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In , on March 30, 2016 with No Comments

Maple Dijon Chicken

It was another night for chicken in the Wood house, and when I’m busy at work, I like to bake chicken breasts. You can do a variety of tasty dishes just by varying the sauce you bake them in. Tonight’s designated recipe featured pure maple syrup and Dijon mustard along with a few herbs to jazz things up a bit. It’s super simple and takes only a few minutes to put the sauce together. You can marinade the chicken for a bit if you have the time, or simply pop the chicken into the oven to get dinner on the table quick. The boys loved this and said I can make this again – add another recipe to the taste-tested and approved list 🙂

 

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maple dijon chicken 2

 

maple dijon chicken

 

maple dijon chicken plated

 

Maple Dijon Chicken

3 to 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup good Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or can use a few sprigs of fresh)

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or use a few sprigs of fresh)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a small baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients, mixing well to combine. Brush the sauce over both sides of the chicken breasts, and place the chicken in the prepared baking dish. Pour any extra sauce over the tops of the chicken. You can refrigerate this for a few hours if you desire before baking.

Bake chicken at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve with the extra sauce spooned over top of the chicken.




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In , , on March 29, 2016 with No Comments

Mexican Stuffed Shells

On my last trip to Stringtown, I stocked up on bulk flours, pasta and spices. One of the things I bought was large pasta shells that are great for stuffing with your favorite fillings. I usually tend to go Italian when I make pasta, but this time I decided to shake things up a bit and go with a Mexican-flavored dish. I found this recipe on The Way to His Heart, and this recipe is a keeper.



It’s super easy to do, and you can prepare everything ahead of time and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake it for dinner. My sons will eat anything that has pasta or anything Mexican inspired, so this dish was a win-win at dinnertime.

mexican stuffed shells 2

 

mexican stuffed shells plated 2

 

 

Mexican Stuffed Shells

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 package low-sodium taco seasoning (I use Wildtree’s taco seasoning as it has no preservatives)

4 ounces cream cheese

18 jumbo-sized pasta shells

1 1/2 cups salsa

1 cup taco sauce

2 cups Mexican-flavored shredded cheese (usually a combination of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses)

Toppings: green onions, olives, sour cream, shredded lettuce (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain any fat. Add the taco seasoning according to package directions. Add the cream cheese to the skillet, and cook until the cheese is completely melted and blended well into the meat. Add half of the jar of salsa to the meat and cheese mixture, stirring to completely combine. Set aside and let cool completely.

While the beef is browning, cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Drain. When cool enough to handle, you’re ready to assemble the dish.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the other half of the salsa in the bottom of the baking dish. Fill pasta shells with the cooled meat mixture, and place in the baking dish open side up. Cover the shells with the taco sauce. Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake shells covered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, uncover the baking dish, and sprinkle the shredded cheese over the tops of the shells. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes without the foil, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Serve with toppings of your choice (black olives, green onions, sour cream, lettuce and additional salsa or taco sauce).

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In , on March 27, 2016 with 1 Comment

Herb Chicken With Lemon Cream Sauce

Chicken thighs are often on sale at my local grocery store, so I tend to stock up when it’s a good deal. That said, I’m always on the lookout for new and different ways of making chicken because the kids get tired of the same-old-same-old. I always turn to Pinterest for new recipe ideas, and I’ve got hundreds and hundreds of recipes on different boards that I’ve pinned to try down the road. If you’re looking for a good source on Pinterest, feel free to follow me there because I’m always adding something new that I’ve found.


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Anyway, I found this delicious-sounding chicken recipe that uses lemons, lots of herbs and cream. What’s not to like? I found the recipe at Damn Delicious, and this is a great blog with tons of wonderful recipes that I can’t wait to try, especially in her Quick & Easy Category.

This recipe is super easy to pull together, and the chicken tastes divine. You can, of course, use fresh herbs instead of the dried if you have them. Just increase the amounts if you do, as you always use fewer dried herbs than fresh. The original recipe called for skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, but I used skinless, boneless and baked mine, making the sauce separately. I’d planned on using my cast iron skillet to sear the chicken first and then finish the chicken off in the oven while cooking in the sauce, but I’ll be darned if I can find that dang cast iron skillet after we moved 🙂 Oh well, it turned out just as delicious baked in a glass 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sometimes you just have to improvise. Feel free to prepare this whichever way is easiest for you. It’s perfect for just your family or if you’re having guests over for dinner. Just don’t tell them how easy it was to prepare—they’ll think you slaved over this to get these flavors 🙂

 

herbed chicken with lemon cream sauce

 

Herb Chicken With Lemon Cream Sauce

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (can use bone-in, with skin if you prefer)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 

For the Lemon Cream Sauce:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, mustard, lemon zest, thyme and rosemary. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, work the mixture onto both sides of the chicken. Place chicken pieces in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and the red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, heavy cream, lemon juice and basil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces in the baking dish. Bake chicken until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about 25 to 30 minutes.

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In , on March 26, 2016 with No Comments

Mexican Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

Of course when I get a craving for chocolate, I immediately think about cake. While I have my favorites that I go to frequently, like my Old-Fashioned Hot Water Chocolate Cake, I had buttermilk in the fridge, and I wanted to try a cinnamon chocolate cake. I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course!) on the Yesterfood blog. It’s super easy to make, and you can top it with some freshly made whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla or even cinnamon ice cream. Enjoy!

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mexican chocolate cake 2

 

mexican chocolate cake slice 2

Mexican Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

8 ounces semisweet chocolate baking squares

1 cup butter, softened at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 cup chocolate syrup

2 teaspoons good vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

 

Microwave the chocolate baking squares in a small bowl, stirring every 15 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth, about 1 minute or so.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Stir in the melted chocolate, the chocolate syrup and the vanilla, and beat until smooth.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk (begin and end with the flour). Beat on low speed until just combined. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup Bundt pan.

Bake cake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour 10 minutes, checking the cake at 1 hour, until the cake tests done when a toothpick is inserted into the middle. Do not overbake. Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.




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In on March 25, 2016 with No Comments

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The calendar says that it’s supposed to be spring, but here in Iowa you really don’t know from one day to the next if you need a snowblower or a lawnmower. A few days ago it was close to 70 degrees, and this morning we had both sleet and snow with temperatures hovering around freezing. The old saying is true I guess – What’s the weather like in Iowa? Wait 5 minutes and find out because it will change.


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Since it was a cold and blustery day, I decided to warm up the place by baking cookies. I like a lot of different types of cookies, and both chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies are favorites. Since I like both and didn’t want to decide, I combined them all together into one cookie. These taste great and don’t last long, so if you’re wanting any for an event or function, feel free to double the recipe. That way when your kids (or you!) decide to munch on a few straight out of the oven, you’ll still have some left to take and share.

oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookie

 

oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies plateful

 

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup packed brown sugar (either light or dark – your choice)

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon good vanilla

3/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chocolate chips (semisweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate – your choice)

Combine the first six ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, scraping to ensure everything mixes completely. Add the egg and the vanilla, and mix until thoroughly combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredients, and mix until the dough comes together. Fold in the raisins and the chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill the dough for about 30 minutes.

Scoop cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing the cookies about an inch apart. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies.

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In , , , on March 22, 2016 with No Comments

Meatball and Gnocchi Casserole

I wanted to make a quick yet tasty casserole for when the boys got home after work, and after looking through my cupboards and freezer, I decided to make a meatball and gnocchi bake. I’d stocked up on shelf-stable gnocchi when I’d gone to the city because our small-town grocery store doesn’t carry it, and I can only eat the chicken and gnocchi soup so many times in a month, so I wanted to use them in a different way. This recipe was the ticket.




I used frozen Italian-style meatballs in this recipe, and I know it would be absolutely fabulous with homemade meatballs too. I just didn’t have the time to make homemade meatballs tonight, not that they take all that long to make, but I basically needed a dump-and-go casserole for a quick dinner. Since the meatballs I used were fully cooked, I simply browned them in the skillet, but if you’re making homemade meatballs, make sure you cook them in the skillet until they’re fully cooked through to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (about 6 minutes or so). You can saute the vegetables at the same time the gnocchi is boiling, and that really is the longest part of this recipe. From the time the gnocchi drops in the boiling water to the time you’re putting the casserole in the oven, prep time is about 10 to 15 minutes. Baking time is 30 minutes, and then you’ve got a delicious meal on the table in less than an hour. Win-win in our house 🙂

 

meatball gnocchi casserole 2

 

meatball gnocchi casserole plated

Meatball and Gnocchi Casserole

1 16-ounce package of gnocchi

1 1/2 cup pasta sauce

1 package (26 count) Italian-style fully cooked meatballs (or use your favorite homemade meatball recipe)

Extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 medium green pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion (1 small onion)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the pasta sauce, and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat about 2 teaspoons of the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat, about 2 to 3 swirls of the bottle around the skillet. Add the mushrooms, green pepper and sliced onions. Saute for about 7 minutes, or until soft. Add the vegetables to the gnocchi in the bowl.

In the same skillet, add another 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Lightly brown the meatballs on all sides. Drain and add meatballs to the bowl with the gnocchi and vegetables. Gently stir to combine.

Pour the meatball and gnocchi mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Uncover. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the casserole, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

 

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In , , , , on March 19, 2016 with No Comments

Irish Dinner: Corned Beef & Cabbage and Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

We held our annual St. Patrick’s day dinner a few days late this year, but my family will eat corned beef and cabbage anytime I have the urge to make it. We have brined our own brisket to make corned beef, but tonight I used a corned beef I bought at the grocery store. It amazes me how many people have told me they’ve never cooked corned beef before. I think it’s the simplest dinner in the world to make—all you need is a Crock-Pot. Open package of corned beef, dump all contents into the slow cooker, and turn the dial to either low (6 to 8 hours) or high (4 to 5 hours) depending how soon you want dinner. That’s it. Easy peasy.

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For the cabbage, my folks traditionally did the boiled cabbage bit. It was okay, but it really is bland. I’ve since done my St. Patrick’s Day cabbage by frying it. Add a stick of butter to the skillet, cut up your cabbage however you like it (diced, sliced, etc.). Add it to the skillet, season with salt and pepper to taste, and let it cook until the cabbage is softened but not mush. Another easy peasy side dish, which is how I like them 🙂

 

corned beef and cabbage 2

 

For dessert, it had to be something Irish-influenced as well, and what’s more Irish than booze? Today I decided to make a Bailey’s chocolate chip cheesecake in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. It really was a toss-up between this and a Guinness dark chocolate cheesecake, but Bailey’s won out. This time anyway!


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I’ve made this cheesecake before. Be forewarned, though, the flavor of the Irish cream really comes through in the final product. A lot of recipes call for 3/4 cup of Bailey’s, which I used the first time I made this. If you love Bailey’s, you’ll probably be fine with it, but if you’re so-so or you only want a hint of the Irish cream flavor, you can definitely use less. I typically use about 1/4 cup of Bailey’s because I want to taste the rest of the ingredients, not just Bailey’s. This doesn’t have a ganache on top, but feel free to add one if you’d like — the more chocolate the merrier I say 🙂

The cheesecake pictures aren’t the best – still trying to find the best lighting in this new apartment, and the cheesecake itself decided to split after about 2 hours of cooking (of course!)  — but it tasted devine 🙂

 

bailey's cheesecake whole

 

bailey's cheesecake half pie

bailey's cheesecake slice

 

Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 to 12 crackers)

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

32 ounces (4 packages) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur (or other brand is fine)

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon good vanilla

1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar and the melted butter. Press mixture onto the bottom of the springform pan. Set aside.

In a mixer, beat the cream cheese and the 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Add the Bailey’s, and stir to combine. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until thoroughly mixed. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla, mixing until just smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour cheesecake batter into the springform pan. Place the springform pan in a larger pan, and add water to that pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the oven, and leave cheesecake in the oven for an additional hour. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Top with chocolate ganache or whipped cream as desired.


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In , on March 17, 2016 with No Comments

Baked Potato Soup

I love soup and loaded baked potatoes, and I’ve made different versions of a loaded baked potato soup for years. The basic ingredients are usually the same: potatoes, bacon, cheese and sour cream. How you prepare your potatoes varies from recipe to recipe. Some recipes have you peel and dice them, then cook the potatoes in butter until soft. In other recipes, like the one I made tonight, you use already baked potatoes, with the skin on, which not only helps speed up how long it takes to make the soup, but you also get the added fiber, vitamins and minerals found in the potato skins. I’m the first to admit I hate to peel potatoes (can’t hang on to the slippery little devils thanks to the dropsies from carpal tunnel), so anytime I can use a potato in a recipe without peeling it – I’m in.




 

You can make this soup on the stove, or you can add your ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low all day – just add the sour cream right before serving if you decide to use your Crock-Pot. You can reserve the bacon pieces to garnish each bowl, or you can add it all back into the soup, which I like to do so the bacon flavors the entire soup. You can garnish with green onions and extra shredded cheese if you like. However you make it, your kitchen will smell great, and your family will really enjoy this recipe.

baked potato soup

 

Baked Potato Soup

4 slices bacon, diced

5 tablespoons butter

6 potatoes, already baked with skins on, roughly diced (microwave them when you’re in a hurry to get dinner on the table)

1 box (32 ounces) Kitchen Stock’s unsalted chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence (optional – I add this to most of my soups)

2 cups milk (approximate)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

Green onions, chopped, for garnish (optional)

 

In a large stockpot, cook diced bacon pieces over medium heat until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

To the same stockpot with the bacon drippings, melt 5 tablespoons butter. Add the roughly diced baked potatoes to the pot, stirring to coat with the butter and bacon drippings. Add the box of chicken stock to the stockpot, and turn the heat down to low. Stir to combine ingredients. Cook over low for about 10 minutes or so, until the soup begins to thicken, stirring occasionally. (Because the potatoes are baked, you shouldn’t need to add any flour or other thickener, as the potatoes will thicken the soup themselves). Add the milk to the soup – this amount may be more or less than stated in the recipe based on how thick or how thin you like your potato soup. Add the shredded cheddar cheese to the soup, and cook over low heat until heated thoroughly and the cheese has melted completely.

Just before serving, stir in the sour cream. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Garnish soup with chopped green onions and additional cheddar cheese or cooked bacon pieces if desired.

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In , on March 16, 2016 with No Comments

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta

I was reading through some magazines while at the laundromat, and I came across a chicken recipe in an old issue of Cooking Light. I love to use chicken breast in my dinner recipes because it’s easy to make a quick dinner, and you can do a variety of things with it. This one is a riff on chicken cordon bleu, as my youngest son pointed out to me, where instead of ham and Swiss cheese you use spinach and ricotta cheese. And add wine. Good white wine – get a big enough bottle to use some in the recipe and have the rest of the bottle with dinner 🙂 If you don’t like to cook with wine, or you’ve got young children and don’t want to use it, feel free to substitute apple juice for the white wine – it will still turn out delicious.




This dish can easily be doubled or halved depending how many you’re cooking for and how hungry your diners are. Serve this with a nice side salad and some crusty bread, and you’ve got an easy, great-tasting meal. I decided to serve our stuffed chicken with some home-canned green beans cooked with bacon – yum!

 

stuffed chicken breast - plated

 

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

1 large egg

6 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup dry white wine

 

To prepare the filling, combine the first 7 ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

To prepare the chicken, place each chicken breast half between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap. Pound each chicken breast to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Divide the filling and spread it evenly over the chicken breast halves.

stuffed chicken breast with spinach filling

Roll the chicken up jelly roll style. Tuck in the sides, and place the chicken, seam side down, in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

stuffed chicken breast in pan

Pour the wine over the chicken, and cover the dish with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, basting the chicken a couple of times with the wine. Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken from the pan; keep warm. Strain the wine mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard any solids. Serve the wine mixture over the chicken.

stuffed chicken breast - baked

 

Yield: Serves 6

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In , , on March 12, 2016 with No Comments

Fresh Strawberry Cake and Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

It’s a little cooler today here in Iowa, but I’ve still got spring fever. I stopped at the grocery store, and they had a special on fresh strawberries. Now, I can’t get local strawberries until June, and I usually don’t buy strawberries out of season simply because they just can’t match the taste of the local ones I get in early summer. However – these looked really good, and as I said spring fever was taking over, so I picked up a box.




I’d come across a recipe for a fresh strawberry yogurt cake on A Spicy Perspective. and I knew I’d found the perfect way to use these out-of-season strawberries. The recipe calls for either plain or vanilla Greek yogurt. While I usually make my own yogurt, I did pick up a carton of vanilla Greek yogurt. This way I can get a little vanilla flavor in the cake. I usually add a teaspoon of good vanilla to my baked goods, and since this recipe doesn’t call for any, the vanilla yogurt takes care of that for me.

This does make a thick batter, so don’t be off-put by that. I also used a full box of strawberries (16 ounces), and the recipe called for only 12 ounces. I doubt this really hurts it one way or the other, and I don’t like having tiny bits of fruit just sitting around, so I used them all. This recipe is really easy to pull together, and soon you can have that fresh taste of spring on your dinner table. This cake is going to be so awesome when I make it this summer with local, flavorful strawberries. 🙂

 

fresh strawberry yogurt cake side view

fresh strawberry yogurt cake

 

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

Zest of 1 lemon

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces plain or vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt

12 ounces fresh strawberries, washed, trimmed and diced

1 cup powdered sugar

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan (10- to 15-cup size).

Sift together 2 1/4 cups of the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and incorporate completely. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing until just combined.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, and gently fold them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Place in the oven, and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes in the pan, and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.


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I made a bacon and mustard chicken dish the other night for dinner, and I had some leftover chicken breasts from that. I hate leftovers, because no one in my house really eats them, so I decided to “repurpose” the chicken and make some chicken salad. I already had a bacon and Dijon mustard base going for the chicken salad, as the chicken breast was cooked with both, so I built upon those flavors in this salad recipe. Now I used Miracle Whip salad dressing in this, but you can always use mayonnaise if that’s what you prefer. I’m a Miracle Whip girl – I like that extra “tang” in my salads. I do use mayonnaise occasionally, especially if I’m making dips or appetizers, but most often you’ll only see the Miracle Whip in my fridge.

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This recipe is a shoot-from-the-hip type. I used the leftovers I had on hand, and I added ingredients that complemented bacon and Dijon mustard. I’ve listed the ingredients as if I didn’t start with the Dijon sauce from the night before, and it doesn’t list any bacon in the recipe (because this was in the previous night’s recipe). If you want bacon in your chicken salad, simply cook a couple of slices, chop it up, and throw it in with the rest of the ingredients. Plus I threw in some grapes and Granny Smith apples – I think you have to have balance with sweet, sour and salty tastes. I even made a homemade loaf of potato bread to put this chicken salad on. Okay, well, my bread machine made it, and I used Bob’s Red Mill Potato Bread mix. I have to have shortcuts now and then 🙂

potato bread 2

 

honey mustard chicken salad

 

chicken salad sandwich 2

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

3 cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded as you prefer

1/2 cup Miracle Whip (or mayo if you prefer)

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup grapes, sliced in halves

1/2 a Granny Smith apple, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped pecans

 

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl until completely mixed. Chill for a few hours to let the flavors meld together. Serve with your favorite sandwich bread or roll.

 

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