Sunday Night Supper
Sometimes it's hard to get two teenagers, an up and comer, and the parents all together around the dinner table at the same time. I find it necessary to declare certain evenings Family Dinner Nights and accept no excuses. Now that school is back in session I'm thinking Sunday nights will be good (Forced) Family Dinner Nights for us. I'm thinking that if the food is good enough, surely they will come!
So, tonight being Sunday I planned a good menu with a couple of new recipes and threatened anyone from even thinking about eating anything on their way home or even while at home.
My boys love it when I actually take the time to fry chicken. It is such a process, and not exactly healthy, so it happens only rarely. I thought about doing that this evening, but as I'm still a little one-armed, I decided to oven fry instead. It's looking really good, let me tell you! I also saw a potato side on FoodNetwork watching Pioneer Woman and decided to give it a try. She calls them Crash Hot Potatoes and I'm hoping they turn out as well as hers. Lastly, an easy Marinated Cherry
Tomato Salad that was also inspired by The Pioneer Woman. I added a couple of tweaks but it might be a new go-to salad. (For some reason I seem to ALWAYS have cherry tomatoes in the fridge. I guess I feel the need to buy them every time I'm at the grocery store. Not sure why that is, but now at least I have something good to do with them!)
Check them out and see what you think.
Oven Fried Chicken
I doubled this recipe and it was perfect for a family of 5.
INGREDIENTS
So, tonight being Sunday I planned a good menu with a couple of new recipes and threatened anyone from even thinking about eating anything on their way home or even while at home.
My boys love it when I actually take the time to fry chicken. It is such a process, and not exactly healthy, so it happens only rarely. I thought about doing that this evening, but as I'm still a little one-armed, I decided to oven fry instead. It's looking really good, let me tell you! I also saw a potato side on FoodNetwork watching Pioneer Woman and decided to give it a try. She calls them Crash Hot Potatoes and I'm hoping they turn out as well as hers. Lastly, an easy Marinated Cherry
Tomato Salad that was also inspired by The Pioneer Woman. I added a couple of tweaks but it might be a new go-to salad. (For some reason I seem to ALWAYS have cherry tomatoes in the fridge. I guess I feel the need to buy them every time I'm at the grocery store. Not sure why that is, but now at least I have something good to do with them!)
Check them out and see what you think.
Oven Fried Chicken
I doubled this recipe and it was perfect for a family of 5.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (or more)
- 2 1/2-3 pounds organic, skinned chicken legs, and two breasts, skin removed
- 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Olive oil cooking spray
PREPARATION
- Whisk buttermilk, mustard, garlic and hot sauce in a shallow glass dish until well blended. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or for up to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.
- Whisk flour, paprika, thyme, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Some folks like to put the flour mixture in a ziploc bag and place the chicken pieces in the bag to coat and shake to coat. I tend to do it the old-fashioned way and coat the pieces individually in a bowl before placing them on the baking rack. (Discard any leftover flour mixture and marinade.) Spray the chicken pieces with cooking spray.
- Bake the chicken until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes.
If you don't have buttermilk on hand you can make sour milk by mixing 1 Tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup milk.
- Per serving: 224 calories; 7 g fat ( 2 g sat , 2 g mono ); 130 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 34 g protein; 1 g fiber; 237 mg sodium; 400 mg potassium
Ready to put in the oven
Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad
Ingredients
1 pint red grape tomatoes
1 avocado
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 heaping tablespoon jarred pesto
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, pressed
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Hearts of Romaine Lettuce, shredded
(The original recipe called for iceberg, but I tend to like to use greens that actually have color. The deeper the color the more nutrients!)
Directions
Halve the tomatoes and add them to a large zipper bag with the sliced red onion. Add the olive oil, balsamic, parsley, pesto, sugar, garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal the bag, getting all the air out. Place into the fridge until ready for dinner.
Place the lettuce in a large bowl and top with the avocado, chopped. Pour on the tomato marinade and toss.
See the original recipe here
Ingredients
1 pint red grape tomatoes
1 avocado
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 heaping tablespoon jarred pesto
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, pressed
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Hearts of Romaine Lettuce, shredded
(The original recipe called for iceberg, but I tend to like to use greens that actually have color. The deeper the color the more nutrients!)
Directions
Halve the tomatoes and add them to a large zipper bag with the sliced red onion. Add the olive oil, balsamic, parsley, pesto, sugar, garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Seal the bag, getting all the air out. Place into the fridge until ready for dinner.
Place the lettuce in a large bowl and top with the avocado, chopped. Pour on the tomato marinade and toss.
See the original recipe here
Not a pretty picture, but really good
Hot Crash Potatoes
Ingredients
12 whole New or Red Potatoes (I used red this time)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Herbs of choice - I used chopped Chives
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender. (I did this early in the day so it was one last thing to do at dinnertime)
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Half each potato and place on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato. Use a potato masher and press down each potato until it slightly mashes. Brush the tops of each crushed potato with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herb of choice.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
The potatoes come out crispy and brown and really yummy. Very pleased with this new side!
Ingredients
12 whole New or Red Potatoes (I used red this time)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Herbs of choice - I used chopped Chives
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender. (I did this early in the day so it was one last thing to do at dinnertime)
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Half each potato and place on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato. Use a potato masher and press down each potato until it slightly mashes. Brush the tops of each crushed potato with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herb of choice.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
The potatoes come out crispy and brown and really yummy. Very pleased with this new side!
Ready for the oven
There you have it. My complete Sunday Night Supper meal, complete with recipes. I started writing this post pre-dinner so now I can report that it was all eaten, even second helpings. There was a little push back in the beginning that the chicken was not actually fried, but they all said it was really good. They really liked the potatoes, which I was so glad to hear. Potatoes are tricky in our home, and these were quick, easy and so good. The salad was even gone off of everyone's plate.
Best of all, I got a few hugs after dinner and didn't have to clear the table!
Do you have a regular family dinner night? How often do you all eat together? Isn't it a shame it is so different these days?
Have a great start to a new week!
Best of all, I got a few hugs after dinner and didn't have to clear the table!
Do you have a regular family dinner night? How often do you all eat together? Isn't it a shame it is so different these days?
Have a great start to a new week!