Chicken breast is great — you can do a wide variety of things with it, meat-lovers still get something substantial on their plate, dieters get a lower fat meat.
But I don’t think any of us can deny that yes, you can get a little tired of chicken breast and yes, you can run out of new ways to cook them.
Today’s recipe is one I actually haven’t used for a while, don’t remember where I got it, but still love. You don’t need to plan ahead, you don’t need an hour or more in the kitchen. Chicken Diane is one of those simple and quick, yet delicious dinners that you can whip up in no time flat.
Chicken Breast Diane
serves 6
4 chicken breast halves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
3 T. chives or green onions
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
2 t. prepared mustard
1/4 c. chicken broth
Pound the breasts until they are nice and thin. I do this by placing the chicken breast between two layers of plastic wrap and pounding with a mallet or other heavy kitchen utensil. When done, salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast.
Gather all of your ingredients - it’s more efficient and easier if everything is handy - you won’t have to scramble, hunting for the mustard that mysteriously migrated to the back of the fridge. Then, heat HALF of the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Once hot, place the chicken breasts in at this heat.
4 minutes on each side should cook the chicken through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and turn the heat down. Next, add the remaining ingredients except the broth — the chives, lemon juice, parsley, and mustard. Whisk until smooth, then add the other 1 T. oil and 1 T. butter and the chicken broth. Stir and pour over chicken.
This dish goes really, really well with some fresh green beans or other fresh green vegetables. Add some brown rice or pasta for a complete dinner.
Enjoy!
May 20th, 2008
In response to Steve Pavlina’s “How to Be a Man” post, I had to join in the fun and write my idea of a true woman. Steve Pavlina’s blog is one of my husband’s favorites to read and this post was a real winner, both fun and thought-provoking. I hope my thoughts on being a woman are almost as good!
How to Be a Real Woman
1. Make your own decisions. Form your own opinions about politics, family life, personal relationships, your faith, and more. A real woman doesn’t have to depend on her spouse, father, mother, friends, or anyone else to make her decisions for her. She is assured and intelligent enough to come to her own conclusions, but is also open enough to listen to and consider the opinions of others.
2. Know your priorities. Learn to tell the difference between what is merely urgent and what is truly important. A true woman can shift aside the meaningless to find what is meaningful and spend her time on the things in her life that matter the most. She understands that what’s important to other people isn’t always important to her and vice versa.
3. Learn to trust and be trusted by others. You don’t have to be in control all of the time and can relax and allow others to take charge. A real woman trusts her spouse to have her best interests at heart. At the same time, she is trustworthy and honest and the people who know her best trust her in every way.
4. Take care of yourself. Take care of yourself; mind, body, and soul. A real woman takes time out to exercise, do Bible study, meditate and/or pray, and educate herself. She knows and understands that doing these things is not selfish, but is essential to her well-being and is also for the benefit of those she shares her life with.
5. Give and receive love and affection gracefully. Never be embarrassed to ask for help, a back rub, a gift, or a favor. Neither should you hesitate to give the same; do both with joy, grace, and energy. Either way, both parties feel good and benefit from the giving.
6. Release your creativity. Everyone is given a certain amount of creativity. A true woman uses her creative energy in fun and productive ways, such as sewing or quilting, cooking, writing, painting, socializing, woodworking, etc. She is not afraid to share the results with her loved ones, acquaintances, or even strangers.
7. Don’t be afraid of hard work, sweating, or relaxing. Women no longer want to be pampered. They want and need to be productive and proud. They will not hesitate to apply liberal amounts of elbow grease and get sweaty and dirty. And, after working hard and accomplishing a goal, they want to reward themselves and enjoy the results before moving on to the next task.
8. Be beautiful. Look your best. This varies, of course, but a real woman looks her best. She doesn’t lie around in a bathrobe, even if she can. She does the best she can with what she’s been given – she gets dressed, maybe applies some make up, keeps an eye on the waistline and cares about her looks without being obsessed with them. She knows that when she looks her best, she feels good about herself.
9. A real woman doesn’t need diamonds, spa treatments, or French manicures to know her self-worth. She views them as wasteful, frivolous, useless, and meaningless. She would rather have a meaningful experience, such as a walk in the woods with her mate.
10. Submit without being a doormat. A real woman can set aside her own desires for someone else. She can serve her spouse happily because she wants to. At the same time, she doesn’t allow herself to be forced and manipulated into doing something she doesn’t want to do.
Comments? Email me at cheryl@familychowhall.com or clh@familychowhall.com
May 13th, 2008
The Sunday Dilemma.
What to eat for lunch on Sunday? This is the question the plagues many of us every week. We, the church-loving, penny-pinching, got-a-lot-of-kids-to-feed moms need something appetizing and filling to be ready and waiting for us when we burst back in the door after Sunday worship services.
Today’s recipe can solve this problem once every month or two without getting old. Macaroni and Cheese, the standard crowd-pleaser, is a little different to prepare but is still its yummy self in the crockpot.
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
2 c. dry macaroni
1 can evaporated milk (it can be evaporated skim milk if you are watching the fat calories)
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided (sharp)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
No need to cook the macaroni! Hooray! In a large bowl, combine both milks, the eggs, 3 c. of the cheese, salt and pepper.
Now spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Set on LOW. Add the macaroni to the milk mixture and put it all in the crockpot. Top with the remaining 1 c. cheese.
Cook for 5-6 hours on low.
vegetable. Asparagus truly is special, readers — it loves the cold winters and pops up in the springtime, the first vegetable a gardener gets to enjoy from his own piece of the earth. Now, I know that asparagus is something of an acquired taste, truthfully it is one that I am just starting to acquire myself. When it’s nice and tender, not too tough and woody, that’s when I like it best. Look for thin, bright green stalks with small heads and you can’t go wrong.
Enjoy!
(By the way — what a handy recipe to take to potlucks and other dinners!) For large families or crowds, increase everything by half or double the amounts.
May 6th, 2008