Verily Table – Hosting Ready

While homemade pesto is delicious and certainly worth the time if you have it, I usually just use store-bought pesto. I have made this both as a warm dinner with some chicken and also as a cold pasta salad for a potluck with feta instead of Parmesan cheese. I liked the cold version more—the saltiness of the feta is delicious with the sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes! The end result looks lovely as well.
– Maria

These were, quite simply, delicious! We cooked them on the grill outside during a get-together with our neighbors, but you can also use a grill pan on the stove. I suspect you could also use the oven. Note that the prep time includes an hour for marinating.
– Kellie Moore

This recipe was simple and delicious—I enjoyed it even more the next day! I used the oven because I don’t have an air fryer, and it worked well.
– Meg McDonnell

I cooked these in the oven since I was cooking for our family on a weeknight, but they would be fun to cook on the grill for guests! It says three servings, but we easily got four out of it—and they weren’t skimpy, either. I skipped the broiling step at the end and didn’t feel like we missed out on anything. For seasoning, I didn’t bother measuring; I just sprinkled a moderately generous helping of Italian seasoning over the contents of each foil packet before wrapping them up.
– Kellie Moore

This was so good that I immediately texted my mom the recipe after we ate it. I put together the marinade in the afternoon while the house was quiet, and then cooked it in the evening, though you could easily put it together in the morning or the night before. I don’t often cook chicken thighs over the stove, but I will more often after trying these—they were perfectly browned and crunchy on the outside (make sure to heed the recommendation to heat up the pan prior to adding the chicken, though). I recommend using a meat thermometer, if you have one: on average my chicken took 6-7 minutes per side, but some pieces that were a little thicker took longer.
– Laura Loker

Piled high with caramelized onions and covered in Swiss cheese, these burgers on hot, buttery rye are way more indulgent than what I make on a typical weeknight, but they were an amazing treat for my birthday dinner. If you’re serving kids, this recipe is simple to adapt—I made small burger patties and added them to otherwise normal grilled cheese sandwiches. My very picky 3-year-old devoured hers!
– Kellie Moore

Easy, simple recipe. The chicken comes out juicy and flavorful every time. Good recipe to include when hosting dinner.
– Elizabeth Drennen

This recipe is great for a women’s luncheon or light supper. My mom used to make a variation of this when I was growing up, so this recipe came with a touch of nostalgia! I used deli ham, like my mom used to. I recommend chopping the broccoli pretty tiny; it’s easier to spread the filling and eat that way. Keep an eye on this as you cook it—though the directions say it needs 20-25 minutes, mine was done around the 15-minute mark.
– Kellie Moore

I like to chop up all the ingredients the night before I make this, or sometimes in the morning. Come dinner time, all I have to do is season it and pop it in the oven. It’s also super versatile; you can use whatever veggies you have on hand, or swap whatever you like to suit different tastes. If you serve it with something else, like rice or quinoa, you can easily stretch it to six servings.
– Kellie Moore