Asparagus Chicken

from my Dad!  

I wasn't sure how my family would like this.  Shayna and I love asparagus and the others will eat it but it is not their favorite.  Everyone seemed to love it.   I tripled the recipe and it was perfect.  I also made rice to go under it and added a little extra soy sauce for liquid in the pan, not much though.  I will definitely make this again.

2 Tsp. Cornstarch

1/4 Tsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp. Water

1 Large Garlic clove crushed

1 Tbsp. oil

1 Whole, Boneless Chicken Breast, partly frozen, then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips (about a cup).  I crosscut to make squares that were bite size.

1 Lb. Asparagus, cleaned trimmed, then sliced diagonally (about 2 cups).

Stir together the cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, water, and garlic.

Add the chicken and marinate 1 hour or more.

In a black skillet over fairly high heat, heat the oil.  Add chicken and marinade, then the asparagus, stir frying 3 minutes or less until chicken is cooked.  Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a side dish.

It would be better if the asparagus was picked from the ditch bank at Mom and Dad's home in Woodruff but it is good enough to enjoy.

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

When I planned our menus this week, I picked a bunch of new recipes I found online or that others had sent me.   I've looked at this one several times but some of the reviewers said it was too lemony.   I finally decided to go ahead and try it.  I love that I made it all in one pan and it was enough food for all of us with no leftovers.  It came together really fast.

Well, it got mixed reviews.  It was definitely a little too lemony for me.  I ate it and it was fine, but if I were to make it again, I would use chicken broth in the tossing mixture but still put the lemons on the bottom of the pan.  If you really love lemon - keep it this way.

I also added some fresh rosemary to the tossing mixture because I had some. Yummy.  Fresh herbs really add to the flavor.

The kids do not like fresh green beans.   I decided to try it anyway, and the kids still didn't like the fresh green beans.  If I did this again I would either use a different vegetable or steam the green beans first so that they come out softer.

Also, I did not remove the chicken and it was overcooked and dry.  So, don't forget to remove the chicken.  (Though I would probably put it in the oven without the chicken and then 10-15 minutes later put the chicken on so that it comes out of the oven at the same time.   The way they do it, the chicken has 10 minutes to get cold.)  I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, rather than the bone in with skin.  Now that I think about it, If I had used chicken with a skin it might have retained the moisture better.

6  tablespoons  olive oil

2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1  teaspoon  kosher salt

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

3/4  pound  trimmed green beans

8 small red potatoes, quartered

4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin, about 3 1/4 pounds)

Directions

    Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

    In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.

    Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information

    Per Serving

    Calories 687

    Calcium 86mg

    Carbohydrate 20g

    Cholesterol 181mg

    Fat 37g

    Fiber 4g

    Iron 4mg

    Protein 67mg

    Sat Fat 8g

    Sodium 735mg

Jalapeno Cheddar Parmesan Cornbread Muffins

I was really expecting to enjoy these and was disappointed.  They just didn't have the flavor that I expected and wanted.  I did not put the jalapenos on the top (because I didn't have gloves and I was trying not to touch them too much with my bare fingers).  Maybe that would have made a difference.

Also, they stick to the liners.  I would recommend spraying the muffin tin and not use the liners.

Jalapeno Cheddar Parmesan Cornbread Muffins (adapted from 1 Mix, 100 Muffins):
Yields 11 muffins

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, plus more for topping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. (If you don’t want to use paper liners, you could coat a muffin pan with cooking spray instead.)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, honey and eggs.
Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
Add the jalapeno, Parmesan and cheddar and gently toss to combine.

Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray.

Top with sliced jalapeno, using your fingertips to gently press the jalapeno into the batter. Sprinkle with Parmesan and cheddar.

Place into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Man Pleasing Chicken

I found this recipe online and decided to try it.  I'm on a quest lately to find new recipes.   Scott, Shayna and I liked it.  Forrest loved it enough that it might be his next birthday dinner selection.   Allara (who does not eat chicken) ate a whole piece. It's very flavorful and very good, but an interesting mix (for us anyway).  We aren't used to fresh rosemary with a honey mustard type sauce.   I will definitely make it again.

I doubled it  based on the serving numbers the recipe listed but shouldn't have.  Most people in my family only ate 1 piece of chicken, not two.  One recipe would have been perfect for us.

Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Then, mix together 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar.

Put a 1.5 pound package of chicken thighs into a foil-lined, oven-proof baking dish. I used boneless, skinless thighs. Six came in my package, which made enough to serve 3 people. Then, salt and pepper the thighs. Pour your maple mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated.

Put the chicken thighs into the oven, and let them bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through. I find that a meat thermometer is essential in cooking because it allows me to check for doneness without cutting into the meat and losing its precious juices. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate the chicken, making sure to spoon some extra sauce over the top. Sprinkle over some fresh rosemary. If there is ever a time to use fresh herbs, THIS IS IT! The flavors are just so good together. Enjoy the savory goodness of this meal!

Recipe adapted from “The I <3 Trader Joe’s Cookbook” by Cherie Mercer Twoky.

Shopping list:

    Chicken thighs-  1.5 pounds

    Dijon mustard- 1/2 cup

    Maple syrup- 1/4 cup

    Rice wine vinegar- 1 tablespoon

    Fresh rosemary

Fruit Salad

from Becky Whitaker

32 oz Strawberry Yogurt

small box Instant Vanilla Pudding

8 oz Cool Whip

2 bags of frozen berries

Place a quart of Strawberry yogurt into the bowl.

Open box of instant vanilla pudding. Ignore factory directions and place entire contents in bowl and mix with yogurt.

Then comes the tricky part. Take an entire regular tub of Cool Whip and plop it into the bowl and FOLD it into the mixture. Don't simply mix it in.

Then take 2 bags of frozen berries and mix them into the goodness. If you have a normal size mouth I recommend chopping the larger berries into smaller pieces.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to eat. I recommend letting the fruit thaw a little bit before eating.