A Meal to Share

If you didn't know already, I love to cook for people and I love to entertain. Maybe it's because I'm still new to the happy home-making thing. I love using a pretty tablecloth, setting the table, lighting the candles. You can make any meal special by doing this, even if it's a mundane meal. While my family was in town this past weekend I cooked dinner at the house and it turned out de-licious and worth sharing. It's a great dinner party menu because with the little prep work involved, and the "leave it alone" cooking directions, you won't spend forever in the kitchen. And it's good to boot!

The Menu:

Panko-Coated Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken BreastsCarrot Couscous & Asparagus

Panko Coated Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

(recipe found in this previous post from Tara Duggan's The Working Cook - a great cook book BTW!)

Prep work: I stuffed & breaded the chicken before everyone arrived. This took about 10-15 minutes.

Then it only took 10 minutes to cook it on the skillet before in the oven it went!

While the chicken was baking ... I started on the Carrot Couscous.

I made this up a little combining a recipe for carrot risotto and the simple instructions for couscous.

Ingredients:

2 cups of finely chopped carrots

2 tablespoons of butter & 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (I use the kind in the jar)

1 package of Israeli Couscous

1/4 - 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Prep work that can be done earlier - prepare 2 cups of finely chopped carrots either in the food processor of blender like I did.

I melted about 2 tables of butter in the skillet then added 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.

After about a minute, add the carrots along with 1 package of Israeli Couscous.

Stir until the couscous is browned, about 5 minutes.

Then follow the instructions on the box - adding the recommended amount chicken broth and cooking as instructed. I used a little more broth as needed. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Next time I might add some pine nuts as garnish.

By this time I took the chicken out of the oven and put the asparagus on a cookie sheet with some olive oil & sea salt for about 10 minutes. I took the chicken out when it was still just a TEENY bit pink when I cut into in, and left it on the pan and covered with foil so it could finish cooking.

When the asparagus was done the couscous and goat-cheese stuffed chicken were ready to eat!