If you're the one doing the cooking, feast days and the whole high holiday schedule can seem a bit overwhelming.
The desire to make something your guests will like and everyone will find special (I mean these are special days, right) is intense and it seems like EVERYONE and their mom is a the grocery store buying food for their families and their guests.
But whether you've got a full house or are preparing for just yourself, cooking for the holy days can be made a little easier when you keep it simple.
Also, food prices are undeniably higher but that doesn't mean you can't have beautiful meals with the provisions HaShem has made available.
Chicken drumsticks are always priced well and this recipe from Healthy Recipes Blogs is an easy and yummy way to feed yourself, your family, or your guests.
This would be a perfect Sukkot lunch or dinner served with rice, baked potatoes
bread.
The recipe description didn't lie.
You simply coat the chicken pieces with a mixture of olive oil and spices, then bake them for about 40 minutes. So juicy!
Get the recipe here: https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/baked-drumsticks/
Preheat your empty oven (in case you're like me and store pans in there...check) to 400F or 177C.
Season your chicken in a large bowl. The recipe calls for cayenne. I used it and it really did make all the difference, but know your audience and their heat tolerance.
Let your chicken sit in the fridge with the seasonings for awhile if you have time. Even five minutes makes a difference, but if you don't have time, don't worry. Arrange your drumsticks on a parchment lined pan. I oiled the parchment because I have no time for sticking.
About 25 minutes in, I flipped my chicken and then let them go another ten minutes. The recipe calls for 40 minutes which is about right. I always cut into one piece and check it before serving just to be sure.
I made a very basic Mediterranean Salad with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta (skip if you don't mix milk and meat), olives, and a home dressing. My dressing recipe is maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, salt, and olive oil. I measure to taste, but this recipe looks closer minus the herbs.
When I'm serving this salad to a lot of people, children especially, I like to let people choose what they'd like to add. Cuts down on the crying about onions and I choose peace.
Here is a salad recipe very close to what I made: https://www.primaverakitchen.com/easy-mediterranean-salad/
Tip: If you buy olives with the pit in, the easiest way to get them out is to cut around the olive's middle, twist off one end and then pull off the other.
Do you see what I did with the olive? Cut around the olive completely and then twist off one end. Pray off the other side. Done! This wastes a lot less alive than carving all around it.
This wasn't the best container for my dressing and when I shook it up, I sprinkled myself in olive oil. I'm considering it a spa treatment. I suggest a mason jar.
Little bowls to accommodate various issues and preferences in my home but feel free to mix it up if your family isn't picky.
Add a little salt and pepper to your cucumbers and tomatoes before adding the dressing. The reason restaurant salads are always so good and seem better than home is because they season every ingredient in layers. Trust me.
May you have a high holiday day season full of the presence of HaShem. Try not to stress while cooking and instead think about how blessed we are to have so many varieties of fruits, vegetables, grain and other things to eat. We are a blessed people and He is generous. If you can, share a meal with a neighbor or friend and let them know Yeshua sent you.
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. -Mattityahu 25:40
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