Dinner with the Taylor-Pierces

These dinner even was a week ago Sunday, but I have to showcase these birds.   I started making this recipe for rotisserie chicken quite often a few months after John and I got married.  It was an easy and delicious recipe and tasted quite similar to those rotisserie chickens they sell at grocery stores for $5-$10.  And I usually paid $3 per bird so it was a great deal.

I've had to make a few changes although I would really recommend the original recipe because cooking it low and slow makes it sooo much more juicy and the skin even crispier/stickier.

Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style
    adapted from Sue Rogers

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 onions, quartered
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
3. Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 1 hour (1.5 hours for 3 chickens), to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.

I used 3 chickens.  I also cut up a bunch of potatoes and carrots.  I seasoned them with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme and put the chickens on top.  It smells SOOO good when it is cooking and is quite impressive, yet so easy.

I had John cut up the birds... he is getting much better at it! :)

We had over our friends Rene and Modupe Taylor-Pierce and their three kids.  They are such a NEAT family!  They are Sierra Leoneans who just recently moved back to the states after having lived there for more than a decade.  They moved back for a few reasons.  1.  So their children would know the country they are from  2.  To help further develop the country in economic development and spiritual development

We got to hear his story of how he was chosen as the first Sierra Leonean to attend West Point Academy.  He is currently getting his doctorate (I'm not sure in what? Leadership I think)  He took about an hour and half to tell his life story which is incredible!! It makes my life seem so boring.  He also met his wife in New Jersey and she happened to be Sierra Leonean as well.  

His father is a prominent figure here in Sierra Leone and just published a biography of his life.  
This was the night before Peggy and Bob left.  Here are a few pictures.

 Here is another of the African dresses I bought when I first got here. 

  
I bought another one but I'm going to try to trade it in.  Most of the dresses are stretchy 'one-size fits-all' types so I thought I would be fine.  However... this one is just too short in the torso.  I will see if I can trade it in for another one plus 10,000 leones or so.  

Hope everyone is having a good week!   

Upcoming posts (in no particular order):  Bureh beach photos, ultrasound results