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MOTHER'S KITCHEN

Making Thanksgiving simple again.

By Anne Vassal

My brother John, ski instructor to Aspen vacationers, has a term for the town's upscale restaurant food. He calls it "foo-foo food." Although he appreciates fine cuisine, he's just as happy with a burger and fries. When it comes to food, new and different can be interesting as long as we can always fall back on the old favorites. At least we know how to prepare those oldies but goodies. Or do we? In an era when the art of cooking has been put on the back burner, many of us are stuck at the how-to-boil-water stage. Careers, kids, and pets leave little time for culinary creativity. This is why we find such books as Gourmet Cooking for Dummies at the local bookstore. Although I'd prefer "inexperienced" as opposed to "dummies" when referring to non-cookers, folks need to know the basics. As Thanksgiving weekend rapidly approaches, panic attacks are occurring nationwide. The in-law invasion won't be a problem if we have a few easy recipes under our belts.

MAIN MEAL OR THANKSGIVING DINNER
( or how not to wrestle with a turkey):

• Roast Chicken(s)
• Greens Salad
• Whole-grain rolls or bread
• Almost-Instant Dessert

NEXT DAY LUNCH:

• Freezer Bean Soup,
• defrosted Yesterday's rolls or bread,
• heated Selection of cheeses and fruit

DINNER:

•Chicken Salad over greens
• Warmed pita bread
• Tea and a plate of packaged cookies

BREAKFAST:

•Orange wedges
• Freezer muffins, bagels with cream cheese spreads and jam
• Granola and vanilla yogurt
• Eggs (only if necessary)

Garlic Roast Chicken (serves 4)

olive oil
1 five-pound roasting chicken*
1 lemon, cut into six wedges
8 large cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced in half, lengthwise bag baby carrots (16-ounce size)
fresh thyme sprigs
3 medium onions, peeled and sliced from end to end into quarters
1 cup chicken broth (1/2 of a 16-ounce can)
2 teaspoons arrowroot flour or cornstarch
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 to 2 pounds tiny "new" red potatoes

If your grocery doesn't carry tiny potatoes, cut up some red-skinned potatoes into one-inch chunks.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Get out a roasting pan or a large baking pan. Rub some olive oil on the bottom of the pan with a paper towel. Get the lemon, garlic, and onions ready. Wash the potatoes. Remove the neck, etc., from the inside (cavity) of the chicken - —and throw away. Wash the chicken inside and out with cold water. Lay on paper towels and pat dry. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken on top of the carrots. Stuff the chicken with the lemon wedges, two garlic pieces, and a few sprigs of thyme. Rub some olive oil on the skin of the chicken with a paper towel. Arrange the potatoes and then the onions around the chicken. Cut four slits in the chicken and stick a piece of garlic into each slit. Distribute the rest of the garlic over the potatoes and onions. Sprinkle thyme sprigs over the chicken and potatoes.