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Categorizing Dinner

May 1, 2013
3 min read

How do you categorize your recipes?

For those of us who keep many, many recipes, it is always a quandary on how you categorize them. Prior to the electronic keeping of recipes, I was always forced to decide where to put a recipe. Take something as simple as spaghetti and meat sauce. In the most basic designation, it could be filed under “Dinner”. In a more detailed organization it could go under Italian, pasta, or beef as well.

When I started to electronify my recipes with the Paprika app, I found a different issue: too many categories.

I have talked up the app extensively, but one of the features I like is that I can not only create whatever categories I want, but recipes can fall into as many categories as I want.

My current categorization includes:

  • Meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack

  • Course: soup, salad, appetizer, dessert

  • Significant ingredient: Beef, chicken, cheese, etc…

  • Diet: low carb, vegetarian

  • Cuisine: Italian, German, Mexican, etc….

  • Cooking method: slow cooker, grill

And most recently

  • Blog related: blogged, not blogged yet

Even with all of these designations I find I need more. The most recent one I am contemplating is to identify weekend dishes. These are ones with total prep and cooking time greater than 60-75 minutes. The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is going through all 850 recipes to categorize them. (Yes, I know. I could add the designation as I go, but that would just be sloppy).

I need that designation as too often I will add a recipe to the weekly menu without realizing that the time commitment is really too extensive for my weekday cooking. This is one such recipe.

Photo Jan 06, 5 50 35 PM

The chicken was great with the skin being the best part.

Photo Jan 06, 3 25 21 PM

I had a couple of split chicken breasts already and love thighs so bought two packs of those.

Photo Jan 06, 3 32 12 PM

I cut the veggies slightly different than what the recipe called for.

Photo Jan 06, 3 38 13 PM

This is a big pan but it looks small with all that chicken in it.

Photo Jan 06, 5 49 48 PM

Beautiful.

Photo Jan 06, 5 50 29 PM

Succulent!

Family-Style Chicken

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 2 hr 0 min | Makes: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • Vegetable spray, as needed

Vegetables:

  • 3 ribs celery, cut into thirds

  • 2 medium yellow squash, halved crosswise

  • 2 medium zucchini, halved crosswise

  • 1 medium yellow onion, quartered (about 1 cup)

  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and quartered

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Chicken:

  • 1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 4 bay leaves

Garnish:

  • Lemon zest, for garnish

  • Chopped parsley, for garnish

  • Equipment: 1 large roasting pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly coat the roasting pan with vegetable spray.

Make the Vegetables: Toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl, and arrange them in the roasting pan, leaving room in the center for the chicken.

Prepare the Chicken: Nestle the chicken pieces in the center of the pan. Combine the remaining ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the chicken. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the chicken from the oven and baste with the drippings. Continue baking uncovered until well browned, about 1 hour more. Arrange the chicken on a platter surrounded by the vegetables. Sprinkle with the garnish

 
 
 

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