CHICKEN FINGERS WITH HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE

My husband and I arrived back in the country, on a Sunday night, at 2am in the morning. Then I cleaned all that day in anticipation of family arriving the day after, so needless to say, I hadn't given dinner much thought. I joked we would be having chicken nuggets, then remembered I had this recipe for chicken fingers - perfect for kids, and yummy enough for adults.
My daughter wanted to help me cook, and once I had cut up the chicken, and set up the bowls with the buttermilk and breadcrumbs, and the cooking sheet, she was able to do the rest.

CHICKEN FINGERS WITH HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut across into 3/4 inch slices
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
salt
pepper
honey mustard sauce (recipe below)

Heat the oven to 400F.
Combine the chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish, turning the chicken once to coat with the buttermilk. Cover and chill for 15 minutes (I completely missed this step, but the dish still turned out ok).
Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or foil.
Combine breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip each piece of chicken in the crumbs to fully coat and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through about 16 minutes. Serve with the mustard sauce.

HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE

1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey

In a small bowl, stir together the mustard and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the honey.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from USA Weekend, August, 2012
www.usaweekend.com/section/FOOD

BAKED PENNE WITH FARMHOUSE CHEDDAR AND LEEKS

I was going out for the evening with a friend and had planned to leave dinner for my family.

This baked penne has been a consistent favorite of mine. I have loved it every time I've made it, unfortunately I was to discover my family didn't enjoy it as much as me! After rushing to cook and leave a heart warming, home cooked meal on the table, I came home to discover my husband had made a whole different dinner, that the kids liked far better than my pasta dish.

However, I still count it among my personal favorites, and is one I will definitely make again.

BAKED PENNE WITH FARMHOUSE CHEDDAR AND LEEKS

1/4 cup butter
5 leeks, chopped (white and pale green parts only)
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 large eggs
1 pound penne pasta

Lightly butter a 15 by 10 inch baking dish.
Melt butter in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add leeks, stir to coat. Cover saucepan and cook until leeks are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes (do not brown). Uncover saucepan, add flour. Stir 2 minutes. Add milk, bring to simmer, stirring often. Add cheese, mustard, and pepper sauce. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Season cheese sauce to taste with salt.
Whisk eggs in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in 1 cup cheese sauce. Stir egg mixture into cheese sauce in saucepan.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Return to pot.
Stir cheese sauce into pasta in pot. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
Heat oven to 400F. Bake pasta until cheese sauce is bubbling around edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, March 2009
www.bonappetit.com/ideas/March-2009-issue/search

ROASTED ZUCCHINI WITH ALMONDS AND OLIVES and ZUCCHINI RIBBONS WITH FETA AND MINT

As I think I have mentioned, I have had a lot of zucchini to cook my way through! Thankfully there are a lot of interesting, delicious ways to serve the end of the summer bounty.
Both of these recipes are very quick, use few ingredients, but are delightfully tasty. The olives with the roasted zucchini, and the dressing on the zucchini ribbons, add a wonderful tang to the otherwise mild vegetable.

ROASTED ZUCCHINI WITH ALMONDS AND OLIVES

1 zucchini
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup whole almonds, chopped coarsely

Heat oven to 400F.
Using a vegetable peeler, slice zucchini lengthwise into long, thin strips and put into medium bowl. Add salt and toss to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add oil, garlic, olives and almonds and toss lightly to coat. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Arkansas Democrat Gazette, August 2012
www.arkansas.com/dining/recipes/

ZUCCHINI RIBBONS WITH FETA AND MINT

2 zucchini
2 shallots, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
salad greens
3/4 cup feta cheese, thinly sliced

Using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler, cut zucchini lengthwise into very thin strips just until seeds are visible.
Mix together the shallots, mint, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange zucchini ribbons over salad greens, top with shallot mixture and feta cheese.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, June 2009
www.southernliving.com › Food › Recipes

FLOUNDER AND ROASTED TOMATOES

I was very excited for my Uncle to come and visit, and picked him up from the bus station last week. He had flown from New Zealand, taken a train from Los Angeles to Chicago, then a bus to Fayetteville via St Louis. Needless to say, he had see a lot of countryside, and met some very interesting people.
His first night with us, I wanted a simple, nourishing meal - something that wouldn't tie me to the kitchen, and would ensure lots of time to visit - and this dish was perfect.
We paired the flounder with a delicious bottle of American chardonnay, and lots of wonderful conversation.

FLOUNDER AND ROASTED TOMATOES

2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
4 skinless flounder or sole fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Heat oven to 400F.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, top with basil.
Combine breadcrumbs, parsley and thyme in a shallow dish, season to taste with salt and pepper. Coat fillets with cooking spray, dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the fillets to pan, cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and fillets.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, May 2012
www.cookinglight.com › Food › Recipe Finder

SMOKED SWEET POTATOES

I was so excited when the opportunity came up to meet and visit with John McLemore, President of Masterbuilt Manufacturing and cookbook author of "DADGUM That's Good!" and "DADGUM That's Good, Too!". He was a lovely guy, and I really enjoyed talking with him and sharing stories about our mutual passion for cooking, entertaining, good food and great people.
Looking through cookbooks is a treasured past time of mine, and there were so many wonderful recipes in "DADGUM That's Good, Too!, I couldn't wait to get cooking. I loved that this book was full of John's personal memories, fun and fabulous people, and loads of interesting, delicious recipes.
John said one of his personal favorites is the Smoked Mac & Cheese, and I was especially intrigued by the Smoked Cabbage, Banana Wontons, and the Grilled Peaches and Plums with Honey-Citrus Sauce! Oh my gosh - so many fantastic recipes to choose from!
Friends were hosting a lobster bake, and asked if we would bring a side dish - I immediately looked through my latest cookbook, "DADGUM That's Good,Too!" and found this tempting recipe for Smoked Sweet Potatoes, which I thought would complement the lobster. We were not disappointed - the potatoes had a delicious hint of smoke, they paired perfectly with the sweet lobster and elicited rave reviews from everyone present.

SMOKED SWEET POTATOES

8 large sweet potatoes
2 1/3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1 cup butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup smoked or toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat smoker to 275F.
Wash and scrub each sweet potato well. Baste each with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Sprinkle outside of each potato with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Place sweet potatoes in smoker and smoke for 1 hour. Remove from smoker, double wrap each potato securely with heavy duty aluminum foil and place back in smoker for an additional hour.
Remove potatoes from smoker and unwrap from foil. Slice potatoes in half and score flesh with a fork. Top each potato half with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of chopped pecans.
Enjoy!

Recipe from "Dadgum That's Good, Too", John McLemore, 2012
dadgumthatsgood.com/

SQUASH CASSEROLE

Our kids decided they wanted to have a 4 course meal, because it was "fancy".
Joe set the table, complete with candles, the good china and chargers under the plates - one of the courses was this wonderful squash casserole, served with pork loin.
The whole evening was so enjoyable, but the excitement of the kids was the best part of all!

SQUASH CASSEROLE

4 pounds squash, sliced
1 large, sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped chives
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/4 cups freshly shredded parmesan cheese, divided
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 350F.
Cook squash and onion in boiling water, 8 minutes or just until tender. Drain mixture well.
Combine squash mixture, cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic salt, black pepper, eggs and 3/4 cups parmesan cheese.
Spoon into a lightly greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish.
Stir together melted butter and breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over top of casserole.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living, May 2010
www.southernliving.com/food/

PEANUT HUMMUS

I originally made this dip for an "unusual pairings" party, my husband and I hosted. Not being familiar with boiled peanuts, I used the roasted kind, easily found in every supermarket in this area. My first attempt didn't turn out very well - it resembled a satay sauce, rather than hummus!
My dear friend let me know that in fact boiled peanuts were very different to roasted and they were to be found in abundance down South. On a recent family trip through Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, we came across many stands at the side of the road that were selling boiled peanuts - and I was excited to try them, and to attempt this recipe again. The texture was very like a large, soft bean, perfect for a hummus-like dip.

PEANUT HUMMUS

1 cup shelled boiled peanuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of ground red pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Process first 7 ingredients in a food processor until coarsely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add olive oil, processing until smooth - adding more lemon juice and/or olive oil as needed.
Serve with pita chips, sliced carrots, cucumbers, and red pepper strips, as desired.
Enjoy!