Gluehwein, Messy Roasted Chicken, Parsnip Fries

Gluehwein's a warm, spiced red wine drink common in Austria and Germany over the holidays. I remember having a lot of it last year, it's sold on the street from little stands. I looked up a recipe for it...you combine 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, a cinnamon stick, the juice of an orange, and the rind of the orange studded with cloves and simmer for 30 minutes. Then you add a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz and let it get warm. Of course, I didn't have a cinnamon stick or whole cloves, so I just tossed some spices in there and hoped for the best. Also, Georg was sent for an orange and brought back a grapefruit (ha) so I used grapefruit juice instead of orange. It was still good though. I would just caution against overwarming the wine...if it's on the stove for a long time, it gets a little syrupy. I would probably cut back on the sugar next time as well; that might help eliminate the syrupyness too. I think this particular recipe could stand with just 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar rather than 3/4 cup.
Well--on to the dinner I made that night...roasted chicken and parsnip fries. The parsnip fries were really good. I cut them into sticks, tossed them in thyme, olive oil, and salt, and roasted them at a very high temperature (450-475 degrees) for 20-30 minutes. Cooking them at a high temperature is key; it makes them crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
The roasted chicken was also really good...crispy skin, really moist meat. I used this recipe from one of my favorite blogs. This recipe, too, relies on a high oven temperature. Well, what worked on parsnips became a big mess when applied to chicken. Chicken fat exploded all over my oven. It popped and sizzled everywhere, including the heating coils, and once the fat hit the heating coils it created this awful smoke that burned my eyes. I am going to have to totally clean my oven before using it again after that chicken.
Our lantern-flower kitten says hello and...
Here is a nice little scene of Gluehwein and nuts that Georg set up and wanted me to take a picture of...what a little food stylist.

Georg and I leave on Friday for a trip to the Canadian Rockies for the holidays! I will surely have lots of pictures to show soon from our excursion!