Friday, June 26, 2009

20-Minute Alfredo

We have had a busy past couple of weeks but we are pulling things together. My 16 and 15-year old nieces are with us now and we've been working on rooms, papers, and much more. We have been having quick dinners:)

One such dinner was what I fixed and served last night. It turned out really well and everyone loved it.

I was looking for something quick and filling and this fit the bill. I made two separate pots/skillets of it and we at it for lunch today.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Submitted By: Campbell's Kitchen
Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes
Servings: 4


Ingredients:
1/2 (16 ounce) package linguine (I used angel hair pasta bec I didn't have the other)
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets (I used a bit more in each dish)
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, (used more)
cut into cubes
1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
(Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (used more and then topped it with a few shavings as well)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


Directions:
1. Cook linguine according to package directions. Add broccoli for last 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain.
2. Heat butter in skillet. Cook chicken until browned, stirring often.
3. Add soup, milk, cheese, black pepper and linguine mixture and heat through. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 6/26/2009

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Farm Stand Lunch



We stopped at a little farm stand in the little town I spent some of my childhood and got a paper bag of green beans, a basket of peaches, and a small basket of tomatoes. My sister wanted to stop and she surprised us with these and got our parents a seedless watermelon.

This little stand has been offering the small community produce for as long as I can remember. It is such a neat set up. . .

The house is right off of a small town road dotted with little family restaurants, garden nurseries, and a gift shop or two. It is a classic, large, white and simple farm house with a generous front porch on a grassy sprawling yard with a large shade tree here and there.

To the side of the house and yard (literally within 30 to 60 seconds of a walk) is the garden. Somehow, the rows and rows and rows of various produce stay neat all summer. The family and sometimes friends... pick the produce and pack them in baskets to walk or drive to the little stand near the road.

It is small and covered with a little roof and shaded by a large oak tree.
Netted bags of Vidalia onions hang from nails on the supporting beams... watermelons line an entire area... velveety GA peaches fill produce baskets and fragrance the air around them. Tomatoes ... with red and glossy skins give an artistic look to the whole scene.

People, local as well as tourists, pull onto the little gravel and dirt beaten area off of the road.
A smiling teen (granddaughter) fills bags and tells you things like... the green beans were picked minutes before. She tells the prices as different voices ask.
Each time we leave... we look forward to the next time we go back.

Yesterday's lunch was green beans, pan-fried yellow squash, lima beans, shredded WOK fried cabbage, tomato slices salted and peppered, and buttered bread. What produce didn't come from the little stand was from another local garden. It was all served with iced lemon water I made up in the fridge at the first part of the day.

Green Beans

Someone brought or left a package of salted fat back or pork something or another. I don't eat pork and haven't in a long time (long story) but most of my family does. I sliced this into a little smaller than bite sized pieces and added it to the prepared green beans (washed, ends broken off and the large beans broken in three pieces) and added water just until I saw the water through the beans. I learned to not cover all vegetables when cooking by Mamaw. She is known for the best squash dish around and she showed me how to make it in her kitchen one day.

I wrote about that in a previous post or a hand written journal so I won't repeat it all for now.
Anyway, I remembered what she said about filling the water just to the point of being able to see it. I did this with the green beans and added the fat back pieces and set the eye to high. As soon as it reached boiling, I covered it and adjusted the heat to low.
I wanted to keep a slow simmer until they were fully cooked so I went from low to medium low as needed. The timer was set for 20 minutes and about half way through, I took the lid off and added sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
I added about 5 minutes cooking time and the beans were so wonderful!

I used a sharp knife to shred the cabbage and cooked it in a WOK on high until just how I wanted it. I added butter because I am out of all oil! This was a tremendous win for the two teen girls who finished the last of it off.

Tuesday Dinner/Wednesday Lunch

Feta Cheese & Tomato Chicken Breasts
Parmesan crusted zucchini
Lima beans
Buttered Egg noodles


Nana & Papa invited us for a weekday dinner last Tuesday and it was so delicious I decided to share it:)

While Papa let the children play outside, Nana pulled together the meal she got ready before we arrived.

Pots simmered on the stove top, steaming pans were pulled from the oven, and freshly made tea was poured into glasses.

The meal was so, so, SO delicious that it was hard to not over eat! Papa said the zucchini was the best he had ever eaten and after one bite into ours... we all agreed!


At the end of the meal, Nana sent home everything we didn't eat so I would have an easy meal for the next day. I spend Wednesday's as previously shared with my DIL and grandchildren so we can stay closely connected. We always share lunch and some type of activity ... even if it is just visiting and listening to the kids.

This one meal actually served as an evening snack for my daughter and husband the same night we ate it AND made the most delightful next day lunch!

I cut the chicken in bite sized pieces and did the same with the zucchini. I had an edge of parmesan cheese left so I shredded that and heated the egg noodles.

The feta chicken with tomatoes, zucchini, and egg noodles were heated on the stove top and at the last minute, I tossed in the shredded parmesan.
This was mouth watering good! We really look forward to enjoying this one again!

The feta chicken recipe is on the back of the feta cheese container my mom and I get from Sam's. I don't have it but I think I've shared it before... I will look for it or get it from her if needed.

I just recall placing the chicken breasts in a greased, oven safe dish. Sliced tomatoes and feta cheese go over and I think it is just salt and pepper and maybe some basil or Italian seasoning.

The zucchini was sliced length ways and put on an oiled baking sheet. Salt and pepper is added, olive oil drizzled and then shaker styled parmesan sprinkled generously over. Oven roasted at 400 or so until it looks to desired doneness.

Great summer meal!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies

Servings: 24

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 6/9/2009

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

Servings: 16

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter

1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped
topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts
Directions:
1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
2. Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 6/9/2009

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Check out this recipe I found on Allrecipes.com!

Posted using ShareThis

I took one of these pies to my son and DIL when I was blessed to eat dinner with them and gave one to our other son and his wife and kids. We haven't heard from either yet but I'll post if they did or didn't like it when I hear:)

Love,
Sandy

Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Check out this recipe I found on Allrecipes.com!

Posted using ShareThis

These were so so.
Not spectacular but very chocolate-y.

;)

I will just copy and paste the actual recipes bec the share feature I tried from allrecipes.com didn't work for some reason. I'll keep playing with it when I have time and I'll see if I can make it work.

Love,
Sandy

Monday, June 8, 2009

His Offered Hand

Homemade Biscuits
Tomato Gravy
Salmon Patties


The Sunday meal we had with our oldest son, D-I-L, and grandbabies turned out so well!
In church, I was drifting from listening to the announcements and wondering what I could make for lunch.

Thoughts of our somewhat meager pantry shelves and narrowing refrigerator supplies gave little hope.

Our hope is in God. Our provision is from Him. He fed the multitudes with few loaves and a small number of fish.

I prayed.


No ideas came to me and tears stung my eyes out of frustration. I couldn't seem to think or get into the mind frame to make a meal.

I got home and assessed what was here and realized we had the ingredients for homemade biscuits and tomato gravy.
The only problem was . . . I had no tomatoes! I thought there was a can or more left but they were all gone. I did glance over and see a can of salmon so I decided on salmon patties.

The desire to make the meal could not be found, pulled up, or coerced into joining me. I wanted to leave the kitchen and I SO did not want to pull the meal together. Even the smallest task seemed to taunt me.
Tears came. I worked through them and something really great happened.

The Lord came alongside me somehow and kicked things into action.
It didn't come from me. I obviously and openly did not have it in me.
He met me where I was and I needed Him. I didn't need more groceries because the more I moved... the more bounty I saw. I just needed Jesus!

I decided to toss my usual perfectionistic habits out the window to make the recipes with what I had. The only thing I was missing for the salmon patties was onion so I just omitted it! I didn't have tomatoes so I opted for regular gravy.

I started two batches of biscuits and as I was putting those together, my sister came in with ... guess what? A netted bag of little on-the-vine tomatoes! She had no idea I needed these or the other things she brought but God knew.

I simmered the little tomatoes in some chicken broth and as soon as the gravy was made and ready for them... I popped them out of the skins and stirred them into the gravy. I used a hand blender to thicken up and break them up and the gravy turned out as good as it ever has!

The biscuits came out of the oven hot and comforting and I had butter to touch the tops.

The salmon patties were possibly the best I've ever made.

Our meal was not lacking in the least. When the table was set, we had a lovely and filling meal that fed two families.

How good are the lessons our Lord blesses with.
I started out despairing, weary, over whelmed and without a lot of shining hope. I saw the least.

By the time my Loving Lord was done yesterday. . . my vision saw the real way things were and not what the world showed.
We had meat. . . and good meat on our plates. We had hot and homemade bread and nutritious gravy. We had vacuum prepared coffee with a good half-n-half for creamer and raw sugar instead of white.

We went to my mom's 30 minutes away to visit a few hours later and she had a simmering pot of homemade vegetable soup. It was packed full of fresh carrots, celery, potatoes, corn, lima beans and more. So good!
She served the hearty soup with homemade chicken salad sandwiches and iced tea.
After this, we ate fresh pears and fudge pops.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126:2-6