I love digging in my recipe box! I come across recipes, some clipped from magazines and newspapers over a span of thirty years, some handwritten, that I begged asked great cooks for. My box is as full as ol’ Santa’s belly after a Christmas Eve of cookies.  It’s almost like a little scrapbook of places we’ve lived and friends and family that are far away.  If I ever need inspiration for my weekly menu my box is the best place to start. 


I found this great recipe in my recipe files last week.  It came from a dear friend I met at family camp at The Wilds many years ago.  This is the perfect main dish for Sunday because you cover it then bake it for 2 hours with no stirring or fussing needed.  That’s why it’s called No Peek Chicken!  It’s super fast to put together too, which is great for a busy Sunday morning!


No Peek Chicken


4-6 Chicken breasts, cut in quarters (you can also use a cut-up fryer)
1 small box of wild grain brown rice (original)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1 can water


Place chicken pieces in bottom of a glass baking dish.  Mix rice, soup and water.  Pour over breasts, then sprinkle with the spice packet from the box of rice.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.  No peeking!


Alli was home for Thanksgiving and got into a “baking mood” over the weekend.  She had found a wicked brownie recipe online that she wanted to try.  These are  chocolate and peanut butter heaven!  Oh my!  Here’s the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies – adapted from The Food Network




Brownie Layer:


1/2 cup unsalted butter


2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 cup sugar


2 large eggs


1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


1/2 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon salt


3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks




Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Layer:


1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened


1/2 cup packed light brown sugar


2 tablespoons milk


1/2 cup creamy peanut butter


1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour


1/2 teaspoon salt


Ganache Layer:


3/4 cup dark chocolate chips


1/4 cup heavy whipping cream


1/4 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts, optional


Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch pan with cooking spray.


Brownies: microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwavable bowl at high power until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir until combined, then mix in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and add in the chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt and chocolate chunks. Spread the brownie mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until the brownies are set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean, about 22 to 28 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.


Peanut butter cookie dough: Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and mix until creamy. Mix in the milk and the peanut butter, then stir in the flour and salt. Spread the peanut butter cookie dough evenly over the cooled brownies.


Ganache: In a small microwavable bowl, microwave the dark chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream, uncovered, on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Continue stirring until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Spread the ganache over the peanut butter layer and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Refrigerate until the dough and ganache are set, about 1 hour. Cut into 16 squares and arrange on a serving platter to serve.


Now, if that’s too fattening, here’s a low-fat recipe Alli tried.  I doubt you could find a simpler brownie recipe!  These only have two ingredients!  They’re moist and chocolaty!


Devilish Pumpkin Brownies (you won’t taste the pumpkin!)

1 Box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pie mix)


Mix these two ingredients and place into greased or paper-lined tins.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 min.  Check center with toothpick.


That’s some of what’s been cooking in my parsonage.  I’ll bet something tasty has been cooking in yours too!  Have you tried a new recipe, or revisited an old one that you hadn’t made in a while?  I’d love to hear about it!


From my parsonage kitchen,

Meals at home are a quick and fresh tasting option from fast food. Even when there’s little time, there are lots of options for good food in your own kitchen.  Filet chicken pieces are a great choice for quick-fix meals.  Here’s a great example…

I found a recipe for a quick-cooking chicken dish that is broiled in the oven, then covered with sauteed’ vegetables.  Hubby loved this!  He and I are Jack Sprat and his wife – he eats white meat; I like dark meat, so when I do a dish like this, I make a piece for each of us.  I buy boneless thighs at Ingles when I make this recipe.  For a Sunday dinner, cook the chicken on Saturday, then saute’ the veggies when you get home from church.  That way they’ll be crisp and not mushy.  Here’s the recipe:

Broiled Chicken Breasts with Vegetable Saute’

1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – or thighs
Cooking spray
1 T olive oil
1 8oz. pkg  mushrooms, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 cup chopped plum tomato
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 Cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat broiler
2.  Combine Garlic powder, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in  a small bowl; sprinkle chicken with garlic mixture.  Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and broil 6 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.  **Or at this point refrigerate it until you’re making the rest of the meal the next day.
3.  Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add remaining 1/4 tsp salt, mushrooms, zucchini, and minced garlic; saute’ 2 minutes.  Add remaining 1/8 tsp pepper, tomato, onion, basil and vinegar; saute’ 3 minutes.  Serve vegetable mixture over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. 

I made dessert for this meal – Warm Gingerbread.  This recipe brings back childhood memories for me.  My mom used to make gingerbread and serve it with a dollop of Cool Whip on top.  I can still remember the pan she used to bake it in.  This is a great fall or winter dessert, and with less than 300 calories and 6.5 grams of fat, you can’t go wrong!  Here’s my recipe for Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Glaze from Cooking Light.

1/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup hot water
1 cup light or dark molasses
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
 Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
Ground cinnamon (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine butter and hot water in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until the butter melts. Add molasses and egg, and stir with a whisk until blended. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Add flour mixture to the molasses mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into a 9 x 9-inch cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool gingerbread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Combine sugar and lemon juice, stirring until well blended. Pierce top of gingerbread liberally with a wooden skewer. Pour glaze over gingerbread. Cool completely.

Top each serving with the whipped topping. Sprinkle gingerbread with cinnamon and garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Take the time to cook in your kitchen this week…and why not go for dessert too?  Make some memories!  Tell me, what’s been cooking in your kitchen lately?

From my parsonage kitchen,