I think many of you agree that ideas for dinner are sometimes generated by the weather! In the winter, comfort food and crock pot cooking, and meaty pastas warm the cockles of our hearts. In the summer, sweltering heat and humidity make us not want to eat at all! I knew it was going to be hot today — one of the first really hot days of our Kingston summer — so last night when I was making dinner, I put a chicken in the oven to roast while I ran around driving and picking up my kids. Roast chicken is so simple: buy chicken at grocery store, turn oven to 350 degrees, rinse chicken and pat dry, put in a small roasting pan, sprinkle a good amount of BBQ seasoning (or any seasoning you like), cover with tinfoil, and let cook for about an hour an a half. Then take the tinfoil off, and cook for another 20-30 minutes. Take out of the oven, and let cool. Then cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge. Now you have a whole roast chicken! Tonight I’ll take the meat off the bones with my hands to put on top of a nice cold, fresh salad.
For salad, I’ll use whatever fresh lettuce and fresh veg I have in the fridge. I always have a mix of salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions or red onions. My boys both like a great big salad with lots of stuff in. So I nearly always add dried cranberries, sesame seeds, and sometimes add deep fried onion bits (I know they’re not good for you, but a few on top of a salad? Come on, yum!). Add the cold chicken, some ranch dressing, and voila in about 15 minutes you’ve got Cold Chicken for a Hot Day!
EatBySix 