Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts

Chicken Gloria

Two of my favorite cooking blogs are Jenny Can Cook and Natasha's Kitchen. I love that they have videos for many of their recipes, which is very nice for people who are new cooks or aren't sure of instructions to a recipe.
I had never heard of Chicken Gloria and thought I would give it a try. I used Natasha's Kitchen recipe for this dish. Oh my goodness, what a great week night meal. I finished it off by spooning the Chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes and we had asparagus on the side.  It was definitely comfort food and  an easy meal that takes very little time...well worth trying!
This is an easy recipe with just a few ingredients. Skinless chicken breasts, sliced mushrooms, onion and my favorite garlic! I've said this a few times before, but I love recipes with less than 6 ingredients. Supper should not be a difficult deal. When I was young, I would find these recipes with many ingredients. I think I'm a little dyslexic. At that time I had to read recipes over and over and over again. If there were two many ingredients I can say for sure I would always add the wrong thing at the wrong time. So when you get an easy and delicious recipe like this it puts a smile on my face!

Let's Make Chicken Gloria...
You start by seasoning your chicken with salt and pepper. Then dredge the chicken in flour.  The next step is adding about 3 T. of oil to a frying pan and brown your chicken on both sides.  The chicken doesn't have to be done, as you will be baking it after it is all put together. After browning remove chicken from frying pan and placing the chicken in a 9x13 cake or casserole dish, wipe down your frying pan making sure you have removed all the little bits left in the frying pan. Add another 3 T. of oil and saute the onions and mushrooms until soft and lightly browned. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Next add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then remove onions, mushrooms and garlic from the pan and spread over the browned chicken in the casserole.
Melt 3 T. butter and whisk in the 3 T. of flour to make a roux. Cook the roux until slightly browned and has the smell of cooking pie crust. Add the 1 1/2 C. chicken broth, 1 T. of lemon juice, a pinch of pepper and whisk until smooth. Add 1 cup of half & half or 1/2 C. heavy cream and 1/2 C. milk to the sauce.  I also added about 1/2 C. of sour cream. It makes the sauce creamier. Cook to a simmer. Add salt and more pepper to taste.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, mushrooms, and onions. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

In the meantime either peal your potatoes and cook until soft and then mash. Or, because it's just my husband and myself, I sometimes use those little packets of mashed potatoes in the grocery store. I've tried them all, but I find HyVee's brand is as close as you'll get to real mashed potatoes in taste and texture.

Chicken Gloria Recipe...
Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 lbs. of skinless chicken breasts, cut chicken breasts into 1"X2" pieces or thereabout. 
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 cup flour to coat the chicken
  • 6 T. olive oil, divided
  • 1 lb. fresh sliced mushrooms
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
Ingredients for sauce:
  • 3 T. unsalted butter (I used salted butter)
  • 3 T. flour for roux
  • 1 1/2 C. chicken brother
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 1/2 C. sour cream
  • 1 C. half and half or 1/2 C. heavy cream and 1/2 C. milk
Instructions:
  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in four. Heat 3 T. oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Once oil is hot, add chicken and saute' until golden brown. Work in batches if needed so you don't crowd your pan. There is no need to cook the chicken through, as it will finish cooking in the oven. Move chicken to a 9X13 baking pan.
  2. Scrap your pan and wipe with paper toweling. Add 3 T. of oil and saute' mushrooms and onions until tender and lightly browned. Add garlic and saute' for another 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the onions, mushrooms and garlic over the browned chicken in the baking dish.
  3. Once again, wipe out your large skillet and add the 3 T. of butter. Once melted add the 3 T. of flour and cook until lightly browned. This is the roux for your sauce. You can tell it's just right when you smell the fragrance of pie crust cooking.
  4. Add 1 1/2 C. of chicken broth and lemon juice and stir until it begins to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Once thicker, add 1 C. half and half or 1/2 C. heavy cream and 1/2 C. milk. I added 1/2 C. sour cream also. Stir until smooth. Once again season to taste.
  5. Pour sauce over chicken and mushrooms and cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Asparagus our vegetable of choice
I added asparagus for our vegetable.  We both love asparagus and here's a quick and easy way of cooking asparagus that turns out perfect every time. 


How to break Asparagus by my Grandmother... 
My grandmother always told me to break off the ends of the asparagus at it's natural breaking point.  You do this by holding the asparagus in both hands and bend until it snaps or breaks.  That's the natural breaking point.  If you do this, you will never have tough asparagus.
 
Quick and easy way to cook asparagus...turns out perfect every time!
Wash the asparagus and place on paper toweling.  Pour a little olive oil over the top.  I use different types of flavored olive oil to make them really tasty. Salt and paper the asparagus and wrap in the paper toweling. Depending on how many spears you have ( usually I only make half of the asparagus and save the other half for another night.  I keep the left over ones in the refrigerator in a glass of water until I'm  ready to use them for another meal.  Put the bundled asparagus in the microwave for 3 minutes.  I usually add another 30 seconds and then let them sit in the microwave until ready to serve. They turn out crisp tender every time!
A Yummy, yummy comfort food dish! Thanks Natasha's Kitchen for this great recipe.  We will definitely serve it again!!!



 
 

Chicken Pot Pie - by Jenny Can Cook
Comfort food at its best! Jenny's recipes are simple and delicious. Fall is in the air and I can see a chicken pot pie for dinner in the very near future!

One Final Thought...
Lots and lots of chicken recipes for everyone to enjoy! Lunch, supper, appetizers, salads...chicken works in just about everything!

Always remember..."Life's short...eat dessert first!"...words to live by! 

Mother's Day...right around the corner!

 
Well, Easter is over and spring has sprung...thank goodness! Up next, "Mother's Day". I thought it would be fun to write a post on a Mother's Day dinner, some kid's projects for Mom and a few homemade gift ideas. This post is a compilation of Mother's Day fun recipes and crafts from around the internet. Ideas that I'm interested in and hopefully others are too!
Although my Mom has passed, it was always fun trying to find the perfect present for her. I'm a crafty person, so Mom usually got something that was homemade along with a pretty flower basket that she could hang outside. As they always say, "Happiness is Homemade"!...
My daughter gave me this beautiful geranium flower pot last year. It bloomed all summer and was so beautiful!
I love impatiens. They bloom constantly. My favorite color is pink and I plant them every year at the lake. They always put a smile on my face.

We all love flowers and by far I think the flower basket or planter is the best gift of all...along with our appreciation for all that Mom has done for all of us. I'm pretty sure we all feel the same way about "Mom". The above geranium plant was given to me by my daughter and son-in-law last year. The flowers were so beautiful. I added a planter box of impatiens. The deck looked so beautiful all summer long.

A Yummy Mother's Day Dinner...
OK, let's get started with an easy dinner for Mother's Day. We're all mothers and the dinner should be easy for us too.  I thought about what I would love for a Mother's Day dinner and this is what I came up with... Pinterest came in handy for all these delicious foods except the French Silk Pie that I have made many times. This recipe has replaced all my chocolate pie recipes. It's the most delicious French Silk Pie you'll ever eat. I have put the Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs recipe below. The remaining recipes have links to the recipes. I have made everyone of them except the grilled veggie salad. I'm going to try it for Mother's Day myself.
 
Mother's Day Dinner
Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
Grilled Vegetable Salad
Grandma's Potatoes
Fruit Salad with Brown Sugar Dressing
Heavenly Rolls (these are so good and so easy)
Pink Lemonade Margaritas

Well the menu is complete. Doesn't it sound wonderful? I added the Pink Lemonade Margarita as an afterthought...Moms like adult beverages too! And really who can resist a "Margarita"?

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into about 1 1/2"X 1 1/2" pieces)
  • 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into about 1 1/2"X1 1/2" pieces)
  • Salt and Pepper 
  • 1-2  T. oil
  • 1  can (20 oz.) pineapple slices (quartered)
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 green peppers (sliced to pieces) or a combination of red, yellow, orange and green peppers
  • Bamboo skewers
  • 1/3 C. BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 T. chopped parsley leaves
Note:
I changed up the "Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs" just a little. I personally like green peppers, and red onions with pineapple and chicken, but you can make them any way you like. I also used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and boneless skinless chicken thighs. I think that chicken thighs add more flavor and don't dry out like chicken breasts tend to do. Again, it's totally up to you how you like your kabobs. For the original recipe click on kabob's picture. 

Here is my revised recipe...

Directions:
  1. Salt and pepper chicken. Tread one piece of chicken, one piece of pineapple and one piece of green pepper and one piece of red onion on skewer. Repeat until your skewer is filled.
  2. Cover and refrigerate until your grill is ready.
  3. Grill on BBQ until chicken is done or internal temperature is 165 degrees.
  4. Remove from grill and brush generously with BBQ sauce.
  5. Sprinkle with parsley flakes.
Time for Dessert
Now, it's time for DESSERT!!!! There are so many ideas for desserts...which one to make is the question. I choose two yummy desserts... the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Trifle and French Silk Pie. Both of them are so good and easy...
This recipe is the best French Silk Pie I have ever tasted. The original recipe is from Cook's Country. It's a wonderful, unbelievable work of art. The taste is amazing. It's not overly sweet and very creamy. It's my son-in-law's favorite pie...It's the BEST!

Gifts for Mom   
Like I said in the beginning of this post, I would always make a little gift for Mom that was hand-made and a hanging basket of flowers for her to hang outside. Here are a few cute hand-made items that you might be interested in making...and don't forget those flowers! Moms love flowers...
I love making bags...lunch bags, carry-all bags, make-up bags...any kind of bags. The ones pictured above were made with panels from Loralie Designs. I love her caricatures of ladies, cats, dogs and whatever.  They are so unique and make really cute bags...LOL! I'm thinking about making a quilt with them when I get some time. If interested, you can check out her website by clicking on her logo below.
I think these gifts are the cute little gifts you can make for Mom. All of them take less than a few hours to make. Simple instructions for all of them. I hope you enjoyed taking a look at some easy, quick gifts to give to Mom...Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Cute Candy Jar with Mother's Day Wrapped Candy Nuggets
This candy jar is from my Easter projects from a few weeks ago, but could be changed out for a cute Mother's Day candy holder. This is an easy project that the kids could do with the help from Dad. All you need is a clay pot, a clay tray for the clay pot and a glass bowl (I purchased mine from Hobby Lobby for around $2). Add some ribbon and Mother's Day wrapped candy nuggets and you have an adorable gift that the kids would love to give Mom. For more information on how to make this, click on read more above...  

Printable Candy Wrappers for Mom's New Candy Jar
Now that you have the candy jar, you need to fill it with some treats. I love these little wrappers for Hershey Nuggets. The above wrappers are printable. Just click on the print button to make the wrappers. The printable labels come with full instructions on how to make these really cute Mother's Day wrappers.

Kid's Crafts for Mom
Now on to the kid's presents for Mom. There are so many ideas on Pinterest that I thought I would share a few with you that are so cute and easy for a little one to make for Mom. The kids always feel so proud when they can give Mom or Grandma something that they make. Those big smiles on the kids faces when Mom or Grandma opens their special gift from the little one is the "true" gift. It also teaches the kids that it's truly better to give than receive. A great life lesson...

All these crafts are from other contributors on Pinterest. Just click on the pictures and you will be redirected to their website for more information and instructions.
Aren't these projects just adorable? I hope one of these work for your kids. They love making them and what Mom could resist not giving them lots of hugs and kisses on Mother's Day!

I love to share great recipes from great cooks. Jenny Can Cook is one of my favorite cooks. Her recipes are easy and delicious. This recipe for BBQ Baby Back Ribs is absolutely DELICIOUS and so easy. If you get a chance to try this recipe, you will not be disappointed! Also check out her videos. They are for the novice cook or the expert alike. Check out Jenny Can Cook website! It's the best!

One Final Thought...
Mom would love any of these cute little projects as a Mother's Day present...Don't forget to buy her some beautiful flowers also. A hanging basket, or a gorgeous bouquet always puts a smile on Mom's face. 

Cleaning Shower Doors 
Have you ever scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed those shower doors? Oh how I hate cleaning the shower the doors. Well here's a sure winner. I've tried it and WOW, it works!

Mix together 1 cup Epson salt, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup blue Dawn dish liquid (Dawn cleans everything!) Mix it together. Rub in a circular motion onto your shower doors with a sponge. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rub off with a wet sponge and rinse with water. SPOTLESS! After going through all that work, keep a bottle of white vinegar in your shower. After each use, spray vinegar on the shower doors and rinse. they will stay cleaner a lot longer.


I hope you enjoyed this post for Mother's Day. It's always fun making something for a special person and making an easy dinner that everyone will love. The kids love crafts and when it's a special occasion like Mother's Day they put their whole heart into their project. Their eyes get so big and their chests are pumped out with so much pride. The thank you for their gifts will be a big hug and a kiss from Mom and Grandma. Everyone understands hugs and kisses...until next time...and a very Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Always remember..."Life's short...eat dessert first!"...words to live by!