Fun Friday: The Joy of Sheet Pan Meals!

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    Back in the early days of our marriage, pre-children, my husband was in the military and we were living in Texas for a short time.  We didn't have a lot of money, but we enjoyed staying home and playing games together.  Sometimes we would sit on the floor and play a game or two. I would make a big pan of nachos!  This was pre-microwave days.  I would spread tortilla chips on a sheet pan and sprinkle grated cheese over them and put them in the oven to melt the cheese.  We would eat those nachos right off of the pan and play Aggravation.  Now that we are empty nesters and nearly 40 years married, I am treasuring those memories and reliving a few of them!  Now, instead of nachos, I have been enjoying some full fledged meals roasted on a sheet pan. We don't usually get down on the floor to eat them, but gathering around the table is just about as good!

    Today, for Fun Friday, I thought I would share my experience with jumping on the roasted sheet pan meal bandwagon!  I love the idea for just the two of us, but it would work great for a family of 4 or for a pair of couples.  You will probably need more than one sheet pan if there are more of you than that! 

​Shrimp Boil on a Sheet Pan

    I read about a version of a sheet pan meal that mimics a Shrimp Boil.  Say shrimp and I am on board!  I used parchment to line my sheet pan.  Then I put on corn on the cob chunks, potatoes, acorn squash chunks, shrimp and smoked sausage! I drizzled olive oil over them and put on salt, pepper, garlic, dried cilantro and whatever else strikes your fancy.  I cut the potatoes and squash fairly thinly so that everything would get finished quickly.  It turned out to be delicious!

Sausage and Squash Bake

    I had an acorn squash that I baked just cut in half, sprinkled with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar.  On the same pan, I put sliced potato and sliced Polska Kielbasa.  Then, we scooped some of the soft baked squash into our bowls and topped it with the sausage and potatoes.  It was very hearty and tasted like Fall! 

    Gathering around a pan of food, laughing and talking and spending time together is a lot of fun.  If you are like me, you will be able to look back on those moments years from now.  It kind of reminds me of theFondue Party idea.  Another great perk is that there are a lot fewer dirty dishes!  Have you jumped on the sheet pan meal band wagon?  What have some of your favorite combinations been?  Let me know in the comments!