Pan Full of Creamy Goodness

I had extra broccoli and planned on making Broccoli Soup, but it was just too muggy out there today for soup to sound good. So what shall I do with all this broccoli?  Hmmmm... I know! Creamy, cheesy, chicken Divan would sure hit the spot. Add a little Barilla Plus pasta and I am literally purring as I savor this meal! If you like broccoli, chicken and a creamy rich sauce, you'll LOVE this recipe. 

This is my variation of a recipe submitted to the Cok Family Cookbook (our relatives) by Marilyn Cok.

CHICKEN DIVAN

4 -6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3 - 4 cups of broccoli florettes

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

 2 -3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

• Cover the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with cut up chicken. (you could also substitute thighs if you prefer)
• If using fresh broccoli, steam a few minutes to partially cook. If using frozen broccoli, rinse to thaw first.
• Cover chicken with broccoli.
• Combine creamed soups, mayonnaise and sour cream.
• Spread soup mixture over chicken and broccoli, spreading to cover as much as possible.
• Cover with a generous portion of shredded cheddar or your favorite cheese 

Bake at 375 for about an hour or until chicken is cooked, broccoli is tender and cheeses are bubbly and browned.

Serve over rice or noodles.

This dish re-heats well and is a great option for taking leftovers to work for your lunch. 

Best Peach Cobbler EVER!!!!!

Ruth Danhoff served this at a CRC Choir picnic one of the first years we lived in Ohio.  I fell in love with it and Ruth graciously gave me the recipe. I’m not sure if it’s the addition of almond extract to the peaches or the cheddar cheese in the biscuit dough, but either way this is one of the best cobblers I’ve ever had. Thanks Ruth ~ hope you don't mind me sharing the recipe. :)

PEACH COBBLER

2 Qts fresh peaches, sliced

1 ½ cups sugar

3 TBL cornstarch

½ tsp salt

2 TBL lemon Juice

1 tsp almond extract

3 TBL butter

Preheat oven to 400

Place sliced peaches in a greased 9x13 baking dish

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt and sprinkle over peaches.

Sprinkle with lemon juice and extract.

Dot with butter.

Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile combine:

2 cups Bisquick

1 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 TBL melted butter

2/3 cup milk

Drop batter onto hot peaches and return to oven for 20 minutes more or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Oven Baked Tilapia

Today I spent a great deal of time in the kitchen preparing peaches for future pies, making peach cobbler (will post that recipe in a bit), preparing banana peppers to make Banana Pepper Spread (as soon as I get apple cider vinegar and mustard for the recipe- for now the chopped peppers are in the freezer waiting patiently), and cleaning up my messes from the weekend. I knew I didn't want to spend a lot of time cooking dinner since I had been on  my feet all day already. So I quickly defrosted some tilapia fillets, steamed a little broccoli and  20  minutes from the first step I'm enjoying a satisfying meal.  I hesitate to even call this a "recipe", as there really isn't much to it. It is more a method than a recipe.

Oven Baked Tilapia

• Preheat oven to 425
• Spray a baking pan with non stick spray.
• Place fish on baking sheet and spritz with a little EVOO or drizzle some melted butter
• Season as desired- I used the Pampered Chef Chipotle Rub and a little seasoning salt. 
• Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how thick the fillets are. 

That's it!! Quick, easy and tasty!

I also use this method for baking chicken. It provides a crispy crust and tender, juicy inside. Play with the seasonings to vary the flavor. You could use an Italian Rub, Thai, Curry, Chili, etc. Have fun with it!

Nothing Like Dinner In A Crock Pot On A Busy Day

Today was one of those crazy days with lots to do. This time I actually planned ahead and pulled a roast from the freezer. This morning I got out the crock pot, and in 3 minutes you have a fantastic no fuss dinner that will be ready at the end of the day. Add some chabatta rolls, and fresh carrots and chips and you are good to go.

I make up little snack bags with the seasonings for a batch and write the remaining ingredients on a label and put it on the baggie. That way It takes even less time to prepare when I'm in a hurry. Just dump in the herbs, water and soy sauce and plug it in. :)




FRENCH DIP

3lb beef roast

2 cups water

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tsp. each: rosemary, thyme, garlic powder

1 bay leaf

a few peppercorns

Place roast in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high 5-6 hours or until meat flakes easily with a fork.

Remove roast from pot and flake meat, removing all fat. Place shredded meat on a chabatta roll, hoagie roll or other firm bun. Slice diagonally.

Strain broth. Add more water to taste (can be a bit strong without it) and pour into individual 1 cup bowls for dipping sandwiches.

Peach Season Is In Full Swing! Yee Haw!

I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9x13 pan.

I LOVE fresh peaches! The hardest thing is to decide what recipe to do first. Of course there is no comparison to eating a fresh, juicy peach standing over the kitchen sink so the juice dripping down your chin doesn't get all over your shirt. lol And of course sliced peaches with a little cream or half and half is a very close second in my opinion. But when it comes to baking with peaches I have a hard time deciding what to make. I love them all! Peach pie, peach cobbler, peach kuchen... they all are so good! So I went with something I haven't had in a while, the kuchen.

Our friend Bob Schaddelee gave me this cookbook for Christmas in 1983. There are several recipes in this cookbook that are some of my absolute favorites. The Southern Spicy Gingerbread recipe is to die for, and the Italian Cream Cake  recipe is requested for our “Birthday Cake For Jesus” each Christmas. This kuchen recipe is right up there. You can tell my favorite recipes by how much "splatter" there is on the recipe page. lol This page shows signs of much use. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

PEACH KUCHEN

Dutch for Peach Cake

From the Eet Smakelijk cookbook by the Junior Welfare League of Holland Michigan.

The title means ‘to eat well and with taste’ in Dutch.

Peaches with the sugar & cinnamon before baking.

2 cups flour

¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup sugar (divided)

½ cup butter

12 peach halves, fresh or frozen

1 tsp cinnamon

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 cup half & half or cream

Preheat oven to 400.

Grease and 8x8 baking dish.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and 2 TBL of the sugar.

Cut in the butter until mix is like cornmeal.

Pat evenly over bottom and half way up sides of dish.

Place peach halves face down over crust.

Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over peaches.

Bake 15 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the egg yolks and cream.

Pour cream mixture over peaches and bake an additional 30 minutes or until eggs are set.

To test for doneness, insert a clean knife into custard. If it comes out clear it is done. If it comes out milky or with custard stuck to knife bake an additional 5 – 10 minutes and re-test.

Let rest for about 10 minutes for eggs to completely set before cutting.

This is best served warm with a little ice cream or whipped cream.

Home-made Pizza always hits the spot!

Harv is working long hours and I have been running all day. As I was coming home I was tempted to pick up fast food. But we are watching our pennies and I was in the mood for pizza. So I picked up mom Danhoff (who LOVES pizza) and got to work. Home-made pizza is really not hard and faster than you might think.

I have been making homemade pizza for years and this is my favorite recipe. Our neighbor in Washington Nancy Cayo had an Italian friend who said to mix olive oil, vinegar and garlic and spread over the crust before toppings. I usually just spread with olive oil and minced garlic and forego the vinegar. The oil keeps the crust from getting soggy and I am a huge garlic fan. If you don’t like using fresh tomatoes, substitute tomato paste.

SUE’S HOMEMADE PIZZA

 

Dissolve 1 TBL yeast in 1 1/3 cups warm water.

Add:

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 TBL olive oil

Stir in:

4 cups flour to form soft dough. Kneed.

Cover and let rise.

Punch down dough and divide dough into 2 balls.

Roll each onto cookie sheet or pizza pan dusted with cornmeal or flour.

Brush each crust with olive oil.

Press several cloves garlic over crust and spread to coat.

Spread 1 or 2 TBL pesto over crust. If you don’t have pesto sprinkle tomatoes with sea salt, 2 pinches basil, 1 pinch oregano and 2 pinches parsley after layering them on the crust.

Thinly slice Roma tomatoes. Arrange slices to cover dough.

Top each crust with a generous coating of shredded mozzarella and fresh Parmesan cheeses.

Add your choice of toppings such as:

Pepperoni, browned sausage, bacon, ham, assorted peppers, onion, olives, mushroom, etc.

Bake at 400-425 for 20-30 minutes.                          

Real men do eat Quiche

If you didn't already know, I co-owned a small Cafe & Bakery in Greenwich for a couple years.  Kelly Brown and I worked at our cafe, The Antique Oven, to get the perfect balance of eggs, milk and half & half for the best texture of quiche. Ours is firm, yet soft and custard like. It should hold its shape well, but not be dry or heavy. 

We had a Quiche of the Day at The Antique Oven and played with a lot of different combinations. I hope you enjoy it as much as our customers did. I use this recipe for catering Ladies events so I also included the amounts for any of you brave souls who like to cook for crowds. 

I cheated today and used a store bought crust. If you buy a crust, make sure to use a good brand as some of the cheaper ones can be tough. Today I made 2 quiche. One with broccoli, ham, co-jack cheese and Parmesan. The other with Parmesan, feta, mozzarella, green peppers, red onion and Garlic & Mozzarella Chicken Sausage (from Sam's Club).

BTW- my husband LOVES quiche!! 

The Antique Oven’s Quiche

1 - 9" pie crust                                      2 - 9" pie crust                         3 - 9" pie crust

4 eggs                                                        8 eggs                                      12 eggs

dash of salt

2/3 cup ½ & ½                                     1 1/3 cup ½ & ½                     2 cups ½ & ½

½ cup milk                                            1 cup milk                               1 ½ cups milk

pinch pepper                                       1/8 tsp pepper                          1/4 tsp pepper, scant

Par bake crust for 6 minutes at 325. (Weight crust with tin foil covered with beans to keep crust from shrinking)

Beat eggs well with a dash of salt to help break them down. Add pepper, ½ & ½ and milk. Beat well. Fill shell with your choice of veggies, meat and cheese. Pour egg mixture over all. Bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes. Check half way through to see if you need to turn pans. Some ovens do not cook evenly and pans must be rotated to get even baking results. Test for doneness by gently shaking pan. If done, center will barely jiggle. If it passes that test, place clean knife in the center. If it comes out clear, quiche is done. If it is still milky looking, it needs to go a bit more. Be careful not to over bake as this makes it dry.

Filling options:

ham, Swiss, green onion

bacon, Swiss, sautéed white onion (classic Quiche Loraine)

sausage, cheddar, steamed broccoli

Italian sausage, chopped fresh spinach, sautéed red onion, green pepper, provolone

crab, onion, blue cheese and Parmesan

The options are endless. Whatever sounds good to you will probably work just fine. 

Sauté  the veggies before adding them to the quiche.

I usually put meat on the bottom, and then added veggies and cheese last.

Note: for groups follow these amounts:

12 Quiche                                                                                                        15 Quiche

4 dozen eggs                                                                                                   5 dozen eggs

2 Qts ½ & ½ (8 cups)                                                                          2 ½ Qts ½ & ½ (10 cups)

6 cups milk                                                                                                      7 ½ cups milk

Caribbean Jerk Chicken and Vegetables

I'm taking advantage of another beautiful day to grill out on the deck before it gets nasty again. I did my baking this morning and since the pool needed my attention I decided I might as well grill while I was out there.

This morning I took out some chicken breasts and put them in a gallon Ziploc with some Caribbean Jerk Marinade. Just before I went out to the pool I cut up some fresh pineapple, onion, green pepper and a few Roma tomatoes. I tossed them with a little of the same marinade that I had left from the chicken.

Then I loaded my tray with the Whole Wheat Couscous fixings and everything I'd need to grill. After vacuuming the pool and floating a while with Bongo I grilled the chicken and veggies while cooking the couscous (and reading a book).

This meal doesn't warrant a "recipe" as there really is nothing to it. Just choose your marinade, meat, veggies and side dish. Grill and you're done. I have many recipes for marinade, but you can get so many varieties now for so cheap it's almost not worth making it sometimes. The one I used tonight was a generic brand from Walmart for $1.53. I'll get 2 meals from it. Can't beat that! Just choose your vegetable to go with the "theme" of your marinade. Play with it. Mix it up. Try a new combination- whatever tickles your fancy. The point is, meal preparation CAN be easy and fun. So go to the dressing isle of your supermarket, stroll through the marinades and get inspired! You just  might find a new favorite.

Breakfast on the Go

Mornings can be crazy sometimes and we don't always have time for a good breakfast. I'm not a big cereal fan and I really need protein to feel good in the morning. Protein Bars are my favorite solution to this problem.

Now that school is beginning again, I'm sure this recipe will come in handy for all you busy moms. A word to the wise: Don't call them protein Bars. Tell the kids they are Oatmeal Cinnamon Bars and they'll never know it's good for them. They will think that you've finally slacked off in your perverse pleasure of making them eat horrible tasteless foods. They might even decide that you are a "COOL"  mom after all. :)

This recipe is from my natural foods friend and mid wife extraordinaire, Tricia Spears.

Protein Bars (AKA: Oatmeal Cinnamon Bars) lol


Cream:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar

Then mix in:
2 TBL honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 TBL milk

Add and blend well:
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/4 cups TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)*

Stir in:
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries or raisins

Press into a 9x13 pan, lightly greased.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly golden.
Let cool  slightly, then cut into 16 bars. Cool completely.
I then place each bar into a zip lock snack bag and put all the little bags in a gallon zip lock.
Store in the freezer and remove a bar as needed. For a quick thaw, zap in the microwave 15 seconds.

* My TVP seems to be pretty tough when it is used dry as in this recipe. Therefore I blend it a little at a time in a blender to break it into finer pieces, almost like flour.

This time I used a combination of pecans and almonds, raisins and dried cranberries then topped the batter with cinnamon chips.

Play with the add-ins: slivered almonds and dried apricots, pecans and cranberries, walnuts and dried apple, etc.

Remember, it's OK to play with your food! :)

Quick and Easy Stir Fry

The last week has been a busy one and it is nice to settle back in to a routine again. One of my favorite dishes is chicken stir fry. Many years ago in Washington, I took a Chinese cooking class from a lady who taught at Tacoma Community College. I still use her recipes and this is one of my ultimate favorites. You can use any combination of veggies depending on what is  fresh or what you have on hand. The sauce is what makes this dish. I've tried several different ingredients and always come back to this basic sauce. The key is Oyster  Sauce. Now don't freak out like I originally did if you don't like oysters. I HATE oysters, but oyster sauce does not taste like oysters at all and it gives the sauce a yummy and simple flavor.

Chicken Stir Fry
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced.
Marinate chicken with 1 TBL soy sauce and 1 tp sesame oil.
6- 8 cups diced veggies (I used a chopped onion, green pepper, 3 or 4 ribs celery, a couple carrots, sliced broccoli) Other ideas: zucchini, cabbage, bean sprouts, corn, julienne green beans, seaweed, etc.
3 or 4 cloves garlic
1" section of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (optional)
Sesame oil
EVOO or peanut oil
Toasted cashews or almonds
Cooked rice or Chinese noodles to serve.

Sauce:
2 -3 TBL Oyster Sauce
2 - 3 TBL Corn Starch
1/3 cup water

Dice veggies.
Heat large heavy skillet on med-high with 1 tsp sesame oil and 2 TBL EVOO.
Add diced garlic and ginger if using. Stir fry until garlic begins to brown.
Add veggies and stir fry 3 - 5 minutes or until veggies begin to soften. Add 1/4 cup water and cover to steam veggies 2 minutes. Remove veggies and set aside while you cook the chicken.
Add 2 TBL EVOO to pan and heat. Add chicken and stri fry until chicken is no longer pink, abt 5 minutes.


Return veggie to pan.
Combine sauce ingredients and add to pan, stirring to coat veggies as it thickens.
Serve over cooked rice or Chinese noodles and top with toasted nuts.

I did end up using a little green curry in my portion as I like things a bit spicy. I also used some diced seaweed with the veggies. Don't forget to rinse the seaweed to get off some of the brine or the dish could be too salty. If you don't use seaweed, you can add a little soy sauce to the dish at the last minute to deepen the flavors.

I hope you like the recipe as much as I do. Don't forget to play with it!! Mix the veggies however you like. Try substituting shrimp or pork for the chicken. Add a little hot pepper or curry. Have fun with it.

Chicken Provencal

I have had requests for Mediterranean food.  You asked for it, you got it. Cindy this one's for you! This meal was taken from THE LITTLE BIG BOOK MEDITERRANEAN  by McRae Books.

Chicken Provencal

1 3lb chicken, cut up
4 TBL extra virgin olive oil
S & P to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 firm, ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups dry white wine
1 TBL finely chopped rosemary
1 TBL finely chopped thyme
1 cup black olives

Season chicken w/ S & P to taste.
Saute chicken in the EVOO in large fry pan on medium high heat until lightly browned.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
In the same pan saute the onions, garlic and tomatoes until tomatoes begin to break down, about 8-10 minutes.
Lower the heat and add the wine, rosemary, thyme, S & P to taste and olives.
Cook for about 10 minutes.
Return chicken to the pan and continue cooking at a low simmer, covered, for 20 - 30 minutes or until chicken is very tender.


COOKS HINT:
If you didn't already know, to peel tomatoes, blanch them for a few minutes in boiling water, then place in cold water. Skins slip right off. I then cooked the pasta in the water I used to blanch the tomatoes.


Now for the "playing with food" part:

• I didn't feel like using another pan for the veggies so I added cut fresh green beans when I began the final simmer. 
• I used my seasoning salt on the chicken when browning.
• I used 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 TBL coarse black pepper in the sauce, which I might cut back a bit next time.
• I forgot to take a chicken out of the freezer in time so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs. By not having the skin on it also keeps the calorie count down. 
• I also did not have the dry white wine, so I used 1 1/2 cups cooking sherry and 1/2 cup red cooking wine. 

I served this over DeBoles Organic Garlic & Parsley Angel Hair Pasta (one of my absolute favorites)

This was a very easy, light, fresh and very yummy recipe, Great one-pot-dinner meal (other than the pan for cooking the pasta), Ok 2 pan recipe.. lol I thought this recipe was easy enough to do for a week day family meal, yet presents well and flavorful enough for company. You could easily use canned tomatoes (32oz) for the fresh and broccoli or zucchini for the green beans. Serve this with garlic bread and you've got a fantastic meal fit for company.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.