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For my birthday one year, my daughter gave me a tee shirt that read on the back “Sheet Pan Everything;” I still do. Recently, I found on the website Half-Baked Harvest a recipe for Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Soy Chicken and Broccoli. This was a perfect meal for me to prepare on Saturday evening as we were babysitting our 1-year-old grandson. I was able to get everything on the sheet pan before he arrived and just pop it in the oven.
 
For the recipe you’ll need chicken breasts or thighs, broccoli florets, honey, ketchup, tamari or soy sauce, pomegranate juice (or orange juice), fresh garlic, fresh ginger, chili flakes, jasmine rice for serving and for optional garnishing, sliced green onion and pomegranate.
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After recovering from Thanksgiving, I’m ready to try some new recipes that I can prepare during the upcoming holiday season. Recently on “America’s Test Kitchen, which airs on public broadcasting, they demonstrated a recipe for Easy Pancakes. I’ve been making a Betty Crocker recipe for many years that uses buttermilk and makes light and fluffy pancakes. However, sometimes you don’t have buttermilk on hand and an easy, from scratch recipe, is just as quick as a box mix. For the recipe you’ll need all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract. To achieve fluffy pancakes, ATK amped up the amount of baking powder, with minimal amounts of baking soda and liquid. The proportions make for a thick batter that should also have some lumps, no over mixing here, and rests for 10 minutes before preparing.
 
As I don’t have the patience in the morning to wait 10 minutes for the dry ingredients to absorb the liquid, I opted to make these for my lunch the other day. In order to achieve an even golden pancake, the recipe calls for pouring a tablespoon of vegetable oil on the griddle and wiping the oil around until you have a light film on the pan. The best way to test if your griddle is ready for cooking, is to lightly sprinkle the surface with water. If the water beads up and dissipates, your griddle is ready.
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​The last two weeks were busy with Thanksgiving prep. For the Thanksgiving dinner, I rummaged through my files for a turkey recipe that had a little pizzazz, Roast Turkey with Maple Herb Butter and Gravy fit the bill. Although the recipe included instructions for gravy, I was mostly interested in the herb butter.
 
Now that I had my recipe in hand, what type of turkey should I purchase? We were 6 adults for dinner and I opted for a bone-in turkey breast that was hatched and raised in Pennsylvania in Amish country. I purchased at Palmer’s Quality Meats in Neptune. 

For the recipe you’ll need apple cider, real maple syrup, fresh or dried thyme, fresh or dried marjoram, fresh lemon zest and softened butter. Two cups of apple cider and 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup are boiled over medium-high heat until reduced to ½ cup, which the recipe says should take approximately 20 minutes. Using cider by Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, NJ, took me almost an hour to achieve the desired result (My husband, who was in the apple cider business for over 30 years, says that it can take a long time to reduce cider.) Once the liquid is reduced, part of the thyme, marjoram and lemon zest are added; then softened butter is whisked in. This step of the recipe can be done up to two days ahead, which I’m glad I did. 
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​I invited my brother and sister-in-law down for dinner. Although we talk once a week, we don’t get to see each other that often. What to prepare with minimal prep was in the forefront of selecting a menu. I started with dessert. I didn’t want to have leftovers tempting my husband and I. Financiers and German chocolate cookies were selected because they’re decadent and a step above an everyday cookie. I was able to make them a few days ahead and kept them refrigerated. 
 
I had a pork tenderloin in my freezer, so I decided to make a recipe I prepared earlier in the year, Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Herbs and Capers. As I said back in June, this is perfect for company. Prepare the stuffed pork tenderloins ahead, but refrain from cooking until you’re almost ready to eat. Cooking ahead and keeping them warm may work, but you want have that slightly pink center that is preferred for pork. Before serving the pork, drizzle the sauce on top and any extra, place in a gravy boat so your guests and add more sauce if they like. 
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​I had good intentions of posting what I prepared last week sooner, but time just flew by. The week started off with a sheet pan meal by Colu Henry of The New York Times. Her recipe, Sheet-Pan Chicken with Apple, Fennel and Onion sounded so good. The combination of apples with the fennel was appealing. For the recipe you’ll need fennel seeds, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, an onion, a medium fennel bulb, a tart apple and fresh rosemary.
 
I substituted bone-in chicken breasts, our preference, and used my oven’s convection setting for cooking. The chicken was done in approximately 30-35 minutes. I used an instant read thermometer at the 30-minute mark to make sure it didn’t overcook. 
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​Yes, I enjoy a delicious sheet pan meal. With less dishes for clean up and a meal that comes together quickly, what’s not to love. Last night I prepared yet another Melissa Clark recipe from her column “A Good Appetite,” from The New York Times, on Wednesday, October 26th, ​Roasted Chicken with Crispy Mushrooms.
 
For this recipe you’ll need, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh garlic, fresh thyme, extra-virgin olive oil, 12 ounces mushrooms (oyster, maitake, shiitake or cremini), small red onion, fresh tarragon (can use marjoram or sage), dry (fino) sherry (or dry vermouth or ½ tbsp. of lime juice and ½ tbsp. orange juice) and unsalted butter.
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​As someone who’s up at 5 AM, some days by 4 PM I’m running out of steam. Last Wednesday in the food section of The New York Times, Melissa Clark had a wonderful recipe for One-Pan Shrimp Scampi with Crispy Gnocchi and it takes just 25 minutes to prepare!
 
I have several recipes from The Times that uses shelf-stable potato gnocchi. I tried Wegman’s store brand; it holds up and works well in recipes. Besides the gnocchi you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, unsalted butter, fresh garlic, dry white wine, kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, large or extra-large shrimp, a lemon and fresh parsley.
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​Can you believe it, Thanksgiving is 26 days away! I’ve been digging through my recipe files to come up with a menu. This year I’ve been blessed with both my son and daughter coming to dinner with their families. We haven’t had a holiday with both children together in a long time.
 
Recently, I found a recipe on The New York Times Cooking webpage for Apple Crumb Crostata. Who can resist a baked good with a crumb topping, I know I can’t. The recipe is by famed pastry chef, Claudia Fleming, formerly of Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan.
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​In the Saturday edition of The New York Times, they have a Food page dedicated to “What to Cook Next Week.” Sam Sifton, the founding editor of New York Times cooking encourages you to check your pantry, refrigerator and freezer to see what’s on hand then proceed with your food shopping list.
 
Last week’s recipes inspired me to prepare:
  • Skillet Chicken with Tomatoes, Pancetta and Mozzarella 
  • Shrimp Creole
  • Butternut Squash Pasta with Brown-Butter Bread Crumbs
  • Salisbury Steak
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I miss Medusa Stone Fired Pizza in Asbury Park. While they had their standard pizza offerings, it was their seasonal pizzas that really really appealed to me. Recently my son-law-sent me a recipe from the website “The Pioneer Woman” for White Pizza with Butternut Squash and Prosciutto. Occasionally I enjoy eating something other than a pizza with red sauce and mozzarella. This savory pie sounded very appealing and takes advantage of the new crop of squash.
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​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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