Main Meals

For hundreds of years one of the main staples of holiday meals has been roast poultry. While turkey seems to be synonymous for Thanksgiving, chicken, goose and duck are becoming quite popular in the Christmas season. For Hanukkah, many Jewish families couldn't imagine a festive dinner without a beautiful beef brisket adorning the center of the dining table.

Also check out... The Inside Scoop to Simple Holiday... Easy Holiday Quick Bread Recipes Frugal and Easy Thanksgiving Recipes Sensible Swaps for High-Fat Holiday...

Roasting a whole chicken isn't as daunting of a task as it may sound. It requires only a few minutes of preparation before it can be placed in the oven and you can return to the family.

Juicy Oven-Roasted Chicken

• 1 5-6 lb. whole chicken
• 1 packet powdered herb & garlic soup mix
• 2 large yellow onions
• 2 lbs. whole carrots, peeled
• 1 bunch celery
• 4 Tb. butter, cold and sliced into 1/4-inch thick squares
• Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Chop one onion into quarters and place in the bottom of the pan. Slice the carrots in half lengthwise and layer them in the pan with the celery, creating a rack to place the chicken on.