Perfectly Roasted Chicken

Finding it difficult to come up with an alternative to the usual Turkey dinner this festive season? Look no further. I have the perfectly roasted chicken recipe for you that will put a smile on your guests faces. I served this a couple of Christmases ago and the kids loved it; it has been my go to roast for weekends or whenever we have friends or family over for a big feast. And the best part, it's a no oil, fuss free kind of recipe! Feel free to substitute the lemon for oranges to capture that more familiar festive feeling.

For a small-medium whole bird, you will need:

• 1 Whole chicken with skin and bones, halved lengthwise
• 3 Cloves of garlic, freshly minced
• 2 Whole lemons, one juiced for drizzling and one sliced for serving
• 1 Teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 Teaspoon of fine salt
• A pinch of sea salt flakes for serving

Final Touches: Reserve one lemon for slicing and wedging into the chicken before sprinkling with sea salt and serving.

How To:

1. Prepare a roasting tray large enough for your bird to lay flat in the oven.

2. Clean any excess fat and feathering from your bird and cut it down the middle, lengthways. Lay flat, skin side up, into your roasting tray.

3. Pierce the entire chicken to the bone with a knife.

4. Sprinkle the fine salt and black pepper all over the chicken - try to do this evenly - and then rub in the minced garlic by massaging all of the seasoning into the cuts you have made.

5. Cover gently with some foil and bake in the middle of the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Check your progress at this point, uncover and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.

6. Once cooked, removed from the oven and pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice over the chicken. Wedge your lemon slices into the creases of the chicken and lightly sprinkle with some sea salt flakes.

Serve with boiled baby new potatoes, steamed veggies and a green leafy salad. A quick and simple, wholesome family meal. Enjoy!

Wishing all a bright and joyous Yule.

- The Storms

As this Year Closes, Another Begins.

As another year comes to a close and with the New Year upon us, I can’t help but wonder where all the time has gone. The kids are growing fast and in many ways out-pacing the best of us. Our eldest daughter, Eden, who very recently turned five years old, began a new chapter of her life. School! She has been there for three months now and has settled so nicely that during these Christmas holidays, the one thing she is looking forward to most of all is to get back to school. You gotta love this kid – how many children do you know who spend their holidays waiting for school to start. I told her she has two weeks of fun to spend at home with Mummy, Daddy and her little sister and brother. And still, every morning she wakes up and asks me if there is school today. In fact this morning she rather frustratingly declared, “Mummy, this is taking too long. My school doors have been closed forever!”

She is an amazing kid. I cannot believe she is five already and so beautiful. She has become so mature in her mannerisms and talks to me in such a serious tone that it is hard to think of her as a Reception student. Sometimes, I can imagine myself having a real grown-up conversation with this young girl.

We bought her a little Kodak Digital Camera for her birthday, and for Christmas, a number of frames to fill once she masters her budding photography skills, which are coming along so very nicely. Another treat for her on her birthday is to put up the family tree and decorate it with her sister, Lydia. Although, this year it went up a little early as the girls were just so excited about the idea of getting the Yuletide celebrations moving.

Winter Tree: Whites, golds and silvers.

Our family tree has had a bit of a journey over the years. We first bought it back in 2009 as our very first family tree, which stood in a corner adorned with a few simple baubles (most of which have actually survived). I've always been an advocate of the artificial tree; I much prefer them over real ones, no needles and to be very honest it has more to do with my own personal choice and principles. As lovely as they look, I really don't see the point in destroying trees only to watch them slowly degrade and die.

Admiration: Little man loves his face.

Now, four years on it has grown with us as a little family of five with each year something new being placed on the once sparsely decorated tree. I think it looks rather beautiful and fitting in our small home. But I can’t take all the credit; my girls did a fantastic job and were very helpful in adding the finishing touches to our rather Pagan-centric tree.

Happy Yuletide: The Storm family's tree.

2013 has been a productive year – I couldn't have achieved half of the things I have this year if it weren't for my amazing husband, Kade. A remarkable man and an astounding father, who does the hard jobs and takes on the difficult tasks ahead so I don’t have to shoulder the burden all of the time. I've gotten some well earned rest and relaxation this winter... Thank you my love and life.

May 2014 be even better as our family evolves into an even greater version of itself. I love my family and I am grateful for them every single day!

Hope you've all had a perfect Christmas and have an even greater New Year!

And for those of you still hoping for snow before the year is out...