Planning a Happy Thanksgiving 2017– 3 Weeks and Counting!

thanksgiving decor ideas | pamela salzman

This post has been edited from the one originally published on Thursday, November 3, 2011.

If you followed the advice in my post last Thursday, perhaps you now have a general idea of how many guests you will be hosting on Thanksgiving. If not, it’s time to get on the phone and do some inviting! Do you have a good, balanced menu and have you taken guests up on their offers to bring something? This week we have a few more tasks that we can check off the list.

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Zucchini Tots Recipe

Zucchini Tots | Pamela Salzman
Zucchini Tots | Pamela Salzman
Photos by Erica Hampton

This is my last non-Thanksgiving recipe that I am posting until after Thanksgiving.  I am only posting the recipe for these zucchini tots because so many people keep asking me for the recipe since I taught it in September.  I keep saying, “zucchini aren’t in season after October.”  “I don’t care!  I must have this recipe!”  I have to admit, they are really fun to make and eat.  Anything that looks like a tater tot is a shoe-in with kids.  I know some kids won’t eat anything green, but I also know you have to keep trying.  For the rest of their lives.  End of story.Continue reading

Dinner Planner: Week of October 30th 2017

I had a great 2 days in New York! I was able to squeeze in a visit with my parents see one of my sisters and her family, and a couple of my cousins, plus some blogger friends and the highlight of my trip was doing a segment on The Rachael Ray Show.  It was one of the best media experiences I have ever had.  She is running a great operation over there and it was a total thrill to do a segment with her.  I’ll let you know when the episode will air!  In the meantime, I need to plan some dinners for next week:Continue reading

Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Tomatoes | Pamela Salzman
Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Tomatoes | Pamela Salzman
Photos by Erica Hampton

I know I just posted a Thanksgiving prep post yesterday, but I needed to share this recipe with you ASAP!  So many people have asked me for it because I taught it almost every day in October in my classes and it is the PERFECT dinner to make on Tuesday for Halloween because it’s dead simple to prep and takes 18 minutes to cook.  And it is sooooo good!  Uh huh.

Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Tomatoes | Pamela Salzman

You know how strongly I feel about filling up the bellies with good, satisfying food before trick-or-treating.  Going out on an empty stomach and being given a sack full of candy is a terrible combination and a recipe for disaster with most children.  Make this simple sheet pan chicken dinner as written or with whatever vegetables suit your fancy.

Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Tomatoes | Pamela Salzman

This recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs) and quick-cooking vegetables.  If you want to use some other veggies, just make sure they will cook in 18-20 minutes, e.g. snap peas, thinly sliced bell peppers, thinly sliced onions, or defrosted frozen vegetables.  If you want to roast things like potatoes, winter squash or carrots, you’ll need to roast them for a half hour and then add your chicken.

Ideally, everything should be arranged in one layer to promote browning, but I have crowded the pans much more than this when I didn’t have enough sheet pans in class.  The dish still turns out great, even if the zucchini doesn’t caramelize.  I like to serve this with simple brown rice, cauliflower mashed potatoes or millet-cauliflower mash.  You could also do this over cauli-rice.  Ther serving size here allows for 4 ounces of chicken per person, which is what we are used to eating in my house, but do what works for you!  I have a feeling this recipe will become a new weeknight staple for you. 🙂

5.0 from 2 reviews
Sheet Pan Chicken with Artichokes, Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes Recipe
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling vegetables
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
  • pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs, sliced into 1- inch strips
  • 3 Tablespoons unrefined, extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil, divided
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 5 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted and patted dry (I buy these at Trader Joe's)
  • 2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch rounds
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the salt and spices. Place the chicken in a large container and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and spices. Mix together until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. The further in advance you can do this, the more flavorful the chicken will be.
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed full-size sheet pan with parchment paper, unless you are using a stainless steel pan (you should grease the stainless pan). Or use two smaller half-sheet pans.
  3. Arrange the vegetables on the prepared sheet pan(s) and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Arrange the chicken amongst the vegetables in one layer, if possible.
  5. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through (do less time if you plan to cover and it and serve it later.) Cut a piece open if you're not sure. There should be no pink color inside.
  6. If you put more than one sheet pan in the oven, consider cooking on convection at 400 degrees for the same amount of time, but do check it a few minutes early to be safe.
Notes
Instead of chicken, you can use a 15-ounce can of cooked chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry. Toss the veggies and chickpeas with oil and the spices.

 

Planning a Happy Thanksgiving 2017 – 4 weeks and counting

This post has been edited from the original, which was published on October 27, 2011.

Can you believe what today is?  It is the beginning of the countdown!!  Thanksgiving is 4 weeks from today!  No need to panic, friends.  We’re going to have some fun over the next month!  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the traditions, the food, the Macy’s parade on television while I am making my pies, the football games. I love moving the family room furniture after the last football game is over to extend the dining room table. I love hearing everyone share why he or she is grateful. I have cooked every Thanksgiving for the last 22 years, as well as almost 100 Thanksgiving-themed cooking classes. I have made lots of mistakes and in the process learned a thing or two about how to execute and enjoy a very happy Thanksgiving. The key is being organized. Every Thursday from today until the big day, I will share my best tips, strategies and a few good recipes to set you up for a successful holiday. I am going to try to do a Facebook Live about planning Thanksgiving on Friday at 2:30 pm PST/5:30 pm PST!

Let’s get started!

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Whole Grain Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bars Recipe and Video

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bars | Pamela Salzman

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bars | Pamela Salzman

I wasn’t sure whether to post this delectable recipe for Halloween or Thanksgiving, because truth be told, I have made these bars for both holidays!  I am really into desserts that can be made small like bars or cookies, as opposed to a pie which is kind of hard to cut into a small 3-bite piece.  I try not to eat too much dessert, especially during the holiday season (which starts on Halloween, in my opinion.)  Desserts are definitely treat foods to be eaten in moderation because they can really spike your blood sugar (even if you’re using a higher quality sweetener), pack on the pounds, and promote inflammation in the body.  Moderation.Continue reading

Adaptogens 101

Every time I add a little ashwaganda to my (almond milk) reishi latte on Instagram, many people write to me asking me what it is, why do I like it, and other great questions.  A few of my students suggested that I write a blogpost about this class of herbs called adaptogens.  Good idea!

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