I have only a few memories of my great-grandmother, Granny Mary. I remember sitting on her front screened in porch, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and drinking my first cup of coffee around age six (which meant I was really drinking milk with a little bit of coffee.) I remember walking down the street to the Five and Dime and buying a sun-hat, making sure to leave the tags on like Minnie Pearl, and I remember her Chicken-and-Dumplings. They were legendary. The dumplings thick, the soup silky, the chicken chunky.
I have done my best to recreate her recipe from memory, and my Paw (Granny’s) said I got awfully close, which is good enough for me. This recipe has now become a family favorite and my boys ask for it most in the winter months, when the wind is cold and the nights long. This is a large recipe—enough for twelve adults.
Note: You can use homemade or store-bought chicken stock, or a combination of both.
4 pounds of boneless chicken breast (frozen or thawed)
Dumplings
6 cups of flour
3 tablespoons of baking powder
3 teaspoons of salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
all-purpose flour
ice water
Instructions
Broth
Bring 15 cups broth to a boil.
Add in carrots, celery, onion, salt and chicken breasts.
Once the chicken breasts are fully cooked, pull them out, and set them aside to cool.
Reduce broth to simmer and leave simmering while you make the dumplings.
Dumplings
Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
Next, cut in 1 cup of solid vegetable shortening (use either a pastry cutter or 2 table knives).
Once the shortening has been cut in well, begin adding ice cold water, ½ cup at a time, into the mixture.( I use about 2 ¼ cup of iced water - sometimes I use more, sometimes I use less, depending on the humidity in the air).
Your goal is to create a dough that is soft, smooth, and easy to roll out but is not leathery or mushy or grainy.
Next, roll your dough out. These dumplings are Southern-style flat dumplings like we make in Arkansas, not the round fluffy “drop” dumplings that are common in the North.
Roll out the dough, using a slightly floured rolling pin, to between 1/8-1/4-inch thickness.
Next, using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long.
Bring your stock back to a rolling boil, and tear the cooked chicken breast into bite-size pieces (or shred using a stand-mixer,) then add the meat back to the liquid.
Once that is done, begin adding the strips of dumpling dough into the stock.
Once all the strips have been added, give the pot a good stir, and cover.
Reduce the heat to a simmer. Check every few minutes, stirring gently, until the dumplings are tender and cooked through, about 15–20 minutes.
Serve hot!
Enjoy.
Notes
My good friend and baking mentor Lynn taught me this great kitchen tip: When rolling out dough, spread out a smooth kitchen towel on your counter (I prefer the flour sack variety) and cover it with a good dusting of flour. This will be your rolling surface, and after you are done, you can simply fold the towel up and take it outside to shake off the excess.
Jerusalem Jackson Greer is a writer, blogger, speaker and Minister to Children, Youth, and Families at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Conway, Her first book A Homemade Year: The Blessings of Cooking, Crafting and Coming Together was published in 2013, and her second book, At Home in this Life, will be released spring of 2017. Jerusalem, her husband Nathan, and their two boys Wylie and Miles live in rural Arkansas where they are attempting to live a slower version of modern life. She blogs about all of this and more at jerusalemgreer.com.
I don’t know about you but I hate to go grocery shopping. I hate battling crowds, always forgetting something, and the store usually being out of the one thing I came to get. So frustrating!
With all of that being said when I can’t find anything to make for dinner I usuallyplay a game with myself called “Iron Pantry”. It’s similar to the TV show Iron Chef (is that show still on??) in that I just dig through the pantry for random ingredients and make them into a meal. I have created some of my favorite meals this way! Today Iam going to share that meal with you, Spicy Ranch Chicken and Rice!
I was playing Iron Pantry one night when I created one of my all time favorite meals!! I literally came up with this recipe when I was in college and it’s still around today. Two things that I always keep on hand are chicken and brown rice…I switched from white to brown rice when I was in college and never looked back. It just tastes so much better to me than white rice!!
I marinated my chicken in some fat free Italian dressing and grilled it on my George Foreman. Can I just stop and say right here that I am obsessed with my George? I am a single lady and have not yet mastered an outdoor grill, but I can grill anything on my George!
I usually use whatever brown rice I find but have made it a point lately to buy Riceland Brown Rice. I love knowing that the rice I use was grown and harvested right down the road, Plus it just tastes better than most.
With my protein and grain I had a great start for the base for my meal! The night I created this meal I had some bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic that I needed to use so I decided to sauté them and mix them in with my chicken and rice. The meal was looking better but needed a little something…
After digging though my spice cabinet I decided to spice it up with some Cajun seasoning. I always have Cajun seasoning on hand; it just goes good on everything!!
It was looking pretty good but I decided to kick it up a notch and throw a little Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch on it and HOLY MOLY it was amazing!! And finally finished…HA!
These days I usually have everything I need to make this Spicy Ranch Chicken and Rice on hand and make it at least once a week. Sometimes I switch the veggies up and just use whatever I have on hand but that's the beauty of any recipe, you can totally customize it to what you like!
So that’s it for my favorite go-to dish!! What’s yours??
Arkansas Women Blogger Ricci Ellis is an Arkansas native and current central Arkansas resident. Her favorite titles include dog mom, sister, aunt, blogger and respiratory therapist. You can catch up with her on her lifestyle blog, Ricci Alexis, or on any social media @riccialexis.
Arkansas Women Blogger members enjoy a special relationship with Riceland Foods. Not only is this Arkansas-based company headquartered here, it supports and features some of the best farmers and producers in our state. Riceland is unique because it is a cooperative of rice farmers, meaning it is owned by those farmers. Both Riceland and ARWB take tremendous pride in supporting our local farmers and producers.
Several of our members have recipes which have been featured on Riceland’s blog, including this one for Baked Chicken Marsala and Rice Casserole from Lyndi Fultz of nwafoodie which uses Riceland’s Extra Long Grain White Rice.
Captain Mom, also known as Rhonda Franz our Girl Friday of everything The Women Bloggers, starts her family’s day off right with a Favorite Way to Eat Brown Rice for Breakfast. I certainly remember eating and loving steaming bowls of rice with sugar and cream especially on cold, winter mornings.
And who doesn’t love a good dessert? Rice can be your go-to ingredient for sweet craving as well as for your savory. Julie Kohl of Eggs and Herbs, Content Creator for ARWB, recently shared her Jumble Cookie recipe — perfect for lunch box treats.
I’m really looking forward to experimenting more with Riceland’s Jazmine (Jasmine) Rice in some of the Indian and Thai recipes I’m learning. (Thanks Swathi!)
Have you checked out the Riceland blog? Here are a few other examples of some of the jewels you’ll find when you do!
You don’t have to have a big fancy grill or even a tiny disposable one to have delicious barbecued chicken. I used to think that barbecue was saved for big family picnics or get-togethers at a local park and you …Continue reading…
It seems like every restaurant that serves kabobs on the menu or every butcher shop that sells pre-cooked kabobs follow a set routine by only offering chicken or beef. I often wonder, why the discrimination over other kabob meats?Continue reading…
As the resurgence of Sunday Suppers, potlucks, and general embracing of comfort foods tease us weekly on our social media apps, I am on the constant lookout for family-style desserts that are easy, delicious, and will please all age groups. …Continue reading…
When I think of black-eyed peas, I am instantly transported to a magical place of antebellum homes, magnolia trees, and mint juleps. In my minds-eye, I am sipping the mint juleps and fanning myself from the summer heat and persistent …Continue reading…
We all have those times when the day is super busy but there is still a desire to put a healthy, delicious meal on the table. This Brown Rice Chicken Skillet Dinner is quick, easy and sure to please even …Continue reading…
I keep leftover turkey and chicken in my freezer just about all of the time. It comes in handy for those evenings when I need a quick and easy dinner.During the holiday season when the prices are really good, I …Continue reading…
Just about everyone enjoys the spicy taste of Mexican food. From tacos to burritos to enchiladas, we just never seem to tire of all the combinations of meat, cheese, rice, beans, avocados and peppers. While we do enjoy those, one …Continue reading…
In late August and early fall in the South, all thoughts turn to football. And that, of course, means it’s time to tailgate! And while tailgate used to be just that —a picnic on the tailgate of your honey’s pickup …Continue reading…
Good friends are such a blessing. And they are especially so when they share delicious, original recipes with you and allow you to share those as you please. My good friend, Chef Liz Bray, created the original version of this …Continue reading…
Every Sunday, my in-law’s church hosts a dessert social following the evening sermon. Parishioners bring a variety of desserts to share while they mill around and enjoy each other’s company. My mother-in-law is always looking for fun new recipes and …Continue reading…
If Taco Tuesday isn’t a thing in your house, it should be. And if you’re not eating breakfast for dinner on a regular basis, well you should be doing that too. We love Taco Tuesday and breakfast for dinner in …Continue reading…
Even though I try not to indulge in sweet stuff too often, every now and then my sweet tooth strikes out in full force. It usually happens in the evening. You know, the times when you are already in pajamas and …Continue reading…
Join me Tuesday, September 27 when I’ll be sharing some of our favorites from Riceland on THV11 This Morning — at 6:15 am (go ahead and set your DVR:)
Bon Appetít Y’all
All recipes and photos courtesy of Riceland Foods.
When I first moved to Arkansas, I had no clue what I was in for. All I pretty much knew about Arkansas was that it was home of the Razorbacks, a rival of my alma mater. I’ve lived in this beautiful state for two years now, and I’m glad to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
There are plenty of things to do and see, all throughout this state, even things a foodie like myself would enjoy. Cupcakes that have been featured on Food Network? Arkansas has that! A restaurant owned by humble celebrities? Arkansas has that! A bbq restaurant that’s been around for almost a century? Yep, you guessed it! Arkansas has that, too. And let me tell you, friends…I love bbq. If you’re from the South and you don’t love bbq, I don’t trust your judgment, and we likely won’t be friends. Harsh, I know. But I’ve got principles.
McClard’s BAR-B-QUE has been around since 1928. This quaint Hot Springs establishment has been featured in books, magazines, and tv shows, all geared towards foodies. It’s pretty much a food lover’s paradise. So, what you ought to infer by now, is McClard’s is good stuff.
Thankfully, you can buy their bbq sauce in stores throughout the state and have yourself a mini-feast at home. I’ve put together a ridiculously easy pulled chicken recipe for you that’s made in the slow cooker. It’s a true “set it and forget it” recipe. The end result is fork tender chicken that falls off the bone, which makes a great pulled style sandwich. It’s so tender you could chop it up, if that’s your preferred style. I’ve always been a pulled chicken fan myself, so this is a win-win situation for me.
I like to eat my pulled chicken naked and drizzle extra sauce on top. If you want “all the things” then all you have to do is add the chicken, once pulled, back into the slow cooker and mix with the sauce. I’ve used a whole chicken, cut into pieces, because I love both white and dark meat. The recipe works with all white meat as well. Your choice.
I’m also a minimalist, so you won’t catch me adding coleslaw or chow-chow to my sandwich. Only bread and pickles, please. But again, do whatever you want. Either way you’re going to end up with a bbq sandwich that’s a little tangy, and a little spicy. A great balance for those of you who like all the spectrums.
Whitney blogs at WhitBit’s Kitchen, where she focuses on international food and drink recipes. You can find her onFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Whitney’s recipes have been featured on BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, Parade Magazine,The Frisky, and Food & Wine
There is such a thing called season fatigue. It happens when one season is ending and another begins. Let’s be honest, the fatigue sets in about a month before the new season actually begins. You know that itchy feeling you get when you are ready for fall?
You are done with mowing the grass, washing bug splatters off the windshield, and you find yourself wearing a sweater to work because the weatherman said that it will be in the low 80s today. Think about that. If it is springtime and the weatherman says low 80s, the shorts and tank are donned faster than you can say Off! mosquito spray.
As we tiptoe into the cooler waters of fall, there are a few areas of summer we may still want to hold on to and linger a while before we let them go. The slowing down of summertime we enjoy such as eating outside, grilling, nibbling on smaller plates and chilling over longer conversations.
For today’s foodie Friday, I got to thinking. What would be better than to share a dinner idea that has us transitioning from summer to fall? The ingredients really can be anything but should follow along this format:
GRILLING + SUMMER STAPLE + FALL INGREDENT = #summer2fall
It’s that simple really. I can’t wait to hear what combinations you come up with or dream up. By all means, comment before you actually make dinner. Just be sure to come back and share a photo or two. We’re in this together.
How does a grilled tostada with grilled sweet potatoes and grilled chicken sound, to get you started?
cheese omelets
When I was a kid, my mom made runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. I decided to take matters in my own hands and learned how to 1) make dry scrambled eggs and 2) kicked it up a notch and learned how to make cheese omelets. Never again did I have runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. Thanks mom!
What is your favorite international cuisine?
slow food from France and Italy
I like the country rustic fare from just about anywhere: fresh fish plucked from the sea, lightly but perfectly seasoned, wine with brie and fruit and long conversations, and whole chicken simmered in broth with garlic. I can appreciate fancy food yet I fall in love with simplicity that is delicious.
What is always in your refrigerator at home?
good, grass-fed butter
whole whipping cream
parmesan cheese
farm eggs
large curd cottage cheese
whole milk plain yogurt
brussel sprouts
thyme
minced garlic in a jar (what, you didn’t think I always mince my own garlic, did you?)
What is your go-to ingredients that you use time and time again?
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?
Sign up for Cook’s Illustrated because they will absolutely teach you how to cook
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
kayaking, fishing or just hanging out in the lake, remodeling, landscaping, going for drives with my husband and hanging out with family.
What else would you like us to know about you? I need a clutter-free zone to function properly.
Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well from her life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read more related to cooking, entertaining, gadget suggestions, ingredient explorations, local finds, local restaurant treasures, kitchen tour spotlights, and always with a healthy and simplistic approach.
Four years ago, in July of 2011, my husband and I served in Kenya on a short term mission trip. We had no idea how the Lord would use two weeks in East Africa to change the trajectory of our lives. It was in Kenya, where the Lord first called my husband to ministry. It was in Kenya, where the Lord solidified our call to adoption. It was in Kenya, He started teaching us to prioritize our lives to honor Him. The Lord tied our hearts to this country.
Most recently, I have joined the American staff of African Christian Outreach. I leave September 28 to spend 2 weeks in Kenya working along side our Kenyan staff to vision forecast, plan and pray for the next steps the Lord wants us to take in East Africa and beyond. Kenya is most commonly known for child slavery, orphans, poverty and most recently- terrorism. But Kenya is also a beautiful country, rich in color, love, and flavor.
I am certain your taste buds will love this authentic Kenyan dish as much as I do.
2 hot chili pepper, minced (add an extra pepper for more heat)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
2 tablespoons ginger (I prefer fresh ginger)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup cilantro
Instructions
In a blender or food processor, mix together onion, chilies, garlic and ginger. Mix/blend/process until all the lumps are gone and the sauce is smooth.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add processed sauce, cumin and curry powder to the warm olive oil stirring frequently to heat thoroughly and prevent burning.
Mix in the tomato sauce and allow to simmer over low heat for an additional 5 minutes.
Finally add in the raw chicken and coconut milk. Keep cooking temperature on low, stir well and cover.
Cook until chicken is thoroughly done and tender anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
By Katie Clifton
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
My mouth is literally watering just thinking about all of the flavor in this chicken dish. I love spicy food, my husband not so much. I tell him often that he has a “baby mouth”. If you also have the spice capacity of an infant, then back off on the hot chili peppers. If you like to sweat while you eat, you will want to add all three.
Mix together rice, coconut milk, water and sea salt in a large pan.
Cook rice mixture over medium heat until it is boiling, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the rice is done, approximately 20-25 minutes.
Before serving rice, add in the additional 2 tablespoons of coconut milk and fluff with a fork.
Notes
Spoon the Coconut Rice onto a plate and top with a heaping spoonful of Kenyan Chicken Curry.
Serve and eat while warm.
By Katie Clifton
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
If you are quick in the kitchen, you should have about 15-20 minutes of down time while you wait for each dish to completely cook. This would be the perfect time for you to visit www.acokenya.org. (Yes, I know. Shameless plug.) You can learn more about our ministry in East Africa and learn how you can become a mission partner. If you would like to serve with us next summer, please contact me so that we can turn your hopes into a reality.
Enjoy the aroma and flavor of East African cuisine.
Getting to Know Your ARWB Foodies What food reminds you of childhood? Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. They gardened and my grandmother refused to buy anything she could grow herself. When I think of my favorite childhood foods I remember my taste buds falling in love with fried okra, corn bread, turnip greens, squash and eggplant. These aren’t typical foods that kids love but I have fond memories of sitting at the kitchen table with my grandparents and them being so proud of me for trying their vegetables. I have always wanted to cook like my grandmother. I think she is a big reason I enjoy cooking for my family now.
What is your favorite international cuisine?
My favorite international cuisine is sushi. Hands down. I love fish and seafood, but when I think of Japenese cuisine I also think of art. It is as satisfying for me to look at, as it is for me to eat.
What is always in your refrigerator at home? My refrigerator always has eggs, bacon, vegetables and apples. I can pretty much mix together a fast meal with these ingredients. Fast dinner ideas are a staple for our busy family.
What is your most used cookbook? My most used cookbook is the one my grandmother made for me. It is a purple 3 ring binder a spiral notebook and post it notes used as divider tabs. She added recipes for my most favorite foods and gave me space to add more o my favorite recipes. I cherish my cookbook.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? Ha! My favorite kitchen gadget is my coffee pot. There are seasons in life where my coffee pot has by far been used more than anything else: colicky babies, my husband in seminary, a toddler with sleep disorders. A coffee maker is an absolute necessity.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence? I love having the opportunity to have a date night with my husband and visiting new restaurants. We do not do it often, but we both love visiting restaurants that are making a name for themselves locally by hiring top chefs and creating unique food and flavor combinations.
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? Garlic. Fresh or ground garlic is used almost daily in my kitchen.
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home? I love making large meals for my family. All of my kids are great chicken eaters so I enjoy finding new recipes for chicken, making green beans with bacon, creamed potatoes, and adding fresh fruits. This type of meal gets everyone in my family excited to eat since it consists of their favorites. What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? If you can read you can cook. Do not be afraid to try spices and dishes. Find cookbooks and websites that offer meals you enjoy eating and begin there.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? I’m a mom to 4, a business owner and a missions advocate. My husband works full time and is also a bivocational church plant pastor. Our lives feel like a merry-go-round most of the time. So, I think taking time for myself is very important (although rare at times). My favorite hobby is running. It is therapy for me. It relieves stress, helps me feel better and encourages me to fuel my body better as well.
What else would you like us to know about you? I am thankful for the opportunity to share some of my favorite recipes with you.
ARWB member Katie Clifton is a native Arkansan. She serves as the Missions Advocate for African Christian Outreach and is a church planting pastor’s wife at Renew Church in Benton. Katie advocates for adoption and building bridges for interracial unity within her community. She is a Jesus lover, writer, speaker and lover of all things flea market. You can find Katie’s writing at Mire and Manna.
We’ve been living in the United Kingdom as expats for over a year now and one of the many discoveries we have made is that any number of dishes have been created in celebration or in honor of royalty.
One of those staple dishes is a curried chicken salad dish called Coronation Chicken. You can purchase a boxed sandwich almost anywhere in Britain with this combo of chopped chicken, mayo and curry in between two slices of bread. It was first created for the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and the sandwiches you find with this name vary widely in quality.
The resident hero of British cooking, Jamie Oliver, created this updated version of Coronation Chicken for the Queen’s sixtieth year on the throne in 2012. He calls it ER’s Diamond Jubilee Chicken, and he has removed the mayo and added in its place pineapple, cilantro and nuts.
The result is a delightful bursting-with-flavor salad dish that is as fitting for a main meal as it is gorgeous to serve. Layer the ingredients on a large platter to highlight all the beautiful colors.
We have loved using Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks. They have been a great way for us to discover British cooking and I appreciate how Jamie always seems to try to create recipes that have no waste. In this recipe he gives instructions for using up the cilantro stalks and even the chicken skins.
4 chicken leg quarters and 7 chicken thighs (or could also use 14 thighs)
1 heaped tablespoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
olive oil
salt and pepper
a thumb-sized piece of ginger root, peeled and grated
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 lemon
2 heaping tablespoons sesame seeds
½ cup toasted sliced almonds
1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 cup sugar snap peas
6 spring onions, peeled and chopped
1 fresh red chili pepper and 1 green jalepeno pepper, sliced, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup of plain yogurt
2 limes
1 bunch of cilantro leaves
Instructions
Put chicken pieces skin side up in a baking dish.
Sprinkle all the spices over the chicken, as well as salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chicken.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes or until the meat pulls away from the bone.
Once cooked, remove the chicken skin and place it upside down on a separate roasting tray. Scatter the sesame seeds over the chicken skins. Then put the tray in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and the seeds toasted (don’t burn them!). Remove from oven and leave to cool.
Place the cucumber and pineapple on a serving platter. Then add the sliced onions and chili pieces. Pull the chicken apart, discarding the the bones and fat, but reserving the juices in the roasting dish. Place all the meat on the platter as well. Also add the sugar snap peas and the cilantro leaves, reserving the stalks for the dressing.
In the roasting dish, mix the yogurt and the juice of the limes with the chicken juices. Be sure and scrape all the flavor from the tray. Add a little salt and pepper. Also mix in the chopped stalks of the cilantro.
Pour the sauce from the tray over the platter. Sprinkle the toasted almonds and the crispy skins and sesame seeds on the top.
Toss the salad and serve immediately.
By Alison Chino
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Getting to Know our ARWB Foodies
Alison Chino Chino House
What food reminds you of childhood?
All homemade cookies.
Cookies were the first thing I learned to make as a child. My sister and I would beg our mom to let us make cookies and she would say that we could as long as we cleaned up our mess. Anna and I would eat so much cookie dough that we usually felt sick by the time we were finished!
What is your favorite international cuisine? I go in phases and currently I’m in a Mediterranean phase. Hummus and really fresh Greek feta cheese are making regular appearances in my cooking.
What is always in your refrigerator at home? Apples and extra sharp cheddar cheese.
What is your most used cookbook? It’s a cross between The Barefoot Contessa and Soup and Bread by Crescent Dragonwagon
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? Probably my emulsifier (stick blender) which I use for salad dressing and to puree soups!
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Think cream. Creamy soups. Homemade whipped cream. Cream in my coffee. I can never be a skim milk kind of girl.
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? I use garlic every single day. LOVE it.
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home? I make soups most often but my favorite would probably be either a pasta with creamy sauce or a fancy salad with lots of ingredients.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? Recipes can always be simplified. You don’t have to have ALL those tools (you can chop up garlic if you don’t have a press) and you can get by with fewer ingredients.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? Reading, writing and being outside!
What else would you like us to know about you? I live in Scotland, but I miss Arkansas something fierce.
Alison Chino is a born and bred Arkansan who lives in Scotland, where she is learning to walk everywhere and to live with tiny appliances. She loves hiking the Scottish Highlands with her husband and kids on the weekends. She’s blogs at the Chino House and she’s pretty much obsessed with Instagram.
During the month of April, ARWB is highlighting one of our long-term supporters, Petit Jean Meats. Thanks PJM for all you do for us. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
Growing up in Arkansas, we were always excited when we knew Petit Jean meats were being served. Petit Jean really is synonymous with Arkansas, my memories are almost as thick as shelling purple hull peas with my family on our front porch. Whenever my mom would bake a Petit Jean ham, we would be so excited to eat on it for days. Mother would serve some leftover for sandwiches, but most of the leftovers were used to serve up some of our favorite meals.
I have followed in her footsteps in as many ways as possible and today, make many of those same meals. One of my family’s favorites is when I use leftover ham slices to stuff chicken breasts, you can even add some cheese to make it is somewhat like a chicken cordon bleu. It is really simple and even more so as I have found my family prefers it without breading.
You really only need a few simple ingredients to make a delicious main course your family will be asking for again and again.
If you are using full chicken breasts, cut the thickest part of the chicken breast in half. If it is still over an inch thick, sandwich it between two pieces of parchment paper and use a meat tenderizer to help flatten it a bit.
Next layer a piece of ham followed by a slice of cheese.
Starting at one end, begin to tightly roll the chicken in. Once you have rolled it, you can secure it with baking twine or toothpicks.
Place into a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and then desired spices.
Depending on the thickness of your chicken breast, bake 35-40 minutes or until 160 degrees internally. The cheese should be melted and dripping.
By Amanda Fiveash
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
It really is such a simple dish to prepare and yet the taste is amazing! My family loves it to be served with homemade macaroni and cheese, baked beans and vegetable sticks. The hardest part might indeed be deciding what to serve alongside these delicious stuffed chicken breasts!
You can also make more than what you need and freeze them for later. In this case I would suggest not using toothpicks or removing them once you flash freeze the chicken breasts. To freeze, after you have added your spices, place in a single layer on a flat sheet into the freezer. After 30-45 minutes, remove from the freezer and gently place in a freezer bag. This should allow you to remove just the amount you wish to prepare next time. If frozen, bake an additional 15-20 minutes.
Amanda Fiveash Our Homemade Life
What food reminds you of childhood?
There are oh, so many!
Cheese dip-my Mother’s favorite!
Strawberries-we use to pick them and eat more than made it into our baskets.
Purple hull peas-takes me back to sitting on the front porch and shelling them until my fingers were purple. Good times, great food and cherished memories are brought back when I smell them cooking.
What is your favorite international cuisine? Mexican food has always been one of my favorite types of cuisine. It is amazing to me that they can use such simple ingredients (beans and rice) in so many dishes to make them delicious and flavorful.
What is always in your refrigerator at home? Almond milk, goat cheese, carrots and celery
What is your most used cookbook? It is one my mother gave me when I got married; it has a few of her notes added in the pages.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? Hard one…there are so many but I have to say I have a deep love for my slow cooker. It saves me on so many days!
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Chocolate! Anything with chocolate in it 🙂
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? Coconut oil, it is amazing!
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home? Pasta. My kids are always asking for spaghetti and meatballs.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? .Don’t be afraid to try. You will never know if it will be something amazing if you don’t attempt it. And it doesn’t always look pretty, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t absolutely delicious!
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
I love to craft. My children and I are excellent creative mess makers.
What else would you like us to know about you?
While I am not a chef by any means, I love to take simple natural ingredients to feed my family wholesome meals. As a homeschooling family, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen and love to bake even more than we love to cook. My door is always open, but you are likely to find a pile of dishes in the sink. I firmly live by, “Please excuse my messes, we are busy making memories.”
Amanda was born in Arkansas and although lived in several other states, returned home to put down roots before starting her own family in Northern Arkansas. Her blog, Our Homemade Life is a creative outlet to share her adventures in motherhood from making messes with crafts and in the kitchen to homeschooling and their love of family travel
I have good-cooker genes in spades, but I haven’t brought them to a complete boil yet. You might say my skills are blanched, at best. Or maybe parboiled?
I like to cook when I have time or if I’m in the mood for a specific dish (which is almost always this Creamy Tomato Bowtie Pasta for me). I like to cook when I want to serve up a big helping of love to my husband and this when I want to make my picky tween-age daughter happy.
Even though I didn’t spend much time actually preparing food when I was a kid, I absorbed lots of cooking terminology while watching my mother, aunts and grandmothers flit about the kitchen, simultaneously sautéing while prepping homemade biscuits for the oven.
Because of those amazing home cooks, I innately know what it means to fold, dredge, julienne and caramelize.
I also learned it’s not a big deal to keep measurements completely precise, unless you’re baking, that is. And for Heaven’s sake, if you don’t like an ingredient in your chicken salad (recipe below!) or chicken pot pie – or whatever you’re making — just leave it out, replace it with something you like better or use more (or fewer) of the called-for ingredients. It’s all about customization in your kitchen.
I remember my best friend in middle school marveling at how I could cook up a tasty pot of macaroni and cheese without measuring out the six cups of water as instructed on the box. And how did I know to add a splash of olive oil to the pot so the water wouldn’t boil over?!
As with most of the cooks in my family, I just “eyeball it” when it comes to measuring.
My mother is the Queen of the Kitchen. She can pull together the most complicated meals at top speed. It ain’t no big thing for her to whip up some chicken and dumplings while making a from-scratch blackberry pie with the fruit her granddaughter just picked from the bushes up by the horse barn (that happened several times this summer).
Compared to my relatives, I’m not the Master of my Kitchen yet, but I’m becoming more advanced the older I get.
I prefer to cook a little more simply, though. Maybe it’s because I’m woefully inept at getting all the food on the table while everything’s still hot. I still don’t know how my mom does it.
One of my favorite (simplest, yet delicious) recipes right now is fall-inspired chicken salad.
I first made this fruited chicken salad recipe for a nautical-themed baby shower (link:http://nwamotherlode.com/archives/42840) at my house in Fayetteville back in May. Here’s a shot of the cute “crabs” I served:
This recipe has become a go-to for me. I found it on the All Recipes website, but adapted it, i.e. added extra ingredients I liked and took out the ones I didn’t. Like I said, super easy to make:.
1 cup mayonnaise (less if you like your chicken salad drier)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Mix diced, cooked chicken with mayonnaise.
Then add curry powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir.
Next, add fruits and gently stir until well mixed.
You can serve immediately, but it always tastes better after it’s been in the fridge for an hour or two.
By Shannon Magsnam vis NWA Motherlode
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
You can serve this chicken salad on croissants, fancy flatbread (or any bread, really), atop a salad (if you’re making a salad, consider cutting the pear into larger pieces and adding to the top for pretty) or just as an entrée on the plate by itself.
Here, I just made a quick salad and added a dollop of the chicken salad on top (I didn’t have green grapes, so I used red):
I hope you enjoy the crunch of this chicken salad and happy fall! Here’s to eating at tables brimming with your favorite foods, friends and family. Cheers!
Shannon Magsam is mama to one little lady(bug), is married to a long-time newspaperman, John, and co-founded nwaMotherlode, a resource website devoted to entertaining and connecting moms and families in Northwest Arkansas. nwaMotherlode offers advice, health information, book reviews, local mom interviews, recipes and much more.
This year’s Foodie Friday preconference of #AWBU featured four outstanding speakers, including Chef Matthew McClure (@matthewrmcclure) of The Hive at 21CBentonville. He encouraged all of us to eat seasonally and eat locally. Much of his menu at the restaurant is determined by the produce he procures from local vendors and farmers. We were treated to two of his favorites during his presentation which we devoured on the spot. He graciously agreed to share his Roasted Chicken with Garam Masala Spice and OkraTouille recipes with us.
He brought along a little friend to help with the presentation.
We might have been tempted to lick the platter!
We are especially thankful to Taste Arkansas for sponsoring Foodie Friday and supporting ARWB.
Stew the onion with oil and salt until translucent.
Add chopped tomato to onions and continue to stew until they are completely cooked through and tender.
In a cast iron pan, begin to sear the squash and okra over medium-high heat in canola oil; do not overcook. Allow the squash to cook until it is golden-brown but not mushy.
Repeat this process until all of the squash and okra are cooked and added to the stew.
Once the stew is built, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend and to thoroughly cook the okra.
Finish with a generous pinch of Aleppa pepper.
Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
By Chef Matthew McClure
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Debbie Arnold serves as a co-administrator for Arkansas Women Bloggers and pontificates and eats at Dining With Debbie. She and her Hubby split their time between Central and Northwest Arkansas. She loves to cook, develop recipes and have play dates with her two perfect grands. Mostly, she has play dates with the Perfect Ones. If you’re interested in writing for Foodie Friday, she’s the one to contact.
Getting to Know our ARWB Foodies
Getting to Know Your ARWB Foodies
Shannon Magsam is mama to one little lady
Debbie Arnold serves as a co-administrator for Arkansas Women Bloggers and pontificates and eats at