v. boring, but I would roast a chicken, and do either wild rice or a wild rice/some-other-rice combo, maybe with something like an orange dressing, and an excellent salad.

It's never unappreciated, and I hardly have to think about the process, plus most of the work is done by the cooking, other than chopping and dressing for the salad.

BTW, I use a boat roaster for the chicken, which makes it unimaginably delicious every time. I don't know what a boat roaster is really called, but it looks something like the pan in the background here:

≡ Click to see image ≡

I get tons of fabulous natural gravy, and the chicken always comes out moist and delicious, even when I overcook it.

Roast chicken. You really can't go wrong with a good roast chicken. Cut slits in the skin and stuff garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary in. When the chicken's roasted, take out the sprigs of rosemary and smoosh the garlic into the skin and meat using the back of a spoon.

Serve with salad, crusty bread and a side of parpardelle noodles with the best marinara sauce you can find in a jar.

*shakes fist at taz*

Do you like chili? I made this "Western Chili Casserole" two nights ago and it was a big hit...

Serves 4 so I doubled it up..

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (I cheated and used frozen chopped onion)
1 celery rib, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) chili with beans
1 1/2 cups corn chips, coarsely crushed, divided
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in the chili and 1/2 cup of chips.

Transfer to a greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle remaining chips around edge of dish; fill center with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through.

(when I doubled it, I really should have used at least one more can of chili - three or four instead of two. To make it saucier, I added tomato sauce, then my hubby threw in a canned of baked beans. Stirred it all together, then did step two. I worried about the baked beans, but it really came out great. I added more cheese to each serving as I dished it out. And I ended up baking it for 15 minutes, due to the bigness of it all. Leftovers were gone by the next day.)

hee! *kisses jan*

Roast Chicken! Why didn't I think of this? I stuff mine with a halved lemon and a halved head of garlic with sprigs of thyme, and rest it over veggies. I will definitely do the smooshing of garlic.

redvixen, Western Chili Casserole sound yum. My immediate family would *love* this, but my inlaws are kinda boring when it comes to food. They're not big on anything that has heat or spice and they don't like Tex-Mex.

So easy, so summer: Panzanella. Takes 10 minutes. Serve with grilled chicken breast.

I had to look up:

Pappardelle – The name pappardelle derives from the verb “pappare,” to gobble up. The fresh types are ¾-1 inch wide and have fluted edges. Dried egg pappardelle have straight sides.

Panzanella! Delicious! I want.

Do they like seafood? Because Seafood Picatta is dead simple and so, so good. Even my dad loved it and he hates everything. (My mom asked for the recipe and my dad told her, "Don't even try it, woman! We'll just have jrossi cook it and bring it over." Heh.)

Taz...that just looks like a cast iron skillet to me. (But I'm not much of a cook.)

hmm. Maybe I'm seeing that image through my own lens. The "boat" sort of pan I'm talking about is oval and about 4 or 5 inches tall... you can fit a whole chicken in there, with a bit exceeding the top of the pan sometimes, and the taste is sooooo much better than any kind of pan I've used before. It just sort of closely cradles the whole chicken, conserves the juices, and keeps it from drying out... it's amazing.

Penne With Ricotta and Asparagus

Sea salt

1 and 1/4 pounds thick asparagus, ends trimmed

1 pound penne rigate

1 clove garlic, peeled

15 ounces whole-milk ricotta

2 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with enough salt that the water tastes salty. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but still firm, about 4 minutes. Lift out the asparagus with tongs and transfer to an ice bath. Cut into 1/8 -inch slices, leaving tips intact. Or you can toss the asparagus with sea salt, olive oil (and thinly sliced gralic cloves, if you want a most garlicky dinner) and then put them under the broiler for a few minutes until crisp, if you prefer a crunch to go with your pasta.

2. Bring the water back to a boil and add the penne.

3. Meanwhile, rub a large serving bowl with the garlic. Add the ricotta, olive oil and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water; blend. When the pasta is done, drain it (reserving some water) and add it to the ricotta mixture. Top with the asparagus and half the Parmesan cheese, then fold everything together. Season to taste, adding some reserved pasta water if needed. Divide among 4 shallow bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serves 4.

We could open a kick ass restaurant, I think.

OK you culinary geniuses, LoriFLA's relatives are fed, now help me out with my Thanskgiving article! (please?)

I know it's more fun to think about tomatoes and light summer fare than Thanksgiving. That's why I'm having the problem right now...reminds me of when those recording artists have to make their Christmas albums in July.

I would make fresh salsa and guacamole and then do fajitas or burritos... let me know if you want me to elaborate on our method.

Damn crush, that sounds excellent.

Damn crush, that sounds excellent.

Seconded. Good cooks round these parts. Must have something to do with collective maturity ;-)

Yet another thread bookmarked.

Yet another thread bookmarked.

For sure. I have to make everything on this list!
jrossi, the father-in-law doesn't like seafood, which boggles the mind. I will definitely whip this up for the husband and kids, or friends.

It does boggle the mind! The ocean is the birthplace of yumminess! Ah well. Do give it a try some time. It's a very thin, soupy sauce so don't forget the crusty bread. And I add a touch more garlic than the recipe calls for.

Taz--I need to get me a boat roaster.

LoriFLA, if you decide to make roasted chicken, why not roast some vegetables as long as you've got the oven hot? Slice and rinse some potatoes and sweet potatoes, cut onions into thick rounds of into quarters, chunk up some carrots, and peel a handful of garlic cloves. Throw them around the chicken in the roasting pan or (if you insist on being healthy) put in a separate dish and toss with olive oil and salt.

By the time the chicken is roasted, they'll be sweet and tender, caramelized around the edges. Yum. Add a salad, and dinner's done. (Pssst: roasted veg tossed in dressing and served warm or cold over greens make a very nice salad indeed, especially if you add toasted nuits or a bit of cheese.)

My favorite I'm-in-a-hurry summertime dessert: sorbet or ice cream topped with macerated berries. If you keep blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries in the freezer, you're halfway there.

Put some berries (one kind or mixed) in a dish, squirt with lemon juice or and sprinkle with sugar, stir. If you like, splash on some fruity liqueur: triple sec, Cointreau, or kirsch. Let sit in fridge several hours or at room temp an hour. Serve chilled over ice cream or sorbet.

Cookies on the side are very good indeed, if you have any or can buy a decent packet of simple wafers.

Tell us what you decide! Yum.

If you're gonna do roast chicken, try Zuni Cafe Roast Chicken with Bread Salad. Your guests will speak of you in hushed and reverent tones ever afterwards.

Yeah, I've just bookmarked this, too.

Don't stop, everybody... you're making me swoon. And I really like it. I'm even getting olfactory hallucinations at this point.

Another idea: do you already have the ingredients for that lasagne on hand? It would no doubt make a fantastically flavorful and easy pasta sauce, minus the mozzarella, and save you a trip to the store.

Gently saute the sausage (maybe with slivered onions of garlic or whatever your lasagne recipe calls for), then lower heat and add the herbs, coarsely torn or chopped, and toss in ricotta, parmesan if you have it on hand, and maybe a jolt of lemon juice for zing. Toss with hot cooked pasta.

A spinach salad or plate of tomatoes dressed with lemon and salt, and a loaf of bread --- you're done!

Gee, this is fun.

Man, y'all gotta post these on Cooking With MetaChat!

Specklet (or anyone!), what's the protocol with that? How does one become a contributor, or submit recipes? I'd gladly contribute if I could.

The Times had a spinach pancake recipe that I would happily cook tonight if I had someone to cook for. As it is, I'll probably just have a glass of wine and watch some DVDs.

Times archives suck, so:
10 ounces fresh spinach, well washed, large stems removed, or 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk or thin yogurt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter, plus unmelted butter for cooking
1 cup sour cream, optional
1 tablespoon minced lemon peel, optional.

1. Put spinach in a covered saucepan over medium heat, with just the water that clings to its leaves after washing; or plunge it into a pot of salted boiling water. Either way, cook it until it wilts, just a couple of minutes. Drain, cool, squeeze dry and chop.

2. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat while you make batter. Heat oven to 200 degrees. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Place 1 1/2 cups buttermilk in another bowl. Beat eggs into it, then stir in the melted butter. Stir this into dry ingredients, adding a little more buttermilk if batter seems thick; stir in spinach.

3. Place a teaspoon or two of butter in pan. When butter foam subsides, ladle batter onto skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust heat as necessary; first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Add more butter to pan as necessary. Brown bottoms in 2 to 4 minutes. Flip only when pancakes are fully cooked on bottom; they won’t hold together well until they are ready.

4. Cook until second side is lightly browned; as pancakes are done, put them on an ovenproof plate in oven for up to 15 minutes. Mix sour cream and lemon peel together and place a small dollop on each pancake.

If I was feeling fancy, I'd serve them with bacon-wrapped dates (wrap pitted, medjool dates with a slice of bacon, secure with toothpick, place in 500 degree oven for five-ish minutes per side. if you want to be really fancy, you can stuff the dates with mild goat cheese and an almond first, then lower the heat to about 400 and do ten minutes per side), though I've never quite been able to replicate the sauce from Emilio's.

If I wasn't feeling fancy, I might serve them with smoked salmon, capers & cold boiled egg slices.

yum. I might make this as soon as I can get my hands on some spinach - which might be tomorrow at the Friday market. Dang, you guys are spectacular.

I wanna go to chuck's for dinner.

I don't like seafood either. Or any fish, really. Weird, ain't it, that I like to fish.

I might serve them with smoked salmon, capers & cold boiled egg slices.

That's what you serve when you're not fancy?

I wanna eat at crush's house.

Tuny-noodle-casserole-grows-up-and-moves-to-the-big-city (for 2 people, scale as needed):

Toss a few dried porcini mushroom bits and a Tbsp good salt into big pot of water, and bring to boil. (Pasta water should taste like seawater.)

Open a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and decant a little bit of the oil into a large-ish saute pan. Don't go too crazy, we're adding more oil later, too. Heat to shimmering.

Add in approximate order:

Diced up shallot or two, a couple cloves roughly chopped garlic (do not scorch your garlic, Hamfist McBadcook), Sliced up sun-dried tomatoes - I usually use about 5 of the half-tomatoes. Saute for a bit, and then lower the heat to keep warm.

Now's probably about when you want to put the pasta into the water. I like DeCecco farfalle for this, but spirally and twisty stuff works well too. Remember, you're shooting for al dente - or even better, about 1 minute before al dente; just when there is no audible snap to the bite.

Nip the leaves from a handful of curly-leafed parseley, and chop a bit. Set aside.

Shred some nice parmesan cheese and set aside.

Dry toast a handful of pine nuts / pignolia. Do not scorch, but I like to try for some color on one side - makes a pretty contrast. The time between "color" and "scorch" is about a half an heartbeat, so don't wander away.

Having prepped the parseley, cheese & pignolia, and started the pasta, return to your sauteed tomato/shallot pan. Bring the heat back up a bit, and add:

One 5.5oz tin of Italian tuna. You know, $6/can kind, that given the price must have gone to college and swam in Perrier. The $0.33/can Bumblebee-of-the-Sea stuff will not do, even if it's approved by the Mexican Council of Food.

Toss tuna and the yummy olive oil with the rest of the tomato-shallot yummyness until warm. The tuna in the can is already cooked, we are merely warming and marrying all the flavors.

Pasta is prolly about done now. Drain it and return to the cooking pot. Dump the tuna mixture over the pasta and mix to coat. We're finishing the pasta in the sauce, so the flavor seeps into the structure of the pasta.

Plate into two plowls (half plate, half bowl, natch). Generously sprinkle with pignolia, parmesan, parseley, and hopefully a zest of lemon for color & zing. Two cranks of pepper and you're good to go.

When I was a kid, I called it "Tuna Nuna Casserole." You know, I don't see why I ever stopped calling it that; it's much more fun to say.

That's it. I'm going back to the old pronunciation.

Between this and the 100-mile Thanksgiving thread, y'all are making me hungry. Hungry for flesh!

*vegemuhtarium pines for roasted chicken*

I'm starving. This thread isn't helping. :)

This is the Roast Chicken recipe I always use. I scatter red potatoes, onions, and carrots at the bottom.

This is the lasagna I use. I omit the goat cheese and replace it with more ricotta. (I like goat cheese, but the kids --not so much). Every great cook uses salt, but Ina Garten uses TOO MUCH SALT, so I scale it back. This lasagna leaves everyone oohing and aahing. I know y'all had a lasagna thread a while back that I read. I didn't have time to contribute. This recipe rocks.

Now I can't decide if I should try Elsa's idea of making the sauce and tossing it with pasta.

Since it's the FIL's birthday this coming Monday, and they're leaving to go out of town on Saturday for a while, it looks like I'm going to do a birthday cake for dessert.

Now I can't decide if I should try Elsa's idea of making the sauce and tossing it with pasta

or roasting a chicken.

How relaxed are you around your in-laws? If they stress you out even a tiny bit, it's easier not to be fiddling with some unknown sauce and pastta dish at the last minute.

Some ideas in case you decide to try the pasta:

I wouldn't let the sauce sit on the heat once you add the ricotta. Just heat through, then toss in shredded basil and parmesan when you add cooked pasta. It might be best to have some half & half, cream, or whole milk around to thin the sauce, although a bit of reserved pasta water will do nicely.

disclaimer: I've never made precisely this dish, but the little chef-homonculus who lives in my brain thinks it would be smashing and simple.

Can I come to dinner?

As it is, I'll probably just have a glass of wine and watch some DVDs.

Cook yourself the pancakes, honey! You deserve a meal every bit as good as someone else would. And you know you'll make it just the way you like it.

Now I'm the one who needs menu help, of a peculiar kind.

My teenaged niece is coming over for an impromptu dinner and movie night! Yay! She's a vegetarian. She's had pizza for lunch and isn't keen on eggs, so homemade pizza or frittata, my fallback impromptu meals, are out. That's one catch.

Here's the other: I won't have a chance to stop at the market before I meet her.

I'm putting out a platter of breads and spread and tidbits so we can make our own vegetarian sandwiches. I just whipped up some white bean dip --- she never gets tired of hummus and its ilk --- and a pan of sauteed mushrooms. I'll pan-sear some zucchini slices before I go to get her, and we have a lovely tomato, some grated carrot, and a cucumber I'll slice up.

What else would you A) want on that platter and B) expect to find in the average pantry?

Ha, and now I'm leaving to take a shower, get dressed, and pick her up. So much for that!

Any chance of cheese and some balsamic vinegar? That and some ground pepper - with all that other stuff, stacked up on top of bread spread with white-bean (rosemary?) dip - no finer summer supper imaginable.

:), Miko!

So, I see some folks have bookmarked this thread and I recall a del.icio.us link fest in metatalk yesterday, but does anybody else around here have a del.icio.us recipe tag? Please share!

Mostly, I cook from what Mom taught me, or from Joy or the odd specialty cookbook, but I have a couple things bookmarked.

I'm comfortable with the inlaws. I've known them for 15 years. I've decided to make the chicken, roasted veg, salad, French bread, and a store bought birthday cake.

Thanks so much everybody. This thread has been delicious. I can't wait to try some recipes.

Can I come to dinner?

Of course! Although, I'm thinking there are better eats at your house!