Yes, it’s back-to-school for many kids and for those of us trying to hang on to summer, I thought we would celebrate with family and create a meal that was deliciously fun for everyone. When I was young, the weekend before school started was spent organizing backpacks, cleaning out drawers for new school clothes and preparing meals to have during the week. This Social Sunday’s Back to School Menu is perfect for this occasion because it is loaded with traditional favorites, but with a slight twist to get you warmed up for a brand new school year.
We start with Glazed Maple Mustard Chicken which is sticky to the touch and smells like comfort food heaven. The tangy glaze is sweet and savory and is applied to the chicken after 30 minutes of oven time – a simple preparation. We begin our menu with roasting the chicken first, and then adding the side dish (potatoes) to the same oven, to make this meal super simple this week.
For our side dish – Roasted Yukon Gold Potato Wedges. These crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, spuds are outrageously good. You couldn’t have a better partner with poultry than these golden wedges. These oven fries are so easy to make and hard not to indulge in – they bring out the french fry lover in all of us.
Kitchen Sink Cookies are my take on chocolate chip cookies, but loaded with all the goodies from your summer pantry. I added trail mix, M&M’s, white chocolate chips and pretzel sticks for a sweet and salty twist to my chocolate chip cookie dough. These scrumptious treats are great as dessert, but also pack up nicely in lunch boxes.
I hope you will celebrate this school year with this Social Sundays Back to School Menu. Get the kids involved and create some truly terrific end of summer memories. Don’t forget to let me know about your Social Sundays meal and tag me on Instagram @genamariebell or leave a comment on my blog!
Kitchen Sink Cookies
Ingredients
14 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup trail mix, any variety of fruit & nuts
1/2 cup plain M&M’s
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup pretzel sticks
(Makes 22 Cookies)
To Prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together butter and sugars for 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat again on high for 2 minutes.
2. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add trail mix, M&M’s, white chocolate chips and pretzels. Mix on low for 30 seconds. The pretzels will break apart in the mixer.
3. Remove the bowl from the stand, and mix by hand to make sure all the goodies are incorporated evenly. Scoop out by 2 tablespoonful onto a sheet pan. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove and let cool on sheet pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack or cookie jar. Serve with milk and Enjoy!
Glazed Maple Mustard Chicken
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut up
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lemon, divided
2 tablespoons butter
olive oil
Maple Mustard Glaze
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup maple syrup
4 tablespoons butter
(Serves 4-6)
To Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the chicken from any packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into an oven-safe casserole dish. Place chicken in dish and toss in oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides of chicken and dot with butter. Slice half the lemon into wedges and arrange around the chicken. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
2. To prepare the glaze – in a saucepan, add the Dijon, maple syrup and butter. Cook over low heat until simmering and whisk until smooth. Turn heat down to simmer, and leave on stove top. After 30 minutes, brush chicken with glaze and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Brush again and cook another 15 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and brush once more with glaze, cover with foil, while preparing potatoes. Serve with potatoes and fresh garden salad. Enjoy!
Roasted Yukon Gold Potato Wedges
Ingredients
8 large yukon gold potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
vegetable oil
(Serves 4-6)
To Prepare:
1. Slice potatoes in half and slice each half into three wedges. Continue slicing the rest of the potatoes. Drizzle sheet pan with 3 tablespoons oil and toss potatoes to coat. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.
2. Add the potatoes to the same oven with the chicken and bake for 50 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh dill. Serve with chicken, Enjoy!
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