Green Bean Casserole

The humble green bean casserole has always 

been a popular Thanksgiving side dish.

Did you know that more than 40 million 

Americans will be making it this year?

Why just make it at Thanksgiving? There are

 so many other soft foods that day that I 

prefer a sauted green beans almondine 

or roasted brussels sprouts. 

I like it much better throughout the year
with a roasted chicken, pork roast,
or grilled steak. It's so easy and I can
make it ahead of time.

Green Bean Casserole
2 16oz cans green beans, drained, 4 C
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C milk
1/8 t pepper
1/8 t garlic powder
1 t soy sauce
1-2/3 C French's fried onions
Combine: beans, soup, milk, seasonings and
2/3 onion rings. Pour into a greased 1-1/2 qt
greased casserole. Bake @350º for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and stir to combine. Top with
remaining 2/3 C onions. Return to the oven  for
another 5  minutes.
Serves 6

Cast Iron Splayed Roast Chicken

Just when you thought you didn't need yet another

way to roast a chicken I give you this one. 

The reason I love it is because I can have

 a roast chicken for dinner in half the time. 

The skin is crispy all over and the inside is 

cooked evenly and juicy. Plus I get to use my

favorite pan, the cast iron skillet. 

Here we go. First put a 12" cast iron pan in 

 the oven and turn it on to 425º to preheat. 

Rinse the chicken inside and out. This was

a Purdue roaster, about 4.5 pounds. Dry the 

outside all over with paper towel. Squeeze

a lemon over the outside and inside, then 

tuck the lemon wedges in the cavity. I 

also added a few herbs from my garden. 

Next, you need to splay the chicken. 

Cut through the skin where it attaches 

between the leg and the breast. Then 

break the bone so that the legs lay flat. 

Drizzle with olive oil and rub it over the skin.

Season generously with salt, pepper, and 

you choice of seasonings, I added ½ t 

paprika this time. 

 Carefully remove the preheated HOT skillet from

 the oven and put the chicken in the pan. You'll

 hear a nice ssss! sear!

 This method allows the legs to cook

 evenly with the breast. Put it back in 

the oven for 45 minutes. You can prep it 

however you like, just be sure to use oil

all over the outside and season. 

Remove from the oven and press down on the

 lemon to release any juice, then tilt the bird

 so all the juices in the cavity go into the pan. 

Allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

Serve with pan juices.   

 Remember to save all the bones for chicken 

soup. I also had enough leftover chicken to 

make chicken salad this week. It's 2 more 

 reasons why I love roast chicken for dinner. 

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Spicy Chicken and Beans

This is such a flavorful dinner and

I love that it can be prepared ahead 

of time. I can just pop in the oven 

whenever we want dinner. No

last minute dinner fussing. 

This chicken dinner actually benefits 

from time in the fridge coated 

with the spicy mixture. This will give the 

chicken time to absorb the spicy

flavors of the marinade coating.

For full flavor and moist chicken I always prefer 

thighs. About 1-½ pounds. That's about 6 pieces. 

These were very large and I only bought 5.

 Put the chicken in a sprayed baking dish. 

 Combine the marinade coating. 

 Spread this over the chicken. 

 Add the cherry tomatoes and rinsed white beans.

 Give everything a good toss.

 Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 

you are ready to start dinner. Then remove the

plastic and bake @375 for 45 minutes. 

Garnish with more chopped cilantro. 

 This is really a complete dinner, but you could 

add a side of potatoes. They can roast in the oven

along with the chicken. 

 I've also tried this with bone-in chicken breasts. 

Cut them in half crosswise. Proceed as above.

 This time I doubled everything to serve 6. 

 The verdict? I much prefer thighs. 

So much better! More flavor and the chicken

 stays moist and tender.  You can use a 

whole cut-up chicken for the doubled 

recipe and have parts for everyones liking. 

 This will definitely be a great fall dinner.  

If you're serving a family I would definitely double

 this recipe to serve 4-6.

Spicy Chicken and Beans
marinade coating
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ C chopped fresh cilantro
1 T paprika
½ t ground cumin
¼ t red pepper flakes
2 t kosher salt
½ t pepper
Mix together

5-6 chicken thighs (or 1-½ lbs bone in chicken
 pieces, breasts cut in half crosswise)
toss with the above mixture to coat completely.
Add:
1 can white beans, drained
1 pt. cherry tomatoes
toss everything again to coat. Cover
and refrigerate for a few hours to all
day. Roast in a 450º oven for 30  minutes or
until the chicken is cooked through, browned
and the tomatoes have burst. Garnish with
more cilantro or parsley.
serves 3-4
*this recipe easily doubles. Use a whole chicken
 cut into serving pieces, breasts cut in half.



Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Make Your Sandwich Great Again!

Here are the candidates that promise to
deliver great flavor. The good news is
you can vote for all of them!
The secret is in the sauce. Swap out the plain
 mayo you use on your sandwich and
mix up a special kicked-up spread in minutes.

The Grilled Reuben with my homemade
1,000 Island Dressing

 Marshall Field's Special Sandwich with
homemade 1,000 Island Dressing

BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato) with
Herb Mayonnaise.

You can mix each recipe in a jar. Store in
the refrigerator for a few weeks.
Make as little or as much as you want.
I usually make half a recipe so that I'll
use it within 2 weeks for the two of us.

Shrimp Roll with Lemon-Tarragon Mayonnaise.

But wait...there's more!

1000 Island Dressing
1 C mayonnaise
¼  C sweet relish
¼  C ketchup
¼  t salt & ¼  t pepper
½  t tarragon
1 t Worcestershire sauce
dash Tabasco (optional)

Mix and store in a jar

I use this one on BLTs, chicken, 

turkey, and a grilled reuben. 

YUM!

Herb Mayonnaise
1 C mayonnaise
1-½  t thyme
¾  t dill 
½ t parsley
¼- ½  t red pepper flakes
¼  t black pepper
Mix and store in a jar.
I use this on BLTs, chicken, turkey,
steak, roast beef, and egg. 

Dijonnaise

1 C mayonnaise

3 T Dijon mustard

1 T lemon juice

Mix and store in a jar.
Good one for ham, cheese, tomato,
greens (spinach or lettuce) on rye.
 Also good on a leftover salmon or
 tilapia sandwich.

Lemon-Tarragon Mayonnaise
! C mayonnaise
2 T lemon juice
2 t tarragon, dried
2 t celery salt
½ t pepper
Mix in a jar. Good with shrimp,
 salmon, chicken, and chicken salad.

Cilantro Cream

1 C plain yogurt

½ C firmly packed 

fresh cilantro leaves

1 t kosher salt

3 T lime juice

Mix and keep in a jar for

up to 2 weeks. 
Chicken, fish, pork, and steak sandwiches.

Cranberry Mayonnaise
1 c mayonnaise
¼ C cranberry sauce or 
spiced cranberry chutney
(homemade is best click on links)
Remember this one after Thanksgiving!
Makes the best Turkey sandwiches. Good
on chicken or pork sandwiches anytime.

Garlic Butter

1 stick butter (1/2C)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T lemon juice 

1 T minced fresh parsley

½ T chopped fresh chives

Keep in fridge for 2 weeks or

freeze then slice to use on bread,

vegetables, or to top steaks.

Enjoy!

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Hot Chicken Salad

Here's a simple menu when you are having 

friends over for lunch. 

I made it today for the two of us 

because I had just enough chicken left over

 from our roast chicken dinner the other 

night. Actually, it wasn't quite the 2 C needed

so I cut back slightly on the other ingredients.

You can tweak it when you need to. 

I hadn't planned it so I was out of slivered 

almonds and used chopped pecans instead. This

recipe is good and accommodating. Like if you 

don't have the dried minced onion you can 

just mince about 2T fresh. Less pepper? OK.

More mayo? OK. Just don't leave out

the lemon juice, fresh or bottled is fine. 

It just brightens up the flavors.
Pile the chicken salad in a small baking dish.
A pie pan would work fine. Top with the cheese
and chips; bake for 20 minutes until golden.

For guests I would serve this tasty dish

 with warm croissants, fresh juicy strawberries

 and a chocolate bundt cake for dessert. 

Everybody will be happy!
Or Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake.

Hot Chicken Salad

2 C cooked chicken, cubed

1 C diced celery, about 3 stalks

½ C slivered almonds, toasted

½ t dried minced onion

½ t salt

½ t pepper

¾ C mayonnaise

2 T lemon juice

½ C shredded cheddar cheese

¾ C crushed potato chips

Combine all the ingredients except the cheese

and potato chips and pile into a sprayed small

round baking dish. Combine the cheese and 

potato chips and sprinkle over the top. 

Bake at 400º for 20 minutes. Serves 4

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Savory Baked Rice

Jazz up your rice side dish. This one is so easy 

because you can do most of it ahead of time and

then bake in the oven along with whatever else

 you have in there. It's especially good with grilled

flank steak, pork chops, or pork tenderloin.

I like it when we're grilling
my favorite marinated flank steak
along with artichokes and garlic-lemon
butter for dipping. Doesn't that sound
 like a delicious combination. But it's also nice
with a cranberry chicken or pork roast.

 You saute onions, mushrooms,
and garlic in lots of butter.

Add condensed beef consommé, water,
 rice, and remaining ingredients.

 Give it a stir.

 Cover and bake it for 1 hour.

Fluff with a fork when done.

 Serves 6

Savory Baked Rice

1 small onion, chopped

8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced 

(or ½ t garlic powder, if out of fresh) 

⅓  C  butter

½ t salt

¼ t pepper

1 t dried parsley

1 C rice

1 can beef consommé 

¾ C water

Sauce the onions, garlic, and mushrooms in butter

until tender. Add the seasoning. Stir in the rice.

Pour this mixture into a greased 2 qt baking dish;

stir in the consommé and water. Cover and bake

 @350º for 1 hour. Stir before serving.

6 servings

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This may be your new favorite vegetable.
It's the only way we like to eat our
 brussels sprouts.

It's the easiest way too! 

Plus roasting them gives them great flavor. 

Even people that don't particularly like 

brussels sprouts will like these.

Trim and wash the sprouts. Cut them in half if

 they are large. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. 

Roast in a hot 400º oven for 20 minutes, 

tossing the pan once if you remember. This is

the perfect vegetable to make when you are 

roasting your main dish in the oven, like pork 

tenderloin or roast chicken. Just pop them

in for the last 20 minutes. 

I like to munch on the crispy brown 

outer leaves that fall off. 

Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

brussels sprouts

olive oil

salt and pepper

Trim the stem end of the sprouts and

 cut in half if large. Mix in a bowl with a
drizzle of olive oil to coat. sprinkle with
 salt and pepper.Toss. Roast @400º for
20 minutes until crisp on the outside and
tender on the inside. Shake the pan once.

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch,
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