Friday Night Dinner Project: Dinner with Chuck

For this week's Friday Night Dinner Project I chose the "Dinner with Chuck."  Who is Chuck?  Chuck is Bonnie Stern's nephew, Corporal Chuck Krangle of the Canadian Armed Forces.  The menu is one she prepared for him when he returned to Canada from Afghanistan.  People who know me know that I am a huge supporter of our military, so the theme behind this menu right up my alley.

Don't forget to buy Friday Night Dinners and cook along with me!

Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini
Well, when I went to use my cauliflower it was not looking particularly fresh.  I ended up not roasting any cauliflower, but I did make the tahini sauce which I used on the roasted brussel sprouts (more on that below).

Falafel
Oh falafel.  It's so good.  This recipe is simple and quick to make (if you don't count the overnight chickpea soak).  The one thing it made me realize is how much I want a really good food processor.  At the moment I just have a little mini one.  But alas, space, money, etc.
Anyway, my favourite way to eat falafel is stuffed in a pita with red and green peppers and either tzatziki or hummus.  Today I just served it as a snack, with red peppers and hummus.  You can make your own hummus, however on this plate is Sabra hummus (my favourite store bought hummus).  Sidebar: Costco Canada is now carrying garlic flavoured Sabra hummus.  You can get two massive tubs for $8.00.

Roast Chicken on a Rack
I had to deviate a bit from the menu here.  A few weeks ago our roast pan died and it has not been replaced (hopefully it will be for a Christmas present, but if not I will be ordering one up).  As a result, there was no roast chicken on a rack.  Instead I roasted some chicken breasts in a casserole dish (not the same, but still good).

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Having never cooked Brussels Sprouts before (because I don't like them!), this recipe was a pleasant surprise.  I guess anything can taste good with a little roasting, olive oil, salt, and spices.  These were actually not too bad, and this is coming from someone who cannot stand Brussels Sprouts.  We sprinkled them with the tahini sauce.  It was a nice touch.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Seriously, it's mashed potatoes.  It would be pretty sad if you messed these up.

Chocolatiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
Attention, attention!  This week's menu is all.  about.  the desserts.
Seriously.
These cookies are amazing.  Amazing.  You know when you are throwing in a cup of butter and 375g of assorted chocolate that they are going to be good.  I used President's Choice Chocolate Chunks for this.  Good choice.  I also deviated a bit and substituted some plain chocolate for Reese's Peanut Butter Chips.  Because my husband loves them.  These cookies are simply delicious.  Be very careful not to overcook them - they might not look done after the recommended cook time, but they are.  Trust me.

Chuck's Chocolate Brownies
When I read the ingredients for this recipe, my eyes started to bulge and I feared for my waistline.  10 oz of chocolate, plus 2 cups of chopped chocolate, plus 1 cup of butter, plus 2 cups of sugar..........yikes!  Then I realized this recipe makes a 9x13 pan of brownies.  Somehow this made me feel like I had just cut the calories in half.  Ha!  Well these have just come out of the oven and are still cooling so I can't comment on their taste quite yet.  I can however comment on the batter (like any good cook I saved some of the batter for myself) and it was delicious.  Rich and delicious.  You will definitely want to make these.  And the cookies.  Hello chocolate.