Cooking "Freestyle"

With that is happening in the world, it feels a little out of sync to write about cooking at the moment. Sam Sifton, NY Times food writer, says "...And yet it is not. It is one thing you can do that can make someone else’s life a little better, if only for a few minutes." He is correct. Cook your food. You need to keep people fed. Share your food. It says you care. Choose good food. Keep your family healthy. We do what we can. 

Sheet Pan Supper
chicken tenders, roasted green beans, roasted potatoes & carrots

You know...you don't HAVE to have a recipe. A recipe leads to thinking "I can't make that. I don't have all the ingredients." I've been cooking for a very long time. Over half a century. (Sounds awful when I say it that way) and I'm okay with "just cooking." But if you are a newer cook, you might depend on recipes to tell you every step. You only need some of the basic parts of a recipe, then you can cook with what you have on hand. You can cook freestyle. Let me help you a little.

We were at the lake for the weekend and I made an easy dinner in the oven. I figured out the temps and times so that I could put everything in the oven at one time. My first thought was to cook it all on one sheet pan. But after looking at the ingredients, I realized it wasn't going to fit. My pan at the lake is a little smaller than the one at home. So I checked to see if I could put two pans in the oven at the same time. Yay! A 9x13 pan and my cookie sheet fit side by side on one rack. 

The potatoes cook at 425º for 35 minutes.  (The time and temp are from the Lipton Onion Soup recipe on the box, but I used salt & pepper, garlic powder and dry minced onion to season.) That is also the temperature I use most often to roast vegetables, like the beans. I found a recipe online that said chicken tenders can cook in the oven at 425º for 25 minutes. That's all I needed to know.

The potatoes got a head start in one pan, then the chicken and beans joined them. Then I watched. And I checked them. This is the part newer cooks don't want to hear—"It's done when it's done."  

Trust yourself to see that it's done. Stick a fork in the potatoes to see if they are tender. Did you cut your potatoes bigger than I did? Then yours might take longer. Are your chicken tenders on the small side? They may be done a little sooner.   It's done when it's done. If something gets done faster, take it out of the oven sooner. You could take the beans or the chicken off the pan if one is done before the other and put the pan back to finish cooking. You are the boss of your kitchen.

I am writing this down for future reference. It's nice to have the times figured out. And it was delicious.

SHEET PAN CHICKEN TENDERS DINNER

potatoes and carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

seasonings of your choice (I used S&P, garlic powder, dry minced onion)

1-lb. package of chicken tenders

a good handful of fresh green beans, trimmed

a drizzle of olive oil for the beans

Seasoning mix for the chicken: (I didn't use all of this for 1 lb. of tenders)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano 

1/2 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425º. For easy clean up, line pans with foil. 

Toss potatoes and carrots with oil and season them. Spread them in a single layer in a 9x13-inch pan. Put in oven and set timer for 35 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, spray chicken tenders with cooking spray (to make the rub stick) and sprinkle seasoning mix over both sides. Spray lined baking sheet with cooking spray and place tenders at one end of the pan. Toss the green beans with a bit of oil, season and spread them on the other end of the baking sheet. 

When the potatoes have cooked for 10 minutes, slide the baking sheet in the oven and continue cooking for the remaining time.

For the record, I have also roasted vegetables at 375º and at 400º. It depends on what else is cooking in the oven. And for my oven fries, I use 450º. Changing the temperature will change the time. 

If you are on Facebook or Instagram, check out Jamie Oliver and watch him cook. Always healthy. Usually simple family dishes. No recipes with exact measurements. Just watch him put together a simple dish. It helps get your cooking juices flowing.