- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
- | single page
Here's a seasonal, go-to menu that pleases all ages, is simple enough to leave time with guests and features easy-to-procure ingredients. (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune) |
If you're like me, the telephone call that announces unexpected dinner guests sends you into an anxious tizzy. Is the house clean? Did anyone take out the garbage? Is there any wine? And toughest of all: What to make for dinner? Double the anxiety if all of this happens on a weeknight.
The solution in our house? A seasonal, go-to menu that pleases all ages, is simple enough to leave time with guests and features easy-to-procure ingredients. Like most of our go-to menus, chicken takes center stage this season.
Sources tell us that the average American eats about 80 pounds of chicken per year. Too bad so much of that will be dry and uninteresting. The challenges of chicken? Keeping it moist and purchasing the right chicken.
These days, widely available commodity chicken is so affordable that we are tempted to stock up. However, chicken raised in crowded factory farms, with nasty chemicals and feed filled with who-knows-what, stifles our appetite. In 2012, we resolve to eat chicken that has been raised responsibly for our health and the health of our environment. We'll eat less so we can afford the better choice: Chickens that have been allowed to roam around, fed an organic or vegetarian diet and raised without the use of antibiotics.
Chicken-purchasing decisions made, for entertaining I prefer to cook bone-in chicken breasts for their attractive appearance. Cooking them on the bone only requires an extra 10 minutes and they stay much moister than boneless. I usually remove the skin so I am not tempted to enjoy it later. A little sprinkle of sweet or smoked paprika helps the final appearance.
For our impromptu dinner party, everyone got in on the act — my daughter enjoyed making the lemony tomato olive relish. She chose assorted olives, including sun-dried-tomato-stuffed and red chili olives from the olive bar at the local supermarket. Cherry tomatoes and a bed of arugula add unexpected color and freshness to the platter of chicken in the middle of January.
For a side dish, I'm huge fan of roasting every vegetable in sight. I used a red onion and five winter veggies — carrots, parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes and celery root. Simplify things if you like using just sweet potatoes and red onion.
For dessert, my son made his favorite blond brownie recipe from great-grandma. He personalized the supersweet bar cookie by substituting dark brown sugar for light, white chocolate chunks for butterscotch morsels and macadamias for the standard pecans. The recipe makes plenty; fortunately they freeze well and will be his treat back at college.
Armed with a satisfying menu, next time friends come for dinner, you'll be delighted instead of stressed.
Roasted chicken with lemony tomato-olive relish
Prep: 25 minutes
Marinate: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 lemons
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
The solution in our house? A seasonal, go-to menu that pleases all ages, is simple enough to leave time with guests and features easy-to-procure ingredients. Like most of our go-to menus, chicken takes center stage this season.
Sources tell us that the average American eats about 80 pounds of chicken per year. Too bad so much of that will be dry and uninteresting. The challenges of chicken? Keeping it moist and purchasing the right chicken.
These days, widely available commodity chicken is so affordable that we are tempted to stock up. However, chicken raised in crowded factory farms, with nasty chemicals and feed filled with who-knows-what, stifles our appetite. In 2012, we resolve to eat chicken that has been raised responsibly for our health and the health of our environment. We'll eat less so we can afford the better choice: Chickens that have been allowed to roam around, fed an organic or vegetarian diet and raised without the use of antibiotics.
Chicken-purchasing decisions made, for entertaining I prefer to cook bone-in chicken breasts for their attractive appearance. Cooking them on the bone only requires an extra 10 minutes and they stay much moister than boneless. I usually remove the skin so I am not tempted to enjoy it later. A little sprinkle of sweet or smoked paprika helps the final appearance.
For our impromptu dinner party, everyone got in on the act — my daughter enjoyed making the lemony tomato olive relish. She chose assorted olives, including sun-dried-tomato-stuffed and red chili olives from the olive bar at the local supermarket. Cherry tomatoes and a bed of arugula add unexpected color and freshness to the platter of chicken in the middle of January.
For a side dish, I'm huge fan of roasting every vegetable in sight. I used a red onion and five winter veggies — carrots, parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes and celery root. Simplify things if you like using just sweet potatoes and red onion.
For dessert, my son made his favorite blond brownie recipe from great-grandma. He personalized the supersweet bar cookie by substituting dark brown sugar for light, white chocolate chunks for butterscotch morsels and macadamias for the standard pecans. The recipe makes plenty; fortunately they freeze well and will be his treat back at college.
Armed with a satisfying menu, next time friends come for dinner, you'll be delighted instead of stressed.
Roasted chicken with lemony tomato-olive relish
Prep: 25 minutes
Marinate: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 lemons
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
