Recipe(tried): Happy Mother's Day Dinner - Roast Chicken, Vegetable Tian, Salad, Brownies

Whoosh! Everything goes into the oven, and you're done - well....almost. Add some crusty wholegrain and rye rolls with butter, slice up the fruit for the salad, and relax - Happy Mother's Day!

Roasted Chicken
Vegetable Tian
Strawnana Salad
Wholegrain and Rye Rolls with butter
Double Chocolate Brownies

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ROASTED CHICKEN

1 (4-5 lb) roasting chicken
Olive oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and herbs of choice - thyme, rosemary, bay leaf - preferably fresh

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse and remove excess fat from chicken. Drain and pat dry. Rub all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on rack in roasting pan, breast side up. Place herbs inside cavity.

Roast in oven until internal temperature, in the thickest part of the thigh, is 160 degrees, and the exterior of the chicken is well-browned, about 2 hours.

Remove chicken to platter, cover with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

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VEGETABLE TIAN

A wonderful recipe from my daughter-in-law, Tara, this can be doubled easily. She likes to use this recipe when guests join them - it requires little last minute attention. Use Yukon Golds for best flavor.

Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions, halved and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb medium round potatoes, unpeeled
3/4 lb zucchini
1 1/4 lbs medium tomatoes [I use Roma]
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (plus extra sprigs)
2 oz Gruyere cheese, grated [I usually double the cheese, because I live in Wisconsin now!]

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9 X 13 X 2 inch baking dish with olive oil.

In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook one more minute.

Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in a dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only one layer of each.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 35-40 minutes (or until potatoes are tender).

Uncover the dish, remove thyme sprigs, sprinkle cheese on top and bake another 30 minutes (until browned).

Let sit 10 minutes when removed from oven, then cut into 2x2 inch squares to serve.
STRAWNANA SALAD

1 quart strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2 medium bananas, ripe but not soft
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar

Slice bananas into a large bowl. Add vinegar and mix gently. Slice strawberries into the bowl and add sugar; mix gently. Cover and refrigerate until time to serve.

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DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

My niece Beth recommended these as "awe-fully good", and she was right. Besides, what's Mother's Day without chocolate?

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

6 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter an 8x8 in. pan, line with foil leaving a 2 in. overhang on all sides, and then butter foil. Set aside.

Melt butter, chocolate and cocoa powder together in a heatproof medium bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Or use 40-50% power on microwave and watch carefully, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool mixture slightly.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

Place sugar, eggs, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and beat until combined.

Add flour mixture, beat until combined, scraping bowl down with spatula. Pour into pan and smooth top.

Bake 35 minutes, being careful not to over bake. Cool 30 minutes before cutting, using foil to lift out of pan, then cutting into squares.