i thought i might start a new segment on the blog called "on [insert topic here]" to tell you what lindsay thinks about certain things. so i am starting with entertaining and easy meals.
first of all, i love to entertain. i love having people over. i love cooking food for them. i love using all my dishes to cook the meal and then serve the meal. i love when it can be a little formal (presentation wise) but super casual in feel.
if you were to ask my mother where i got that love, she would (i think) tell you it wasn't from her. not that she doesn't enjoy company, not that she doesn't enjoy good food, but it's just not something she loves to do.
i think the key to my happy love of entertaining is that i don't let it stress me out!
i use simple recipes that are guaranteed to be really good and everyone will love.
nothing in my house is fancy - period.
and everyone who comes over gets the real "frasier experience".
my house is rarely ever magazine cover ready and it almost always looks lived in, but i figure as long as there isn't mud on the floor or wet slimy chicken goobers on the counters, we're good. :)
but there may be a giant bowl of chicken bones...
isn't that disgusting?!? :)
my table is very simple to set and thanks to the parents on the Frasier side, we have an awesome table that seats 12 (and lots of pretty dishes)!
my recipes are easy and simple (which is the key for me...i don't love complicated, it just makes more mess to clean up later, and trust me my messes are big wnough without complicated.)
last time we had our small group (12 people - not really that small but we love them all), i made roasted chicken legs (aka Pollo Asado) from here. i love me some pioneer woman.
step 1. make a marinade and have your hubby squeeze the life and juice out of lemons and limes and oranges.
put a few rinds down the sink and turn on your disposal and your whole kitchen will smell yummy!!!
step 2. put the marinade on the chicken. refridgerate overnight.
step 3. arrange all 36 drumsticks on baking sheets.
doesn't uncooked chicken look disgusting.
step 4. turn them over half way through cooking, then serve 'em up and let everyone shred their own for their tacos! (don't forget to take a picture - everyone showed up and i got distracted.)
step 5. check your oven for a lost chicken leg. sometimes they like to jump ship. otherwise you end up with a disgustingly charred mess the next time you pre-heat your oven. which may or may not have happened to me. which also may or may not mean it was there for three or four days just chillin. so gross.
in my opionion the key to loving entertaining is to keep it simple.
repeat that to yourself over and over: simple is good.
so there you go. easy entertaining by lindsay. :)
and just because they looked pretty in the under-cabinet lighting the wonderful hubs installed: