Category Archives: Chicken

Chicken Cacciatore

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Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all well.

I am back. I had a little bit of a setback in my heart transplant healing with a very strong virus and I ended up spending 12 days in the hospital. The virus is under control but I had to come home with a PICC line in my arm so I can continue IV medication at home.

I have been home for a week and needless to say, there hasn’t been much cooking going on here. When I first got home Bob and I were eating the meals that I had frozen from previous dinners.

It seems that it is still “a blessing” that after seven years that my son hasn’t lived home, I still can’t cook for two people and I use my mother’s recipes that serve 4-6. This allows us to package individual meals and use the food saver to freeze meals for a later date and they came in handy this week. I usually use the frozen dinners for days I am too tired to cook or have a full day of doctor appointments.

The other day I had a bit more energy and I was in the mood for Mom’s Chicken Cacciatore over egg noodles. I made the dish and posted it to some of my Facebook food groups and were asked by so many for the recipe that I thought I would post it to the blog to share with all my members.

I hope you give it a try and enjoy it.

Chicken Cacciatore aka Hunter’s Stew

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, bone-in, skin-on and each breast cut in half for smaller pieces….(I use thighs and drumsticks, but use whatever pieces you like)
10 oz. mushrooms, (I use a combo of white button and cremini)
1 onion, diced medium
1 small yellow and 1 small red pepper, diced medium
4 small carrots, peeled and sliced
5 garlic cloves, peeled and shaved
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2-3 diced Roma tomatoes (I use 1 pint of grape tomatoes –cut in half.)
Assorted herbs, parsley, basil, oregano and thyme to taste
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Optional: pitted kalamata olives, a large handful

Instructions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper, and sprinkled oregano.
Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet, drizzled with olive oil.
Place chicken skin side down and do not move it until it reaches a deep golden brown and it’s easy to turn, brown the other side for a few minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
Add vegetables, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, a few sprigs of thyme (tie the thyme with kitchen cooking twine to make it easier to pull the stems out), sauté for 5 minutes.
Add wine and let it reduce.
Add chicken broth and tomatoes.
Toss in 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper and chopped fresh basil.
Place the chicken back into the pan and sink into the juices.
Simmer on LOW uncovered on the stovetop, for a couple of hours or until chicken falls off the bone.
Garnish with fresh parsley and remove thyme stems.
Serve with cooked pasta, egg noodles, polenta or warm crusty bread

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Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Thank you for visiting my blog.

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Chicken and Waffles, Diane’s way…

2 Replies

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Hi Everyone,

Hope this post finds you well.

I promised more recipes during my recovery and I have another recipe to share that I posted a few weeks back on Facebook. I think you will like this one. Ciao!

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I am getting around a little bit more, so Bob and I have been taking it slow and cleaning the garage and preparing donation boxes. When I get tired, Bob continues on his own. You could say I am a little late on my Spring cleaning….

Bob was cleaning the garage mezzanine and came in the house with a box and said, “Look what I found?” These four words always get me excited because I have collected so much stuff over 31 years of marriage, that I never know what I might stumble upon and most definitely I forgot about it tucked away in the attic or basement or garage.

Well, this was the case with the mystery box. I peaked inside and a flood of memories came back to me.

It was a waffle boat maker.

I know that doesn’t sound that memorable, but when my son was little we would eat ice cream in waffle boats with sprinkles and whipped cream on the patio after soccer practice and just talk about anything and everything.

It was a great one on one time with my son.

Bob asked if we should keep the waffle maker or donate it and then the bell in my head went off with an idea.

One of my favorite meals to order at brunch is “Chicken and Waffles”.

What if I prepared fried chicken wings in waffle boats? And at that moment, I knew what we were having for dinner. Bob went out to Whole Foods to buy waffle mix and a few packages of chicken wings and when he got back, I got to work.

My favorite recipe for fried chicken is a recipe from Ina Garten for oven fried chicken – easy preparation and it starts off in the frying pan for three minutes and finishes baking in the oven. Of course I had to tweak the recipe a bit– see cooks notes.

Very easy, and the chicken is always crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Her recipe calls for marinating the chicken overnight in buttermilk, but in this case I only marinated the chicken for two hours because I couldn’t wait.

Cooks Note: To the buttermilk, I added 1- 1/2 tsps. of dried tarragon and a splash of sriracha sauce.

(I will share the recipe at the end of the post).

Now, what to serve with this and the first request Bob had was French fries so that was an easy decision. Cole slaw or mashed potatoes with gravy would be nice also.

I am serving the chicken with three condiments- maple syrup, honey and hot sauce. (I love Mike’s Hot Honey on chicken- unfortunately for me, I can no longer have raw honey so I have to settle for the pasteurized “honey in the plastic bear bottle”.

Making the waffle boats were a snap with the mix and dinner was ready in no time. For the full experience with this meal, Bob and I had ice cream for dessert.

BTW– this is the waffle boat maker that I used. I have had it so long it is considered a “collectible” online. How is that for making someone feel old? A collectible appliance.

It can be found on Amazon from various sellers- price varies from $147 to $300.

VillaWare 2007 UNO Series Waffle Boat Maker

It was a great dinner with lots of memories and one I am sure any child (that is children of all ages) would love to have fried chicken wings in a waffle boat.

Oven- Fried Chicken

recipe courtesy of Ina Garten and Food Network

Ingredients:

2 chickens (3 pounds each), cut in eight serving pieces
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening

COOKS NOTES:

FOR MY ADD ON… tarragon & hot sauce

Adjust the buttermilk amount according to chicken quantity…

Directions:

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1 inch and heat to 360 degrees on a thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don’t crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot.

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I hope you have a chance to try this recipe.

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Ask your family and friends to share, like, comment and join DishingwithDiane.com and become part of the family!

Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post.

Also, continue to send me your comments and emails, I Love hearing from you.

Big Chill Dinner

8 Replies

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Hi Everyone.

First of all, I hope that you are all safe & warm from the inclement weather that is sweeping across the country.

Here in the Northeast, we have 14 inches of snow, strong winds and single digit temperatures with wind chills below zero. Not very pleasant.

Please check in on your neighbors to see if they are okay, especially the elderly during this harsh weather.

I have a few recipes that I want to share with you today to hopefully make life a little easier during this weather. It’s brutal to go outside to shovel snow for hours in this blustery weather and then come in and have too start a meal for the family when you are exhausted.

The first recipe is one that I have been using for years and it is fantastic. It is …

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker

You season your chicken with a dry rub, into the crock pot with some veggies and you are free for 8 hours to do your other errands (like shoveling). I highly recommend you try this…

Cooks note- In the photo below, I roasted additional vegetables in the oven because I am saving the vegetables in the crock pot for chicken stock.

(I roasted potatoes, parsnips, carrots, red onions, garlic and brussel sprouts)

Here is the recipe. I found it on Thelittlekitchen.net

WHOLE CHICKEN IN A SLOW COOKER RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

RUB INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHICKEN…

4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

FOR THE CROCKPOT

1 cup chopped onion, approx. 1 medium to large onion
4 to 5 carrots, scrubbed, no need to peel, chopped in halves or thirds (I peeled them)
4 celery stalks, cut in thirds
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 whole lemon quartered
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lbs. roasting or fryer chicken

DIRECTIONS:

Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Prep the vegetables and place inside the slow cooker (I use a 7-quart oval).
Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs. Discard or reserve for later use in another recipe. Rinse chicken with water and pat dry with paper towels.
Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Put the rub all over the outside and inside the chicken. Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken. (I also added parsley inside the chicken).
Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. (When I used a 4 lb chicken, it took about 6 hours. The time will depend on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.) Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F or use a pop-up thermometer as the original recipe calls for.
Remove chicken and place in a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking dish. Place baking dish in the oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Allow chicken to rest after removing it from the broiler for 5-10 minutes.

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I make chicken stock with the veggies and juices in the crock pot.

Chicken Stock in the Crock Pot

Ingredients

Leftover chicken bones or carcass roughly equivalent to one small or medium sized chicken
1 onion, peeled and loosely chopped
1 rib of celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped (no need to peel)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
Salt, to taste
Note: If you are missing any of these ingredients I wouldn’t let that stop you from making it anyway.

Instructions

After removing all edible meat from the chicken put/leave the bones, skin, cooking juices, etc. in the crock pot. If you are using the chicken carcass from the “Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot” recipe just leave every single thing that’s leftover (except the good meat of course) in the crock pot including the original onion and spices you used when making the chicken.
Add the onion, celery, carrot and spices on top of the bones and fill the crock pot almost to the top with tap water (leaving about ½” at the top).
Turn the slow cooker onto “low” after dinner and cook all night long or alternatively you could start it in the morning and cook on “low” for 8 – 10 hours during the day.
After the stock is done cooking turn off the heat and, using a soup ladle, pass the stock through a fine sieve to remove all herbs/bones/etc.

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Since cold weather calls for hot soup, here is another favorite recipe of mine.

This is a soup that my mother made for us all the time and it hits the spot.

Best part, it’s quick.

Having this soup and the crock pot chicken is a perfect combination.

Stracciatella Soup with Spinach (rice or pasta -optional)

Cooks Note: I add mini cheese ravioli to the soup whenever I can find them in the store, instead of rice. Lately, I have been lucky to find bags in Trader Joe’s. I think they look much cuter than rice.

Ingredients:

1 ½ quarts of chicken broth (6 cups), homemade is best. Low sodium boxed chicken broth is fine too. Be sure it’s MSG free.
3 large eggs
Grated cheese (½ cup)
1 tbsp. of semolina or fine breadcrumbs
Pinch of nutmeg
2 cups fresh spinach (stems removed)
Black pepper to taste.

Directions:

Heat broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.
Add 2 cups spinach to the broth to wilt
In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, grated cheese, nutmeg and semolina
With a wooden spoon, swirl the soup in a circular motion while slowly pouring the egg mixture. Simmer for 1 minute
(optional- 1 ½ cups of cooked rice or pasta of your choice can also be added)
Serve the soup with some additional grated cheese and black pepper.

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I hope you enjoy these recipes and stay safe and warm during the BIG CHILL.

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Stay well,

Diane

Thank you for visiting my blog.

If you enjoy the posts, please spread the word and ask your family and friends to subscribe to DishingwithDiane.com.

Once you subscribe, you’ll never miss a post.

Also, continue to send me your comments, I LOVE hearing from you.

Good-bye Summer 2017

Diane

Place Setting

Table Details

Palm tree tablecloth from Christmas Tree Shops

Tropical leaf placemats from Bed, Bath and Beyond

Brown rattan chargers from Sur La Table

Palm tree dishes from a friend as a birthday gift

Tropical leaf napkins from Amazon

Gold palm tree napkin rings from Wilford and Lee

Palm tree acrylic glasses from Homegoods

Bamboo flatware from Amazon

Palm tree candlesticks from Amazon

Tabletop palm tree from my honey

Candles from Michael’s Arts & Crafts

Acacia wooden fruit bowl from Homegoods

Palm tree salt & pepper shakers from Amazon

Succulents in burlap from Amazon

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RECIPES

Sticky Pineapple Chicken

(justataste.com)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews (optional)

Rice for serving

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken stock, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic and cornstarch.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup and is the consistency of thick syrup. Set the sauce aside.
Add the olive oil to a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and season it with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken, stirring, until it is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain off any liquids then add the sauce to the pan and stir until combined.
Add the pineapple and cashews and cook, stirring, for an additional 1 minute.
Serve the chicken atop a bed of rice.

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Coconut Rice

(Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1- 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch salt
1- 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine coconut milk, water, sugar, and salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in rice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

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Ambrosia

(thecountrycook.net)

Ingredients:

1 8 oz tub of whipped topping thawed
1 cup sour cream
1- 20 oz can pineapple tidbits drained well
1- 15 oz can mandarin orange segments drained well
1 cup red or green seedless grapes sliced in half
1- 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
1- 1/2 cups mini marshmallows – (see note)
1- 10 oz jar of maraschino cherry halves drained very well
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine whipped topping and sour cream.
Add in coconut flakes and marshmallows.
Then gently fold in pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes and maraschino cherries and nuts (if using).
Once combined, put some plastic wrap on it or put it in a bowl with a lid and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.

COOKS NOTE: You can make this dessert look more festive if you can find the multi-colored mini marshmallows.

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Cinnamon Sugar Sand Dollar Cookies

(sally’s baking addiction)

yield: 2 DOZEN COOKIES

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick and you may have to stir the rest by hand.
Scoop a large section of dough (about 1 Tablespoon of dough each) and roll into balls. Make sure the balls are taller, rather than wide.
Make the topping: Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Roll each dough ball into the cinnamon sugar. Press 5 sliced almonds onto the tops of each dough ball, as pictured above. Chill the balls of dough for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. This step will prevent spreading in the oven.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Arrange cookies 3 inches apart on baking sheets.
Bake chilled cookie dough for 10 minutes. The cookies will appear undone and very soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes and move to wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies stay soft & fresh for up to 1 week at room temperature. Cookies freeze well. Cookies may be rolled into balls and frozen up to 3 months to bake at a later date. Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

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photo courtesy of thetreecenter.com

Repost – Apple Jalapeno Chicken Wings

Diane

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Apple Jalapeno Chicken Wings

2 Replies

(Click on PHOTO to enlarge and then hit the back arrow to return to original size).

Hi Everyone,

I prepared Apple Jalapeno Chicken Wings and I just wanted to share this quick recipe with you. This recipe is good for a no fuss weeknight meal, served with a salad or as an appetizer when you have guests.

Wait until you hear how I found this recipe…

A few years back, as one of my birthday gifts, my husband took me to the Stonewall Kitchen Headquarters in York, Maine to their Cooking School for cooking classes.

I always wanted to go and Bob made it happen.

The classes are demonstration only, not hands on. (I was very grateful for this because I am not sure my knife skills are up to par with the chefs).

I was READY to learn !

The class Bob signed me up for included Crustless Quiche, Pasta Primavera, Apple Jalapeno Chicken Wings plus various desserts.

After the demonstration, everyone is handed a recipe booklet with the days recipes and invited to gather around for lunch to sample everything that was prepared. I met a great group of people and had a wonderful experience.

We not only had a great group, we also had a wonderful chef who was really a joy to watch and listen to. If it wasn’t so far a trip for me, I would have loved to attend another class of hers.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a cooking class, by all means take it. It doesn’t have to be Stonewall Kitchen in York Maine, but find a local class. Sur La Table has cooking classes all the time. It truly is a lot of fun and all the chefs give you their secret culinary tips.

I know the sign says, “Spring is Here”, but it was still a little cool for Spring in Maine, in April.

The Company Store and Cafe is where you can buy all Stonewall Kitchen products and have a great lunch or snack.

The Cooking School also includes a viewing area to watch all the products being made and packaged.

Thanks Bob for a wonderful weekend and wonderful birthday gift !

We made the rest of the weekend a mini vacation and had a wonderful time.

Here are a few of our pictures…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

*

And now for the recipe…

Apple Jalapeno Chicken Wings

I just LOVE five ingredient recipes.

Ingredients:

1 cup Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeno Jelly
½ cup water
¼- ½ cup bourbon (I used 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 pounds chicken wings

Directions:

In a food processor, puree the Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeno Jelly.
In a large skillet place the Stonewall Kitchen Apple Jalapeno Jelly, water, bourbon, and butter over medium heat. When melted stir until uniform.
Add the chicken wings. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer another 30 minutes, turning the wings several times. The sauce should thicken, but do not allow to burn.
Remove wings and finish under the broiler until golden brown. Serve hot with reserved sauce from skillet.

Step by Step Slideshow Directions…

(starting with the 1 cup of measured jalapeno jelly picture)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

And that is all there is to it. This is great if you just want a change from the usual Buffalo wing sauce.

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Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Diane

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Once you become a member, you’ll never miss a post…

And please continue to send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

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Recipes – Lime Chicken & Potato, String Bean and Onion Salad

Recipes

Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

¼ cup fresh lime juice (approx.. 3 small limes) & the lime zest
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (or more to your liking)
1 tbsp. oregano
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2-3 tbsp. compound butter – any flavor

2 lbs of chicken WITH skin and bones (either 4 chicken breasts or 8 thighs)

Directions:

In a large bowl whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano and put all ingredients in a Ziploc bag.

Add cleaned chicken (WITH THE SKIN ON), seal the bag and turn to coat all the pieces.

Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning once or twice for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Remove chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.

Arrange chicken pieces, skin side up (try not to crowd the pieces), on a broiler pan so the fat drips away from the chicken. If you don’t have a broiler pan a shallow baking pan can be used.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and roast in the upper third of the oven until just cooked through, 30 minutes.

Change the oven setting to broil and broil the chicken about 2 inches from the heat until the skin is crisp- approx. 2-3 minutes – Watch carefully so the chicken doesn’t burn.

In the meantime, melt 2 tbsp. of compound finishing butter and when the chicken comes out of the oven, glaze each piece.

*I buy finishing butter in “chipolte lime” flavor for a little spice but you can buy or make your own finishing butter in whatever flavor you prefer.

Adapted from Epicurious

Potato, String Bean and Onion Salad

Ingredients:

6-8 red bliss potatoes (depending on size)

1 lb. of string beans, trimmed (if the beans are long, halve them crosswise)

4 tablespoons of olive oil

4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Squirt of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

I steam my potatoes instead of boiling for 5 – 7 minutes and then add the string beans to the same steamer- just keep your eye on them and remove from the steamer as soon as they are tender.

(You can also boil the potatoes if you prefer in 2 quarts of salted water for 20 minutes. Add the beans and boil for 7 minutes longer, until the beans and potatoes are tender)

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the onion, and the warm potatoes and string beans. Toss very gently to dress all the ingredients without breaking the potatoes. Add a squirt of lemon before serving. Adjust all the seasonings to your liking.

Have fun cooking this Summer!

Until my next post, stay well and make every day a celebration!

And send me your comments, I love hearing from you.

Diane

Butterflies….

10 Replies

Diane put this post together for her followers before she went to the hospital for surgery.

She sends her love to all.

She’ll be back soon with new posts.

Butterfly Lunch With the Girls

At the end of this post I have included some recipes to help you prepare this luncheon including my Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts recipe.

A very easy lunch to pull together and it never disappoints.

Chicken salad with grapes and walnuts served on a croissant with a green salad and some fruit, and your guests with love it.

Now on to the butterflies…

For those of you who know me well, you know that,

I Just LOVE Butterflies !

Bob and I have been to many Butterfly Gardens in South Carolina, Niagara Falls and downstate New York. I just can’t seem to get my fill.

To me, Butterflies are a sign from heaven and are good luck.

Here is a photo of a butterfly that landed on my shoulder at one of the events, that I thought for sure was coming home with me because it stayed there for hours; but at the last minute, no such luck.

(Click photos to enlarge)

Since Spring is finally here, I am hoping to see more and more butterflies come back to share their beauty.

I buy so many items in the butterfly theme, that you could say it is another “collection” (just ask Bob). I bought these butterfly dishes many years ago not only because of my love for butterflies, but because I just loved the colors as well. They are simple and cheery and I also love the scallop edge.

Now on to the tablescape...I decided to use these dishes for a very casual “ladies” luncheon that I was having with some friends. You know the type of luncheon I am talking about, a little girl-talk, a little food, A LOT OF DESSERT.

Since the colors are so bright in the dish, I wanted to keep the rest of the table bright too. I chose a lime green tablecloth and napkins with simple clear napkin rings.

and then decided to use my orange woven placemats with a lime green charger plate.

For the glassware I chose bright aqua goblets. All of these colors together gave the table a sort of a Tropical feel and very upbeat.

I continued with the bright color scheme using my very bright yellow flatware.

Along with the chicken salad and fruit, I wanted to have a special dessert to go with the usual cake, so I bought cupcakes and topped them with edible sugar butterflies and some colorful crystal sugar.

Between my love of butterflies and love of setting a tablescape, I was so excited to find baking cups with a butterfly design while browsing in Michael’s Arts and Crafts that I just had to buy them. (I was so delighted with this find that I think I lost my breath for a few seconds in the store).

The colors on the baking cups match the butterfly picks that I will be using in the centerpiece. It’s the little things that make me happy.

I brought out one of my favorite items that I own, individual glass cupcake holders. I wanted to display the cupcakes at each place setting during lunch.

The sugar butterflies are so delicate, you can hardly tell them apart from the baking cups.

I had to give this centerpiece a little thought because I didn’t want it to be too high so I couldn’t have a conversation, or see my guests over the centerpiece. After shopping around the house (in this case the garage), I spotted some colorful flower pots that pick up the colors of the dishes.

(Remember, shop your house first).

I planted a few marigolds in each flower pot that would be bright and low enough for conversation. A few silk butterfly picks added to the flower pot and this would work perfectly. The centerpiece would be done.

I chose marigolds because they are a hardy plant and since I have a “brown” thumb and kill every plant (except the bamboo-that is still alive), I figured I will have a good chance that they would last until the luncheon was over.

Of course I had to keep the theme going, so I scattered a few more silk butterflies on the table as table confetti…. I made the confetti from garden picks that I just cut the wire stem off of.

and I wore my Butterfly scarf to the luncheon (I told you I love butterflies).

Now I am ready for my guests.

Place Setting

Tablescape Details

Tablecloth and napkins from Linens and Things

Butterfly dishes from Caldor (yes, I know, I am showing my age)

Orange placemats from Homegoods

Lime charger plates from Michael’s Arts and Crafts

Yellow flatware from Christmas Tree Store

Aqua goblets from Pier I

Butterfly baking cups from Michael’s Arts and Crafts

Butterfly picks from Michael’s Arts and Crafts

Butterfly table confetti from Michael’s Arts and Crafts

Edible butterflies from Amazon

Individual Glass Cupcake Holders from Kohl’s by Artland Aspen

Butterfly scarf from Lord & Taylor

Flower Pots from the garage…

Marigolds from Lowes

Thank you for letting me share with you my love of butterflies and one of my favorite dinnerware sets. I hope you enjoyed the butterfly tablescape.

(Don’t forget the recipes below)

Until my next post, stay well and make every day a celebration!

Diane

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Recipes

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Serve this chicken salad on a croissant along with a green salad and some fruit,

(PLUS a lot of dessert of course).

Below is a photo of what the chicken salad looks like when all combined.You could also serve it on a bed of lettuce.

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise (or ½ mayo & ½ plain Greek yogurt)
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4-cup walnut pieces, toasted (or any nut of your choice)
2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Method

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2-cup water or chicken broth. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through.

Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in walnuts, grapes, celery and dressing. (I told you this was easy)

Enjoy !

I hate the look of salad dressing bottles on the table when you are having guests; so I always dress the salad right before serving.

The recipe below is very basic and I always gets compliments. Nice accompaniment when putting goat cheese and fruit in your salad too.

Little tip: If you have a hard time cutting goat cheese, use dental floss.

Homemade Salad Dressing for a Green Salad

Ingredients:

3 TBSP fresh lemon juice

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP mayonnaise

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

4 tsp sugar (equal to 4 packets)

1 very small garlic clove, chopped or 1 TBSP minced garlic in a jar

1 cup olive oil

Directions:

In a food processor, blend all ingredients EXCEPT the oil until smooth…..with the motor running, add oil in a stream, blend until emulsified. Transfer dressing to a jar and keep it covered and chilled until serving, yields 1 1/4 cup… you can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to your liking.

Diane

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Diane

Place Setting

Table Details

RECIPES

Sticky Pineapple Chicken

Coconut Rice

Ambrosia

Cinnamon Sugar Sand Dollar Cookies

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Diane

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Thanks Bob for a wonderful weekend and wonderful birthday gift !

Here are a few of our pictures…

*

And now for the recipe…

Apple Jalapeno Chicken Wings

Step by Step Slideshow Directions…

Diane

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Recipes

Lime Chicken

Potato, String Bean and Onion Salad

Diane

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Butterfly Lunch With the Girls

(Click photos to enlarge)

Now I am ready for my guests.

Place Setting

Tablescape Details

(Don’t forget the recipes below)

Diane

Recipes

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Homemade Salad Dressing for a Green Salad

Some of my butterfly photos over the years..

.

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