Pesto Chicken

Pesto Chicken Bake

It's time for me to head back down the road for another babysitting assignment. And I haven't quite caught up with posting a couple of recipes from my last visit. But I certainly want to share this one because it was wonderful.

After all of those wonderful strawberry dessert recipes I've posted, it's time for something that isn't sweet. This one is good choice if you're watching your calories, watching your gluten intake, watching your carbs, or like us, just watching out for something yummy to put on your plate. This was what Mommy made for supper one night while I was there last visit. Definitely adding this recipe to my list of regulars.

 CHICKEN PESTO BAKE

1 package chicken cutlets (her pack had 6 cutlets)
salt & pepper to taste (she used House Seasoning*)
4-6 teaspoons pesto (1 tsp per cutlet)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin
6 tablespoons part-skim mozzarella cheese
4-6 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil, for easy clean up.
Season chicken with salt & pepper. Place chicken on baking sheet. Spread 1 teaspoon of pesto over each piece of chicken.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until chicken is done. Top each piece of chicken with tomato slices, mozzarella and Parmesan. Slide pan back into hot oven for a couple of minutes to melt cheese.

*House Seasoning:  Mix 1/4 cup salt, 1 tbsp. black pepper & 1 tbsp. garlic powder. Store in an air-tight container, such as an empty spice bottle.


If you tried the Naan Pizza that was another of Mommy's recipes and loved it (I heard from several people who did,) this is the same flavor combination. I'm thinking maybe I should plant more basil in the garden so that I can make my own pesto later this summer. I didn't know how much I loved the flavor.

It Was A Lovely Lake Weekend

This early in the season, the lake is quiet. In a few weeks, it will be filled with boats and pontoons and fishermen and water skiers and noisy children playing. 

But this weekend, we nearly had the lake to ourselves. We savored the stillness. Enjoyed the quiet. Took pleasure in the sunset. Just the two of us. There aren't many days like this.

The next morning, we could barely see the lake for the fog that swirled over the water. But the sun rose higher and higher and the fog became mist and the mist slowly drifted away.

As the sky brightened, we discovered we had not been as alone at the lake as we thought. We were sharing the dock and the pier with spiders, who must have worked all night after we went inside. As the sun came up, we could see these magnificent works of art, visible from the porch up the hill. The sunlight sparkled on the dewy webs and they were shining.

We had swept the boat dock the afternoon we arrived and this space between the dock posts was empty. How quickly can a spider spin a web? They must work at a furious speed, because these webs were enormous. (Actually, I looked it up–it takes about an hour.)

Of course, we had cleaned our favorite seat on the pier. That's our favorite spot for watching the water. We sat out here until the sun went down.

But this is what we found the next morning. It evidently is a favorite spot of the spiders, too. We are back at home now. The spiders can work undisturbed until we have another lake weekend.

  

Poetry is a fresh morning spider-web

telling a story of moonlight hours

of weaving and waiting during a night.

 –Carl Sandburg

 

Poetry is a fresh morning spider-web telling a story of moonlit hours of weaving and waiting during a night.

Carl Sandburg

Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/1342554

Poetry is a fresh morning spider-web telling a story of moonlit hours of weaving and waiting during a night.

Carl Sandburg

Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/spider-web.html

Poetry is a fresh morning spider-web telling a story of moonlit hours of weaving and waiting during a night.

Carl Sandburg

Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/spider-web.html

Poetry is a fresh morning spider-web telling a story of moonlit hours of weaving and waiting during a night.

Carl Sandburg

Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/spider-web.html

Grab 'n Go Sandwiches

I have made this recipe for years and years, usually around Christmas when we need party food. But when I came across slider rolls at the store, I thought I would make this recipe again using these slightly larger rolls. And this time I'm wrapping them in pairs before freezing.

That way, when Daddy-O needs a quick lunch while he is busy outside working, or wants to pack a cooler to take with him in the tractor during hay season, he can grab a pack or two. Of course, they are meant to be heated before eating, but there is nothing that must be hot to be safe.

If he ends up with a cold sandwich, the worst thing would be the cheese not being melted. He could live with that. But if he takes a break while still in the field, he could lay those foil-wrapped sandwiches on the hot tractor engine for a few minutes. Use it like a toaster oven. Tractor hack!

It will be great to take some of these to the lake, too, where the kitchen is the size of a postage stamp. We could even heat these wrapped sandwiches on the grill if we wanted to. There is really no cooking—they just need to be heated.

 

Don't know what your summer schedule is, but these sandwiches might be a handy addition to your freezer stash. A grab-and-go kind of meal.

HAM DELIGHT SLIDERS

1/2 lb. butter, softened (that's 2 sticks)

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

3 tablespoons French's mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 small onion, minced

1-1/2 lb. ham from deli, shaved (I have used smoked turkey)

2 packs ultra thin Swiss cheese slices (18 per pack--you won't need quite all)

2 packages slider rolls (12 per pack)

Mix butter, poppy seeds, mustard, Worcestershire, and onion, blending well. 

Spread top and bottom of rolls with butter mixture. On bottom half, place ham and cheese. Replace top half of rolls. Wrap in heavy duty foil. Bake at 400 degrees and bake for 10 minutes.

These can be frozen and heated straight out of the freezer. Just allow extra oven time if you do it that way.

I also heated a couple of them in the microwave for Daddy-O's lunch when, on the day I made them, he came in late from hauling hay and needed a quick lunch. Microwave heating means NO FOIL, remember? Those two sliders were not frozen, but ones I had saved out from my freezer stashing.

Here's how I packaged them for the freezer... I wrapped two sliders in foil, using pre-cut foil sheets and then slid them into a freezer ziplock bag. Two sliders is the right size for Daddy-O's lunch. This foil, like regular aluminum foil, is NOT a freezer wrap. If you want to wrap and freeze them without the plastic bag, you need to use heavy-duty foil.

If you have made the original recipe, you'll notice that the amounts here are slightly different. I discovered that 1 lb. of shaved ham wasn't enough to make 24 sliders. I got 18 sliders from my single pound of meat.

Strawberry Cobbler

Strawberry Cobbler

One more excellent strawberry dessert. This recipe is a new one to me, but Mommy had made it before. I was so happy to be around when she made it this time. It was absolutely delicious! This is one time I was a little sad that I am being so careful about eating sweets—doctors orders. I only had one spoonful. And it was about the best thing I've tasted in ages.

Daddy-O came down to visit for a couple of days while I was at Mommy's for the week. She did need to use the strawberries, but I think she made the cobbler especially for her daddy. He loved it! Grandchildren and strawberry cobbler. How perfect a visit was that for him?

STRAWBERRY COBBLER

1 cup self-rising flour (or, 1 c. all-purpose flour + 1/2 tsp salt & 1-1/2 tsp baking powder)
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups sweetened strawberries, fresh or frozen (used 1 cup sugar to sweeten berries)
1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a 2 to 2-1/2 quart casserole. While butter is melting, cut strawberries and sweeten with sugar and let stand while you mix batter.

Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in milk until smooth. Pour batter over melted butter. DO NOT STIR!

Pour strawberries down the center of batter. DO NOT STIR!  (Optional: Sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over the batter and strawberries to make a nice finish on baked cobbler.)

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until you can insert a knife into center of and peep into the cobbler. The batter should be cake-like and not soupy.

Strawberry Bread

Strawberry Bread

Maybe your strawberry season is just starting, or maybe like us, your season is about over. But I still have strawberry recipes to share. This quick bread is delicious. Jessica made this right after our "jam session" because she didn't want to waste any berries. One loaf was nearly gone before it had cooled off. I took the other loaf to Mommy's house and it was quickly claimed by the little girls. That's what they wanted for breakfast until every crumb was eaten.

Jessica made two more loaves later that afternoon (yes, it's that easy) and took some to her co-workers. I've told her I think she has extra job security because in addition to being good at what she does, she provides them with homemade goodies on a somewhat regular basis.

STRAWBERRY BREAD

1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ½ cups self-rising flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries (dredged in a little flour)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well.

In another bowl, whisk flour and cinnamon; gradually stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Gently fold in strawberries.

Pour into 2 greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).


You can find the online original recipe here, if you want to make yours with all-purpose flour. It works either way.


I have been away, visiting both daughters and doing some babysitting and decided to leave my computer at home. I am "back in the saddle again" and will try to get caught up on things. If you looked at the Strawberry Ice Cream recipe posted last Thursday and noticed that something wasn't right, you were correct. One of the milks was left off the ingredient list. I was trying out a new phone app for blog posting. It is harder to use than I had hoped. All has been corrected now, so make sure you have the corrected recipe.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry Ice Cream (no eggs)

I had an ulterior motive when I brought strawberries to Georgia. I knew they would have to use them quickly and I would be here to taste all the recipes. 

 

Mommy made ice cream yesterday with part of her berries. If you have one of those 1-1/2 quart ice cream makers (the kind where you freeze the container before using--no ice required) in your kitchen, strawberry season is a good time to pull it out. Those tend to be forgotten appliances, but they really do work and making homemade ice cream is easy enough for a weeknight dessert. 

 

Everyone enjoyed the ice cream but maybe Baby Girl loved it most. She didn't waste a drop. I like her style. And when she was done, she said, "Mimi, it's tasty!" I totally agree. 

 

This ice cream tastes just like the kind my mother made--but it doesn't call for raw eggs. In this day and time, that's safer. 

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM (no eggs)

1 (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk, such as Eagle Brand

1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
1-1/4 cups fresh milk

about 1 cup cut up strawberries 

2 tablespoons sugar

a good squeeze fresh lemon juice (about 1 tbsp)

pinch of salt

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Sprinkle sugar over cut up berries. Stir and add in lemon juice and salt. Let stand while mixing milks. Mash slightly. 

Using a whisk, blend the 3 milks together thoroughly and chill for 30 minutes. (I like to chill the canned milks first.)

Mix strawberries and milk mixture. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to appliance directions. Freeze until done, about 20-25 minutes. 

While it might change the texture a little, you can use low-fat or fat-free milk for any or all of the milks called for. Just remember, lower fat content means it won't be as creamy. But it will still be "tasty" as Baby Girl says. 

Jam Session

Freezer Strawberry Jam

I've had many a jam session with fellow musicians over the years. But while I was visiting Jessica, we had our own "jam session." We made a batch of jam using some of the strawberries I took her. (The U-pick strawberry farm is a neighbor to our farm.)

I really hate to admit that after all the years I worked as a home economist, answering questions of all sorts about food preservation, I had never actually made jam myself. We thought we would make the regular kind of jam, but after a survey of her kitchen equipment, we changed plans and made freezer jam instead. No big pot for a water bath needed!

We looked up multiple recipes for freezer jam. Nearly all of them were exactly the same. It only takes four cups of berries so the prep was quick work.

We wondered if you could even buy canning jars in the city. But when we bought the last case at the store, we figured that everyone in Atlanta must be making jam.

We discovered that freezer jam is a brighter red than traditional jam because the fruit isn't cooked. We had to sample the jam before the standing time was complete. Our finished jam is still a little soft, but it's so delicious. It was perfect with the toast made from bread bought at the farmers market.

FREEZER STRAWBERRY JAM

4 cups (1 quart) strawberries, cut in half
4 cups sugar
3/4 cups water
1 package (1-3/4 oz) powdered fruit pectin, like Sure-Jell

Mash strawberries with potato masher or in food processor until slightly chunky (not pureed) 
to make 2 cups crushed strawberries. 

Mix strawberries and sugar in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature  
at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix water and pectin in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. 
Pour hot pectin mixture over strawberry mixture; stir constantly 3 minutes

Immediately spoon mixture into freezer containers (we used wide-mouth canning jars,) 
leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims of containers; seal. Let stand at room temperature, 
about 24 hours or until set.

Store in freezer up to 6 months or in refrigerator up to 3 weeks. Thaw frozen jam and stir before serving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a great first jam recipe. It takes only about 30 minutes to make it. We got 5 half-pint jars of jam, plus a smaller amount for sampling.

A few things I think might have helped:

Have the strawberries at room temp before starting. Ours had been in the refrigerator and it was harder for the sugar to dissolve.

I wish I had left bigger pieces in the mashed berries. It said "slightly chunky" but that is subject to interpretation. I think I was close to having strawberry jelly!

Add the pectin to the water gradually, stirring as you pour it in to help it dissolve easily.

Stir the sugar/strawberry mix until the sugar has dissolved (or nearly dissolved) before stirring in the hot pectin. You can stir longer than three minutes after adding the pectin, if necessary.

I brought a jar to Mommy's house. She had it for breakfast this morning and said, "It's thumbs up for the jam!" I will make this again for sure. I want to see if following my "might have helped" ideas make much difference in the end result. Just remember, that because the recipe is really only strawberries and sugar, that it will be completely edible and totally delicious any way it turns out.