Do you ever make weekend plans at the beginning of the week, and then life happens…
Well, that’s sort of the way I seem to roll..
Here’s a meal you can put together in just a few minutes, for a dinner everyone will enjoy
Start with an Italian style dip, marinara baked with a layer of ricotta and fontina and served with focaccia strips
Just about everybody loves pizza, so you can’t go wrong with this simple favorite
I bought ready made cheese focaccia bread and warmed it in the oven and cut it into dipping strips
Once people start dipping, the layers blend together in a pinky red gooey goodness
Assemble the dip with layers of ricotta, marinara, fontina,
repeating until dish is full and ending with a layer Parmesan cheese on top
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and serve
Yep, I used a bag salad…I know, don’t be appalled…this one is actually quite good. It’s full of kale, frisé, cabbage, chicory, and has dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds and a poppy seed vinaigrette~7 super foods, right at your finger tips~
This dish of Pantry Potatoes is a version of the ever popular hash brown potato casserole, and you’ve probably made this or something similar~
The potatoes are made with frozen shredded hash browns* and things that you typically might have in your pantry
*do NOT use the refrigerated hash browns, they don’t cook correctly
Ranch Dressing Mix, Cream of Mushroom, Chicken or Celery Soup, sour cream, and cheddar cheese [if you buy cheese already grated, look for Off the Block style, it tastes most like freshly grated]
Mix it all together, bake and serve~
Couldn’t be easier and always a hit
The star of the meal was the Southern Style Cornish Hens
HHjr, “King of the Grill” likes to put them on a rotisserie, but you can also easily bake them in the oven. Put cleaned hens in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper and bake at 375 for 1-1 1/4 hours or until done, basting with sauce several times during cooking
What sets these apart is his special basting sauce made with Hoisin sauce, honey and soy sauce. It would make an old boot taste good 🙂
Here are the simple recipes
MARINARA RICOTTA DIP
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Marinara sauce
- 1 cup part skim ricotta
- 3 oz Fontina cheese grated
- 1 oz shaved Parmesan
- Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Spread a layer of ricotta in the bottom of a 1 quart, sprayed baking dish.
- Top with a layer of marinara and fontina.
- Season with Italian seasoning and repeat until your dish is full.
- Top with Parmesan. Can be refrigerated at this point, covered for up to 24 hours. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with focaccia strips, baguette slices or pizza crust for dipping. 8-10 servings
Pantry Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 bag 30 oz frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 1 pkg Ranch Dip seasoning mix
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Celery or Chicken soup
- 2 cups light sour cream
- 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Spray a large baking dish with cooking oil spray.
- Mix soup, sour cream and seasoning right in the dish.
- Add potatoes and mix well. Mix in some of the cheese and then top potatoes with the rest.
- Can be refrigerated at this point for up to 24 hours or frozen. Bake at 400 for 45-60 minutes. Makes 8 servings
Notes
Cornish Hens, Southern Style
Ingredients
- 1 cornish hen per person thawed
- Hoisin sauce [find in the Asian section]
- honey
- soy sauce
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Remove any extra wrapped pieces from inside hen [sometimes the neck etc are wrapped and packed inside]. Rinse hens and pat dry. Season. Place in baking pan or prepare for grill.
- Mix equal parts Hoisin sauce and honey and add a couple dashes of soy sauce.
- Cook hens, basting occasionally with sauce during the last half of cooking time. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. Cooking time will depend on size of hen and cooking method. Heat should be medium to medium high, 350-375. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness in the meaty area of the thigh
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Ganache and Crème de Menthe Frosting can be made several days ahead of time and refrigerated until serving
Enjoy!
Juicy Details
See the tablescape for this easy dinner party on Hopping to Easter here
Marinara Ricotta Dip is similar to Red Carpet Cocktail here
For another effortless dinner party menu see Simple Dinner Party here
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