A Lesson from Sara Sturgeon & A Recipe for Poppy Seed Chicken

Recently the subject of family dinner time has presented itself to me over and over. First, of course, our son is home from college for the summer and dinner is once again a ‘family affair’ as we knew it for so many years. Yay!!

A Facebook friend who is in graduate school and actively shares parenting responsibilities with his wife is on break from classes for a little while. This young family will, at least for a little while, be able to enjoy the elusive dinner hour collectively as a family – a difficult task in their family where work and class schedules are, no doubt, challenging on the best of days.

As important as we know it is to sit down and have a meal together, sometimes making it happen seems about as likely as revisiting the Walton’s, where it seemed to be the unquestioned way of life. We want to sit down and have a meal that someone - no offense guys, but in most cases, that someone is typically the mom of the family - has prepared for the family to enjoy. We want to be relaxed and have a lovely, well-balanced and nutritious meal with a perfectly set table and children who are behaving and using their best manners. In reality, the work schedules of parents and teens often conflict with making this Walton-esque scenario a reality. When we add in outside responsibilities and kids’ sports schedules and errands and chores and caring for elderly parents, and .... well, it’s just hard to get it all done.

I had an opportunity to sit down for a marketing meeting with one of “my boys” for a while recently. He had a great year in college and will be spending the summer in Cincinnati doing an internship. During that time, he told me he is looking forward to some Brower family dinners. Oh, it did my heart good to hear him say that! He specifically mentioned the salmon I often make a couple of times during our conversation. Ironically, he didn’t even used to like fish! He had salmon here a couple of times within the last few years after which I would sometimes hear from him, “Is it fish night?” when dinner time rolled around. I always got a kick out of that. He loves Ken’s burgers, too, and most recently requested those (Ken is, afterall, the grill master.) We love to know that our kids want to be here with us for meals! We treasure those hours with them.

But – back to the family dinners. It wasn’t until we moved to Orrville, that I actually heard someone verbalize the importance of the family dinner – that is, eating together DAILY. I worked with a wonderful lady at the Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce in Orrville a number of years ago when we first moved to Orrville. Her name is Sara Sturgeon and she is an awesome lady! Fun and fun to be around, Sara is one of the funniest gals I’ve ever known. Just thinking of her makes me smile, yet I can’t remember any specific thing she said. Ever know someone like that?

Well, Sara had these two terrific girls - Stephanie and Katie - who just excelled at everything and I imagine they still do!. At that time our son was in first or second grade. I remember asking Sara what the secret was to raising such incredible kids. Without hesitation she told me that she believed the family dinner was critically important. She said that she and her husband, Bill, had always tried to make time each day to eat together with their girls and reconnect as a family.

I never forgot what Sara shared with me, and Ken and I tried to implement that lesson through the years as Matthew grew up. Even if we were eating at odd times during golf or baseball season, we always tried to eat together. I could see what Sara meant: regularly reconnecting was crucial. I truly believe it made a difference in our family as our son grew up, too.

I know that Sara, who worked full-time, was very busy with her daughters’ schedules. They were very active and were involved in many extra-curricular activities. To make sure they were able to have dinner together, Sara would often begin preparation for their dinner meal when she went home for lunch. For example, she might prepare a casserole and refrigerate it so that it so that it could be baked later. That preparation impressed me so much! Dinner was clearly a priority to her and to their family. What a woman! And what an inspiration she was to me when we worked together. Some people touch our lives in ways that are difficult to express. Sara is one of those people for me.

Sara's daughters are all grown up now and Sara is a grandma. What a very cool grandma she must be! She will create laughs for those kids that they can carry in their hearts forever! She has the light-hearted sense of humor that touches everyone and leaves you feeling happy.

Sara shared a recipe with me that has become a family favorite. Like so many recipes, I have tweaked it so much that I don’t even know what the original recipe was. I do, remember, though, that it came from Sara! This is one of Matthew’s favorite recipes. For you regular readers, I serve it with the rice recipe I shared previously (“Dear Abby’s Infallible Rice”).

POPPY SEED CHICKEN
5-6 chicken breasts, deboned and with skin removed**
1 cup sour cream (preferably Smith's!)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
3 sleeves Ritz cracker crumbs
1-2 Tbls. poppy seeds
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

-Use cooking spray to grease 9 " x 13" casserole dish. Cook chicken until well done (I like to cook mine in the crock pot for several hours.).
-While chicken is cooking, melt margarine in large saute pan on stove top over medium heat. Add Ritz cracker crumbs and heat through. Set aside.
-Cut thoroughly cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place in large bowl.
-Add soup, sour cream, poppy seeds and chicken broth. Mix well. Spread into greased casserole dish.
-Spread buttered cracker crumbs over top of all.
-Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Notes: Refrigerate leftovers. Reheats well.

**I like to use chicken pieces with bone and skin intact until cooked, as they make a tastier broth. Both can easily be removed later.

Enjoy! And if you see Sara Sturgeon, tell her she’s my
hero(ine), will you?

"Dear Abby's Infallible Rice" Recipe

I get so many comments about the recipes I post on my blog. As I've shared with you, I only post what I know to be easy, tried-and-true winning recipes that are as tasty as they are easy. So today, I thought I'd share one I'm making as a side dish for supper tonight.

As I mentioned previously this week, our son is home this week on spring break. As usual when he’s home, I ask what he wants me to cook for him. One of his favorite meals and one of the ones he's requested this week is Poppy Seed Chicken.

I like to serve Poppy Seed Chicken with hot rice as one of its side dishes. I get lots of requests for the rice, so I thought I’d share it here. The recipe is actually from a little booklet I ordered from a Dear Abby newspaper column years ago as a young bride. The booklet is called “Dear Abby’s Favorite Recipes.” Because my boys love rice, I always double the recipe. (I don't double the onion, however. My boys aren't huge onion fans, so I adjust accordingly.)

ABBY’S INFALLIBLE RICE

1 medium onion, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup long-grain, raw white rice
2 cups chicken broth (hot)
1/2 tsp. salt (my addition)

Saute onion in butter until transparent. Combine onion, rice and hot broth. Bring to a boil on top of range. Cover and place in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

And that's it!

Notes:
1. If your rice has too much liquid after 20 minutes, recover tightly and bake a little longer. Check every 3-4 minutes, as it will absorb the liquid quickly.
2. If you are making this as a supper swap dish to share with friends, leave a small amount of liquid in the rice. Cover tightly after you remove from the oven (and when transporting), and the liquid will be absorbed yet the rice won’t become sticky.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! I think it’s the best, most flavorful rice recipe I’ve made.

Granny's Spoon Rolls

My husband's grandmother, Della Maude Hawkins, shared a recipe with me many years ago for a quick bread that she called Spoon Rolls. They are delicious and I thought you would enjoy trying these light, flavorful rolls. Granny is gone now, but her recipe remains a favorite of ours, and the recipe is often requested by company.

Granny's Spoon Rolls
4 cups self-rising flour
2 cups lukewarm water
1 pkg. dry yeast
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cooking oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a tightly-fitting lid (like a Rubbermaid or Tupperware container); refrigerate overnight. Spoon into greased muffin tins (until about 3/4 full). Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so, until lightly browned. Makes about 2 dozen.

Notes:
*Use a large bowl, as mixture expands in the fridge.
**This batter will last 2-3 days in the fridge. Just make as many as you need for a meal and keep the rest for later.

The BEST Baked Potatoes (like Red Lobster's potatoes)

I've gotten lots of feedback from the cobbler recipe, so I decided to post a recipe for baked potatoes that I think you'll also enjoy. This is really too simple to be called a recipe, but it is delicious. In fact, I was given this preparation method from a waitress at Red Lobster who told me this is how the restaurant prepares their baked potatoes. Since my family has always been a fan of those yummy potatoes, I tried it and we all LOVED them! In fact, I haven't made baked potatoes any other way since, and that was years ago!


It's so simple...
1. Scrub baking potatoes well; cut away any bad places. Poke with a fork in several places, so that steam can escape (it will help the potatoes to bake more evenly). Let potatoes dry for a few minutes on paper towels.
2. Using a pastry brush, brush potato lightly all over with oil.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt (a medium crystal is best, but coarse or fine is often all that's available at our local store. In that case, I prefer fine, as it adheres better.)
4. Bake in a slow oven, about 300 degrees for about 2 hours. Turn halfway and rotate pan in oven also.

NOTE: Do not cover. Just place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake. I sometimes place a sheet of foil under the potatoes for easy clean-up, but I never cover each potato (like I used to), because foil keeps the moisture inside and the crust won't crisp properly. Potatoes in foil will also lose their salty crust. If you want to bake and transport (like for a supper swap), I found it best to place the potatoes in a deep casserole after baking to transport. Cover with parchment paper or paper towels instead of foil.

One last thought - I sometimes make extra potatoes to use for a meal the following night. Just refrigerate leftover potatoes after cooling. To prepare for a second meal, slice the potatoes (skin and all) into fairly large slices/pieces (maybe 12-15 pieces for a good-sized potato). Brown in a little oil and/or butter in a pan on top of the stove for DELICIOUS fried potatoes! Season with salt and pepper to taste and turn frequently to prevent burning. They are already fully-cooked, of course, and will brown beautifully! We have even used the grill to prepare in this way. Just spray a grilling pan with cooking spray or oil and place on grill. So easy and so good!

------------
Please let me know how you like potaotes baked this way! I love your feedback and comments.

A recipe for Easy Fruit Cobbler

When I think of hospitality, my thoughts always go to feeding folks. I have lots of favorite recipes and gravitate to those tried-and-true easy ones. In fact, I am in the process of writing a cookbook, which I am tentatively calling Vanessa's Easiest Recipes. This cookbook will be a compilation of the recipes I've collected and created. They are all very simple and truly qualify for the 'easy' category.

When I serve the cobbler below, someone ALWAYS asks for the recipe. The beauty is that it is SO EASY! I always have these items on hand, so I can whip up a cobbler and have a hot, welcoming dessert for drop-in company in no time!

Vanessa's Easy Fruit Cobbler

1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup of milk
1-2 cups of fresh or canned fruit (a mixture of peaches and blueberries is one of my favorites)
1 stick of butter or margarine
Cinnamon-sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While oven is heating, place butter in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking pan and place in oven, so that butter can melt (careful not to burn). Mix flour, sugar and milk with whisk until smooth. Pour directly into pan with melted butter. Do not stir. Pour drained fruit evenly over top. Do not stir. Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Return to oven and bake about 15-20 minutes longer, until lightly browned on top. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. So yummy to be so easy!

Note: The fruit will be barely visable after it bakes, as the recipe makes it's own crusty topping. Also, the longer you bake the cobbler, the more cake-like it will become. It's delicious both ways!

As always, I welcome your feedback! Let me know how your cobbler was received!