These days I love easy recipes.
In years past I liked nothing better than tackling a challenging menu that really tested my culinary skills, but now the simpler the dish the better.
Here are three recipes that will provide you with a really delicious dinner that’s good enough for company yet is easy enough for a stress-free family meal.
The main course would benefit from the addition of a veggie on the side (maybe some sautéed broccoli?), and just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a few berries on each plate to dress up the dessert for guests.
Tangy Baked Chicken
8 large chicken thighs, skin on and bone in preferable
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 small or 2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chopped, fresh flatleaf parsley
Preheat oven to 425° F. Place soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, olive oil, shallots and garlic in a measuring cup and whisk until well combined.
Place chicken thighs in a large baking dish; pour marinade over chicken and toss gently until chicken is well coated with marinade. Arrange chicken skin side up and season well with black pepper; roast for 30 minutes or until it begins to brown.
Remove from oven, turn thighs over and baste with marinade. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle parsley over top. Makes four servings.
Smashed Sweet Potatoes and Parmesan
4 medium sweet potatoes
Olive oil
3 Tbsp melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp finely chopped flatleaf parsley (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven broiler with oven rack about eight inches away from element; trim off and discard the ends of the sweet potatoes and cut each potato crosswise into 1½-inch thick slices.
Place sweet potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, until just fork-tender, then drain well. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil; arrange the potato slices on the sheet and with a fork lightly flatten each piece (they will be soft, so don’t press too hard or you’ll have a broken and mashed mess).
In a small bowl mix together the butter, garlic and parsley. Drizzle the mixture over each sweet potato slice, then sprinkle with salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, as parmesan is pretty salty). Broil until golden and crispy; remove from the oven, sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over each slice and return to the oven just until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Makes about six servings.
Peanut Butter Bars
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1¼ cups smooth peanut butter (divided use)
1 cup rolled oats (not the instant variety)
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Frosting:
¼ cup butter, softened
1½ Tbsp milk
½ tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 to 1 ½ cups icing sugar
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, brown sugar and butter. Add the vanilla, egg, and one-half cup of peanut butter; stir to combine. Add the oats, flour, baking soda and salt and stir until well mixed.
Spread dough evenly in a greased 13-by-9-inch pan and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and while hot spread the remaining three-quarters of a cup of peanut butter on top (drop spoonfuls all over the top of the bars then spread after the peanut butter has started to melt).
Let cool until the peanut butter has firmed up again (you can refrigerate the bars once they’ve cooled a bit to speed things up). While the bars are cooling, mix together the frosting ingredients with a hand mixer; spread on top of the cooled bars. If the frosting seems too thick to spread easily, mix in a little more milk. Makes about 24 bars.
Sources: cafedelites.com, sixsistersstuff.com,cookingpinterest.blogspot.ca
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. [email protected]
