Cooking With Stanley Week 51

Meals that feed a lot of people and require almost no effort are by far the best. This week's Cooking With Stanley is one of those meals. Two dishes make up the menu and there's a reason. The main dish is packed with so much meat and so many potatoes that you don't need anything else. The lentil salad made a nice little touch though. Tonight's menu is perfect for feeding a larger party or feeding a few with leftovers ready for the week.

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Chicken with Sausage and Peppers
Mediterranean Lentil Salad

The Chicken with Sausage and Peppers takes a little prep work on the stove but nothing too crazy. Before popping everything into a casserole, simply brown the meat and cook the veggies a bit. The oven will do the rest of the work. However, learn from my mistakes and put the veggies in the casserole first. You want them to cook in all the juices from the pan and the meat as it cooks. If they don't, you run a gamble with them turning out dry and awful. This recipe calls for a whole chicken cut up but I bought 12 drumsticks instead. They are a favorite in my family, cheaper to buy and easier to manage. 

The Mediterranean Lentil Salad was something new for me but surprisingly delicious. It's fairly simple to mix together while the other dish is in the oven. It has a tangy flavor profile that pairs well with the classic flavors of the Chicken with Sausage and Peppers. I thought the combination was well done (not to pat my own back). It would have been even better served with some toasted bread. Doesn't it seem like everything is better with toasted bread or is that just me?