Whole Fryers {Daddy to the Rescue} or The Bear Rides a Horse

I hate whole chickens. I'll cook a boneless, skinless breast everyday of the week. But give me a whole one and I chicken out. I know they're supposed to give you such good flavor and stock, blah, blah, blah. But anything that comes with its own neck and gizzards and whatnots in a bag in the cavity just isn't right. I don't like reaching in there to get the bag out, but the idea of it staying in there...yuck. It's the same reason I can't make giblet gravy at Thanksgiving. All the pieces, parts are quite unpleasant. Then to de-bone it once it's cooked. So tedious and again...gross. I hate whole chickens so much that I usually just use breasts, even for recipes that say to use a whole hen.

Apparently I forgot this loathing for whole chickens when I bought one. I wanted to try cooking a whole chicken in this stoneware baker in the microwave. It was really the thought of a meal, cooked in the microwave, done in 30 minutes that got me going. A home cooked meal in the time it takes to have a pizza delievered! Novel idea around this house. However, I remembered how much I detest whole chickens as soon as it was out of the bag. Really, could anything be more fowl? Anyway, after calling Daddy into the kitchen about 8 times asking him about the bird (Is everything in the bag or should I be looking for more parts in the little cavity? I don't have any string, do I really have to tie the legs together like the recipe says or can I just let it be? If it's supposed to be breast up, which side is the breast?) he decided to take the poultry into his own hands. Which was fine with me because I didn't want to touch that chick any more than I had to. For someone who's been eating for so many years, I don't know very much about cooking the food I eat.

I have to give him credit, it was egg-celent and super moist. Cooking it in the microwave was fabulous, but the recipe could use a little work. It was beautiful when it was done, but I forgot to take a picture of it before we ate.

So how about a pic of after we ate? Anyway, this is really a note to self to help me to remember not to buy anymore whole birds. Just stick to the breasts, self. This is also an atta-boy for Papa Bear. Thanks for being brave and not grossed out. Sorry you didn't marry a Martha Stewart type. Maybe it'll come with age. You're a great rooster!

If you've read this far, through the terrible chicken humor, then you deserve to get to the meat of this post...

The Bear saw a horse for the first time this weekend. He wasn't too sure about it, he would smile and then scowl at it.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

Being on top of such a big animal isn't so bad...

but being next to a big animal like this makes you feel a little smaller.

Don't you love that Alabama jersey? Anyway, it was a good weekend. I snapped some really cute pics of him that I'll share another day this week. Have a good one!