Sixteen Candles

This week's dish was nothing short of amazing. I know that every week I write a somewhat positive review of what we've cooked and enjoyed for challenge night, but I can't help that these meals keep blowing my mind each week! This time around we enjoyed a serve of Tray-Baked Chicken, Squashed Potatoes, Creamed Spinach and chased it all with Strawberry Slushies. If you're looking to try a 30 minute meal but can't quite decide which one to go for - make it this one. It will not disappoint.

I decided to tackle the potatoes first - they're notorious for not cooking through as fast as you need them to and in the interest of keeping challenge night as peaceful and enjoyable as possible, I got them started way earlier than it needed to be. This ended up being a really good idea because, as expected, the potatoes took twice as long to cook while boiling than the recipe called for. In the end, they came up amazing. They were crispy on the outside and then soft and well cooked on the inside. The flavours of the herbs and garlic worked perfectly too, so the smell of them cooking was driving me nuts!

The spinach was out of this world - I'm a big fan of spinach anyway and while I usually avoid creamy and cheesy foods, this dish was really light and completely enjoyable. I can't even put the flavours into words, it was just so so so good! I think if you've got bratty kids who aren't too keen on the idea of spinach (and lets be honest...most kids are brats about spinach) then you should definitely consider putting this down in front of them. The smell alone will draw them in and one mouthful is enough to convert anyone to the green side. Trust me. Its delicious.

The chicken...oh the chicken. As if it isn't good enough on its own, you get to wrap it in bacon! Bacon!! This is basically every fat kid's dream...and mine. If you're not keen on the idea of mixed meats, you best reconsider. It isn't the healthiest item on the menu by a long shot - theres a whole lot of butter and olive oil involved in the cooking process. But if, like me, you use these meals as a treat and indulge in them in moderation then I don't think you'll mind it. Especially because anything cooked in butter is destined to be amazing. The lemon and tomatoes in the roasting tray add fresh flavour and give a bit of extra moisture as well.

And then there is the slushie - I loved it. It is so refreshing and light and the perfect complement to the meal. It is ridiculously easy to make, super light on calories and it looks really impressive if you dress it up nicely in a tumbler, like I did. We decided to add a splash of firewater to the mix just to make things interesting. I would recommend this for the grownups! I will absolutely be making this again next time we have a girls night or a summer bbq.

All in all, I can't complain about this meal. I wouldn't change a single thing, and neither would anyone else who was sitting at the table. It looks delicious, it smells delicious, it tastes delicious - what more could you possibly ask for? We had more than enough vegies to go around, so if you wanted to feed more than four people you could easily add some extra chicken to the recipe and make some more of the slushie. As I mentioned above, if you have been wanting to try a recipe but haven't worked up the courage, go for this one. It is inexpensive, takes very little technical skill to put together and you end up with an impressive feast that will get absolutely demolished by your guests. Go for it!

Next week's dishes look great too - Killer Jerk Chicken, Rice & Beans, Refreshing Chopped Salad and Chargrilled Corn. Oooh, and the recipe says you should serve it with beer too. Yay!

But, until then.... Bon Appetit!