Pot Luck

The other night, a bunch of girls from class got together and did a pot luck dinner. The idea was to study, but we ended up having a great time talking, so we just bonded. And I learned more than I ever thought I wanted to know about shampoo.

So in the spirit of that dinner, and because I'm tired of talking about myself, here are a bunch of my fallback safety dishes that I could make with my eyes closed. All well tested, all fairly simple, and all delicious. Much like the dinner (Thanks girls!).


Oven-Roasted Potatoes

2 lbs. small new potatoes, quartered
3 Tbsps. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. rosemary

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large roasting pan, toss the ingredients to coat the potatoes. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once, until the potatoes are tender.

** Use a large enough pan so that the potatoes are in a single layer, to ensure that the potatoes brown evenly. Other fresh veggies can be roasted too, in any desired combination. **


Wild Rice Soup

2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped carrots
6-8 stalks celery, chopped
1 (15 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (8 oz.) can golden mushroom soup
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms, pieces and stems
2 cups cooked wild rice
Meat from one smoked pheasant or 1 1/2-2 cups smoked turkey

Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery in butter. Mix with other ingredients. Cook in a crockpot on low for about 5 hours.

** If you don't have a crockpot, it can be heated in the oven at 200 degrees F for an hour or two, to heat it through and allow flavors to blend. **


Golden Parmesan Chicken

1 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 lbs. chicken pieces, preferably legs and wings

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a glass baking pan. In a shallow bowl, mix parmesan and pepper. Dip the chicken pieces in melted butter, coat with the cheese mixture, and place (skin side down) in pan. Pour the remaining butter over the chicken. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken and bake uncovered for 20 minutes longer or until done.

** Reheats well and is good hot or cold. **


The ego trip and school report will return to normal next time, but until then, enjoy!