After a super-long summer, winter hit with a bang. (Arctic winds are no joke.) What to do about dinner, when all you want to do is curl up under a blanket after coming in from the cold? (Okay, okay, so we don’t feel like cooking in the summer, either.) Plan easy meals, that’s what! The obvious answer is to shlep out the crock pot during the week. It’s good for more than cholent. Just throw some frozen cutlets into it in the morning – don’t forget to plug it in! – and come home to the aroma of a delicious chicken dinner when you and the kids walk through the door in the afternoon! Plus, there’s another quick-and-easy dinner technique that I just learned about, called sheet pan cooking. Read on!
BBQ Pulled-Chicken Sliders
My kids gobble these down with the chicken and vegetables, proving once again that if I put stuff on a charcuterie board, they will eat it. It must be the cute presentation that somehow makes it more appealing.
Chicken
2 lbs. frozen chicken cutlets
1 c. BBQ sauce (or more if you like it saucy!)
1/4 c. Ken’s Zesty Italian Dressing or any Italian vinaigrette
1/4 c. brown Sugar
Throw all ingredients into a crock pot bag, insert it in crock pot, cover, and set on low. Frozen cutlets will be done in about 6 hours. (Thawed cutlets are done in about 3 hours.) When the chicken is done, shred with 2 forks. Put the shredded chicken on the rolls, add the toppings, and voila!
Coleslaw with Vinaigrette
2 c. coleslaw mix
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. mandarin oranges
1/8 c. Craisins
Mix the lemon juice, sugar, garlic powder, and salt for the dressing. Add the mandarin oranges and Craisins and toss with the cabbage.
Charcuterie Board
12 Rosendorff’s “Hawaiian Rolls”
1 bag bib lettuce
1 c. snap peas
1 bunch vine tomatoes
1 bag onion rings (baked crispy)
1 sliced pickle
1/2 red onion, sliced
Place the rolls with the chicken on the board along with all these toppings and the coleslaw, and let everyone choose what they want. I used Kinneret Onion Rings from the frozen section – you can make your own, of course – and my kids ate them happily with ketchup.
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze
I just heard about “sheet pan dinners,” and they’re almost as amazing as crock pot dinners! You put all the ingredients on a sheet pan, throw it in the oven, and you are done. Mess is minimal, especially if you put parchment paper on the pan. You are out of the kitchen in no time, “enjoying” homework or games with the family. I use frozen broccoli that is pre-checked so as to speed up the whole process.
1 lb. broccoli florets
1 large red onion
1.5 lb. sweet potatoes
2 large parsnips
4 chicken thighs
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
Preheat oven to 425° F. Peel sweet potatoes, and cut into half-inch rounds. Peel parsnips and cut in half lengthwise, or in quarters, if they are especially large. Arrange vegetables and chicken on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the sheet pan one time during cooking. Remove from oven and drizzle with Balsamic Glaze.
Balsamic Glaze
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
3 T. honey or maple syrup
1 tsp. of vanilla
You can substitute sugar for the maple syrup, but real maple syrup adds a depth of flavor. And, according to Naomi G. everything is better with vanilla, so a teaspoon of vanilla here will not only make things smell heavenly, they’ll taste that way, too. Put vinegar, maple syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until bubbles appear. Turn the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid reduces by half. Cool, and can store until ready to use.
Rainbow Roasted Vegetables
A few articles back I spoke about eating the rainbow. This roasted vegetable sheet looks gorgeous and tastes amazing. It can be roasted ahead of time and then snacked on for days. You can substitute different vegetables, depending on your taste.
1 red bell pepper cut in rings or strips
1 yellow bell pepper cut in fat strips
5 blue or purple potatoes, cut into chunks
2 red beets, peeled and cut into small wedges
2 golden beets, peeled and cut into small wedges
1/2 small kabocha (or other) squash, cut in half, deseeded, and cut into half-inch thick slices
1 watermelon radish (found in H-Mart), sliced and cut in half moons
3 parsnips peeled and cut into strips
8 to10 baby carrots
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tsp. dried oregano
Preheat oven to 400° F. Toss the vegetables with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on one or two baking sheets. Sprinkle with oregano.
Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, rearranging or flipping the vegetables once or twice during cooking. Remove when the veggies are tender but not mushy.
Extreme Chocolate Cake
I was exploring the internet the other day, and found a site for amazing desserts that are actually good, so I clicked on it. It turned out I missed a couple of words. It was amazing desserts that are actually good “for you.” Well, avocado shake and chocolate zucchini bread and quinoa pudding might be good for you, but in the middle of winter, while I’m trying to get cozy with some hot cocoa, I want a yummy, rich, delicious dessert – not one I would mistake for a side dish. (I happen to be a dessert expert, a dessert eating genius, if you will.) To make this a pareve dessert, use butter substitute. (And by the way, it is super easy to make hot cocoa from scratch; you do not need a powder. Email me for the recipe.)
2 c. white sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. almond milk (or pareve milk of your choice)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
Icing
1 c. boiling water
3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 c. confectioners sugar
Approximately 2/3 c. almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in cocoa and confectioners sugar alternately with the milk. (Pour the milk in slowly; it’s a lot easier to use too little milk than too much. Then you’ll need a lot more sugar to fix it.) Add vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency. Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally. Cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake. Garnish with chocolate shavings or strawberry slices and whipped cream.
Feel free to follow us on Instagram. We’re @sweetandgoodcatering. Bracha Shor can be found in various aisles in the grocery store or can be reached for questions or comments at bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com.
