By Lisa Golden Schroeder

At first blush a picnic is defined as an outdoor meal. But in my mind the relaxed atmosphere of being freed from the table—and the magic elixir of good food, sunshine, and fresh air—makes any picnic an event. I do love impromptu picnics, the elegantly simple affairs when I can buy luscious fruit and cheese at an outdoor market or containers of savory salads and crusty bread to eat on a park bench. But I know picnicking is a versatile art. I grew up with elaborately planned outings, carefully prepared and meticulously packed. I have dim recollections of those walks in the woods, but very strong memories of sitting down on a huge blanket for a leisurely lunch.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned “planned over” grilling. One of my favorite picnic themes revolves around a deconstructed grilled chicken wrap menu. I’d much rather pack up my own tender grilled chicken than buy sliced deli meats, and gathering a collection of ingredients that my hungry gang can transform into drippingly delicious wraps takes only a few minutes of planning. If we decide to go biking on the trails close to our home, we might load up backpacks or insulated lunch bags. Everyone helps tote, but I create a spread at the final destination, surprising the troops with special treats.

Here’s my go-to list for the basics:
•    Grilled & chilled boneless chicken breasts, well seasoned with garlic pepper, dried rosemary and coarse salt before grilling. Cut into thick slices.
•    Large whole-wheat tortilla wraps, pita fold bread or chapattis
•    Prepared hummus dip (we love the ones flavored with roasted red pepper or olives)
•    A squeeze bottle of Dijon or honey mustard
•    Sliced cheeses (buttery Muenster and Jarlsberg are our favorites)
•    Sliced tomatoes, red onion and cucumber
•    Clusters of crisp grapes and a bag of sweet cherries
•    Carrot, jicama and kohlrabi sticks (to dip in hummus or just munch)
•    Something sweet and gooey (fudgy brownies always win, but my mom’s spiced prune cake was my childhood passion)

Don’t forget the paper towels and hand sanitizer—and a small bag to store any garbage. This is a finger food only, no flatware or plates allowed!

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I don’t believe that Valentine’s Day is a greeting-card holiday. Maybe because my wedding anniversary landed, quite unintentionally, close to Valentine’s Day, I feel a special bond with it. The idea of showing my affection to my nearest and dearest, on a specific day laid out just for that purpose, is so perfect. In fact, I gave up trying to send out winter holiday cards in favor of valentines a few years ago. Delighting friends with a bar of chocolate and my annual family update weeks after New Year’s is never a chore in the depth of winter. I’ve also made this slower time of year my moment to throw open my kitchen to guests who are now spending too many quiet evenings at home.

I still rely on my tried-and-true buffets, anchored by some kind of roasted chicken, for my favorite Valentine’s Day suppers. For a really cost-effective dinner party, I’ve found that if I buy two whole chickens and cut them into quarters myself I’m able to generously feed eight people. Each guest gets a sampling of both light and dark meat, and most don’t need to return to the buffet for seconds. Because it’s Valentine’s Day. I’ll want to make the chicken special, with a hint of sweet along with the savory. The flavors of Spain, which often play the sweetness of dried fruits and spices off the richness of meats and poultry, are deliciously addicting. I’ve made variations of my Catalan Chicken over the years, changing up the dried plums for apricots or adding a splash of wine instead of broth. But the sprinkle of dark brown sugar over the chicken stays the same, helping caramelize and crisp up the skin, while the meat stays moist and succulent.

As your guests arrive, settle them in with small glasses of sweet sherry or Rioja wine. Lay out a tray of crackers, a chunk of piquant Manchego cheese and a bit of quince paste—a classic Spanish combination of nutty sheep’s-milk cheese and fruit. Then serve up platters of your aromatic roast chicken, along with a pot of steamed whole-wheat couscous, fluffed with a spoonful of grated lemon zest. A skillet of quickly sautéed winter chard, fragrant with loads of chopped garlic, completes a heart-warming menu for your valentines. Oh, and don’t forget the chocolate!

CATALAN SWEET AND TART CHICKEN

Makes 8 servings

This recipe elegantly feeds a nice size dinner party but is easy to cut in half for a smaller supper. The sweetness of the dried plums (formerly known as prunes), contrasts with the brininess of the olives and capers—delicious with the richness of bone-in chicken. The cooking of Spain, where it’s common to see the combination of sweet and tart flavors enhancing poultry and meat, influences this style of dish.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken

2 packages (3.5 to 4 pounds) Just BARE™ Whole Chicken

¾ cup dried plums (prunes)

1/2 cup green Spanish olives

1/3 cup small capers

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup chicken broth

For the Garnish

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

INSTRUCTIONS

• Cut chickens into quarters with poultry shears.
• Place chicken pieces in a large bowl or jumbo plastic storage bag. Add dried plums, olives, capers, garlic, vinegar, oil, chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Turn pieces to coat with seasonings. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 400˚F; adjust oven racks to accommodate two baking pans. Arrange chicken pieces, olives, and plums on two foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Pour marinade over the top. Season chicken with salt and pepper; sprinkle with brown sugar and pour chicken broth around pieces.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink when cut near the bone. Serve with pan juices, sprinkled with garnishes.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I began really exploring  “ethnic” foods when I was in college. Driven primarily by a vegetarian boyfriend, but also by my experimental mother, I discovered cooking styles that were a treasure trove of what at the time seemed like exotic flavors: foods richly seasoned with herbs and spices and wonderful dishes featuring lean meats, beans, grains and unfamiliar vegetables. There were also so many delicious traditions for simple, satisfying snack foods meant to be eaten on the go—the global tradition of street foods. In just about every country there are regional specialties sold solely by vendors at outdoor markets or from carts on city streets or country roadsides. Chefs have been inspired forever by the foods of their childhood, often reflected in their restaurant menus. (If my children ever become influenced by their snack food, they’d be serving cold cereal and tortilla chips from their food trucks.) And now the populist appeal of street foods has risen to the point of becoming the star of the past year’s Culinary Institute of America’s World of Flavors conference in California.

Granted, most street food is not vegetarian, featuring the most inexpensive meats (or insects in some countries) available in a specific time and place. But there’s no mistaking the comfort of what’s sold—stewed, roasted, fragrant and fresh, defining the most favorite tastes of a cuisine. I fell instantly in love with Middle Eastern foods: hummus, baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant dip), tahini, tabbouleh, briny olives, feta cheese, lots of spices. The appeal of street food is not only the flavors, but that we can pick them up in our hands, licking the dripping juices and sauces from our fingers as we gobble them down just like kids.

I feel inspired this time of year, when we have friends over in the cozy early winter doldrums, to offer up buffets of finger foods filled with layers of taste that increase as each person builds their plate. Unofficially dubbed the “condiment queen,” I like to eat and serve foods that begin with a delicious base—stovetop-grilled or slow-cooked chicken is a perfect foil for flavor-bursting sauces and little bites of delicious (and healthy) sides.  Roasted veggies, fresh herbs and greens, and luscious bean dishes spiked with garlic and lemon, all wrapped up and ready to eat without forks.

CHICKEN SHAWARMA WRAPS

Makes 4 servings

All over the eastern Mediterranean these spiced meat sandwiches are a street food staple. Originating in northwestern Turkey, this style of seasoned meat wrap is so common it’s sometimes called the Middle Eastern taco. The meat is typically shaved off a large rotating cone of roasted layered meat, but here you can create your own with chicken tenders. For a bit of smoky flavor, use a stovetop grill.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE™ Hand-trimmed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the wraps

1/2 cup prepared hummus

¼ cup plain yogurt

4  (8-inch) wheat pita fold breads

2 cups mixed baby greens

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place chicken tenders in large plastic resealable food bag. Add seasonings; seal bag and shake to coat chicken evenly.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook for about eight minutes, turning once, until no longer pink inside.
• To make wraps, mix hummus and yogurt in small bowl. Arrange spiced chicken tenders on pita bread, with tomatoes, cucumber, and greens. Drizzle with hummus sauce and sprinkle with feta.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

Supposedly, this has been a horrible decade. The final days of the first 10 years of the 21^st century are slipping away, and I’m wondering if I missed something. I guess as I look back and hear the retrospective news stories, I know that some pretty awful things did happen this decade. But some really great stuff happened too. Like I no longer feel like an old hippy because I shop at co-op groceries, buy whole grains in bulk and hang out at farmer’s markets as much as I can. The rallying cry to buy local, eat organic, shun overly processed foods and create sustainable lifestyles with lighter environmental impact is finally being heard.

So I feel like I’m in my element, with no apologies for serving brown rice, using a cloth shopping bag or digging around in my herb garden. No matter where we live, we can play a part in supporting healthier ways of raising our families and maintaining safe, strong places for regional farmers and food producers to market their goods. Because I live in the Midwest now, I think as a transplant I bond even more closely to local traditions and homegrown foods. Wild rice, hand-harvested on the edges of northern lakes; cranberries, grown in bogs just east of my home; and chicken, raised on family farms within driving distance, are favorites at my holiday table.

Embrace the specialties of where you live and celebrate them as you spend time with your loved ones. New Year’s Eve has always been a bright spot on the calendar for my family. It’s my parent’s wedding anniversary as well as a hopeful time for everyone. I’m already writing my list of resolutions, which I’m determined to keep for at least the first quarter of 2010! But in the meantime, I’m also making my shopping list for a celebration dinner that features as much local food as I can fit on a plate. Happy New Year!

MAPLE CRANBERRY GLAZED CHICKEN

Makes 4 servings

This dish is impressive and easy—and can grace both a weeknight or celebration table. Serve with a garlicky wild rice pilaf that has sautéed butternut squash and chopped winter kale stirred into it.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE boneless skinless chicken breast fillets

½ teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 cup dry red wine or unsweetened pomegranate juice

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick over medium-high heat until hot.  Season chicken with salt and pepper; place in skillet and cook three to five minutes per side or just until browned and no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

2.  Add remaining oil to skillet; sauté shallots for two minutes. Stir in wine, syrup, and cranberries. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for five minutes.

3.  Combine cornstarch and water; stir into skillet. Cook and stir one minute or until thickened and clear. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken back to skillet; spoon sauce over and simmer one minute.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

I’ve always been serving challenged. No matter how much cooking I do, when it comes to dishing up the food to a large group of people I feel a little panicky. I can cook up a storm, but that balanced dance of plating, keeping food hot and settling everyone comfortably (never mind getting drinks worked out) constantly challenges me. This time of year is prime time for larger gatherings, so I’ve developed some one-dish dinners that are more elegant than church basement casseroles. And they increase my comfort level about serving a crowd without much mental anguish.

From early in my cooking career, even when I catered small dinner parties for my parent’s friends, I relied on buffets. Laying out a beautiful spread on a side counter or table is easy. Decorating with rustic arrangements of fresh artichokes, pomegranates or pears and lemons—garnished with branches of lemon leaves or sprays of fresh rosemary—takes just a few minutes. I’ve always had an eclectic collection of tableware, opting out of formal china or crystal when I got married. So I use unexpected combinations of serving pieces, small bowls for condiments and platters for salads. No matter how ornate the look of a buffet, the serving part is deceptively simple. I let my guests begin dining with their eyes before the food arrives to the table.

Having large baking dishes that arrive hot to the buffet takes the worry of the star of the show off my mind. And I can concentrate on sides that are flexible—large bowls of herbed mashed potatoes, garlicky soft polenta (make it with a little more broth so it stays spoonable longer if it needs to stand) or couscous. I love to roast a variety of vegetables ahead of time for a composed salad platter. A day ahead I’ll line large baking sheets with parchment paper, then toss wedges of beets and red onion, spears of asparagus, haricots verts (skinny French beans), and tender carrots that I slice lengthwise into quarters, with olive oil, coarse salt and cracked pepper. I roast them in a very hot oven for about 20 minutes or just until tender. They can be refrigerated until salad time, but let them warm up a bit at room temperature before plating. Make a pretty arrangement on a bed of mixed baby greens, and then drizzle with more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I assign someone to take drink orders before I’m ready to put out the hot food, then ring the dinner bell!

ROASTED CITRUS CHICKEN with OLIVES

Makes 8 servings

There are never enough chicken legs to go around in my family. So if you’d prefer, you can use all chicken legs in this dish. But the main idea of this recipe is that it’s great for a crowd but can be easily halved for a regular weeknight dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 package (3-1/2 to 4 pounds) Just BARE™ Whole Chicken, cut into pieces

1 package (20 ounces) Just BARE™ Chicken Drumsticks

2 lemons, thickly sliced

2 medium oranges, thickly sliced

2 large onions, chopped

2 cups mixed Italian olives

12 cloves garlic, halved

Several sprigs of fresh thyme or fresh bay leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat oven to 425˚F.
• In two 3-quart baking casseroles, arrange chicken pieces. Evenly divide lemons, oranges, onion, olives, garlic, and herbs between the two roasters. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Place chicken in oven. Roast, turning chicken pieces once, for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and no longer pink in center.