Succulent Sunday-on-Monday
okay, yeah, I'm slack. Forgive me:-), please? Last Sunday, I totally spaced on Succulent Sunday, so to make up for it, today I'll post 2 recipes, kay? The first, Hawaiian chicken, is one I found online quite a few years ago - it is very kid friendly and delish! The second, Apple Yam casserole, is a side dish that goes great with the Hawaiian chicken. It also goes great with many other things - it's fabulous, period! Enjoy, and have some great family meals together this week.
Hawaiian chicken
Ingredients: about 1 lb or 1.5 lb chicken(can use breasts/thighs whatever - I like boneless skinless, up to you);
1/2 cup soy sauce(I use low sodium);
1/2 cup sugar;
1 tsp ground ginger;
1 tsp minced garlic(I use the kind that's already in a jar:-),
1 can pineapple chunks drainedD
Directions: Place chicken in baking dish; pour soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in blender, blend until smooth; pour sauce over chicken; Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 45 minutes(I am pretty sure that mine didn't take this long, but I might not have baked it that hot either...experiment with this, but that's the original directions from the recipe). When there are 10 minutes left, pour pineapple over chicken and continue to bake until done. Great over rice!
Apple yam casserole
For a 3 qt casserole: Take 3-4 sweet potatos(depending on how large); you can cut them up raw or goahead and steam them. I steam them in the microwave, and then cube them - cutsthe cooking time for the casserole in half!
3-4 Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored and sliced
In the casserole, layer the sweet potatos and apples. In a small saucepan, mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 tspground cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins(or cranberry raisins are really good too:-), 2 TBSPbutter, and 1/4 tsp salt. Simmer for a little while, until slightly thickened.
In a smallbowl, mix together 2 TBSP flour and 2 or 3 TBSP water, add to brown sugarmixture...pour over sweet potatos/apples. Thinly slice a lemon and place 6 or solemon slices on top. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20minutes. (If the sweet potatos aren't steamed, add 20 minutes on to the beginningof that, and cover it for the first 20 minutes.)
"Daddy will fix it"...this is the refrain heard in my house any time something gets broken. My 3 think that Daddy can fix anything:-), even something that is obviously beyond repair.
This beautiful example of childlike faith got me to thinking today - do I take my "broken" things to my Father, trusting that "Daddy will fix it"? If I'm being totally honest, often the answer will have to be no. I whine, I complain, I stomp around and pout, call a friend, post on a message board, even blog:-), but I don't take it to my Father to be fixed. My children reminded me today of my need for childlike faith. Amazing how they can humble ya:-)
Succulent Sunday!
Reformed mama is hosting Succulent Sundays - a great chance for us to share our favorite recipes, and celebrate the importance of families gathering around the table together.
I have 2 versions of the same recipe today - Spinach mushroom quiche. The first one is the actual "recipe", you know, with exact amounts and all. The second one is how I usually make it :-) Even my picky toddlers will eat this one!
Version #1:
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
2 cups torn spinach leaves
6 green onions, chopped
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (1 ounce) package herb and lemon soup mix
1/2 cup half-and-half
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Melt margarine in a skillet over medium heat and cook mushrooms, spinach and onions for 5 minutes or until tender, stir continuously. Remove the skillet from heat. In a 9 inch round pan or pie plate coated with non-stick cooking spray arrange crescent roll triangles in a circle, with narrow tips hung over the rim of the pie plate about 2 inches. Press dough onto the bottom and side of the pie plate to fill in any gaps. In a medium bowl stir together the soup mix, half and half cream and eggs. Stir the cheese and cooked vegetables into the egg mixture until blended. Pour into the prepared crust. Fold the points of dough that are hanging over the edge back in over the filling. Bake the quiche for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Version #2:
Frozen pie crust - deep dish
6 eggs
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
1 small can mushrooms stems and pieces
1.5 cups?? (I didn't measure) cheese ( I think I used a combo of cheddar and jack, but I'll bet mozzarella would be really good too)
3/4 cup milk?? Again I just poured till it looked good.
Garlic and onion powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Crack the eggs into a medium mixing bowl - whip just a bit. Defrost spinach and drain as dry as you can get it. Drain the mushrooms. Add to egg mixture. Add milk, cheese, and spices and mix all together. Pour into crust. Bake at 375 until done in middle
Mikey and i watched a really interesting movie last night - it's called Proof. I hadn't heard of it before (but I live under a rock, so it could be completely popular and I'm just clueless:-); but it had quite a line up - Gwyneth Paltrow (looking absolutely stunning as usual), Anthony Hopkins (not a huge role, but I think he's brilliant in whatever he does), and Jake Gyllenhaal (who I did NOT like the first time I saw, but he's growing on me a lot lately).
Basic premise of the film is this: Daughter has put her entire life on hold for years taking care of dad, a genius mathematician who becomes mentally ill. He dies, and she is now having to face her fears, learn to love, etc.
Anyway, I recommend it. It's a good, make-you-think, kind of movie.
This movie also gave me flashbacks to high school geometry LOL and Mr. Schenkel our principal telling me I ought to be a math major when I went to college. HA! I abhor math!! I'm not awful at it, but I so, so hate it. I was thrilled to discover that my major in college only required me to take one math course - I took Math for you and your dog:-) (aka Statistics 101)
Reformed Mama has started a wonderful thing (at least *I* think it's wonderful LOL)...Succulent Sundays. A day for bloggers to post their favorite recipes and focus on renewing the importance of family togetherness. Sunday dinner, anyone?
Now, I LOVE to cook, but I often cook all week, and then bag out on the weekends. We wind up spending way too much money on food that I could either duplicate at home for SO much less, or that I could make better than the restaurant does! Did ya ever notice that restaurant food just isn't all that good most of the time? I mean, sure, go to Ruth's Chris and you won't be disappointed, but at regular run of the mill establishments, the food is just that...run-of-the-mill. NOT that I don't love to go out to eat, I sure do (Binh Minh - aaaah, nothing like it!). I've just been rather convicted lately about the wisdom in going out so often.
So, on to Succulent Sundays! Obviously, it's not Sunday - I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday, so I thought I'd start today, and pick up next Sunday. I'm going to post a recipe for my favorite chicken casserole - my mom has been making it since I was a little girl, and now I make it for my family. I've yet to meet someone who does not love it.
Chicken Divan2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 10 oz. packages chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 bag seasoned croutons
2 cups grated cheese (I use sharp cheddar)
Preheat oven to 350. Spread broccoli in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole; spread chicken on top of broccoli. Mix together cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, and lemon juice until smooth; Pour over chicken/broccoli. Sprinkle croutons over sauce mixture.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes; Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese over croutons; Bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese and melted and casserole is bubbly. Enjoy!
(This casserole makes GREAT leftovers; it also can be frozen, just layer all ingredients except the cheese. When you are ready to bake, thaw the casserole, then bake as directed.)
