Cook, cook, cook!

After a week of recuperating and cooking strike, I am finally ready to do this Easter food/cooking post. I love planning parties and entertaining, especially now that I am a mom.  So last week, we had two back to back Easter parties at home and I cooked up a few dishes, here is a collection of the recipes! I chose recipes that were easy, can be made ahead of time and fed a big crowd.

For the kiddies Easter party, I chose dishes that were easy to make and also suitable for the 4 toddlers.  I have made this Deviled Chicken Drumsticks a few times, it is like my own version of shake and bake chicken, packed with flavor and with a short list of ingredients. These were a big hit with adults and the kids.

Deviled Chicken Drumsticks

• 12 chicken drumsticks (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in upper third.

Pat chicken dry, then toss with mustard until evenly coated.

Stir together panko, cheese, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Drizzle with butter and toss.

Dredge each drumstick in crumb mixture to coat, then arrange, without crowding, in a buttered large 4-sided sheet pan. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is pretty self explanatory, my only tip is remember to keep your exhaust fan on while these are in the oven, they tend to get smokey in the oven since they are being baked at such a high temperature.

For the sides, I made Stuffed Zucchini Boats and Baked three cheeses pasta with bacon, both of these can be made ahead and baked in the oven right before serving. I learned this stuffed zucchini boat at one of the Loblaws cooking class I took years ago, and it had become a stable in our house. The zucchinis can be stuffed with anything you like, meat, veggies and different types of cheese.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

4 Zucchinis
2 Eggs
1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 Tomatoes, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.
Cut each zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a melon baller (or a spoon). Chop the flesh into small pieces and set aside.

Mix the zucchini flesh with the eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese and S&P to taste. Fill the zucchini boats with the mixture and top with chopped tomatoes.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown, served hot.


Baked three cheeses pasta with bacon
This recipe is very straight forward, the only key is not to over cook the pasta, since they will be baked again with the sauce. I replaced the sausages with bacon this time since our friend brought over a sausage dish for the party, I thought the bacon is great, but I think adding sausages would have been better. I really loved the addition of ricotta though! This was a crowd pleaser and also tasted great the day (days) after....

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 lb. chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
• 1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes in puree, tomatoes coarsely chopped and puree reserved
• Salt, to taste
• 1 lb. penne pasta
• 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes and puree and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt.

Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a baking dish.

Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water, add the pasta, stir well and cook until barely al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce, the ricotta and fontina. Spread in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake until the cheeses are melted and the tips of the pasta are crusty, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

To be continued......