Timing is Everything

As you all know, I recently moved and I’m pretty excited about my new apartment. Now that I have working gas and a full fridge, I decided the best way to show off my new place to my friends was by throwing a little dinner party! 

I wanted to keep it simple since this would be on a weekday so my prep time would be limited, so I tried to come up with menu items that used similar ingredients. There were four of us so I went with chicken for ease and cost purposes, and then built around that. We all love vegetables so I wanted to do two of them but I wanted something fresh and raw to contrast something spicy and warm. Originally I was just going to leave it at that but then remembered I had polenta in my pantry and it’s one of my favorite side dishes so I tossed that on the list too. 

I’ll take any excuse to go to Trader Joe’s and my trip was quick and painless. Because I was using the same ingredients, the list was fairly short and my bill wasn’t too expensive considering the number of dishes I was making and people I was feeding. 

Menu

• Shaved Zucchini Salad with Goat Cheese and Shaved Almonds
• Spicy Honey Brussels Sprouts
• Goat Cheese Polenta
• Garlic Lemon Chicken
• Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

*Side note: I didn’t just come up with all these menu ideas by myself. There’s this really awesome thing called the internet to get inspo and then adapted based on what I wanted. 

I was using Andy Baraghani’s Garlic Chicken recipe which asked me to season my chicken ahead of time so Monday morning before work, I stood in my kitchen salting chicken. Prep was done in the pan that I’d be baking it in so I didn’t dirty any dishes, wrapped it up and let it sit in my fridge while I was at work. 

I also took this opportunity to make the rice krispie treats. I am not a baker.  Baking is not fun for me, it stresses me out, and I just would rather eat baked goods than make them. However, I really wanted this to be a complete meal and I’m a whiz at krispie treats because I made them a lot as a kid, plus they require little to no effort. One of my friends really loves caramel in her desserts so I thought a little salted caramel action would be nice. This was achieved by literally cutting Trader Joes Fleur de Sel caramels in half and throwing them in with the marshmallows as they melted. It felt better knowing they were already done so I could focus on the meal itself once I got home. 

It was 6pm by the time I got home and dinner was going to be served at 7:30pm so it was time to hustle. The key to a successfully timed meal is writing out your steps beforehand. I had my schedule on the fridge, turned on some music, and got to work. Chicken was first since it would take the longest so I popped everything into the pan and stuck it in the oven. Then I cut up my brussels sprouts and shaved the zucchini (lol funny imagery) so they were ready for their dressings. This was probably 50% of the work and it was done within the first 20 minutes or so. 

The other key to success here is keeping yourself and your stuff organized. Lay out your ingredients with their recipe partners so you don’t get everything confused, and put things back in the fridge or pantry once your done with them. If you live in a city with a small kitchen like I do, you have to use your space wisely. If you can chop up veggies ahead of time, do it. Pull your spices and seasonings out of their homes so they’re readily available. Set up your chopping station and keep it clean and clear so your flavors don’t cross when they’re not supposed to. 

It’s taken me years to improve the timing of my recipes and how to prep properly for multiple dishes. Potatoes would end up super overdone and chicken that was underdone because I just could not get it together. The thing is when you’re cooking for a group, remember your goal. I know, it seems sort of silly but if you focus on the part about feeding people that you care about and providing a happy, delicious meal, the little stressful parts like timing and knife skills (which are important, don’t get me wrong) seem a little less stressful. And the reality is you’ll get better at all of it if you keep doing it! 

Timing Schedule

1. Season chicken 12-18 hours ahead of time. 
2. Make chicken and cook.
3. Chop up sprouts and put in a bowl.
4. Shave zucchini and put in a bowl aside. 
5. Make zucchini dressing and combine salad ingredients, letting it sit and marinate. 
6. Make sprouts sauce. 
7. Start polenta and keep it low and slow
8. Start sprouts, doing them low to keep timing consistent.
9. Manage them all and turn heat down if something is cooking ahead of schedule! 

RECIPES (Serve 4-5 people)

Andy Baraghani’s Garlic Chicken

Shaved Zucchini Salad

• 4 large squash, (2) yellow, (2) green zucchini
• Goat cheese
• Sliced almonds (pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans, or walnuts would also be great)
• Lemon
• Olive oil
• Whole grain mustard
• Vinegar- red, white, rice wine, apple cider (doesn’t really matter)
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Shave the zucchini and squash using a vegetable peeler. Discard the outside rind and peel down to the seeds. Don’t peel the actual seeds!
2. Crumble goat cheese and almonds into the salad and don’t be stingy. If you’re not using a sliced nut, rough chop whatever you have. 
3. In a sealable container or jar, combine the juice and zest of your lemon, a heaping spoonful of mustard, 3 tbsp of olive oil and one tbsp of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Seal the lid and shake aggressively. Taste it and keep adding- if it’s fatty and oily, add more vinegar and vice versa. 

Spicy Honey Brussels Sprouts

• 1 pound or bag of brussels sprouts
• Harissa, sriracha, or another spicy paste
• Honey
• Oil- grapeseed or vegetable is preferred, but olive works
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Cut the bottoms off the sprouts and quarter them. 
2. In a bowl, combine a half teaspoon of your spicy paste of choice with 3 tbsp of honey and 1 tbsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Continue adding if you want sweeter or spicier. 
3. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat and throw the sprouts in. Season with salt and pepper once they start to wilt. Let them get soft before pouring in your sauce.
4. Continue to stir over medium-low heat to evenly coat the spouts and let them get glazed. 

Goat Cheese Polenta

• Polenta or corn meal
• Goat cheese
• Milk
• Butter
• Salt 

1. Combine two cups of water and two cups of milk in a medium sized sauce pot over medium heat. Season the liquid with salt.
2. Once it starts to simmer, whisk in one cup of dry polenta. Turn the heat down to low and season with salt. Cover the pot but leave a gap open to let the steam escape. 
3. Stir constantly. Like alot. It will thicken up quickly. As it starts to thicken and the water helps cook down the polenta, add in butter one little bit at a time. 
4. Taste regularly for seasoning as well as texture. You want it to be slightly toothy but not crunchy. Use the milk to help soften it even further, as well as butter for taste. Salt evenly in contrast to the milk and butter.
5. Once it’s smooth, stir in as much goat cheese as your heart desires. Serve warm! 

Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

• Plain Rice Krispies
• Butter
• 1 10oz bag of marshmallows
• Sea salt
• Soft caramel candies

1. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a large pot. 
2. Stir in marshmallows and turn heat to medium so they don’t burn. Cut a bunch of the candies in half and throw them in while the marshmallows are melting. Keep stirring until everything is melty and smooth.
3. Stir in 6 cups of krispies until evenly distributed.
4. Butter a glass or foil baking dish and pour the krispie mix in and even them out.
5. Sprinkle chunky sea salt on top and let them firm up.