What to cook for overnight houseguests!
My mom is coming for her first visit since COVID-19 hit and I am so excited!!!!! For part of the visit, she is bringing her COVID companion who hasn’t seen much of Tucson. So while I am excited to see places that I haven’t visited for years, I have to carefully plan what I am cooking at the end of a long day touring. I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted after playing “Julie McCoy, Cruise director” for a day.
I like to select food that takes very little time standing on my feet at the end of the day and ideally things that I can begin preparing before leaving in the morning – So NO risotto, stews that need a lot of chopping and stirring, or time consuming sauces. I opt more for grilled items and simple but flavorful sides.
1.) Grilled Salmon with brown sugar glaze – Garbanzo Bean Salad – Steamed broccoli
PREP AHEAD: To help myself out, I try to do some of the prep work ahead of time. The morning of the salmon meal, I rinse my salmon, salt and pepper and wrap in the aluminum foil packet and place this in the refrigerator until that evening. I throw and salad together, cover and put that in the refrigerator also. If you really want to go all out, you can prep the salmon glaze in a small microwaveable dish, cover and refrigerate until that night.
That night preheat grill and add salmon. Place your bean salad in a serving bowl. Prep broccoli and steam while salmon is grilling. Once salmon is cooked, open the packet and brush on the glaze. Dinner is ready!
2.) Steak on the Grill – Twice Baked Potato – Colorado Pine Nut Salad
PREP AHEAD: The morning that we serve the steak meal, I cook the potatoes and let them cool. While the potatoes are baking, put your bacon on a sheet pan and cook it in the same oven. Next the toast the pine nuts for the salad and whip up the salad dressing in a container.
At dinner time, season your steaks, cut your cooled potatoes and mix up the potato filling. While you put that in to bake, throw your steaks on the grill. While that is all cooking, toss your salad and you are ready to eat.
3.) Grilled Honey-Sriracha Chicken Thighs – Brown Rice – Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing
Honey-Sriracha Chicken Thighs is the ultimate make ahead entre, because this one needs to marinate at least overnight!
PREP AHEAD: The day BEFORE serving the Chicken meal, make the marinade, add the chicken into it and place in the fridge, reserving 1 cup to serve as the sauce. The morning of, make your hard boiled eggs for the salad.
That night, the first step in this dinner is to start your brown rice. It takes a full 60 minutes to cook. If you have a rice steamer, add your rice, water and butter and don’t think about it again until it dings, indicating that it is fully cooked. After you get the rice going, start your grill. While your grill is heating, add your diced bacon to the pan to start that cooking. Throw the chicken onto the grill, that will take about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, finish up the Hot Bacon Dressing, but do not toss it until just before serving. The chicken, rice and salad should all finish at about the same time.
Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 pounds salmon
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Lemon juice from 1/2
Instructions
- Place your salmon on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a second piece of aluminum foil on top of salmon and fold up all edges to completely seal the salmon. Grill or bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. While the salmon is cooking, make the brown sugar glaze by combining the butter, brown sugar and lemon juice. Slice open the foil pack and baste with all of the brown sugar glaze. Let cook for about 5-10 minutes more until glaze is bubbly and syrupy.
Chickpea, Corn & Red Pepper Salad with Honey-Lime vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 15 ounce chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 ears corn Kernels cut from cob
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces cannellini beans
- 3 scallions white and green parts, diced
- ¼ cup lime juice freshly squeezed from 2 limes
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Twice Baked Potato
Ingredients
- 6 russet potatoes
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tbsp chived or scallions, chopped
- 6 pieces bacon cooked crisp and chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash potatoes and poke with a fork. Bake potatoes in oven 1 hour or microwave until soft. Allow to cool slightly.Slice each potato in ½ lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp of the potato leaving a ⅛" shell.In a bowl, mash potatoes, sour cream, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Add butter milk as needed to create a creamy texture. Stir in chives, bacon and 3/4 cup cheddar cheese.Fill each skin with the mashed potato filling and top with remaining cheese.Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Colorado Pine Nut Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pine nuts sometimes called pignolis
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 head romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Toast pine nuts under broiler, boil garlic in water 10 minutes; drain. In a large salad bowl, mash garlic& salt to a paste. Whisk in mustard& vinegar. Add oil in a stream, whisking dressing until oil is emulsified. Add romaine, toss well. Season with pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pine nuts.
Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 6-8 ounces baby spinach
- croutons if desired
Instructions
- Hard boil 2 of the eggs by placing in a pot of cool water (enough water to cover the eggs by an inch. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn off heat. Let stand for 15 minutes then rinse in cool water. I like to hard boil my eggs earlier in the day if I don't already have some in my fridge. That way I'm not playing hot potato with the eggs while I'm trying to peel them. Chop the eggs after you peel them.Meanwhile, Cut your bacon into one inch pieces and brown. Remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel. To the bacon drippings, add water, sugar and vinegar. This will really sizzle so be careful when you add these to the hot drippings. Return to a boil. Beat remaining egg in a bowl and slowly stir onto hot mixture (whisking briskly the whole time or you will get scrambled eggs.) Pour hot dressing over washed spinach. Top with bacon, eggs and croutons.