The term overnighter, has altered and transformed throughout the years. In fact, this term has transfigured, metamorphosed, and ahem, mutated into one of my most beloved new food terms! I am guessing you all have figured out by now that I like to re-define everyday non food terms, right? That is because I am obsessed with both food and the written word, and like a 5 year old, I like to play with them both!
As a child growing up, the "overnighter" was a slumber party! The sign of being a big kid and no longer a baby, the magical moment when my parents and the parents of a friend realized that giving in to our pleas did, in fact, have some benefits (a night alone for the non hosting parents, probably being benefit numero uno) so eventually they gave in and VOILA! The first Overnighter, the slumber party!
For most of us, this was a big deal, perhaps you were somewhere between the ages of 6-10 and it was a magical night of junk food, scary stories, and laughs, along with plans to stay up all night, which slowly waned to sleepy eyes closing, fighting to keep them open. Or perhaps your bravery waned and a parent had to come rescue you in the middle of the night because you weren't quite ready to make it all the way through the night.
But somewhere along the line, as a child, you got better at the #overnighters in the blink of your parent's eye, you were a teenager, and #overnighters became the weekend norm.
Then there was your 20's and the #overnighters became ALL-NIGHTERS, with you and your friends watching the sunrise after an epic night of drinking and talking and laughing.
The food was still mostly junky, but sometimes, you hit a sweet spot and it was heart stoppingly delicious and creative enough to put the contestants of CHOPPED to shame.
These were the times that spawned insane classics like ramen burgers, SPAM parmesan, spaghetti sandwiches, pizza tacos and other culinary delights. These were the nights that you lived the stories, and ate the snacks you are still talking about today!
The next thing you know, you were in your 30's and the #overnighters became "mommy duty". Staying up all night to rock and nurse a colicky babe or soothe a bad dream away. Sacrificing your own sleep to comfort the little person that so badly needs to simply hear your voice or feel your warmth next to theirs. These were the nights you would stand eating over the sink or straight out of the fridge, you have no memory of what the food was, but you know it kept you going when you were running on empty tanks of sleep, food and sanity.
Now, I am in my 40's, and my babe, my mini-me, my Ginger, who not only sleeps through the night (and into the afternoon if I let him), he also now wants to stay up and share these nights with me any chance he gets. I love it, and I gladly welcome it on most weekend nights!
BUT...
It can be exhausting trying to find the time to squeeze in everything that needs to be done to keep the family running on all gears.
As parents, our nights have become an invaluable stretch of time dedicated to "get 'er done", so sacrificing these productive hours to board games or movie watching with the Ging, takes some planning, some practice, and some creativity!
I have adapted to being a night-owl all over again, and in doing so I have dubbed a few projects that I can throw together to do their own thing as #overnighters.
These projects have a bonus feature in that they help to leverage those overnight "catch up" hours into a time to also produce something that helps make the daily daytime grind just a bit easier.
And hey, if you are not a nightowl, these projects can easily be started with your morning coffee and be done by the time you reach goodnight stories or cocktail hour!
In other words, they fit into pretty much everyone's schedule.
These #overnighters come in handy for anyone looking to gain a little extra time in your day, by using those stolen night time hours, whether you are awake and hanging with a certain 7 yr old redhead, working on a presentation for the office, planning the next PTA bake sale, stuck in organization hell, or for when you just want to get a good night sleep and wake up to something delicious!
I am talking about the french toast bakes, the stratas, the icebox cakes, the no cook oatmeals, the no knead bread dough recipes etc...
These are all #overnighters and if you don't know about them yet, then click on any of the above for one of my favorite versions of these classic #overnighters and you will!
You are about to get so much time back in your day that you will think someone handed you a time-turner (shoutout to the Potter fans who get that reference, you are my people!!)
There are a lot of great #overnighters like those above that you can prep the night before to wake up to a minimum amount of effort and have a great meal.
There are also many SOLO #overnighters which are single items that can simply elevate any meal solely by their addition. They are the secrets you want to keep in your fridge at all times, because they are awesome helpers that can take a meal from zero to hero with a single addition. Like my Quick Pickled Asparagus!
My Favorite SOLO #overnighter has got to be slow roasted grape or cherry tomatoes and garlic.
Slow Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Garlic is less than 5 mins of hands-on prep time. With minimal effort you get a batch of amazingly beautiful and insanely flavorful little tomatoes that have just slightly-under-a-million different uses!
This is my most favorite #overnighter, because it is a super low temp and super long cook time, with pretty much zero failure rate. You cannot mess this up. Believe me, I have tried! (So has the big man) but these babies refuse to be anything other than fucking delicious no matter what.
They absolutely beg to be thrown into everything!
So, are you ready to pull your first overnighter?
Come see what all the fuss is about, I promise you, there will be no regrets (unlike some of the overnighters in your 20's)
Rally the Troops!
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 teaspoon dried herb blend (I use Mrs. Dash because I am stuck in the 80s)
1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes- halved
2 whole heads garlic - cut off the end opposite of the stem
4 or 5 whole basil leaves, slivered
Get ready to do almost nothing!
On a large baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with the herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a single layer (cut side UP) and take the whole garlic heads, cut side down, and rub into the oil and herbs on the sheet, then place cut side up on the sheet. Scatter the basil over top.
Place sheet pan on center rack in a cold oven.
Set oven to 180 degrees.
Roast for 6-8 hours (go ahead and get some beauty sleep while they do their thing, if your husband wakes up in the middle of the night and turns off the oven, just turn it back on in the morning, I promise you can not mess these up)
Wake up to a house that smells a bit like a pizza shop, tell your kid they CANNOT have pizza for breakfast (or let them, if you have pizza, quarantine rules are still in effect and we live in a lawless land these days, so I ain't gonna judge, go for it).
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the tomatoes and garlic cool to room temp on the counter. Slip the garlic out of their skins by giving them a gentle squeeze.
Store in airtight container in fridge for up to a week.
Uses for the roasted tomatoes and garlic
What can you NOT use them for? They are so good, I am convinced they go with everything, I mean, maybe not as a brownie topper, but other than that, the world is your oyster- Oh yeah, use them on oysters, that works too!
Here are some ideas off the top of my head, I am sure you will find so many others once you have them on hand!
Toss with any sautéed, grilled, or roasted meats
Top boneless skinless chicken breasts with a bit of these tomatoes, then top with shaved parm and a bit of fresh mozz, broil, VOILA! A healthy and light take on chicken parm.
Mix with sliced onions and hot peppers and mound on to any fresh fish and wrap in foil and place on grill for fantastic fish packets (especially amazing with fresh trout in the summer)
Add to any pasta/sauce combo like pesto, alfredo, bolognese to give a fresh spin
Add to salads and sandwiches!
Enjoy! Let me know what you use these babies for! I love to hear about new uses for these little flavor bombs, they are so fun to play with!
Thanks for hanging in the kitchen! Have fun, keep playing!
XOXO,
Ginger
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