Versatility in the Springtime

Spring is officially here and with it comes an abundance of daylight hours, fresh herbs and in-season veggies. The recipe I’m sharing with you today takes into account of all of the above as well as the fact that with spring often comes an increase in the amount of time spent on extra-curricular activities, which can put any cook in a time crunch to get a meal on the table to accommodate the revolving door of family members with varied schedules. The key to this dish is, in a word, versatility. In my experience, the more hectic the schedule the more challenged I am to get something on the table that appeals to all the various taste buds that live here. What I like about this recipe is that it can be served as a meat with two sides or a one dish wonder.

The basic premise is simple. A simple seasoned chicken breast paired with your pasta of choice, accompanied by two vegetables – one red, one green – all topped with your favorite sauce. Here’s the version I like the best, but I have enjoyed experimenting with the seasonings and vegetables I pair with it.

Pan Seared Chicken with Penne Pasta & Vegetables

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 stick butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 (14 oz.) cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 box penne pasta
2 (15 oz.) jars Alfredo sauce
salt & pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine softened butter with chopped basil and let stand for at least an hour, if not more, to flavor the butter. While that’s sitting, put grape tomatoes in a baking dish in a single layer. Season with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast tomatoes until they start to break down, about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to promote even roasting. (This can be done well ahead of time in advance, the tomatoes refrigerated then added in later.)

In a large, non-stick skillet heated to medium-high heat, drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil. Slather basil butter on each chicken breast. Season with salt & pepper. Place chicken in skillet, making sure both sides are seasoned. Cook each side until a deep golden brown. While chicken is cooking, bring pasta to a boil and cook according to package directions. Drain. Once chicken is done, remove from pan and reduce heat to medium. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into strips or you can leave it whole and place it on top. While chicken is cooling, place roasted tomatoes and drained artichoke hearts in skillet, stirring to remove pan drippings and combine seasonings. In large casserole dish, combine pasta, vegetables from skillet, sauce (as much or as little as you like) and chicken. Stir to combine. (Serves 6)

Strawberry Season Brings Another Sweet Treat

Strawberry season got off to a rough start this year with all the freezes but in spite of it all, the berries are some of the sweetest I remember tasting in years past. I usually serve strawberry shortcake throughout the season to my family as well as make a batch of preserves with a recipe that not only preserves the berry but their beautiful red color as well. I'll post that recipe next.

Now, on to that all important last meal of the day. Dinner! A friend suggested I try the “strawberry onion” that’s grown in the fields during the off-season, saying it had a very distinctive and sweet taste. She was right, and I found a great way to serve them along-side a quick and easy entrée for 6.

Pork Chops with Gravy & Onions

½ c. flour
2 ½ teaspoons dry ground mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
6 pork chops (1” thick)
16 oz. chicken broth, heated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 strawberry onion, slice (both the green & white part of the onion)



Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish; dredge chops in mix and set aside. Combine remaining flour mix and heated chicken broth in a 3 ½ quart slow cooker, stirring until lumps are gone. Sauté chops in oil in skillet on medium high just until browned. Place browned chops down in gravy in slow cooker. Sauté sliced onion in pan that chops were cooked in, scraping the bottom of the pan to get the bits & pieces left by the chops. At this point, you may need to add another tablespoon of oil. Sauté until tender. Once onions are cooked to tender, add to slow cooker on top of chops and cook on high for 2-2 ½ hours.

Mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish to serve along side this biscuit-sopping entrée.

Loaded Twice-Baked Pototoes

This is probably my all time favorite twice-baked potato recipe because it's not only easy, but freezes well for later use.

6 large potatoes, baked
1 c. sour cream
5 slices bacon, cooked
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. salt
Additional shredded cheddar cheese

Cut hot potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out pulp into large bowl, leaving the shell intact. In bowl, mash pulp until smooth. Beat in sour cream, bacon, cheese, onion, milk, butter, parsley & salt. Fill shells. Cover & refrigerate for about an hour. At this point, you can choose to freeze the stuffed shells for later use. You need to wrap each potato half in plastic wrap, and place each individually wrapped half in a ziplock freezer bag or a freezer container. To serve, simply thaw and place in an ungreased shallow baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden and heated through. During the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle on additional shredded cheddar cheese.

Grillin' Love

Ok, if salmon isn't the main dish for the man in your life, maybe a hearty meal on the grill will satisfy him.

Marinated Steaks

2-4 steaks, any size, any variety
1 small bottle Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
juice of 2 lemons
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, slivered
seasoned salt
cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients together, allowing steaks to marinate 2-3 hours. Grill to desired doneness.

Potatoes & Onions on the Grill

Par-boil 4-6 medium potatoes, cut into chunks for 10 minutes. Drain. On a very large piece of heavy duty foil, sprayed with cooking spray, place potatoes and thinly sliced large vidalia onion. Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg and dot with several pats of butter. Seal up completely and place on grill for about 10-12 minutes while steaks are cooking. Be careful opening foil as steam could burn.

And, last but not least, dessert. Can grill this one, but it's beautiful and worth every effort. I got this recipe years ago from "Taste of Home" magazine and it's been a favorite of ours ever since. Read through the recipe though, because you have to start this one the day before to get the meringue *just right*. Again, don't shy away from that -- it's totally worth it!

Cherry-Berries in a Cloud

6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups sugar

FILLING:
2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
2 cups miniature marshmallows

TOPPING:
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice


DIRECTIONS
Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the cream of tartar and salt; beat until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form (do not under beat). Spread evenly in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 275° for 1 hour; turn off oven (do not open door). Let cool in oven overnight or at least 12 hours.
In another large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; gently fold in whipped cream and marshmallows. Spread over meringue. Chill for 4 hours. Cut into 16 pieces. Combine topping ingredients; spoon 1/4 cup over each serving. Yield: 16 servings.


A hearty meal for Valentine's Day or any other day for that matter! Enjoy!!

Say "I Love You!" With a Heart-Healthy Meal

If the only thing you normally make for Valentine’s Day is reservations, then this is the year to try something new. Times being what they are, flowers and dinner out might strain the budget. But a memorable dinner at home doesn’t have to. Columnist Harriet van Horne once said, “Cooking is like love – it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” It’s true. This year make a restaurant quality meal that’s as visually appealing as it is healthy for you. Cooking for your family on special occasions is not only an act of love, but it’s the stuff memories are made of as well. So, this year – make a memory. Make dinner.

The entrée is Salmon with Maple-Soy Glaze which can be prepared in under 20 minutes start to finish. I like to serve this with wilted garlic spinach, which is also a really quick and healthy side dish.

Salmon with Maple-Soy Glaze

1 full salmon fillet
4 T. pure maple syrup
2 t. soy sauce
½ t. lime juice
¼ t. liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place fillet in 9x13 baking dish, coated with non-stick cooking spray. Mix maple syrup, soy sauce, lime juice & liquid smoke. Brush onto the top of salmon fillet evenly. Sprinkle fillet with a little sea salt & cracked pepper. Bake 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Wilted Garlic Spinach

2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bag spinach, pre-washed
Olive oil

In medium non-stick skillet heat oil over medium high heat. While it’s heating, slice garlic cloves. Drizzle olive oil into skillet, about 1 tablespoon. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until nearly crisp. Remove garlic from pan at this point and put the entire bag of spinach into seasoned oil and lower heat to medium. Continue stirring spinach until all leaves are wilted, which shouldn’t take long – less than 5 minutes.

Serve alongside salmon fillet.

Simple. Satisfying. Savory ~ and served with love.

Just Fon-DO It!

As promised, I am posting some favorite fondue recipes of mine for my sister-in-law. (Hi, Kim!!) We both received electric fondue pots from our aunts for Christmas and can now fondue without Sterno!! I am so grateful I won't be burning my hand every time I make one of these dishes. That was always the worst part.

Anyway, without further ado, my recipes.

Beef Fondue

1/2 cup soy sauce
15 shakes of Liquid Smoke
10 shakes of onion juice
sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2" cubes.

Marinate steak (cubed) for 2 hours, turning after 1 hour. Simply skewer meat and cook to your liking in fondue pot halfway filled with canola or vegetable oil.

Pizza Fondue

2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 (10 1/2 oz.) jars pizza sauce
2 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Melt margarine in skillet and brown ground beef with onion over medium high heat. Once meat is done, drain and place in fondue pot.

Mix cornstarch, oregano and garlic powder with pizza sauce and add to meat mixture. Stir well and heat. When mixture thickens add cheese a handful at a time, stirring well after each addition. Blend until smooth and melted. Keep fondue bubbling on medium heat and serve with toasted garlic bread cubes, toasted English muffins or dunk bread sticks.

NOTE: My mom always served this over toasted English muffins. She would split them in half, butter them, toast them then top them with the fondue mixture. Sometimes I put them under the broiler after that with a little extra mozzarella cheese and make them like little pizzas.

Cheddar Fondue

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground mustard
1/4 t. pepper
1/4. t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 c. milk
2 c. (8 oz.) grated cheddar cheese

In small saucepan melt butter; stir in flour, salt, mustard, peppers & Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add the cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted. Place mixture in fondue pot keeping heat to medium low. Serve with bread cubes, ham, or broccoli or cauliflower florets.

White Chocolate Fondue

1 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 pkgs. (12 oz each) premier white morsels

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and butter. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat; add white morsels. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Transfer to a fondue pot. Serve with apples, bananas, strawberries, cookies, pretzels or pound cake.

NOTE: To make dark chocolate fondue, substitute 1 pkg. semi-sweet morsels and 1 pkg. milk chocolate morsels for 2 pkgs. white morsels above and follow same directions.

Hammin' It Up

This Christmas we had ham as our main course. As always, even with my family here, there were plenty of leftovers. So, we cut it off the bone, bagged it in freezer bags and froze it, planning to use it for omelets in the coming weeks. In the midst of sorting through 20 years of my recipe collection, I came across this favorite and on a busy Sunday, got it started in the crock pot before church and let it simmer all day on low. Remarkably easy and yet completely satisfying, this has become one of my husband's most requested post-ham dishes.

Crock Pot Ham & Potatoes

8-10 medium potatoes, washed thoroughly and thinly sliced, skin on.
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (can use any "cream of ..." soup you prefer)
about 1/2 lb. ham, diced or torn into 1" pieces
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 onion, choppped (or 1 T. dried minced onion)
salt & pepper to taste

Layer ingredients in crock pot and stir to combine. Cook on low 6-8 hours, stirring every few hours.

Total comfort food!