One pot dinners are THE BEST DINNERS! It sounds like most people I know switch out the cooking duty and the cleaning duty with their partner or kids - but isn’t it still delightful when only one pan is used?

This is like a sheet pan dinner, only it’s a pot dinner. Is that a thing? Sheet pan dinners have been a hit because you pop it in the oven and walk away. Same-zies here. The chicken gets browned the sauces, vegetables and rice gets added and boom. You’re off the hook for the next 25 minutes to do homework, etc.

The secret here is harissa paste. I’m a major fan of anything that can be added and it brings literally ALL of the flavor. If it saves me time, I’m in. When you pair it with the green olives and fresh vegetables it’s suddenly an epic weeknight dinner. It’s also an amazing Sunday night dinner idea.

Harissa Baked Chicken & Rice

Serves 4

4 lb bone-in split fryer chicken

4 tbs olive oil

2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks

½  cup chopped Green Olives

1 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

¼ cup Harissa paste

1 cup rice

2 ¼ cups chicken stock

1 can undrained garbanzo beans

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat.  Add 2 tbs olive oil and brown the chicken, skin side down.

STEP 2

When the chicken is browned on the skin, remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 3

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and cook onions and bell pepper until soft.  Stir in harissa to coat.

STEP 4

Pour in rice, top with chicken, stock, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and olives.  Cover and pop into the oven.

STEP 5

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 when inserted. 

 How to pull it off

1.     Preheat the oven and start chopping vegetables.

2.     Brown the chicken.

3.     While the chicken is browning, measure out the rice and chicken stock.

4.     Add the harissa, vegetables, stock, olives, and beans.

5.     Cover and pop into the oven.

6.     Set the table and pour a glass of wine.

7.     Serve hot straight from the pot!

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Grapefruit Rose Seltzer

The perfect inspired mocktail for a harrisa dinner.

I’ve been marinading chicken thighs in the morning and then cooking them in time for dinner. Sometimes I’ll cook them around noon and pop the chicken in the fridge. Then at dinner I can just slice it. Especially on something like this. This is totally something you can serve up cold or hot.

Which does mean you could make it for baseball night! It’s a perfect dinner to have in the bleachers. Or if you’ve made the chicken ahead, you can whip up the rest as soon as you walk in the door. Sometimes you just want to eat at home - even after a long baseball game, sometimes especially after a long baseball game.

I’m kind of obsessed with this dinner right now. I even made it for Mr. Hedin’s lunches this week. I think you’ll love it too. Adding the sriracha on the side is a perfect way to zip up dinner for the grown ups.

Fresh Thai Inspired Chicken & Noodles

serves 4

For the marinade:

2 pounds chicken thighs

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1 jalapeño, sliced

For the noodles:

7 ounces rice noodles

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sriracha

2 tablespoons reserved pasta water

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

STEP 1

Mix all marinade ingredients into a shallow dish and pop the chicken on top. Flip the chicken around in the marinade to really coat it. Let it rest about one hour or up to overnight.

STEP 2

Preheat the barbecue to medium heat - no hotter than 300 degrees. Pop the chicken on the grill and let it cook slowly. Flip occasionally cooking until it’s done throughout. It takes about 20 minutes.

STEP 3

While the chicken cooks, bring water to a boil. In a small bowl, mix together the sauces for the noodles. Cook the noodles then toss them in the sauce in the bowl. Add the pasta water as needed to keep the noodles from sticking together. I use tongs to pull the noodles out of the pasta water and then I can use them to toss the noodles around. Add the vegetables and toss them in too.

STEP 4

Divide the noodles among four bowls and top with chopped chicken. Sprinkle basil and cilantro across the top. Serve with extra sriracha.

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Basil Martini

Toast your dinner night with a perfectly basil martini - it’s so simple because you barely need any ingredients!

The combination of lemon and capers is a family favorite. When I was growing up we loved it - and it turns out it’s genetic. This is easily a comfort dinner around our house. The sauce is perfectly pickled with the capers and a little of the caper brine and cut with the lemon zest and butter.

We are a dairy free/dairy light family so I use fake butter when I do this. And then this is a dish that would probably be epic with parmesan cheese. I’ve tried it - it is epic. But it’s not something I can serve our family. If you are a cheese family, blend a little in when you add the spinach and then top with more! You won’t regret it, unless you are dairy free and it wreaks havoc on your system!

Lemon Caper Chicken with Orzo

serves 4

4 chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness (about 2 pounds)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup white wine

zest of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons capers

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon caper brine

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup orzo

2 cups spinach

olive oil

salt and pepper

parsley to garnish

STEP 1

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Brown the chicken on both sides and remove from pan. Don’t worry about cooking through. You’ll do that later.

STEP 2

Lower the heat and melt the butter in the pan and add the flour. Whisk until combined. Pour in the white wine. Whisk until thickened. Add the capers, lemon zest. lemon juice, and stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir.

STEP 3

Return chicken to the pan, keep the heat on low/medium and cover. Cook until the chicken is cooked through. It takes about 20 minutes. While that’s cooking - boil the orzo.

STEP 4

When the chicken is done, remove from the pan. Drain the orzo and toss it into the chicken pan - add the spinach and season with salt & pepper. Pour out into a serving bowl. Slice the chicken and serve it on top. Garnish with parsley freshly chopped.

*optional to top with parmesan cheese!

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Who else is craving a little summer right now?

Jalapeno Cheddar Burger

with Roasted Potato Fries

Serves 4

2 lb ground chicken

1 jalapeño, grated on a microplaner

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

1 egg

½ cup panko

4 slices of cheddar cheese

½ cup pickled jalapeño

1 head Romaine lettuce

2 sliced tomato

2 large russet potatoes

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

4 hamburger buns

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

In a bowl, mix together chicken, chopped jalapeño, cheese, egg and panko.  Form into patties and let rest on a piece of waxed paper.

STEP 2

Cut the potatoes into ½ inch strips. Toss potato with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.  Pop in the oven.  Roast 20 minutes until tender.

STEP 3

Cook patties in a skillet until done all the way through.  Or carefully grill them on the barbecue.  They are a little stickier than regular beef patties!  Be sure to grease the grill first.

STEP 4

Layer patties on buns with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and pickled jalapeños.  Serve with fries.

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I can honestly say that clams are my favorite food. I cannot eat enough clams. When we took a roadtrip down the Pacific Coast Highway years ago, I stopped and ate all of the clams. It was the best.

Because clams are so simple to make - they just need a little steam - we made all kinds of clams. The biggest hit on that trip was the simplest of clams. But the one that sticks out the most was a spicy clam dish we had in Northern California. It was spicy, filled with sausage and brought out the best in the clams.

Now, I pick up clams at the grocery stores and make the dishes of my dreams - but they’ll never compare to those clams on the PCH.

You’ll love these clams because they are so easy to make. The secret - which is actually the secret to everything I make - is the buy the best ingredients. Go to a reliable fish monger (I love Whole Foods for everything), pick out a local sausage, and don’t skimp when buying spices. When you only have a few ingredients, you need them to be the best ingredients.

Spicy Clams with Israeli Couscous

Serves 4

1 pound Andouille sausage

4 pounds manila clams, rinsed

1 onion, about 1 cup diced

4 stalks celery, about 1 cup diced

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp dried thyme

2 tbs olive oil

½ cup vermouth

½ cup chicken stock

1-15oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups Israeli couscous

STEP 1

In a large flat pan over medium heat cook the celery, onions, and garlic in olive oil until translucent.  Add sausage and spices.  Cook, gently breaking up, until cooked through.

STEP 2

Add the vermouth, tomatoes, and couscous.  Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and cook about 8 minutes until the couscous is nearly done. 

STEP 3

Stir gently making sure the couscous is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Nestle the clams in the center of the couscous and cook an additional 3 – 5 minutes until the clams have opened all the way.  Discard any clams that have not opened. 

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Gin Rickey

A perfect cocktail alongside clams - and even better when the sun is shining (or we want the sun to be shining)

I buy loads of food on vacation. I love finding things that I might not usually cook with - and sometimes things I do - and pick them up somewhere unique. Artichoke hearts in Rome, tomato paste in Venice, salt in Hawaii, and preserved lemons from Palm Springs - but sometimes I’m at a loss for what to do with them once I get home.

Preserved lemons are surprisingly simple to cook with - they go with almost anything but can feel intimidating. This risotto is the perfect introduction to using preserved lemons. And then you can graduate to more complicated recipes later - or not.

Preserved Lemon Risotto

With asparagus and zucchini

Serves 4

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

½ preserved lemon, drained and chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 onion, chopped

¼ cup butter, divided

¼ cup olive oil, divided

2 cup Arborio rice

6 cups room temperature vegetable stock

1 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

STEP 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions zucchini, and asparagus.  Cook 5 minutes until slightly browned and tender.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 2

Add two tablespoons olive oil and rice to the pan - stir until coated with oil.  Pour in one cup of chicken stock and stir until completely incorporated.  When most of the stock has dissolved, add another cup of stock.  Continue until all of the stock has been added.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

STEP 3

Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter, Parmesan cheese, and reserved asparagus and preserved lemons.

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Cucumber Mint Cocktail

The perfect spring cocktail! There’s literally nothing better for your spring cocktail hour.

This time of year we start thinking about eating healthier and cutting out some foods.  This would be a food lots of people may cut out – however, let me make a case for it.  If this February is anything like last February, we should have at least one snow day!  Can you think of anything more comforting on a snow day than Bacon Mac & Cheese?  We can return to healthy eating after the snow melts.

This is the ultimate comfort food. Had a bad day? Bacon + cheese. Feeling sad? Bacon + cheese. Still dreary outside? Bacon + cheese. I make this regularly for my kids and I made it for the Robotics team last week - they devoured it. Once a week I make the high school Robotics team dinner and every week I try to outdo myself. So far I made ribs, pulled pork, and meatballs - but this is going to be the winner. I can feel it.

Bacon Mac & Cheese

serves 4

6 slices bacon

2 tbs flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

Salt & pepper

1 pound cooked noodles

STEP 1

Cook bacon over medium in a small skillet.  Pull it out when crispy and let it cool on paper towel.  Reserve 2 tbs of the bacon fat.

STEP 2

In a sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together 2 tbs bacon grease and flour.  Pour in milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens. 

STEP 3

Pour in cheeses and whisk until they are melted.  Add pasta and stir until completely covered in sauce.  Crumble bacon over top. 

Serve hot with extra parmesan cheese.

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As long as we’re in comfort mode

Make these Brown Butter Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies and go for broke. It’s the ultimate comfort pairing!

This is 1000% a kid dinner. But sometimes that’s exactly what you need. It’s a huge hit - especially if you have everyone choose their own toppings. Go more elegant with prosciutto and pesto - or keep it basic with pepperoni and black olives. All that’s really needed is the sauce and cheese - everything else is up to you!

When layering up the waffles, the size of your waffle maker will determine a lot. I used this Belgian maker that has really deep wells. The deeper the wells, the more filling I can get into the waffles and the more batter I can use. If yours has shallow wells, just use slightly less batter.

I also push down super gently and let it cook and melt as I push. If you get too forceful, the hinge will break and then you’re out of luck.

Don’t forget to serve with extra sauce! The best part is dipping bites into the sauce!

Calzone Waffles

serves 4

2 cups flour

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs Baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 cups buttermilk

8 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup Pizza sauce

¼ cup olive tapanade

¼ lb sliced Salami

2 cups Shredded mozzarella

STEP 1

Preheat your waffle maker.  Mix together buttermilk, melted butter and eggs.

STEP 2

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cheese.  Pour in wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Let rest 5 mins. 

STEP 3

Place ¼ cup waffle batter on the hot waffle maker.  Top with pizza sauce, salami, tapenade, shredded mozzarella, and another scoop of pizza sauce.  Cover everything with another ¼ cup of waffle batter.

STEP 4

Press waffle maker top down and cook 10 minutes or until waffle is done. Serve with more tomato sauce on the side.

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When my kids were little they called risotto “parmesan rice.” They loved it. It’s salty and creamy - what’s not to love? As they got older, I added more and more ingredients to make it a lot more adult. The best part of making this very adult version, is that you can leave out the salmon and peas or serve them on the side for your kids, depending on what they will (and won’t) eat.

The trick with risotto is to just keep stirring. Some will tell you the broth needs to be warm too - I’ve found that if it’s room temperature, it works just fine. Which means, you can use a new broth from the pantry and don’t worry about warming it up.

Smoked Salmon Risotto with fresh peas

serves 4

1 leek, whites thinly sliced

1 cup freshly shelled peas

¼ cup butter, divided

¼ cup olive oil, divided

1 cup Arborio rice

½ cup white wine

4 cups room temperature chicken stock

1 cup parmesan cheese

4 oz smoked salmon

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper

STEP 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the leek and cook 3 minutes until slightly browned and tender.  Add peas and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until tender.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 2

Add two more tablespoons olive oil and rice - stir until coated with oil.  Pour in ½ cup white wine and cook until all liquid is absorbed.  Then add one-cup chicken stock and stir until completely incorporated.  When most of the stock has dissolved, add another cup of stock.  Continue until all of the stock has been added. 

STEP 3

Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter, Parmesan cheese, and peas and salmon

Notes

• When I make this dairy free, I use only olive oil to melt the leeks. Then at the end, I’ll add a drizzle of a really good olive oil and skip the butter and parmesan. Since half of us do eat dairy, the parm is on the side.

• This is just as delicious with crab! Swap out for your favorite smoked fish too if you don’t have salmon. In the Northwest, we have loads of salmon but also trout. And smoked trout is awesome.

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Classic Paloma

A bright citrusy cocktail is perfect right now because grapefruit is perfectly in season!

Comfort meals are a win for our family. I’m sure they’re a win for your family too. This is one of our favorites. I like it because I can make the meatballs ahead and warm them up with the sauce when it’s time to get dinner on the table. AND when you need late plates, this is perfect for that too!

The meatballs are obviously not traditional meatballs. I like to use ground chicken - I am constantly trying to create dinners that are a little healthier and chicken helps with that. I’m not going for authentic here - I’m going for comfort food that’s just a little healthier.

There are two ways to do the meatballs. You can pop them out of the oven and straight into the sauce. Leave them there to stay warm. Or, put the meatballs on top of the sauce when you serve - it looks a little more elegant and it shows off the crispy edges the meatballs get.

Chicken Meatballs with Cacio e Pepe Orzo

serves 4

2 lb ground chicken

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup Italian seasoning mix, divided

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes

1-15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup orzo

2 tablespoons really good olive oil

salt & pepper

grated parmesan cheese

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin boiling a large pot of water.

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil and cook the onions and two peeled and chopped garlic cloves in it. Cook over low-ish heat until the onions are translucent.

STEP 2

While the onions cook, combine together the meat, egg, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons seasoning, and the remaining cloves of garlic. If the mixture is still stiff like the raw meat, add a few tablespoons of cold water. I usually use 2-4 tablespoons of water no mater what. Form the meatballs into rounds. If the meat sticks to your hands, get your hands wet and try again.

STEP 3

Pop the meatballs in to the oven and let bake about 15 minutes until they are done all the way through.

Pour tomatoes all into the onion mixture and add the remaining Italian seasoning. Cover the pot and let cook on medium until everything else is done.

STEP 4

Pour the orzo pasta into the boiling water and let cook. Drain when it’s al dente and return to the hot pan. Stir in olive oil, salt & pepper and about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Go heavy with all three.

STEP 5

Serve hot meatballs and sauce over the orzo. Make sure there’s more parmesan cheese on the side.

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Negroni Cocktail

Every good meal needs a good cocktail. And this dinner is so kid friendly that you can’t help but want a cocktail!