Thai Mango Chicken

This recipe is a nice company dish. When I made this for our company it got a thumbs up all around. It is ready in a short time since the meat isn't cooked long and the veggies are stir fried.  Serve over rice and you have a complete meal with lots of vegetables.  This amount makes 8 servings. I also served Salad (with out the added chicken) as a side dish.

• 6 fresh chicken breast halves, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoons oil
• 2 fresh peppers, cut into thin strips (I used red and yellow)
• 2 cups of broccoli 
• 1 can of lite coconut milk (in Canada it is a 400 ml size)
• fill can with water and add 1 tablespoon of low sodium chicken bouillon.
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (optional)
• 1  tablespoons of  curry paste (add more if you like it spicier and more curry flavor, I added a generous 2 tablespoons)
• 2 fresh mango cubed

1. Stir fry the peppers and broccoli in the oil for a few minutes and set aside.
2. After removing the peppers, stir fry the chicken in a bit more oil until the chicken strips are browned.
3. In the mean time mix the coconut milk, water, hoisin sauce and seasoning, stir well.
4. dissolve cornstarch in the coconut milk mixture.
5. Return the vegetables to the chicken, add the sauce and cook until it comes to a boil and the sauce thickens.
6. Add mango to heat through.

Bread for The Journey

Jesus Loves the little children

All the children of the world

Red and yellow, black and white,

All are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about children.

On October 1st we were blessed with a new baby grandson - our 7th grandchild.  

As I held this little one, only hours after he was born, 

I marveled again at the whole miracle of birth.

This precious little boy has, from conception, everything vital to life, everything needed to become an adult.  How is it that his heart was made with not only the ability to pump the blood his body needs to feed its cells but the capacity to do this without any conscious effort on his behalf?  How do cells multiply so that this tiny heart increases in size to meet the needs of his growing body?

His features reflect those of his parents and yet he is unique - 

there is no other child just like him.

He breathes, eats, sleeps and cries - he feels pain, comfort and warmth.  

Soon he will respond with a smile to a friendly face and will crawl and walk and run.  

His brain will enable him to learn and understand not only what is seen and taught but also  intangible things that he will sense and respond to.

All this and so much more - what a miracle of God's creation and how God blesses all of us through his presence in our family..

Then last week we attended the funeral of our friends' dearly loved granddaughter.  

This little girl, only a few years old, was a beautiful child,

 so pretty with her dark hair and expressive eyes.  

She too breathed, ate, slept and cried. She felt pain, comfort and warmth. 

However right from birth, there were complications, many issues that restricted her ability to grow and develop, to speak, to walk, to learn.  

Despite these issues she too was God's perfect creation - 

designed with a purpose and given as a gift to her family.  

As her family shared her story, as we saw pictures of her daily activities, 

we could see that she brought joy and meaning to those around her. 

She was as precious to her family as our grandson is to us.

I don't know the answers to the "Why" questions. 

Why one child lives, and another doesn't, why one child can walk and talk and another can't. However I do know God, the One who created each life.

I choose to believe that He values each child and 

 that He does nothing without love and compassion. 

As the song says,

 "All are precious in His sight".

There is design and purpose to all He creates and
 I will praise Him for His marvelous workmanship.

Psalm 139:13-17 TLB 

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and 

knit them together in my mother's womb.  

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. 

Your workmanship is marvelous- and how well I know it.  

You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! 

You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life 
before I began to breathe.  
Every day was recorded in Your Book!  

How precious it is Lord to know you are  thinking about me constantly!

Banana Cake with Broiled topping

This recipe (with a few changes) comes from my friend Elenore and it's one I use over and over.  It's great for using up those last few bananas that are turning dark. Because it makes two 8x8 inch cakes (or one 9x13 inch) you can freeze one to have on hand for unexpected guests.

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter or shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Topping:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cream
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans or sliced almonds

Method:

1. Beat together butter and sugar in mixer until creamy - this may take 3-5 minutes.
2. Add vanilla and one egg and beat very well.
3. Add remaining egg and beat again.
4. Sift flour lightly on to waxed paper and measure out 2 cups.
5. Place in bowl and add baking powder, baking soda and salt.
6. Sift again.
7. Add 1/2 of mashed banana and sour cream to batter and beat.
8. Add 1/2 of dry ingredients beating until blended.
9. Repeat with remaining banana and flour mixture.
10. Beat until well blended.
11. Divide batter into 2 greased and floured 8x8 inch pans (or line pans with parchment paper) or one 9x13 inch pan.
12. Bake at 350 degrees F oven for about 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out dry. Cakes will spring back when you touch the tops.
13. While cakes are baking, mix topping in a small bowl.
14. When cakes are done, remove from oven and place topping by small spoonfuls over each cake.
15. Carefully spread out topping to cover entire surface of each cake.
16. Return cakes to oven and continue baking at 350 degrees F until topping begins to bubble.  This could take about 5 - 10 minutes. Watch carefully.
17. Remove from oven and cool on racks.
18. When cool remove from pans and serve with whipping cream or package up for the freezer if desired.

Oven Baked Salmon

Salmon is a good source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids.
Here is a simple and very tasty way to oven bake a whole salmon.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 pound salmon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lemon, sliced thin
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• fresh ground pepper

Method:

1. Wash salmon and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Tear off a large enough piece of foil to lay salmon on and also wrap in completely.
3. Lay cleaned salmon on foil lined baking sheet. Rub the outside of salmon with olive oil.
4. Fill cavity of salmon with thin slices of lemon, onion and sprigs of fresh parsley. 
5. Cut butter into small pieces and lay on top of lemon and onion slices.
6. Salt and pepper inside of salmon.
7. Grind fresh pepper onto outside skin of salmon. 
8. Fold foil over salmon and seal edges to hold in moisture while baking.
9. Bake at 400ºF for 40-45 minutes. (approximately 10 minutes per inch thickness of salmon)
10. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Open foil, and lift salmon onto a serving tray. 

Side note: Using the method above the bones are still in the fish when you serve it. You can easily remove the lemon and onions, slit the baked fish and pull out the bones before serving. They come out very nicely once the fish is bake. 

Easy Jello Yogurt Dessert

This is a very simple dessert that is a great choice when you are serving guests on a sugar or gluten restricted diet. (not that it isn't great any time!)
It was one of the desserts recently brought to a potluck and everyone wanted the recipe - including me!
The cook was happy to give it !

Recipe

• two packages of  Jello (flavored gelatin)  - use sugar-free for diabetics.   Choose Jello in two contrasting colours. The original recipe calls for lemon and orange -  I used lemon and raspberry. 
• 2 cups boiling water 
• 2 cups yogurt  (plain or vanilla) 
• small tin of orange segments 
•  whipped cream for garnish 

1. In two separate bowls mix each jello flavour with 1 cup boiling water. 
2. Let cool. 
3. Then add one cup yogurt to each bowl,  stirring until well blended. 
4. Put lemon Jello , or the flavour you want for the bottom layer of your dessert, in a glass serving bowl or in individual serving dishes. 
5. Put serving dish(es)  into the fridge to set ... leaving the other bowl of Jello/yogurt  at room temperature.  . 
6. Let the bottom layer  almost set .... then spoon the contrast Jello/yogurt on top ...garnish with mandarin orange slices.    
7. Let completely set in fridge . 
8. Top with piped whipped cream.   

Apple Cherry Muffins

 

A muffin is still a muffin even if it's wrapped in parchment paper . . . but I was inspired when I saw these in a recent Style at Home magazine. The recipe is one I've played with and switched up ingredients for and no matter what I do to it, it always turns out.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups multigrain flour (or half white/half ww)
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (down from 3/4)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 finely chopped or grated apples 
• 1 cup dried cherries

topping:

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare 12 large muffin tins or 8-9 tomato sauce cans
2. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients, stirring to make sure sugar is blended in well.
3. In a small bowl, combine egg, butter and buttermilk.
4. Add wet ingredients and fruit to dry ingredients, stirring until just blended. Spoon into muffin tins.
5. Mix topping ingredients and spread a tablespoon full on each muffin, pressing in lightly.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

* to prepare tomato sauce cans, spray bottoms. Line cans with parchment paper cut to size. Fill almost to the top and bake bake 30 minutes. Remove from tins after about 10 minutes and cool on wire racks. Tie with kitchen twine.

Fish with Remoulade sauce

Aren't the most memorable meals often associated with a special place?

On a recent trip to Denmark, we enjoyed this sauce with fish 

while sitting alongside the canal at Nyhavn. Here is my version of the sauce we had there.

The Danes make this sauce both with or without horseradish.

 For the Remoulade sauce:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole grain mustard 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon dillweed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped sweet pickle and pickled cauliflower
• Horseradish to taste (if desired)

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Refrigerate until serving.

For the fish:

• 4 Fish fillets -  a white fish like Red Snapper, Tilapia, Basa or Cod is best
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. Wash fish and pat dry with paper towel.
2. Using three shallow bowls, mix flour and seasoned salt in the first, beat egg and milk in the second and combine Panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese in the third.
3. Dip each piece of fish first in the flour, then in the milk and egg and lastly coat each fish fillet with the Panko mixture.
4. Place oil and butter in a frying pan on medium high heat.
5. When butter has melted and mixture is hot, add fish and fry until golden.
6. Turn over and fry the other side being careful to not overcook the fish.
7. The fish is done when  it is still slightly moist inside and you can flake it with a fork.
8. Remove to serving dish and serve with Remoulade Sauce and Lemon wedges.

Green Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pizza

 When we chat back and forth about which recipes to put onto the blog we are often brainstorming on how to use what we have.  I have green tomatoes and plenty of them.
What to do with green tomatoes that are ever so slowly ripening in my garage?
Green tomato pizza was a new idea to me but now it will be a regular appetizer during the late summer when the race begins to use all those green tomatoes in the garden.
My beloved enjoyed the recipe...
but wondered where the salami was.

• pizza dough 
• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 bulb garlic,  roasted
• 1 1/2  cups grated Italian,  mozzarella blend cheese
• 2 green tomatoes, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. Use half of the pizza dough.  Place on a piece of parchment paper that had a smidge of olive oil on it. Flip dough over. Put another piece of parchment paper on top and press the dough with the heel of your hand until evenly 1/4 inch thick.  Let rise an hour.
2. Bake the dough at 400 on the parchment paper and cookie sheet or pizza pan until firm but not yet browned .. .about 10 minutes. 
3. Slice the top off a garlic bulb, drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil over top and wrap in foil.  Bake at 350 until soft and caramel color, about an hour.
4. Caramelize the onion with a drizzle of olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat until the onion turns a light caramel color.  Stir every few minutes.
5. Squeeze out garlic onto baked pizza shell and spread evenly.
6. Layer pizza toppings in this order... Italian blend, caramel apples, green tomatoes, parmesan cheese.
7. Bake in top third of oven at 400 until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.

OH ....and congratulations to Judy winner of the Celebrations book.  

Just a little something from JudyOctober 18, 2012 8:13 PM

I couldn't wait to see the new cover and I think it is so well done! Who would have thought that you would take aprons up to a new level. I can't wait to see the inside and all that it includes. You all sure do things in a pretty, creative, and delicious way. Congratulations on all your hard work!

Judy...we'll get your contact info and have a book sent out to you May 2013.

Thank you so much again for your encouraging and inspiring words.
It truly does keep us going.

Beef & Chorizo Chili

 This is a thick chili with 3 kinds of beans and jalapeno that is sure to warm you up!

• 1 pound ground beef
• 12 oz. ground chorizo
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can diced petite tomatoes (14-16 oz.)
• 1 can drained and rinsed black beans (14-16 oz.)
• 1 can drained and rinsed kidney beans (14-16 oz.)
• 1 can drained pinto beans (14-16 oz.)
• 1 fresh jalapeno, chopped or 1/2  of a 4oz. can of chopped jalapeno
• 1 can corn (approx. 15 oz.)
• Fresh  diced tomatoes and grated cheese for serving

1. Heat oil in large heavy bottomed pot.
2. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add beef and chorizo and season well.
5. Cook till meat is no longer pink.
6. Add the tomatoes, 3 kinds of beans, jalapeno, and corn.
7. Bring to a boil and simmer for up to an hour. If you like thinner chili you can add some broth to the pot.
8. Serve topped with fresh tomatoes and grated cheese or your favorite toppings. We always love to have corn bread with our chili. 

This recipe will probably serve 8-10 people.

Click here for Betty's cornbread recipe.

We'll be announcing the winner to the Celebration Cookbook on Monday morning's post!  Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments.  You inspire us.

Curried Rice and Squash Casserole

While waiting at the doctor's office, I often browse through magazines.  Invariably, I come home with a new recipe to try.  Since this is squash season...I thought this recipe was just the thing. I made a few changes and we enjoyed our curried squash casserole.  Pair it with chicken or white fish, and enjoy.

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 – 14 oz. tin coconut milk
• 2 ½ cups diced squash
• 1 ½ cups jasmine rice
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 – 14 oz. tin of black beans drained and rinsed
• slivered almonds, optional

1. Saute onions in oil until tender.
2. Blend in spices.
3. Stir in broth, coconut milk and boil 1 minute.
4. Add squash, rice, raisins and black beans.
5. Place in shallow 3-4 quart casserole.
6. Cover and bake 40 minutes in 350° oven;  uncover and cook for 10 minutes more.
7. Garnish with slivered, toasted almonds.