana

Jen and I agree that one of our favorite places in the whole wide world is Disneyland. I’ve had an annual pass almost every year since 1995. I’ve been there on dates, I’ve been there alone, and I’ve been there at opening, and stayed until close. These days, though, I see the Happiest Place on Earth through the eyes of two little ones under 3, and let me tell you, it’s quite a different experience than what I had in my “former life.”

There are lots of great blogs that have written tips for surviving Disneyland with toddlers, so I thought I’d just tell you how my family rolls in The Park. Maybe you’ll find something useful for your next trip. And feel free to comment and share your Disney habits… we’d love to learn something new, too!

The Baby Center – I didn’t know about this place until I had children. And it has saved my butt on more than one occasion. The Baby Center is located at the end of Main Street, down the little walkway after the photo shop. There are changing tables, a nursing area for moms, a few high chairs, a place to warm formula or food, and a table and chairs with books, in case your little one just needs a break in a cool room. And they sell diapers. And formula. So if you run out of size 4 diapers, you can go buy one for a buck and not have to jimmy a size 1 to your little one’s rump with packing tape. (Yes, I have done that. Don’t judge me.) Plus you walk in and feel like Mary Poppins will come around the corner and make everything better.
Breakfast at the River Belle Terrace – We typically get up, get dressed, and go. Since we have Annual Passes and since our trips don’t include getting on popular rides (a tough thing to do with a 2 ½ year old and a 9 month old) we like to eat a nice, leisurely breakfast at The Park. The River Belle Terrace is between New Orleans Square and Frontierland, right on the water of the Rivers of America. We sit outside under an umbrella and the girls are entertained by the Mark Twain riverboat coming and going. It’s never crowded for breakfast and the food is good. I highly recommend also getting the cinnamon roll, which is big enough to share with a good friend.
Hansel, Mazie, and Mazie’s BFF Myles… and in the bottom right, a cinnamon roll which Myles’ mama, Kim, and I devoured!
MouseWait – This is an awesome app for iPhone and Android that tells you up to the minute wait times for the rides, attractions, and restaurants of the Disneyland Resort. During breakfast I usually check MouseWait to see what wait times look like. Although, there rarely is over a 25-minute wait for It’s a Small World, King Arthur’s Carousel, or Winnie the Pooh. Those are our big three right now. I know, my life is thrilling. But remember that the crowd will grow as the day goes on, so if there’s something you really want to do, do it early to avoid a longer line.
Lunch – Since we’ve usually had a late-ish breakfast, we can make it to a later lunch. I highly recommend trying to push your lunchtime to 1 or 1:30 if you can. Give your kids a mid-morning snack if need be. The lines get shorter and the tables more plentiful if you don’t eat between 11:30 and 1:00. I’m ok with having a burger at The Village Haus (an old standby for me) or sandwich at The Jolly Holiday Café on Main Street (Mary Poppins themed and darling) since we’ve had a larger breakfast. Plus, that opens up the conversation for a nice dinner. And I’m all about a nice dinner.
Stained glass at the Jolly Holiday – I love Mary Poppins penguins!
Nap time – for us, after lunch is usually when the kids will knock out for a nap. I give them milk and recline the stroller and boom baby, they are usually good for a couple of hours. During this time, my husband and I alternate sitting in a shaded area enjoying a sweet treat, perusing the shops on Main Street, or sitting in the cool of the Disney Gallery, which has moved to the front of Main Street, near the entrance. This time could also be used for one of us to hit up a “big ride” by taking advantage of single rider lines, which are now available at Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain.
Dinnertime – After naptime we usually hit up a few more rides or head over to California Adventure. But this all leads up to my favorite time of the day, dinnertime. With the little ones, we usually eat early, before the big dinner rush. I have two favorite spots for dinner right now: The French Market in Disneyland, and Storyteller’s Café located in the Grand Californian Hotel in Downtown Disney. The French Market is very nostalgic for me and they have awesome New Orleans-inspired food. There are plenty of tables, plenty of shade, and a live jazz band that plays every so often. It’s just a nice place to hang out for a while, sip a (non-alcoholic) mint julep, and let Mazie dance around to the music. Storyteller’s is awesome because it’s a regular restaurant with waiters and waitresses who bring you your food (a luxury for exhausted parents). Another great thing about this place is that since it’s not in the original Disneyland Park, they serve alcohol (also a luxury for exhausted parents!). Not that I’m a lush or anything, but it’s nice to sit in air-conditioning and enjoy a Magical Star Cocktail after a long Disney day. There are other nice restaurants at both parks (Blue Bayou, Wine Country Trattoria) that take reservations, so maybe think about dinner in advance and call Disney Dining at (714) 781-3463 either before your trip or in the morning to check availability.
Mazie at the French Market on her birthday this year. The jazz band throws beads to little ones, which is a little touch of Disney Magic that I love.
Jammies – When we stay at The Park for the long haul, we always bring jammies for the girls. After dinner we might hit up the Tiki Room or Ariel’s Under Sea Adventures, then swing by the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor or Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop. After that, it’s straight to the Baby Care Center (yes, there is one in California Adventure, too, located conveniently right next to Ghiradelli) for diaper changes and pajamas. The girls are usually asleep by the time we get ourselves back to the car and then we effortlessly transfer them to their beds back home.

I know as the girls get older, we will find new ways to have a successful day at Disneyland. I really look forward to the day that it doesn’t take us FOR-EVER in the morning just to get out of the house… you know, the day when everyone can dress themselves and I heat up pre-made breakfast burritos from The Pioneer Woman and we can all eat in the car. Then we’ll make our first priority rides, rides, rides, and if these girls are anything like me, shopping, shopping, shopping!

For those of you already there, I suggest getting everyone up early, fighting traffic, and getting to The Park early enough for the Rope Drop. Run to the different lands and enjoy waiting 5 minutes for Space Mountain, or just walking right on Indy. And take a spin on the Matterhorn for me, will you?

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