The Iowa Housewife: 08/01/2017

Honey Sauced Chicken Breasts

I would have said that I don’t fix chicken often until I look back on the blog posts and see that I do. However I don’t do skinless boneless chicken breasts often. I find they can be dry and tasteless.

This is an adaptation of a recipe that we like quite well and the breasts stayed nice and moist and were still done. There was more sauce than I needed so will cut that down next time I make them, but the sauce that is left in the pan can be brought to a boil, then boiled 3 minutes in a small sauce pan and served with the chicken.

Honey Sauced Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

3 chicken breast pieces 6 ounce each

½ cup honey

¼ cup soy sauce (I use Kikkoman Brand Gluten Free)

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon olive or salad oil

1 clove of garlic minced

⅛ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F. Flatten chicken pieces with a mallet or plate between sheets of plastic wrap just until even in thickness or tuck the thin end under to even up the thickness. Place the pieces into a greased baking pan, 8 to 9 inches works well or a size that will hold chicken easily.

In a bowl mix rest of ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake in 375° oven uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165° basting with the sauce a few times. Remove from pan and keep warm. If desired, pour rest of sauce into a small sauce pan and heat to boiling; (three minutes) cook stirring until sauce is reduced. Serve with the chicken.

Be sure to bring any extra sauce to a boil and cook before serving with chicken.

From the Garden...Honey Glazed Pea Pods and Carrots

I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe…it’s just sweet enough, and the color and taste are excellent. My husband thought we need to have this again and I agree. I was looking for one more recipe to use some sugar snap peas when I found this one. You can substitute frozen pea pods too.

I used my mandoline to slice the carrots.

Another winner from the Land O Lakes folks. Their recipes are well-thought out, with clear directions that are right on.

Honey Glazed Pea Pods and Carrots

3/4 Cup Water

2 Cups Carrots -- diagonally sliced 1/4"

8 Ounces Pea Pods -- or 12 ounces frozen

3 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 Teaspoon Cornstarch

2 Tablespoons Honey

Bring water to a full boil in 2 quart saucepan. Add carrots and cook over medium heat, covered, until carrots are crisply tender (10-12 minutes).

Add pea pods and continue cooking 1-2 minutes more. Drain and set aside.

In same pan, melt butter; stir in cornstarch. Add carrots, pea pods and honey. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2-3 minutes more.

6 servings

"Land O Lakes Treasury of Country Recipes"

Per Serving : 109 Calories; 6g Fat (46.7% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 16mg Cholesterol; 78mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Garden Pasta Salad

We like simple main dish salads on hot days, and this one is perfect for picnics and pot lucks too. The dressing is so good and easy, even children will eat it…and it lets the simple vegetables shine. Halve the recipe for family meals.
We like salads like this with something like hot muffins or fresh yeast rolls, or with anything off the grill.

Garden Pasta Salad

12 ounces uncooked dried rotini (corkscrew or pasta twists) -- (3 cups)

8 ounces Cheddar cheese -- (2 cups) cubed

2 medium carrots -- (1 cup) shredded or chopped

1 medium green bell pepper -- (1/2 cup) chopped

5 ribs celery -- (2 cups) chopped

Dressing

1 cup sugar (I like ½ cup)

1/2 cup vinegar -- white or cider

1/3 cup vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook rotini according to package directions. Rinse with cold water. Drain.

Combine cooked rotini and all remaining salad ingredients in bowl.

Stir together sugar, vinegar and oil in another bowl until sugar dissolves. Pour dressing over salad; toss until well-coated.

Cover; refrigerate, stirring occasionally, 8 hours or overnight until flavors are blended.

"12 servings"

Use It Up...Bits of Meat in Turnovers, Rolls and PIes

A good way to use up small amounts of meat, fish or poultry is to make meat pies and turnovers with pastry, mashed potato or biscuit topping. They are very popular comfort food. Some we like are:

Chicken Filled Turnovers

IndividualTurkey Casseroles

Baked Fish Roll

Chicken or Turkey Stew with Dumplings

Sunday in Iowa...

These handsome draft horses sharing the pasture with some cattle

are near Drakesville, Iowa on an Amish farm

Cookbook Reviews...The Taste of Home Recipe Book

The Taste of Home Recipe Book was published in 1994 and contains recipes from the first year of the magazine. All the reasons I like the original magazine are in this book…mostly scratch recipes – budget meals, fast meals, cooking for one or two, entertaining…”My Mom’s best meal”….you can see why it’s one of the best food magazines.

I like cookbooks that have contributors who donate their best recipes – and Taste of Home has improved the format by making sure the directions are complete. I often see the original recipes in older magazines, older food company advertising, Pillsbury contest books, and older cookbooks – but seeing them here means someone liked them well enough to send in the recipe, and they have made it their own, and of course, there are plenty of recipe photos.

I picked this up at a local book sale – and with 350 good recipes, I still find new ones to try. Here are some we liked.

Chicken and Rice Dinner

Beef Enchiladas

Ambrosia Pudding

Golden Apple Bundles

Family Favorites...Macaroni Tuna Salad

Always on the lookout for new pasta salads, I tried this one from Southern Living 1982 Annual Recipes. I used canned tuna and we thought it was good, but any canned fish, salmon, or crab would be good also. Bettie thought chicken would be good, and if I had fresh salmon, I would try that. This is one of those recipes where you can change the ingredients, veggies, to use up what you have on hand.

The dressing was very good, and added to the taste. I had fresh parsley growing so used it though I think dried would have worked also. If you are looking for something a little different from the usual macaroni, salad dressing type, this is a good alternative.

Macaroni-Tuna Salad

8 ounces elbow macaroni

2 7 ounce cans white albacore tuna, drained (14 ozs.)

1 cup (4 ozs.) shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

⅓ cup chopped green pepper

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives (I also added some of Sue’s homemade Pimiento)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

¾ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

⅛ teaspoon pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain.

Combine macaroni and next 6 ingredients in a large salad bowl; toss gently.

Combine remaining ingredients in a jar screwing lid on tightly. Shake until mixed or beat with wire whip until mixed. Pour over macaroni mixture; toss gently. Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours.

Pasta Salad with Bacon and Peas

Summer is the time for Pasta Salads and here is another one for you to try. Bettie and Lyle thought it was good and adding the bacon just as you are serving it helps keep it crispy. If you do not have soft cream cheese with chives and onions just use plain cream cheese and add some finely diced onions or shallots about 2 tablespoons or too taste in the dressing. I used sour cream onion dip for the sour cream which worked well. I was out of sour cream and it just calls for 1 tablespoon. You can easily add or change the vegetables also.

Pasta Salad with Bacon and Peas

Dressing:

¼ cup soft cream cheese with onion and chives (2 ounces cream cheese)

⅛ cup Mayonnaise or salad dressing (Sue’s recipe would be good here)

1 Tablespoon sour cream or onion dip

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

½ Tablespoon white wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

⅓ teaspoon black pepper or to taste

Combine ingredients until smooth. Chill in refrigerator while making salad.

Salad:

4 ounces uncooked pasta of choice (I used elbow macaroni)

⅓ to ½ cup fresh or frozen peas

⅓ cup diced red bell pepper

⅓ cup diced red onion

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind

3 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Stir in salad ingredients and salad dressing. Save a little to add just before serving. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with the bacon crumbles just before serving to keep them crisp.

From the Garden...Chinese Peas and Shrimp

The Better Homes and Gardens Golden Treasury says that the 60’s were an era when International foods really hit the American dinner table. I don’t remember our mother serving or even being able to buy shrimp or pea pods – they were luxury or regional foods until the 60’s. I believe in making the best use of fresh, local foods, but I’d hate to give up shrimp because it isn’t from the Midwest. My husband is an oriental food fan and he thought this dish from the 60’s was “very good” and that we ought to have it more often.

Chinese Peas and Shrimp

12 ounces shrimp – frozen or fresh

2 tablespoons salad oil

7 ounces pea pods, frozen -- thawed

2 tablespoons green onions -- thinly sliced

½ teaspoon ground ginger or 2 tsp. grated fresh gingerroot

1 teaspoon garlic -- minced

1 teaspoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soy sauce (Omit for gluten free)

Thaw frozen shrimp. In heavy skillet, (I used my wok) cook shrimp quickly 3 to 5 minutes. Add pea pods, onion, ginger and garlic; toss and cook over high heat 1 minute.

Combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add soy sauce and 2 tablespoons cold water, mixing till smooth.

Pour over shrimp mixture, toss and cook till thickened and clear, about 1 minute. Pass soy sauce if desired.

4 servings

2017 Cost" $5.73 or $1.44 per serving

Per Serving: 179 Calories; 8g Fat (43.2% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 129mg Cholesterol; 481mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Swedish Shrimp and Egg Salad

Myrna picked up a book called Swedish Cooking from ICA Bokförlag, a Swedish publishing house, at a library book sale…lots of seafood, Smorgasbord recipes and even reindeer meat recipes…this salad was in the book as a Räkmacka, or Smörgås open face sandwich, but we liked it better as just a salad without the bread.

We grew up in Minnesota with lots of Swedes, and Smörgåsbord restaurants, so I’m enjoying trying recipes I remember but never made. Here’s my version of this Swedish dish.

Swedish Shrimp and Egg Salad

2 slices iceberg lettuce -- 3/4" thick

2 large eggs -- hard cooked and sliced

6 ounces cooked shrimp -- 50-70 size

Dressing

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon chili sauce

salt and pepper -- to taste

Arrange the slice of lettuce on the salad plate. Cover it with sliced eggs.

Peel the shrimp and lay on top.

Beat together the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the shrimp. Save a shrimp or two for garnish if desired.

If desired, this salad can be placed on good pieces of white or rye bread, crusts trimmed, reducing the lettuce to 1 leaf, then arranging the eggs, shrimp and dressing as for the salad, for a Räkmacka, or Smörgås.

2 servings

"Swedish Cooking"

Use It Up...Small Meat Scraps

Meat, poultry and fish can be chopped up in even smaller pieces for a number of family dishes, probably first invented because the cook didn’t want to waste any of the expensive pieces leftover from a roast. Again, many of these dishes are popular on their own, and many cooks plan to make them after their Sunday or Holiday meal.

Here are just a few perennial favorites…most can be made with whatever meat or poultry you have on hand.

Jellied Beef Mold

Crispy Browned Hash

Jellied Chicken

Chicken Sandwich Filling

Ham and Pasta Salad

Sunday in Iowa...

Keeping cool

Below the Red Rock Dam on the Des Moines River between Knoxville and Pella, Iowa

Cookbook Reviews...Taste of Home Grand Prize Winners

The Taste of Home Grand Prize Winners is a nice paperback special edition cookbook that contains the best recipes from 106 of their cooking contests. An all-around book, it includes appetizers, side dishes,, soups, salads, sandwiches, main dishes, breads and desserts. Its 144 pages are full of great photos, many of the recipes are “scratch” recipes and I would classify everything as “comfort food.”

If you feel like you’re getting in a cooking rut, a book like this will get you enthused about trying something new. We didn’t have any trouble finding recipes to make and share, with some extra-good chicken dishes.

Savory Chicken Dinner

Chicken with Lime Butter

Bacon and Rosemary Chicken

Chicken in Basil Cream

Three Cheese Enchiladas

Penne Gorgonzola Chicken

Pepperoni Chili

Raspberry Streusel Coffeecake

Family Favorites...Classic Potato Salad

What to do with new potatoes that need to be used? Well, in our house, you make potato salad. I really am not a fan of potato salad, but Lyle and Bettie are. This time, I decided to go back to basics and use a recipe for potato salad from Better Homes and Gardens. This recipe was in a special magazine issue of theirs called Cook’s Secrets.

It was a good choice as they both thought it was excellent. There are leftovers for lunch tomorrow, and I even ate some. The dressing is very tasty. I added celery seed as we like it in salad dressing and used the potatoes cold. I feel that if you use warm potatoes, at least for me, they get mushy. Nothing nastier than mushy potato salad.

Cook the potatoes the day before, with the skins on, and cool and refrigerate so that they are cold to use. I slip the skins as that is a personal preference. If you like the skins on leave them. I chose to use sweet pickle relish as I had it on hand, pickles chopped up work also.

The dressing was just the right amount so the salad was not dry. I believe I am going to try using the dressing with a pasta salad next, very tasty, sharp but not over the top. I used yellow mustard. If you are doing basics you need to use the standard yellow mustard, right? If you use GF salad dressing, like Miracle Whip, even those of us who can't have gluten can eat this. Be sure to check the mustard label. Always read labels!

The secret the recipe gives is to use a waxy potato variety and cook them with the skins on, just till a sharp knife inserts easily. Do not over cook.

Classic Potato Salad

2 lbs. New potatoes cooked with skins on. ¼ teaspoon salt added to water.

1 ¼ cups mayonnaise or salad dressing (GF like Miracle Whip if you want)

1 tablespoon yellow mustard (check label for GF)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon celery seed (optional)

1 cup thinly sliced celery (about 2 stalks)

⅓ cup chopped onion (1 small)

½ cup chopped sweet pickles or ½ cup sweet pickle relish (use dill pickles if desired)

6 hard cooked eggs

Cook the potatoes with the skins on, salt added. If they are large, cut in quarters. Cook just till a sharp knife will easily pierce the potato. Drain in a colander and cool. Refrigerate till next day. I have since made this and cooled the potatoes a short time.

For dressing, in a large bowl stir together mayonnaise, mustard, the ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Stir in celery, onion, and pickles or relish. Add the quartered potatoes and 4 coarsely chopped eggs. Gently fold in to the dressing.* Cover and chill for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. When serving slice or quarter the two remaining eggs as a garnish. Sprinkle lightly with paprika if desired.

Per ¾ cup: 252 cal., 20 g fat, 360 mg sodium, 14 g carb., 2 g fiber, 5 g protein

*You are stirring the potatoes into the dressing not the dressing into the potatoes.

Pistachio Salad

We are having some warm weather and I wanted something cool for supper. Early this morning I made a Pistachio Salad to go with cold chicken and rolls. This is the type of salad I made in the late 50’s and early 60’s when It was my turn to serve at our Ladies group. It really is quite rich and I find it more of a dessert than a salad, never-less it always gets eaten and the longer it sets the creamier it gets.

If you want to cut the sweetness some, use a small orange sectioned or sliced and well drained instead of a can of Mandarin oranges. We prefer it that way to give it more of a citrus flavor. No one will guess that it has cottage cheese in it.

Pistachio Salad

1 (3 ½ ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 (12 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (8 ¼ ounce) can mandarin orange sections, drained or 1 small orange sectioned or sliced well drained

1 (8 ¼ can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 (12 ounce) carton cottage cheese (not low fat)

Fold pudding mix into whipped topping; fold in remaining ingredients. Chill thoroughly.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

From the Garden...Open Hearth Split Pea Soup

We really like split pea soup. I usually home can it, but I’m out right now – and I thought this recipe from the Land O Lakes Cookbook looked good. However, I just couldn’t leave out the carrots – we like ‘em and I think that cooked carrots caramelize and make most dishes better.
I purchased the wonderful, really green peas from our nearby Amish store – Stringtown Grocery, north of Kalona, Iowa. I use smoked ham shanks from our local Fareway store – they are leaner and meatier than hocks. I have to ask for them, they don’t have them on display in their meat department.

Open Hearth Split Pea Soup

1 Pound Dried Green Split Peas

1 ½ Cups Celery -- chopped

1 Cup Onion -- chopped

1 ½ Cups Carrots -- sliced (not in original recipe)

9 Cups Water

1 Pound Smoked Ham Hocks (or shanks)

5 Sprigs Fresh Parsley

Salt and Pepper -- to taste

· In Dutch oven, combine all ingredients except salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil.

· Cover; reduce heat to low. Cotinue cooking stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hour.

· Remove cover, continue cooking until soup is thickened; 30 to 60 minutes.

· Remove ham hocks, cut off meat.

· Discard bones; return meat to soup. Season to taste

6 Servings

Per Serving: 248 Calories; 15g Fat (53.1% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 80mg Cholesterol; 125mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat.

Tuna TV Special

The “Purity Cookbook" was printed in 1967, and I first made this recipe in junior high home economics class. Eating in front of the TV was still a treat for kids, and this recipe was one they thought was perfect for your homemade TV lunch.

We still like it occasionally. I served ours on homemade Whole Wheat Mustard Buns, with Summer Cucumbers and Sweet Peppers my husband made with cucumbers that Don and Bonnie brought us from their garden, and Home Canned Boston-style Baked Beans. Now that’s a perfect TV dinner special!

Tuna TV Special

5 ounces tuna in water, canned -- drained well

3/4 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded

2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons pickle relish

1 tablespoon onion -- finely grated

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard -- ballpark style

4 sandwich buns -- hot dog or hamburger buns

Preheat oven to 350º.

Combine and blend well.

Spoon mixture into partially split sandwich buns. Wrap each roll in aluminum foil, filling side up. Fold ends tightly to seal. Arrange on baking pan.

Place in preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes.

To serve, fold foil down around rolls.

4 Servings

Use It up...Meat in Sauce or Gravy

For years, frugal housewives have been using the scraps from roasts of all kinds and serving them creamed or in sauces or gravy for a tasty rerun. Many of these dishes are as popular as the roasted meats themselves!
Here a few recipes that are favorites at our homes using smaller amounts of seafood, poultry and roasts in sauce or gravy. The hot roast beef sandwiches are delicious made with roasted pork as well, and of course, BBQ sauce can be used on pork, beef or poultry.