Cooking With A Little Help From My Friends - Tastefully Simple Chicken & Antipasti

December has a way of tightening the clock. The lists get longer, the days get shorter, and suddenly cooking feels less like pleasure and more like logistics. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons we choose this time of the year to cut out of our lives what no longer suits us, and to embrace the things (or people) that do.

My music teacher, Gus, sells Tastefully Simple, and if you know Gus, you know this is not a hard sell. He is one of those people who believes in what he shares. Thoughtful, generous, and endlessly patient, the kind of teacher who understands rhythm and timing in the kitchen as well as the classroom.

I started with a vegetarian antipasti salad built around Tastefully Simple’s Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto Mix. I mixed up the ingredients below in just minutes. The dried tomato brought sweetness, the garlic had depth without bite, and suddenly the salad tasted like it had been fussed over for hours. It had not. That felt like a small holiday miracle.

To pair with it for dinner, I turned to chicken thighs and the Perfectly Parmesan Garlic seasoning. Chicken thighs are forgiving and flavorful, exactly what you want when the house is full and the oven already busy.

That is the real gift of these blends. They do not pretend to replace cooking. They simply remove friction. Fewer bottles on the counter. Fewer decisions when your brain is already full. You still get to feel like you cooked, because you did.

INGREDIENTS

1 jar peppadews, drained and halved

1 cup mixed olives (Castelvetrano, Kalamata, or your favorite), pitted if needed

1½ to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, whole or halved

8 oz fresh mozzarella balls (ciliegine), drained

½ cup Marcona almonds

2 tablespoons Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix

¼ cup good olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Optional: fresh basil or parsley for garnish

METHOD

In a small pan or the microwave, warm the olive oil a little bit to help incorporate the seasoning.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pesto mix, olive oil, and vinegar until glossy and well blended. Let it sit for 2 minutes to bloom the flavors.

In a large serving bowl, combine peppadews, olives, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and Marcona almonds.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss until everything is evenly coated.

Finish with black pepper and fresh herbs if using.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Bring back to room temperature before serving for best flavor.

The oil at the bottom of the bowl is liquid gold, so have bread nearby.

Perfectly Parmesan Garlic Roasted Chicken Thighs

These chicken thighs are juicy, savory, and nearly impossible to mess up.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Tastefully Simple Perfectly Parmesan Garlic seasoning

Optional: lemon wedges or fresh parsley for serving

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400.

Pat chicken thighs dry and place them in a bowl or directly in a baking dish.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan Garlic seasoning. Toss or rub to coat well.

Arrange thighs in a single layer in a lightly greased baking dish.

Roast uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden at the edges.

For extra color, broil for 2 to 3 minutes at the end, watching carefully.

Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

My new friend, Gus, is a wonderful new addition to my life. He understands harmony. These seasonings do too. Give them both a try.