Italian Herb Roast Chicken And A Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Goodbye to 2012 and Hello to 2013! Thank you for all your visits, support and encouragement for the past year. I have gained many new friends in bloggerland! I really appreciate each and every visit and all your comments, thank you for taking the time to stop by! Here's wishing the very best of 2013 to all of you!

How was your countdown to 2013? My family had a quiet dinner at home, made a roast chicken, a side potato dish and a simple salad, finished off with ice cream and some fruits for dessert. And a little wish that 2013 will be a better year, with less violence around the world ; less poverty, more compassion ; less selfishness, more thoughtfulness; less greed, more generosity; less demanding, more understanding; less hatred , more love; less impatience, more tolerance;  less cristicism, more encouragement; less tears, more smiles; the list goes on.... 

I'm writing this at exactly 12 midnight now, some quiet time alone, the family has retire for the night, and I can hear the crackles of the fireworks right now, from somewhere out there, where the New Year is being welcome with some display of fireworks. 

And I can't help feeling grateful that my loved ones are together, under one roof. 

And my handphone is beeping now, with messages from my sisters (I have five wonderful sisters) wishing me A Blessed and Wonderful New Year.  I'm blessed.

Cheers to a better and wonderful year! 

Happy New Year to all!

Italian Herb Roast Chicken
1 whole chicken
2-3 tablespoons Italian Herb Seasoning
salt to taste
generous sprinkling of coarse black pepper powder
1 tablespoon butter
some olive oil
1 head of garlic, unpeeled

Preheat oven to 200C. Pat chicken dry, and rub with the herb seasoning, salt to taste, a generous sprinkling of coarse black pepper all over. Dot with some butter all over skin of chicken. Drizzle some olive oil on baking tray lined with aluminium foil (for easy cleaning later). Place chicken, breast side up in baking tray. Separate garlic, but leave unpeeled and scatter garlic cloves in baking tray.
Bake in preheated oven for about an hour until brown all over, depending on the size of the chicken. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
(Drizzle chicken with the oil accumulated in the baking tray after the first 30 minutes of baking, and every 10-15 minutes after that).