Food And Friends And Family

Turkey Sweet Potato Chili

One of the best things you can do for a new mother is take her a meal. Or even part of a meal. First time mothers have lots to learn about caring for a newborn. Mothers who have other children have their hands full, too. All new mothers could use a kitchen boost. Plus, it tells them they've got friends and family who care about them.

This delicious chili was delivered by Jessica's friend. She brought food and encouragement and helpful advice for the new mom. I asked for the recipe and she sent the link and told me about her adjustments to the recipe. I want to make this when I get home. My older daughter (again...need to rename everyone here on the blog...ugh.) said she has made this recipe several times and her family loves it.

The original recipe is from Skinny Taste. We've used many of her recipes and have found them to be dependably good.

TURKEY SWEET POTATO CHILI

1 medium white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 oz. goat cheese, divided
optional garnishes:  sliced scallions, diced avocado

Brown meats in a large pot or Dutch oven on stove top. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT goat cheese. Simmer 2 hours. Before serving, stir in half of goat cheese. Use the other half as garnish when serving. Can use scallions and avocado as garnish also.


To complete this meal, friend Ali brought cornbread and an arugula/orange salad. Oh....and chocolate chip cookies. Can't forget the cookies! This was an easy meal for us to heat up and eat. This new family is learning to eat in the minutes available here and there. This meal works.

There are so many times that homemade food says "I care." Mommy (my older daughter) had already brought Baked Rotini plus sides one night. And wise, experienced mother that she is, she divided the recipe into two square pans—one to bake, one to freeze for later.

Of course, I've taken many meals to people over the years. People with new babies, people home from the hospital, people with a bereavement. I learned from my mom who was a generous cook. But ages ago I got a phone call one day from a friend and she said, "I'm cooking your supper tonight." There was no new baby, no one was sick and no one had died. I was just doing the busy after-school chauffeuring thing. Jane wanted to do a kind thing for me. And it was AWESOME. All these years later, I don't remember what the meal was but I DO remember the dessert. It was a no-bake chocolate eclair cake. I don't have her recipe, but it was similar to this one.

Well, I've managed to make myself hungry. I'll be back soon. After I've found a snack.

Easy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

Easy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

This is surely not an award winning food photo. But I'm proud there is a picture at all. This was supper the first full day home from the hospital with new baby. Everyone (including me) was beyond tired. But people still have to eat. I knew what was in the refrigerator, so I did a recipe search for "quick easy chicken broccoli." And this recipe popped up at the top of my choices. What a perfect meal. Yes. It was quick and it was easy. And it was really, really good. I want to make this for Daddy-O soon after I get home. 

Here is the wee baby, doing what she does best. She's a champion napper. Now, all the grandmamas know that won't last, but for right now it's good that the new mom can get a little rest, too.

And I'm taking advantage of a weekend R&R. I'll go back for a few more days, and then head back to the farm. I know I won't get to see this little lady so very often, so I've been delighted to have some time with her at the very beginning. And to have some extra time with my daughter. 

Now, for the recipe. I made it pretty close to the original. I did cut chicken tenders (that's what was in the fridge) into chunks which was even easier than cutting up the boneless breasts the recipe calls for. Obviously, either works. Her recipe also called for toasted sesame oil. New mama's pantry had regular sesame oil and that was fine. Don't go buy toasted if you have regular sesame oil on hand.

The 12-minute part? (The original recipe is called 12-Minute Chicken & Broccoli.) Not the way I cook. Looking at the original recipe and doing the math, there is 9 minutes cooking time which leaves 3 minutes prep time. I don't work that fast. And I probably cooked everything a little longer, too. I'm still learning how their stove works.

Here's how I did it:

Set out all ingredients before you start. Measure and stir together sauce ingredients. Start cooking rice before you start the chicken. Rice takes about 20 minutes to cook on the stove top. I toasted some sesame seeds while the chicken was cooking. Put a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat and stir them occasionally until they are a golden color. Remove from heat.

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI STIR FRY

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 (1-lb) packages chicken tenders, cut into chunks
salt & pepper (I used House Seasoning—see below)
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (discard stem)
1 teaspoon sesame oil (regular or toasted)
optional toppings: sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds

Stir Fry Sauce:
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
         Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Put 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt & pepper. Cook chicken chunks about 5 minutes, until browned and almost cooked through.

Make sauce (if you haven't already done this) while chicken is cooking.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the chopped broccoli and stir together. Cook about 3 more minutes until broccoli is bright green. Stir in sauce and cook for about 1 minute, until sauce is thickened. Stir in sesame oil.

Serve over rice and top with garnishes, if using.


I am really happy to have this recipe in my recipe box now. I thought it might need more sauce because similar recipes I've made never seem to have enough. But this was perfect.

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I always keep a jar of house seasoning on the shelf. Sometimes I make a big batch. Most times I make it in this smaller proportion.
 *House Seasoning:  
1/4 cup salt 
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder
Mix well. Store in an air-tight container, such as an empty spice bottle or small jar. 

The Grandmother Gig

I am away from the blog at the moment while I truly am on a "grandmother gig." We welcomed this sweet thing into the family just over a week ago. Yes. Another girl! She arrived weighing 5 lb 8 oz. 

This blog was started when I helped with the first grandbaby born into the family. I'm thinking I might have to reassign blog names for the grandchildren since Baby Girl is no longer the "baby" in the family. I'll have to think on this a bit!

My days are full right now but I'll be back here on the blog in the near future. 

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day meal.

This was the Christmas I discovered that many of my "must do" holiday things were not particularly necessary. I probably knew that intellectually but I never wanted to skip any of it. Until the flu made that decision for me. The funniest part is that no one else seemed to notice what didn't get done. Lesson learned.

I am thankful for daughters and sons-in-law and a capable husband who all pitched in to make sure everyone was fed. I was laying low, looking at friends IG posts of their families seated around beautifully set tables and feeling like I had let my folks down a little. I was sad that my Christmas china never made it out of the cabinet. And then yesterday one daughter told me that one of the best parts of her holiday was eating the Christmas night dinner—standing rib roast and the (fewer) trimmings—on the holiday Corelle dishes, in her pajamas. Nothing fancy required. But we were all around the table. That's what mattered.

Yesterday, it was the traditional Southern New Year's Day meal of peas and collards meal that promises good fortune in the coming year. And I cooked most of it. So good to be back in the kitchen. As we feasted yesterday everyone said this was their most favorite meal. Maybe because it's the opposite of rich holiday foods. And we all wondered why we don't make this menu more often.  

Here are the links to the foods that are on our plate each year. And the recipe to an old, old recipe that hasn't been on the blog in this version. (Before you cringe at the amount of butter you should know I cut it in half from Aunt Bibby's original version.) I often have macaroni and cheese with this meal but this year I subbed "brown rice." It is easier to put together. It isn't really brown rice...the brown color comes from beef consommé. I was completely grown before I knew that real brown rice was rice that retains the bran layer. In my family brown rice was white rice baked in the oven with beef consommé. And butter. This dish still shows up on every church covered dish dinner table.

NEW YEAR'S DAY MENU:

Bourbon Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Collard Greens

Black-Eyed Peas (cook a bag of frozen peas)

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Brown Rice

Pickled Beets (from a jar)

Corny Cornbread

BROWN RICE 

1 cup white rice

1/2 stick butter

2 cans Campbell's beef consommé

1 can of mushrooms, drained (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.

Melt butter in a 2-qt baking dish (I put the butter in the dish and slide it into the oven while it heats.) Stir in the rice, consommé and mushrooms. Cover dish (I use foil tightly wrapped over the top) and bake for 1 hour.

You may now return to your clean eating plan for the rest of the year.