Beau Monde Chicken

When I was about 15 or 16, my Uncle Bill invited me for a winter weekend at his cabin near Outing MN.  His cabin was rustic.  He used an old wood stove for cooking, the table had chrome legs and a vinyl top and the kitchen area was so small you had to step into the living room to change your mind.  

Although the area near his cabin has modernized over the years, at the time, there wasn't much in the way of convenience. The grocery store near the cabin may have been as large as two-car garage and used four shelves to display the variety of food much of which was canned fruits and vegetables.  In other words, if you wanted a nice meal at the cabin, you brought your own food with you.

For this particular night, the meal consisted of roasted chicken seasoned with Beau Monde. Never heard of it?  It is a blend of spices primarily of celery salt, onion salt and salt and is made by Spice Island, (look for glass bottles with beige labels).  He placed the chicken pieces in an old aluminum pie pan and popped it in the wood-heated oven. Bill also served steamed carrots and onions. While we waited for the food to cook, I was offered a shot of blackberry brandy and taught how to lose at cribbage.

There were a number of lessons taught to my young self that night.  

• Delicious food can be prepared very simply
• blackberry brandy is as delicious as cough syrup
• never throw a five into your opponent's crib and 
• vinyl-topped tables stick to your arms when the wood-heated stove is nearby.  

Ingredients:

Chicken (whole or pieces)
Beau Monde Seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 3 oak logs, (or 350˚).
Bake chicken until the breasts register 165˚, thighs and legs can be as high as 175˚, (about 45 minutes.)